Read the following passage and answer the question below. The invention of the telephone in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell marked a turning point in human communication, allowing voices to be transmitted across distances instantaneously for the first time. Before the telephone, long-distance communication relied heavily on the telegraph, which could only send coded messages rather than actual speech. Bell's device converted sound waves into electrical signals that could travel through wires and be converted back into sound at the receiving end. Early telephones required operators to manually connect calls through switchboards, a labor-intensive process that limited how quickly calls could be placed. Over the following decades, automatic switching systems, direct dialing, and eventually digital and wireless technology transformed the telephone from a novelty into an essential tool of daily life. Today's smartphones, which combine calling capability with countless other functions, trace their origins directly back to Bell's original invention nearly one and a half centuries ago. Question: What can be inferred from the passage about the connection between early telephones and modern smartphones?
- A. Modern smartphones trace their origins back to Bell's original invention ✓
- B. Telephones were invented after smartphones
- C. Smartphones have no relation to the original telephone
- D. Switchboards are still used in modern smartphones
Correct answer
A. Modern smartphones trace their origins back to Bell's original invention
Explanation
The passage states that today's smartphones trace their origins directly back to Bell's original invention.