Question

the following text is from the 2021 book the art of impossible by steven kotler.
surfing, for example, is an ancient activity, dating back over a thousand years. during most of that time, progress was excruciatingly slow. in the millennia between the fourth - century ad, when the sport was first invented, and 1990, the biggest wave anyone had ever surfed was twenty - five feet. everything above that was considered beyond the realm of human possibility. many people thought the laws of physics prohibited surfers from tackling into waves larger than twenty - five feet. yet today, just two - and - a - half decades later, surfers routinely paddle into waves that are sixty feet tall and tow into waves that are over a hundred feet tall.
the art of impossible by steven kotler © 2021 harpercollins.
how does the structure of the text most contribute to its meaning?
choose 1 answer:
by tracing the timeline from ancient surfing to modern accomplishments, the text highlights how the long history set the stage for modern breakthroughs.
by describing surfings origins in the fourth century and its continued practice over time, the text reveals that significant elements of the sport have remained unchanged.
by contrasting the thousand years of limited development with the rapid changes since 1990, the text highlights how advances in surfing accelerated in recent decades.
by organizing the discussion around the size of waves surfed across time, the text makes the scale of modern feats more understandable.

Explanation:

The text first describes the slow - progress of surfing over a long time, then contrasts it with the rapid changes in recent decades. This contrast emphasizes how surfing has advanced quickly in recent times.

Answer:

By contrasting the thousand years of limited development with the rapid changes since 1990, the text highlights how advances in surfing accelerate in recent decades.