Question

use the passage and the glossary entry to answer the question.

technology is changing at an exponential rate. thirty - four years passed between the invention of the radio in 1895 and the invention of the modern television in 1929. another 50 years passed before the first personal computer came out in 1977. since then, technology has proven to own speed burners. we are increasingly dependent on computers, each model more sophisticated than the last. cell phones are no longer novel, and many now have capabilities that rival those of computers.

glossary
exponent: a number placed to the upper right of another number to show how many times that number is to be multiplied by itself, for example, (10^{4}) indicates (10\times10\times10\times10).

how does the word \exponential\ help the reader understand the authors view of technology?

1. by stressing how rapidly technology is changing and growing
2. by stressing how well people adapt to changes in technology
3. by showing how necessary to daily life technology has become
4. by showing that todays technology is more sophisticated than earlier inventions

Explanation:

To determine the answer, we analyze the meaning of "exponential" and the passage. The glossary defines an exponent as a number showing how many times a number is multiplied by itself, implying rapid growth. The passage talks about technology's changing speed (e.g., time between inventions decreasing, faster advancements). Option 1 focuses on speed of change/growth, which matches "exponential" meaning. Option 2 is about adaptation (not related to "exponential"), option 3 about necessity (not about growth speed), option 4 about sophistication (the passage's examples of speed, not just sophistication, and "exponential" is about growth rate, not just comparison of sophistication). So the correct option is the one about emphasizing rapid change/growth.

Answer:

1. By stressing how rapidly technology is changing and growing