Which statement correctly describes how the ferry moved across the river?

• A. It moved by a rope attached to a winch on shore.
• B. It was moved by horses along the bank.
• C. It traveled on a fixed track across the river.
• D. It swung across the river in a looping downstream curve, pulled by the current.

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that ferries can cross by letting the river’s flow do the moving, with a tether or guide shaping the path. When the ferry is tied across the river or otherwise connected so that the current can act on it, the water’s push doesn’t send it straight across. Instead, the current drags it downstream while the line or tether directs its swing, producing a looping path that curves downstream as it crosses. That is why this description—swinging across in a downstream curve pulled by the current—best matches how such a ferry would move.

The other scenarios imply stronger from-the-shore control or a straight cross: a winch or rope would pull it along a relatively direct line, horses along the bank would pull it in along the shore or a fixed route, and a fixed track would suggest a straight, guided path across. None captures the natural curved motion produced by the current interacting with a tether.