Reading comp PrepTest 147 · Section 3 · Question 3

Incorrect. (Lines 24-27) The passage doesn't discuss the threat to homes—the section that talks about the threats of wildfires is limited to discussing wildlife and topsoil. This answer is thus out of scope.

Incorrect. (Lines 36-40) When the Author discusses the factors that determine fire behavior, there's no indication that they're controversial. As such, foresters might very well already accept the dangers posed by excess fuel! Almost by definition, something in "excess" isn't a good thing.

Correct. Question Type:
Main Point

Strategy Overview:
Reflect on the main point and the final paragraph, and what would build off of the context raised there while reinforcing the main point

Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
In writing, an Author doesn't end up closing out their passage with a completely new topic. At least, that doesn't happen in good writing! So here, we shouldn't expect the correct answer to introduce a completely new concept.

Rather, we should expect it to "wrap up" the passage by building off of the current closing line while finding a way to reinforce the main point. That main point?

Despite the current fire management technique of stopping all fires, a new technique of harvesting small trees and allowing certain fires to burn (or lighting them) will be better at keeping forest fires under control.

With that in mind, we should check how the passage currently ends. There, it closes out by stating that the newly recommended approach—selectively harvesting timber, setting and allowing fires to burn in forests, and then implementing a schedule of maintenance burns—wildfires will be a lot easier to control.

Let's find an answer that sticks to these concepts and makes sense in this context.

Answer Explanation:
(Line 55) The passage ends with a fairly long timescale—15-20 years for controlled burns. These kick in after controlled burns and natural fires (which happen every 5-25 years—Lines 18-19) have reduced fuel in forests. And the current situation has left many forests with no fires in 50+ years (Lines 29-31). So while this answer is a bit more pessimistic than we might have expected, it does limit itself to discussing the topics from the passage and it reflects the Author's statements, so it's the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
These questions that ask about a sentence that can be added to the last paragraph can be tricky. Remember, though, that they're not going to introduce wholly new concepts or go in a different direction from the passage. Focus on ones that line up with the content and main point of the passage and build from the context in the last line/paragraph.

Incorrect. The passage doesn't discuss the timber companies or their profits, so this answer would reflect a completely new topic.

Incorrect. The passage doesn't discuss the costs of prescribed fire management, and it in fact refers to them as "increasingly necessary," so this answer is too negative while discussing a topic the passage ignores, so it's incorrect.