SAT OwlQuestion bank / Central Ideas and Details
Urban heat islands, areas of cities that are much hotter than the surrounding countryside, are usually attributed to dark pavement and rooftops that absorb sunlight. A study of three cities by environmental engineer Yuna Seo complicates that explanation. Seo found that neighborhoods with similar amounts of pavement differed in temperature by as much as 4 degrees Celsius, and that the strongest predictor of these differences was tree cover. Pavement matters, Seo concludes, but the absence of shade may matter more.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Seo's study suggests that tree cover may be more important than pavement in explaining temperature differences within cities.
Seo's study shows that dark pavement has no effect on urban temperatures.
Seo's study found that cities are no hotter than the surrounding countryside.
Seo's study demonstrates that rooftops absorb more sunlight than pavement does.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
Seo compared neighborhoods with similar pavement and found large temperature differences best explained by tree cover. Her conclusion is that pavement matters but shade may matter more. Choice A states this.
Choice B is too strong; Seo says "pavement matters," so she does not claim it has no effect.
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