now is the time to renovate!\n1 rusty slides dotted with jagged bolts protruding from the sides, overgrown…

now is the time to renovate!\n1 rusty slides dotted with jagged bolts protruding from the sides, overgrown trails surrounded by sharp thorns, the rotting roofs of nature centers leaking during the mildest rains—these are just a few examples from a long list of problems with the recreational facilities in our community. as we prepare for the upcoming fiscal year, renovations to these facilities should be a top priority\n2 for years, the biggest opponents to reinvesting in our recreational facilities have steamrollered over pleas for help by claiming that other needs are more pressing. one priority they often point to is education. i agree that spending funds on public schools is important and necessary. however, even champions of education spending must admit that a large percentage of our current education budget is wasted on maintaining vacant buildings. some of these buildings have gone unoccupied for decades. wouldn’t the money currently spent on these vacant buildings be better spent on fixing a highly trafficked bike trail or playground?\nwhat claim does the writer make in the selection?\na. opponents of spending money to fix public recreational facilities think the facilities are unimportant to the community.\nb. renovations for recreational facilities should be prioritized over spending on children’s education.\nc. renovations for public recreational facilities should be funded in the upcoming year.\nd. spending on education is wasteful while spending on recreational facilities is smart.\npart b\nwhich of these quotations best supports the claim identified in part a?\na. “for years, the biggest opponents to reinvesting in our recreational facilities have steamrollered over pleas for help by claiming that other needs are more pressing.” (paragraph 2)\nb. “however, even champions of education spending must admit that a large percentage of our current education budget is wasted on maintaining vacant buildings.” (paragraph 2)\nc. “wouldn’t the money currently spent on these vacant buildings be better spent on fixing a highly trafficked bike trail or playground?” (paragraph 2)\nd. “what critics fail to see is that renovating our public recreational facilities is not just a ‘wish - list’ item—instead, it is vital to the preservation of our town.” (paragraph 3)

now is the time to renovate!\n1 rusty slides dotted with jagged bolts protruding from the sides, overgrown trails surrounded by sharp thorns, the rotting roofs of nature centers leaking during the mildest rains—these are just a few examples from a long list of problems with the recreational facilities in our community. as we prepare for the upcoming fiscal year, renovations to these facilities should be a top priority\n2 for years, the biggest opponents to reinvesting in our recreational facilities have steamrollered over pleas for help by claiming that other needs are more pressing. one priority they often point to is education. i agree that spending funds on public schools is important and necessary. however, even champions of education spending must admit that a large percentage of our current education budget is wasted on maintaining vacant buildings. some of these buildings have gone unoccupied for decades. wouldn’t the money currently spent on these vacant buildings be better spent on fixing a highly trafficked bike trail or playground?\nwhat claim does the writer make in the selection?\na. opponents of spending money to fix public recreational facilities think the facilities are unimportant to the community.\nb. renovations for recreational facilities should be prioritized over spending on children’s education.\nc. renovations for public recreational facilities should be funded in the upcoming year.\nd. spending on education is wasteful while spending on recreational facilities is smart.\npart b\nwhich of these quotations best supports the claim identified in part a?\na. “for years, the biggest opponents to reinvesting in our recreational facilities have steamrollered over pleas for help by claiming that other needs are more pressing.” (paragraph 2)\nb. “however, even champions of education spending must admit that a large percentage of our current education budget is wasted on maintaining vacant buildings.” (paragraph 2)\nc. “wouldn’t the money currently spent on these vacant buildings be better spent on fixing a highly trafficked bike trail or playground?” (paragraph 2)\nd. “what critics fail to see is that renovating our public recreational facilities is not just a ‘wish - list’ item—instead, it is vital to the preservation of our town.” (paragraph 3)

Answer

Brief Explanations:

For Part A:

  • The text starts by listing problems with recreational facilities and then states "renovations to these facilities should be a top priority" as we prepare for the fiscal year. This aligns with option C which says renovations for public recreational facilities should be funded in the upcoming year.
  • Option A is about opponents' view on facility importance, not the main claim. Option B wrongly pits recreation against education (the text doesn't say that). Option D misrepresents the text's stance on education spending. For Part B:
  • Option C directly supports the claim in Part A. It questions if money spent on vacant buildings (which is part of the education budget context) couldn't be better spent on recreational facilities (bike - trail or playground), thus advocating for recreational facility funding.
  • Option A is about opponents' general argument. Option B is about a flaw in education spending but not directly advocating for recreation funding. Option D is a general statement about recreation's importance but not as directly tied to funding as Option C.

Answer:

Part A: C. Renovations for public recreational facilities should be funded in the upcoming year. Part B: C. "Wouldn’t the money currently spent on these vacant buildings be better spent on fixing a highly trafficked bike trail or playground?" (paragraph 2)