READ THE PASSAGE AND CHOOSE THE BEST OPTION (A, B, C OR D) TO ANSWER E...

Section 3: Read the passage and choose the best option (A, B, C or D) to answer each question The invention of the electric telegraph gave birth to the communications history. Although Samuel B. Morse succeeded in making the invention useful in 1837, it was not until 1843 that the first telegraph line of consequence was constructed. By 1860 more than 50,000 miles of lines connected people east of the Rockies. The following year, San Francisco was added to the network. The national telegraph network fortified the ties between East and West and contributed to the rapid expansion of the railroads by providing an efficient means to monitor schedules and routes. Furthermore, the extension of the telegraph, combined with the invention of the steam-driven rotary printing press by Richard M. Hoe in 1846, revolutionized the world of journalism. Where the business of news gathering had been dependent upon the mail and on hand operated presses, the telegraph expanded the amount of information a newspaper could supply and allowed for more timely reporting. The establishment of the Associated Press as a central wire service in 1846 marked the advent of a new era in journalism. 1. The main topic of the passage is ______. A. the history of journalism. B. the origin of the national telegraph. C. how the telegraph network contributed to the expansion of railroads. D. the contributions and development of the telegraph network. 2. The word “gathering” refers to ______. A. people B. information C. objects D. substances 3. The author’s main purpose in this passage is to ______. A. compare the invention of the telegraph with the invention of the steam-driven rotary press. B. propose new ways to develop the communications industry. C. show how the electric telegraph affected the communications industry. D. criticize Samuel B. Morse 4. This passage would most likely be found in a ______. A. U.S history book B. book on trains C. science textbook D. computer magazine 5. It can be inferred from the passage that ______. A. Samuel B. Morse did not make a significant contribution to the communications industry. B. Morse’s invention did not immediately achieve its full potential. C. the extension of the telegraph was more important than its invention. D. journalists have the Associated Press to thank for the birth of the communications industry.