Self-study
Editorial: Almost every year the Smithfield River floods the coastal fishing community of Redhook, which annually spends $3 million on the cleanup. ████ █████████ ████ ████████ ███████ ███ ██████ █████ █████ ████ ██ ███████ ███ █████ ███████ ███ █████████ ████████ █████ ████████ ██ ██████████ █ ███ █████ ███████ █████████ ██ ███ █████ ████ ███████ ████ ███ ██████ ████ ████ ███ ████ ██ █████ █████████ █████ █████ ███████ ██████████ ███ ████ ██ █████ ████ █████ ████ ███████ ███ ███████ █████████
Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
The editorial argues that the proposal to dam the river is misguided. Building the dam would have negative consequences. The dam would prevent the flow of nutrients, causing fish to feed elsewhere. The loss of the fish would cost $10 million annually (which is much more than the cost of the cleanup from flooding that the dam was built to prevent).
Identify Conclusion
The conclusion is the editorial’s refutation of the residents who propose damming the river: “their position is misguided.”
1.
Which one of the following ████ ██████████ █████████ ███ ████ ██████████ ██ ███ ███████████ █████████
a
The Smithfield River ██████ ██ ██████ ██ ███████ █████████
This is the position described in the context that the editorial refutes.
b
Nutrients from the ██████████ █████ ███ █████████ ██ ███ █████ ████ ███████████
This is unstated but shows why the fish would feed elsewhere if the nutrients were gone. It therefore contributes to the explanation of why the position is misguided. It also isn’t necessarily true - maybe the fish want, but don’t need, the nutrients.
c
Damming the Smithfield █████ ██ ███ █████ ███ ████ ████████████ █████ ███ ████ █ ████████
The editorial’s argument is not about the construction costs. The editorial supports the argument that the position is misguided by showing the costs of unintended consequences.
d
For Redhook to █████ █ ███ ██ ███ ██████████ █████ █████ ██ █ ████████
This accurately rephrases the conclusion. The position is misguided, therefore it would be a mistake to go through with the plan.
e
The Smithfield River ██████ ████ ███████ ██ ███████ █████ █████
This is context that sets up the proposal that the editorial ultimately refutes.