Question

icycle racing on an indoor track could be a thrilling sport for spectators, who sat outside the oval, so close to the cyclists that they could see their sweat. More than 7,000 people watched the night Frankie Nelson set her 18-hour record in Minneapolis, and a good number of those were female. "Men go to see what their brothers can do in the way of athletics," the St. Paul Daily Globe pointed out during that race. "Why shouldn't women be interested in their sisters?"

–Wheels of Change,
Sue Macy

Read the passage. Then, answer the questions.

Which detail helps develop the central idea that cycling races were popular in the 1890s?


What would remain unclear if the author did not include this detail?

Answer 1

Which detail: The sentence that "More than 7,000 people watched the night Frankie Nelson set her 18‑hour record in Minneapolis" (and the follow‑up that many of those were female) shows how popular the races were.

What would remain unclear: Without that detail, readers wouldn’t know the scale of public interest — i.e., that huge crowds (including many women) turned out to watch bicycle racing.