Question

the missing patent
wilbur and orville wrights official patent for their \flying machine,\ submitted in 1903, is an important slice of american history. the patent was supposed to be stored in the national archives, where historical treasures are housed. however, in 2000, officials discovered that it seemed to have vanished. researchers looked through storage vaults, filing cabinets, and archives around the country, to no avail. some wondered whether the document had been stolen. finally, chris abraham, newly assigned to the national archives document recovery program, volunteered to solve the puzzle. abraham suspected that the patent might have been mistakenly sent to a huge storage facility in kansas where other, less important patent documents were kept. abraham was right: after searching through boxes and boxes of documents, he found the patent on march 22, 2016.
what is the main, or central, idea of the passage?
a national archives researcher solved the mystery of the missing wright brothers 1903 airplane patent.
a researcher with the national archives document recovery program offered to track down a missing patent.
in 2000, researchers discovered that the wright brothers historic 1903 airplane patent had been lost or stolen.

Explanation:

The passage introduces the missing Wright Brothers' 1903 flying machine patent, the search efforts, and how a National Archives researcher located it. The first option encompasses the full narrative: the missing patent, the researcher, and the resolution of the mystery. The other options only cover partial details (one just the offer to search, one only the discovery of the missing patent).

Answer:

A. A National Archives researcher solved the mystery of the missing Wright Brothers' 1903 airplane patent.