Question

eyes upturned, three boaters watched uneasily as a glowing object flitted across the sky. was it a drone? a rocket? a jet?
not possible - the strange incident happened nearly three centuries before the first successful airplane was invented.
the 1639 account of the sighting comes from the diary of john winthrop. he was the governor of the massachusetts bay colony at the time. the diary entry describes the unusual situation three men found themselves in while rowing their boat through the muddy river. the lighted object, winthrop wrote, alternately stood still and flared, then darted across the sky, and \contracted into the figure of a swine.\ the strange, pig - shaped object remained visible for a few hours, shooting back and forth across a distance of about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers). then, it mysteriously faded away - untraceable and unforgettable.
once their attention returned to their task, the men were startled to discover they were now a mile (1.6 kilometers) upstream. they had no recollection of rowing against the current, winthrop wrote. that part isnt entirely unexplainable, though - their boat could have been carried by wind or a reverse tidal flow. or the men may have just been so fascinated by the sight above them that they didnt notice their movement.
the boaters werent the only witnesses to the extraordinary oddity. according to winthrop, \other credible persons saw the same light, after, about the same place,\ he wrote.
five years later, winthrop recorded a report of another incidence of lights \like the moon\ rising from different places, then joining together as one before parting again. over and over, the lights joined and parted, he wrote - sometimes shooting out flames, other times appearing to sparkle. this time
question 4
which passage from the article best supports the idea that the men in the boat were completely absorbed by what they saw?
a. once their attention returned to their task, the men were startled to discover they were now a mile (1.6 kilometers) upstream. they had no recollection of rowing against the current.
b. five years later, winthrop recorded a report of another incidence of lights \like the moon\ rising from different places.
c. this time it happened in the early evening, and several people witnessed the unusual sight.
d. the boaters werent the only witnesses to the extraordinary oddity, according to winthrop.

Explanation:

Option A shows that the men were so absorbed by what they saw (the glowing object) that they had no recollection of rowing against the current and ended up a mile upstream. This directly supports the idea that they were completely absorbed. Option B is about another incidence of lights. Option C is about multiple people witnessing an unusual sight at a certain time. Option D is about other witnesses. Only Option A relates to the men in the boat being absorbed by what they saw.

Answer:

A. Once their attention returned to their task, the men were startled to discover they were now a mile (1.6 kilometers) upstream. They had no recollection of rowing against the current.