Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: at a seaport village
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This reading comprehension question is based on a descriptive passage about the Alaska pipeline. The passage explains where the pipeline starts, the route it follows, and where it ends. The specific question asks you to identify the location at which the pipeline ends, as described in the text. Careful reading of the relevant sentence is required to choose the exact wording used by the author.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
In comprehension questions, it is important to find the exact line or lines in the passage that deal with the question asked. Here, we must locate the sentence that describes where the pipeline ends. Then we need to compare that sentence with the answer choices and select the option that most accurately reproduces or summarises that information without adding or omitting essential details.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the relevant part of the passage. It says that the Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the Arctic Ocean and stretches southward across the largest and northernmost state in the United States.Step 2: The same sentence continues and states that it ends at a "remote ice free seaport village nearly 800 miles from where it begins".Step 3: Focus on the key noun phrase in that description: "seaport village".Step 4: Compare this with the options. Option B reads "at a seaport village", which matches the phrase from the passage.Step 5: Option A, "north of Alaska", is incorrect because the pipeline runs southward across Alaska and ends within the state at a seaport, not north of it.Step 6: Option C, "after passing through canyons and rivers", describes the journey along the way, not the final endpoint.Step 7: Option D, "at a tundra covered village", does not match the phrase "ice free seaport village" given in the passage.Step 8: Therefore, option B is the correct choice.
Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, we can paraphrase the key sentence from the passage: "The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the Arctic Ocean and ends at a remote ice free seaport village nearly 800 miles from where it begins." This clearly identifies the endpoint as a seaport village. The mention of plains, tundra, canyons, mountains, and rivers comes later in the passage to describe the route, not the final destination. Thus, only option B corresponds precisely to the detail asked for in the question.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A misrepresents the direction and location described in the passage. The pipeline does not end north of Alaska; it crosses Alaska and ends at a seaport within the state.Option C focuses on intermediate features of the route and not on the endpoint. Passing through canyons and rivers is part of the journey, not the answer to "where it ends".Option D mentions a tundra covered village, but the text specifically emphasises that the seaport village is ice free, which is the opposite image.
Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes answer comprehension questions based on general impressions rather than exact wording. Because the passage mentions tundra and canyons, some candidates may confuse those details with the final destination. Another common mistake is to choose an option that sounds descriptive without checking whether it actually answers the specific question asked about where the pipeline ends.
Final Answer:
The Alaska pipeline ends at a remote ice free seaport village, so the correct option is "at a seaport village", option B.
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