Question 25·Easy·Central Ideas and Details
In 2014, engineer Javier Santos noticed that many families in his hometown could not afford commercially bottled water. Determined to help, he spent months experimenting with locally available materials and eventually created a simple, low-cost filtration device that could remove most contaminants from river water. The success of this invention prompted Santos to establish ClearFlow, a nonprofit organization that distributes the filters throughout rural regions of his country.
According to the passage, what did Javier Santos create in 2014?
For questions asking “According to the passage, what did X do/create?” first underline the key cue (often a name and a date or action), then scan the passage for that exact cue. Read the full sentence containing it, restate the key detail in your own words, and then choose the option that best matches that wording. Always distinguish between the main action mentioned and other related details before or after it, and ignore any answer choices that introduce ideas not found in the text.
Hints
Use the date as a clue
Look back at the sentence that begins with “In 2014.” That sentence contains the detail the question is asking about.
Focus on what he created
In that sentence, find the phrase that describes what Santos “created” after experimenting with materials. That is the key detail.
Don’t mix up the invention with later actions
The passage mentions that after his success, he established something called ClearFlow. Make sure you separate what he invented from what he founded later.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the question is asking
The question asks: “According to the passage, what did Javier Santos create in 2014?”
So you need to find a specific detail in the passage that tells you what he created, not what he did later.
Find the key part of the passage
Look for the part of the passage that mentions 2014, because the question is tied to that year.
The first sentence starts: “In 2014, engineer Javier Santos noticed that many families...” and then continues to describe what he did next. Keep reading that same sentence to see what he created.
Identify what Santos actually created
The passage says he “eventually created a simple, low-cost filtration device that could remove most contaminants from river water.” That is the invention the question is asking about.
Be careful not to confuse this with what happened after the invention (like establishing ClearFlow). The question is about what he created, not what organization he later started.
Match the passage wording to the answer choice
Now compare that key phrase from the passage to the answer choices:
- The passage does not say he created a bottled-water company, a smartphone app, or a clinic.
- It does say he created a “simple, low-cost filtration device.”
So the correct answer is D) A low-cost water filtration device.