Reading comp PrepTest 147 · Section 3 · Question 2

Incorrect. (Lines 50-54) Maintenance burns are mentioned after a discussion of "both" intentional and natural fires, and this answer only reflects the latter.

Incorrect. (Line 25) The passage mentions that the mature trees are necessary to protect topsoil—the new fire management technique would prevent damage to these trees.

Incorrect. (Lines 50-54) Today, intentionally set fires are not happening, so this answer fails to reflect that a maintenance burn could be set on purpose to control the amount of fuel in a forest.

Incorrect. (Lines 18-19; Lines 29-30) There are two time periods listed in the passage. First, the natural fires mentioned in the first paragraph occurred every 5-25 years. This answer does seem to be referring to natural fires, so the timelines don't match up. Second, successful firefighting techniques have meant these fires are now happening less than every 50 years. So this answer doesn' match up.

Correct. Question Type:
Meaning in Context

Strategy Overview:
Head back to the statement in question and use context (the surrounding sentences; the role of the paragraph it's in; the passage as a whole) to define the meaning of it

Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
Line 55 is at the end of the passage, and we know that Paragraph 3 was meant to discuss the implementation of the recommendation to adopt a new type of land management that allowed for controlled burns. It had two parts—selective harvesting to minimize fuel, and allowing certain fires to burn out (or even light some, if necessary).

With that context, we can see that Line 55 starts with a condition—"Once fuels are reduced by these fires". Checking the previous sentence to see what "these fires" are, we see that it was discussing the intentional lighting of some fires and allowing other natural fires to burn out. Why is this recommended? To get the forests in a state where fires can be controlled by mimicking the natural process of fires clearing out a lot of old timber.

So once the policy has kicked in and resulted in forests getting to a safe place, "maintenance burns" would happen every 15-20 years. Why? Well, to maintain that situation—to keep the forests in a state where an out-of-control wildfire could break out. Let's find an answer reflecting that.

Answer Explanation:
(Lines 50-54) Immediately preceding the statement in question, the Author recommends lighting fires or allowing controlled ones to burn to keep forests in a state where out-of-control wildfires are likely to occur. The concept of "maintenance" implies that the same thing is being done to keep things in the same state. This answer reflects both the meaning of the language in question and the context in which it's used, so this is the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
Whenever a Meaning in Context question has a transition phrase leading into it, and especially when that phrase refers back to earlier ideas, make sure you go back to those ideas to understand what they are. They will give you the context necessary to understanding the meaning of the phrase in question.