Before the standardization of railroad time zones in 1883, each American town typically set its clocks by local solar noon. A traveler crossing the country might encounter dozens of slightly different "official" times, and railroads found it nearly impossible to publish coherent schedules. The four time zones adopted by the railway industry were eventually codified into federal law in 1918.
Which choice most logically completes the text? The passage suggests that the standardization of time zones was driven primarily by _______
- A
scientific organizations seeking astronomical accuracy
- Bcheck_circle
practical demands of long-distance commerce and transportation
- C
international diplomatic agreements with foreign powers
- D
federal legislators acting independently of industry concerns
Explanation
Railway scheduling difficulties motivated the change, with federal law following decades later. A contradicts the railroad-led timeline; B and D are unsupported.