Prior to invention of the telegraph, weather observations could not be made over large enough distances to recognize regional weather patterns. After the telegraph was introduced, data from multiple locations could be analyzed simultaneously, and scientists suddenly realized that weather systems operated on large scales, such as the migration of weather patterns from west to east. Which characteristic of good science does the preceding passage best illustrate?
a) A valid scientific theory offers a well-defined cause or mechanism to explain natural events.
b) Scientific explanations are provisional and subject to change with the addition of new data and technologies.
c) Scientific explanations are based upon observations or experiments that are reproducible by many people.