PrepTest 139, Section 2, Question 5
Over the past 50 years, expansive, low-density communities(429 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(17 more words not shown)
- AMost people who(21 more words not shown)
- BMost people who(20 more words not shown)
- CMost people who(13 more words not shown)
- DMost people who(23 more words not shown)
- EMost people who(18 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
Whose position are we weakening? The critics of the New Urbanists say people move to sprawling suburbs because they want the car-centered lifestyle. So a useful response would show that people choose those homes for another reason.
What we’re looking for
What if they would prefer a less car-dependent neighborhood but can't afford it? Choosing the available option doesn't prove you prefer everything about it.
Working the answers
- A
Unhappy city residents don't tell us why people choose suburban homes. This doesn't undermine the critics' explanation of suburban migration.
- B
Comparing shopping travel in small towns with travel in urban suburbs doesn't establish what motivates people to move to the suburbs. The question isn't which group travels farthest.
- C
Limited access to shopping and entertainment may make suburban life inconvenient. But that alone doesn't show that residents didn't choose it because they valued the mobility and lifestyle it offers. We still need a reason to doubt the critics' account of the choice.
- DCorrect
Comparable homes in places requiring less driving cost more. That gives us the alternative explanation we predicted: affordability can push people toward the suburbs. Their housing decision may reflect a budget constraint rather than a desire for extensive automobile travel.
- E
This concerns why people choose candidates in municipal elections. The critics' claim concerns why people choose where to live. Not prioritizing candidates' zoning positions doesn't tell us that residents lack the lifestyle preferences the critics attribute to them.
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