When Ada Lovelace was born in 1815, her birth was noted because of her

Question

When Ada Lovelace was born in 1815, her birth was noted because of her famous father: Lord Byron. Her father separated from her mother, Anne Isabella Byron, just a month after Ada was born. He died when Ada was 8 years old. In order to guard against the mental illness Anne worried that Ada would inherit from her father, the mother encouraged the daughter to study mathematics and logic. This turned out to be the key to Ada’s life: She would go on to achieve far more than was expected by a well-born lady of her time.

Chief among Ada’s successes were her work on Charles Babbage’s early mechanical general-purpose computer, which they called the “Analytical Engine.” Notes that Ada made in developing the machine reveal what is widely believed to be an algorithm intended to be performed by the engine. As the algorithm became known by mathematicians, its existence has given rise to the idea that Ada was the world’s first computer programmer, an idea that’s difficult to dispute.    1 
 1. Which of the following can reasonably be said to be an accurate depiction of the author’s attitude toward Ada Lovelace?

A. Grateful amazement
B. Awe at her unexpected accomplishments
C. Pride in her accomplishments
D. Surprise at the course her life took
E. Respect at her achievements

2 
 2. According to the passage, Ada Lovelace’s mother encouraged her interest in mathematics for which of the following reasons?

A. Ada already showed a knack for developing algorithms.
B. Anne hoped to keep Ada from developing the mental illness that plagued her father.
C. She hoped to keep Ada distracted from mourning her father.
D. Ada showed signs of becoming a poet.
E. Ada showed signs of mental illness.

3 
 3. A good title for this passage would be

A. Poets’ SurprisingProgeny
B. She Could Have Been a Poet
C. Greatness Is in the Blood
D. Ada Lovelace: Inventor of the Computer
E. She Wrote the Algorithm That Changed the World

RC Butler 2023  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 99 Date: 11-Apr-2023
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2023 .  Click here for Details

dine5207 · Answer

Sajjad1994  : I am able to eliminate B, C, &D. E looks better than A, but I am not able to convince myself why A is wrong. Could you please provide the official explanation.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. Which of the following can reasonably be said to be an accurate depiction of the author’s attitude toward Ada Lovelace?

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

This is a question about tone. Hopefully, while reading the passage you noticed that there are a few words that gesture toward the author’s tone, such as the closing phrase,  “an idea that’s difficult to dispute.”  If you’re thinking that phrase seems rather tame, yes, indeed. Remember that tone is often very subtle, although the answer choices may seem to want you to infer something far more passionate.

Notice the use of  “amazement”  in  A ,  “awe”  in  B , and  “pride”  in  C.  It is possible that the author feels this way about Ada Lovelace, but there’s nothing in the passage that justifies the use of those extreme words. That leaves  D , which could be correct. Tone questions can feel very subjective, and it’s possible that the author feels surprise (as you might) when reading about Lovelace’s accomplishments. However, this would be very difficult to prove. Only  E  is justified, as the passage is suffused with the respectful tone the author uses when discussing the subject.

Answer: E

reinata.hanna · Answer

Why is no 3 e, not d? The text is more about ada than anything about algorithm

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dine5207 · Answer

Here is why D wrong, nowhere in the passage its mentioned that Ada is the inventor of the computer, she just wrote the algorithm that had huge impact.

Rajeet123 · Answer

Can someone please explain how to decide between D and E in the third question?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. A good title for this passage would be

Explanation

A  could be true if the passage was longer, but since we read about only one poet’s child, it seems to be a stretch. (By theway, notice the grammar of that title—it indicates more than one poet.)

B  seems limiting (yes, she could have been a poet, but there’s no indication in the passage that she wanted to, nor had any aptitude for it).

C  could work but seems quite broad. And  D  is simply incorrect. So that leaves  E  as the best answer.

Answer: E

Sajjad1994 · Answer

D is incorrect

Although Ada Lovelace's work on Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine is mentioned in the passage, the title  "Ada Lovelace: Inventor of the Computer"  is not entirely accurate. While Ada Lovelace is credited with writing the world's first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine, Charles Babbage is considered the inventor of the Analytical Engine. Moreover, the computer as we know it today was developed much later and involved contributions from many other individuals. Therefore, while Ada Lovelace was an important figure in the history of computing, she cannot be considered the inventor of the computer.

When Ada Lovelace was born in 1815, her birth was noted because of her

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

When Ada Lovelace was born in 1815, her birth was noted because of her

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