SAT OwlIn 1859, a powerful solar storm, now known as the Carrington Event, struck Earth. Telegraph lines across North America and Europe sparked, and some operators found that they could send messages even after disconnecting their batteries. Auroras were seen as far south as the Caribbean. Because modern societies depend on electrical grids and satellites far more than the telegraph-era world did, scientists studying the event have argued that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
a storm of similar strength today could cause far more widespread disruption than the 1859 storm did.
telegraph systems were more vulnerable to solar storms than modern power grids are.
solar storms as strong as the Carrington Event are likely to occur every year.
auroras are the most harmful effect of solar storms.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
The 1859 storm disrupted telegraph lines, the main electrical technology of the time. Today's world relies much more on grids and satellites, so a similar storm would affect far more systems. Choice A follows from this comparison.
Choice B reverses the logic; the text stresses how much more modern society depends on vulnerable electrical systems.
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