Question

while researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• the pony express was a mail delivery service that operated from april 3, 1860, to october 26, 1861 between missouri and california in the united states.
• the pony express employed some 80 horse - mounted riders and 400 - 500 horses to carry mail from the missouri railroad stop in st. joseph, missouri, to sacramento, california.
• before the pony express, mail was delivered from missouri to california via overland stagecoach, which took 22 to 25 days.
• the pony express had an average delivery time of just 10 days.
• despite its remarkable efficiency, the pony express was closed after only 18 months of operation, when the transcontinental telegraph line was established.

the student wants to emphasize the impact of the pony express on the speed of mail delivery. which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
choose 1 answer:
a from april 1860 to october 1861, the pony express delivered mail between missouri and california.
b the pony express reduced the time it took to deliver mail from missouri to california to just 10 days, down from 22 to 25 days by overland stagecoach.
c despite its brief 18 - month existence, the pony express employed some 80 riders to deliver mail from missouri to california.
d the pony express took an average of 22 - 25 days to deliver mail between missouri and california - a significant increase in speed compared to overland coach mail delivery, which could take as long as 10 months.

Explanation:

To emphasize the Pony Express's impact on mail delivery speed, we need to compare its delivery time to the prior service. Option A only states its operation period and route, no speed focus. Option C highlights its short existence and number of riders, not speed impact. Option D has incorrect time data (swaps the times of the two services). Option B directly compares the Pony Express's 10-day average delivery time to the overland stagecoach's 22-25 days, clearly showing the speed improvement.

Answer:

B. The Pony Express reduced the time it took to deliver mail from Missouri to California to just 10 days, down from 22 to 25 days by overland stagecoach.