Question

wind farming: whats the debate? (1) there has been a lot of recent debate over fossil fuel consumption, greenhouse gases, and climate change. (2) wind energy is one source of energy that gets far less news coverage than the \big three\ (oil, coal, and natural gas). (3) nevertheless, it is a viable resource that should be considered. (4) according to 1998 statistics provided by the u.s. geological survey, wind energy accounted for less than one - half of one percent of total energy consumption in the united states. (5) by comparison, oil, coal, and natural gas accounted for 40 percent, 23 percent, and 23 percent, respectively. (6) but the u.s. department of energy estimates that by 2020 wind energy will surpass total energy consumption in the united states today. (7) so by 2020, that little one - half of one percent will be the equivalent of all the energy consumed in 1998. (8) what is wind farming? (9) it is the process of turning the force of the wind into electrical energy. (10) a wind farm is a collection of wind towers that are hundreds of feet tall. (11) each tower has blades that are spun by the wind, turning a turbine and generating electricity. (12) the towers are spread in a pattern designed to take the best advantage of the available wind. (13) not too close together. (14) not too far apart. (15) contrary to some commonly held beliefs, the resulting array of towers can be quite majestic. (16) when you think of farms, you naturally think of wide - open spaces with lots of flat, fertile land. (17) the fact is, though, that wind farms can be \cultivated\ on flat land, on mountain ridges in valleys and even in the ocean. (18) there is much debate on where wind farms should be developed. (19) most of these debates focus on how wind farms affect the land and wildlife. ii select the correct answer which research question most likely contributed to the authors development of the second paragraph (sentences 4 - 7)? a. how much wind energy does the united states use? b. what level of power does it take to turn a turbine? c. who is responsible for regulating wind farms in the united states? d. why might wind farms harm certain bird populations?

Explanation:

The second - paragraph (sentences 4 - 7) focuses on the statistics of wind energy consumption in the US compared to other energy sources and future projections of wind energy consumption. Option A is about the amount of wind energy the US uses, which is relevant to the content of this paragraph. Options B, C, and D are about turbine power, regulation, and bird - population harm respectively, which are not the main topics of this paragraph.

Answer:

A. How much wind energy does the United States use?