Read the excerpt:
The Suez Canal links the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, so ships can travel between Europe and Asia without sailing around Africa. It opened in 1869 after ten years of construction. The canal has no locks because the two seas are at nearly the same level. Today about twelve percent of world trade passes through it, which makes its smooth operation important to the global economy.
What can be inferred about the canal's importance?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. A blockage could disturb world trade
- Step 1: Find the relevant detail in the text: "about twelve percent of world trade passes through it".
- Step 2: This detail answers the question directly.
Answer
A blockage could disturb world trade.
Why not the others: "It is used only by Egyptian ships" is not supported by the text; "It carries only oil" is not supported by the text; "It has little effect on prices" is not supported by the text.
Practise more Reading Comprehension and Textual Evidence.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed Egyptian Scholastic Test (EST) mock tests.
More Reading Comprehension and Textual Evidence questions
- In academic reading passages, which rhetorical device involves presenting an opposing argument specifically to refute or qualify it?
- Read the sentence: 'The scholar's hypothesis was initially met with skepticism, but subsequent empirical findings served to CORROBORATE her…
- Which transition word best indicates a logical relationship of contrast between two independent clauses?
- An author describes a scientific discovery by stating: 'While earlier models predicted linear growth, the collected sensor data revealed an…
- In a passage analyzing urban planning, the author notes that 'walkable avenues bolster local commerce while reducing greenhouse emissions.'…
- What tone is conveyed by the phrase: 'The research team rigorously documented every anomaly, ensuring that experimental confounding was syst…