Read the following statements and answer the question that follows. A. Back then, they were owned by companies and installed on their premises. B. Rooms and servers began to replace computer mainframes in the 1990’s. C. These were supplemented by processors from Intel, which by the mid-2000s translated its dominance of PC semiconductors into a near monopoly of the server market. D. They mostly ran on chips made by IBM and HP, the big tech of the day. E. Things started to change once again around a decade ago, when Amazon began selling some of its spare server capacity. Which of the following combinations is the MOST logically ordered?
Step 1: Understand the chronological sequence of events. The passage discusses the evolution of server technology, starting from ownership by companies, the replacement of mainframes, the role of processors, the dominance of IBM and HP, and finally, the changes brought by Amazon. Step 2: Analyze the sequence of statements. - Statement A: Discusses the initial phase when companies owned servers. - Statement B: Introduces the transition to replacing mainframes in the 1990s. - Statement C: Highlights the role of Intel processors in the mid-2000s. - Statement D: Explains the dominance of IBM and HP in earlier times. - Statement E: Marks the recent changes due to Amazon’s actions a decade ago. Step 3: Verify the logical order. - Option 1 (A, B, C, D, E): Correct. It follows the chronological order of the evolution of servers. - Option 2 (E, A, D, C, B): Incorrect. This starts with Amazon’s recent actions, disrupting the timeline. - Option 3 (B, A, D, C, E): Incorrect. It misplaces the introduction of mainframes after the earlier stages. - Option 4 (E, C, D, A, B): Incorrect. Amazon’s actions are placed at the start, disrupting the logical flow. - Option 5 (B, E, C, D, A): Incorrect. The sequence is out of chronological order.
