The Forgotten Heroes of the Lighthouse Service

What is the central idea of the article?

• Lighthouses are no longer necessary due to modern technology.

• Lighthouse keepers were heroic figures whose legacy offers valuable lessons for today.

• The U.S. Coast Guard should take over all lighthouse operations.

• Women were the most effective lighthouse keepers in history.

What is the author’s primary purpose in writing this article?

• To entertain readers with dramatic lighthouse stories

• To inform readers about the history of the U.S. Coast Guard

• To persuade readers to support the preservation of lighthouse keeper stories

• To compare lighthouse technology to modern navigation systems

Which piece of evidence best supports the author’s claim that lighthouse keepers were driven by duty rather than financial reward?

• The National Park Service estimates that $10 million is needed to restore these sites.

• Many keepers, driven by duty rather than money, saw their work as a calling.

• The pay was meager—$600 a year, roughly $18,000 today—hardly compensation for the risk.

• Modern mariners, reliant on technology, might falter if systems fail.

How does the author develop the idea that lighthouse keepers’ self-reliance is relevant today?

• By describing the strict rules of the USLS manual

• By comparing keepers’ problem-solving to modern mariners’ reliance on technology

• By detailing the restoration costs for lighthouse museums

• By sharing Ida Lewis’s accomplishments as a keeper

How does the author strengthen the argument for preserving lighthouse keeper stories?

• By explaining how lighthouses were automated in the 20th century

• By highlighting the underfunding of lighthouse archives and the need to digitize logs

• By describing the dangers keepers faced during storms

• By mentioning the USLS’s absorption into the U.S. Coast Guard