During the 18th century, toll roads began appearing all over England, spreading from London all the way to Scotland. But these roads were made of small stones piled on top of mud, so even a light rain could render them impassable. A blind engineer named John Metcalf came up with a solution. He insisted that roads have a strong stone foundation. He "crowned" the roads too, meaning that he made them higher in the middle than on the sides. He added a ditch on either side, providing proper drainage to keep the roadways from caving in due to excess moisture. This also prevented potholes. But his methods proved costly and many local governments were loath to pay the construction costs. Undeterred, Metcalf challenged a colonel to race him to London. Thanks to the lousy road conditions, he made it to the city on foot faster than the colonel could get there in his horse-drawn buggy. As a result, towns across England began adopting Metcalf's engineering ideas. Even today, many of these ideas are still in use not only in England but around the world.
Which of the following inferences can be made about roads in England as a result of Metcalf's race with the colonel?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The author states that as a result of his victory in the race, towns across England began adopting Metcalf's engineering ideas. Since two of Metcalf's ideas were crowning and drainage ditches, we can assume that the new roads included those features.
They were made of stones piled on top of mud is incorrect. This sentence describes how roads were made prior to Metcalf's work. 
They became much wider than before is incorrect. The author does not mention that Metcalf widened roads. 
Some became toll roads is incorrect. The author does not mention that Metcalf's roads were toll roads.

During the 18th Century, Toll Roads Began Appearing All Over