Invented by Thomas Edison in 1877, the phonograph cylinder was a remarkable device that allowed sounds to be recorded and reproduced. It was the earliest instrument to do both; Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville had created a phonautograph that could record sound in a visible format but could not play it back. In its earliest form, the phonograph cylinder was wrapped in a scratchable medium—tinfoil—and then rotated under a stylus that was attached to the speaking tube. When sound entered the tube, the attached diaphragm would vibrate, causing the point of the stylus to create indentations of varying depths on the cylinder; meanwhile, the cylinder was rotated by a hand crank at a rate of 60 revolutions per minute. The recording on the cylinder could then be played back by drawing a lighter stylus along the indentations, causing the diaphragm of the speaking tube to vibrate and thereby replicate the recorded sounds. Over time, the phonograph slowly evolved. Cylinders were wrapped in wax instead of tinfoil, a motorized crank and more effective recording media were developed, and the cylinder itself was replaced with a disc that allowed for more durable creations. Eventually, the phonograph evolved into the record players we know today.
1. The passage implies which of the following?A. Cylinders were more fragile than discs.
B. The original phonograph used wax cylinders to record sound.
C. Thomas Edison had the idea to use wax instead of tinfoil.
D. Early phonographs used the same stylus to record and to play sound.
E. Thomas Edison invented the first sound-recording device.
2. According to the passage, which of the following was NOT a contribution by Thomas Edison to the phonograph?A. He designed a cylindrical rotating object as the recording medium.
B. He designed the phonograph to have a consistent speed.
C. He designed the disc as a more durable format than the cylinder.
D. He designed cylinders wrapped in a scratchable substance.
E. He created a device that could play sounds as well as record them.
3. What is the main purpose of the passage?A. To discuss the early inventions of Thomas Edison
B. To describe the invention and technological evolution of the phonograph cylinder
C. To explain how Edison's phonograph cylinder evolved from de Martinville's phonautograph
D. To expound on the history of audio recording devices
E. To establish Thomas Edison as the most important figure in the development of audio recording technology