Question
Have you ever noticed those patterns of lines and numbers on packaged food, price tags, and more? These are barcodes—and they make it possible for machines to scan information about a product, like how much it costs.
Although they have many uses now, barcodes were originally developed to make grocery store checkout lines faster. In 1949, Joseph Woodland, an inventor and graduate student, heard about this problem. While relaxing on the beach, he came up with a possible solution. Thinking of how used dots and dashes to represent letters, he drew lines in the sand with his fingers. He imagined creating similar patterns that a machine could read.
Woodland was ahead of his time, however, as the technology needed to print and scan barcodes hadn’t yet been developed. Eventually, laser scanners that could scan accurately and quickly were invented. In 1974, an Ohio supermarket cashier scanned the very first barcode—on a pack of gum—forever changing the checkout process.
In the passage, how does the author develop the central idea that Joseph Woodland helped invent barcodes?
Choose 1 answer:
Choose 1 answer:
(Choice A) by listing the different types of products that have barcodes
A
by listing the different types of products that have barcodes
(Choice B) by explaining that modern barcodes were not developed until several years after Woodland designed his system
B
by explaining that modern barcodes were not developed until several years after Woodland designed his system
(Choice C) by sharing how much faster barcodes made checkout lines
C
by sharing how much faster barcodes made checkout lines
(Choice D) by detailing how Woodland came up with the idea for barcodes after being inspired by Morse Code
D
by detailing how Woodland came up with the idea for barcodes after being inspired by Morse Code
Although they have many uses now, barcodes were originally developed to make grocery store checkout lines faster. In 1949, Joseph Woodland, an inventor and graduate student, heard about this problem. While relaxing on the beach, he came up with a possible solution. Thinking of how used dots and dashes to represent letters, he drew lines in the sand with his fingers. He imagined creating similar patterns that a machine could read.
Woodland was ahead of his time, however, as the technology needed to print and scan barcodes hadn’t yet been developed. Eventually, laser scanners that could scan accurately and quickly were invented. In 1974, an Ohio supermarket cashier scanned the very first barcode—on a pack of gum—forever changing the checkout process.
In the passage, how does the author develop the central idea that Joseph Woodland helped invent barcodes?
Choose 1 answer:
Choose 1 answer:
(Choice A) by listing the different types of products that have barcodes
A
by listing the different types of products that have barcodes
(Choice B) by explaining that modern barcodes were not developed until several years after Woodland designed his system
B
by explaining that modern barcodes were not developed until several years after Woodland designed his system
(Choice C) by sharing how much faster barcodes made checkout lines
C
by sharing how much faster barcodes made checkout lines
(Choice D) by detailing how Woodland came up with the idea for barcodes after being inspired by Morse Code
D
by detailing how Woodland came up with the idea for barcodes after being inspired by Morse Code
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The best choice for how the author develops the central idea that Joseph Woodland helped invent barcodes is:
**(Choice D)** by detailing how Woodland came up with the idea for barcodes after being inspired by Morse Code.
This choice directly connects Woodland's inspiration and innovation process to the invention of barcodes, which supports the central idea of his contribution.
**(Choice D)** by detailing how Woodland came up with the idea for barcodes after being inspired by Morse Code.
This choice directly connects Woodland's inspiration and innovation process to the invention of barcodes, which supports the central idea of his contribution.