In 1877, 85% of California’s railways were already controlled by the Southern Paciﬁc Railroad. The company further solidiﬁed
its ______ in rail access to the state’s Paciﬁc coast when it completed the Sunset Route in 1883: running from Louisiana to
Southern California, the route established the ﬁrst transcontinental rail line across the southern United States.
dominance
creativity
insigniﬁcance
neutrality
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of the Southern Paciﬁc
Railroad. As used in this context, "dominance" means the state of being more successful than others. The text states that
the Southern Paciﬁc Railroad already controlled 85% of California’s railways in 1877, and that the Sunset Route it constructed
in 1883 was the ﬁrst transcontinental rail line across the southern United States. Therefore, the Southern Paciﬁc Railroad
would be more successful than other railroads in the area, and the construction of the Sunset Route would further solidify its
dominance in rail access to California’s coast.
Choice B is incorrect. Although the construction of the Sunset Route must have required some creativity, or use of
imagination, the word "creativity" would not also encompass the fact that the Southern Paciﬁc Railroad already controlled
85% of California’s railways. The text is more focused on the railroad’s control of the ﬁeld and overall success rather than its
imaginative thought processes. Choice C is incorrect because if the Southern Paciﬁc Railroad controlled the majority of
California’s railways, it would not make sense to refer to its "insigniﬁcance," or the state of being unimportant. Rather, the
opposite would be true. Choice D is incorrect because in context it would not make sense to refer to the Southern Paciﬁc
Railroad’s "neutrality," or absence of strong opinion on a matter, since no opinions are mentioned. Nor would "neutrality" in
the sense of impartiality in a conﬂict be a logical or precise choice since no conﬂict is explicitly described. There might be an
implied conﬂict between the Southern Paciﬁc Railroad and other railroads doing business in California, but that is not a
conﬂict in which the Southern Paciﬁc Railroad would take an impartial position.