Question

summarizing a claim
as california scrambles for ways to cope with its crippling drought and the mandatory water restrictions imposed last month by gov. jerry brown, an array of ideas that were long dismissed as too controversial, expensive or unpalatable are getting a second look. one is to conserve more water; another is to turn nearby and abundant sources of water, like the pacific ocean, into drinking water through desalination.
yet another is to recycle the water californians have already used. and therein lies a marketing challenge that can be even greater than the technological one.
— \water flowing from toilet to tap may be hard to swallow,\
john schwartz
which statement best summarizes the claim the author makes in the excerpt?

• people actually love drinking recycled wastewater.
• wastewater is not easy to purify, but it is necessary for survival.
• california is facing a drought that has greatly affected the water supply.
• convincing people to drink recycled water is a more difficult task than producing it.

Explanation:

To summarize the claim, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The excerpt doesn't suggest people "love" drinking recycled wastewater, just that it's a consideration. Eliminate.
• Option 2: The excerpt focuses on recycling used water (not purifying wastewater generally) and the marketing challenge, not just purification difficulty. Eliminate.
• Option 3: While California has a drought, the main claim is about the challenge of getting people to drink recycled water, not just stating the drought's impact on supply. Eliminate.
• Option 4: The excerpt says recycling used water is a way to get more water, but there's a "marketing challenge" (convincing people) that's "even greater than the technical one" (producing it). This matches.

Answer:

D. Convincing people to drink recycled water is a more difficult task than producing it.