In the early nineteenth century, timekeeping in the United States was a purely local affair. Every town set its own clocks based on the sun's position at midday, creating a confusing patchwork of hundreds of local times across the country. This system was manageable when travel was slow, but the rapid expansion of railroads after the Civil War made scheduling train routes and avoiding collisions nearly impossible. To solve this crisis, major railroad companies agreed to establish four standardized time zones across the continental United States in November 1883. Although the federal government did not officially adopt these zones until the passage of the Standard Time Act in 1918, the public quickly embraced the railroad-devised system, realizing its convenience for daily commerce and travel.
The writer is considering adding the following sentence to the paragraph (placed after the sentence ending with the word 'impossible'):
'At the time, railroad tracks were made of durable steel rather than iron, allowing for heavier trains and faster travel.'
Should the writer make this addition?
- AYes, because it provides necessary background information about the technological advancements of the railroad industry during the nineteenth century.
- BYes, because it supports the paragraph's discussion of why railroad scheduling was so complicated and dangerous.
- No, because it interrupts the paragraph's focus on the development of standardized time by introducing an unrelated detail about railroad construction materials.Cevap
- DNo, because it contradicts the paragraph's assertion that the expansion of railroads made scheduling more difficult.