During the rapid deployment of early field telegraph networks across arid territories, communication units repeatedly experienced severe signal attenuation despite unbroken copper wiring and fully charged batteries. Infrequent desert downpours caused porous untreated timber posts to draw moisture and alkaline mineral salts upward from the ground. This capillary absorption transformed the structural uprights into unintended electrical conduits, draining current directly into the earth at hundreds of intermediate contact points. Maintenance crews initially attempted to resolve the failures by boosting transmission voltage, which accelerated line overheating and power depletion. Reliable message transmission was restored only after crews installed resin-coated brackets to isolate the wiring from the conductive wooden supports.
Which of the following best expresses the unstated main idea of the passage?
- ATechnological infrastructure inevitably experiences system-wide failures when deployed in desert environments without specialized mechanical upgrades.
- BAlkaline mineral salts absorbed from desert soil transform damp wooden support posts into active electrical conduits during rainfall.
- Resolving the field communication breakdowns required insulating line supports against ground leakage rather than increasing electrical transmission power.Cevap
- DEarly telegraph line maintenance crews lacked the technical knowledge necessary to operate and maintain high-voltage battery equipment in the field.