Prior to the late nineteenth century, most towns and cities in North America kept their own local time based on the position of the sun. When travel was limited to horses and stagecoaches, these minute variations in time from one town to the next caused few issues. However, the rapid expansion of the railroad network in the 1850s created significant scheduling challenges. With dozens of different local times intersecting on a single train route, coordinating arrivals and avoiding devastating collisions became nearly impossible.
To resolve this logistical nightmare, North American railroad companies collaborated to implement a system of standardized time. In 1883, the industry divided the continent into four distinct time zones, synchronizing schedules across thousands of miles of track. This corporate initiative effectively established a uniform timekeeping system that allowed trains to operate safely and predictably.
Despite the clear practical benefits for transportation and commerce, this new system was not immediately embraced by the general public or the government. Many citizens fiercely resisted standard time, viewing it as an unnatural imposition by powerful corporations that disrupted the traditional rhythms of nature. The United States government itself did not officially recognize and adopt the railroad industry's standard time zones until the passage of the Standard Time Act in 1918.
Which of the following most accurately describes the logical relationship between the first and second paragraphs?
- AThe first paragraph presents a widely held historical theory regarding timekeeping, and the second paragraph provides evidence to refute that theory.
- BThe first paragraph discusses local sun time in North American towns, and the second paragraph discusses the corporate structure of railroad companies.
- The first paragraph outlines a practical problem created by a technological advancement, and the second paragraph describes the specific solution implemented by an industry to address it.Cevap
- DThe first paragraph outlines a broad economic principle, and the second paragraph provides a specific historical counterexample to that principle.
- EThe first paragraph describes a logistical problem from the perspective of the government, and the second paragraph describes the railroad industry's opposition to the government's proposed solution.