In 1958, the magazine Popular Science predicted that the "age-old dream of flying like a bird may be closer than we think." How was this supposed to come to pass? The magazine predicted that people would be flying around with the greatest of ease using rocket-powered jetpacks. Indeed, such means of locomotion exist today. But there are many hurdles to pass before they become widely used. They are literally rockets, so they make a terrible racket-up to 130 decibels, which is actually louder than a 747 at takeoff. They're heavy, too. At eighty-five pounds, they're far too heavy for use by the majority of the population today. Finally, they're extremely costly. Entry-level jetpacks go for around a quarter of million dollars. And prices soar upwards from there. So while personal jetpacks are a great idea in theory, reality will prevent them from becoming a viable source of transportation anytime soon.
What is the main idea of the passage?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The author describes three problems associated with jetpacks to support the idea the they will not be a common form of transportation anytime soon.
Popular Science predicted that jetpacks would become popular is incorrect. It is true that Popular Science predicted that jetpacks would become popular. However, that is just an introductory statement meant to get the reader's attention. 
Jetpacks are both extremely heavy and quite noisy is incorrect. Both of these statements are true according to the passage, but they are supporting details, and not the main idea of the passage. 
Once the price of jetpacks drops, more and more people will begin to use them is incorrect. The high cost of the jetpacks is only one of their drawbacks.

In 1958, the Magazine Popular Science Predicted That the "Age-Old