PrepTest 140, Section 1, Question 11
Although large cities are generally more polluted than(60 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(25 more words not shown)
- AIt is used(11 more words not shown)
- BIt is a(18 more words not shown)
- CIt is a(18 more words not shown)
- DIt is a(17 more words not shown)
- EIt is a(11 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
More pollution in one place doesn't necessarily mean more pollution per person. A city could concentrate people's pollution while helping those same people produce less of it overall.
The author gives us reasons that could happen: city residents tend to use mass transportation and live in smaller, more energy-efficient homes. Picture people sharing a bus instead of taking separate vehicles, or heating smaller homes. Those habits support the claim that a given group produces less pollution when concentrated in a city than when spread among small towns. That, in turn, supports the main point: increasing urbanization may reduce the nationwide total.
What we’re looking for
The question asks about that main point. Don't let the final sentence's “Thus” pull you away from the structure. The final sentence is a conclusion drawn from the facts about transportation and housing, but it also helps explain the broader claim made at the start. The claim we're asked about is what the argument ultimately tries to establish.
Working the answers
- A
The author never concludes that people should live in cities. Lower pollution could be one reason to favor city living, but the passage doesn't make that recommendation. It argues about what increased urbanization may do to total pollution.
- B
Both claims can be true: a city can be more polluted than the countryside, and moving people into cities can lower the nationwide total. The argument explains why there needn't be a conflict. It doesn't use the target statement to deny the initial comparison.
- C
Appearing near the beginning doesn't make a claim mere background. The transportation and housing information is offered to explain why increased urbanization could reduce pollution. That supporting relationship gives the target statement a central logical role.
- D
The author accepts that cities are generally more polluted and then explains why urbanization could nevertheless reduce total pollution. The target claim doesn't support the initial observation; it is the main claim being supported by the later reasoning.
- ECorrect
The rest of the reasoning is designed to establish this claim. Mass transit and efficient housing explain why the same people could produce less pollution in a city, which explains why urbanization could reduce the nationwide total. The target statement is the argument's main conclusion.
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