Prior to that cataleptic September evening, the official British calendar differed from that of continental Europe by eleven days—that is, September 2 in London was September 13 in Paris, Lisbon, and Berlin. The discrepancy had sprung from Britain's continued use of the Julian calendar, which had also been the official calendar of Europe from its invention by Julius Caesar (after whom it was named) in 45 B.C. until the decree of Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.
Caesar's calendar, which consisted of eleven months of or 31 days and a 28-day February (extended to 29 days every fourth year), was actually quite accurate: it erred from the real solar calendar by only 11.5 minutes a year. After centuries, though, even a small inaccuracy like this adds up. By the sixteenth century, it had put the Julian calendar behind the solar one by 10 days.
In Europe, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered the advancement of the Julian calendar by 10 days and introduced a new corrective device to curb further error: century years such as 1700 or 1800 would no longer be counted as leap years, unless they were (like 1600 or 2000) divisible by 400.
What factors were involved in the disparity between the calendars of Britain and Europe in the 17th century?
Result:
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Option 2: "Britain's continued use of the Julian calendar"
Explanation: This option is correct as the text states that Britain's continued use of the Julian calendar was a significant factor contributing to the calendar disparity. The Julian calendar was outdated compared to the Gregorian calendar adopted by Europe, leading to an eleven-day difference.
Option 1: "the provisions of the British Calendar Act of 1751"
Explanation: This option is incorrect because the British Calendar Act of 1751 was a response to the existing disparity rather than a factor that contributed to it. The text does not indicate that the provisions of this act were involved in the earlier differences between the calendars.
Option 3: "the accrual of very minor differences between the calendar used in Britain and real solar events"
Explanation: This option is correct because the text explains that the Julian calendar's small inaccuracies accumulated over centuries, resulting in a significant lag behind the solar calendar. This gradual discrepancy is a key factor in the calendar disparity.
Option 4: "the failure to include years divisible by four as leap years"
Explanation: This option is incorrect because the text does not mention that Britain failed to include years divisible by four as leap years. Instead, it discusses how the Gregorian reform changed the rules for leap years, which does not apply to Britain's situation at that time.
Option 5: "the decree of Pope Gregory XIII"
Explanation: This option is incorrect as the decree of Pope Gregory XIII was a corrective measure for the Julian calendar, not a factor in the disparity itself. The text indicates that this decree was implemented in Europe, but it does not directly relate to Britain's calendar practices prior to the act.
Option 6: "revolutionary ideas which had emerged from the West Indies"
Explanation: This option is incorrect because the text explicitly states that the disparity was not due to any revolutionary ideas or techniques from the West Indies. Instead, it attributes the difference to the outdated Julian calendar and the British Calendar Act.
Option 7: "Britain's use of a calendar consisting of twelve months rather than eleven"
Explanation: This option is incorrect because the text does not support the idea that Britain's calendar consisted of twelve months as a factor in the disparity. Both the Julian and Gregorian calendars have twelve months, so this statement does not apply.
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