opponents to modernizing our communitys levees argue that the cost is prohibitive, and they are not willing…

opponents to modernizing our communitys levees argue that the cost is prohibitive, and they are not willing to replace something that does an adequate job. recent bids suggest a cost of some $3.7 million to modernize the levee system of levees which protect our city. what it is true that new levees and pumps are expensive, investing in our levees now will reduce maintenance costs in the long run. just look at your last few decades such as spending $6 million maintaining our outdated system. if you compare those costs, you will see that spending money now to modernize our levees will actually save us money over the next 15 years.\nin addition, in storms of the last few decades such as katrina - which caused over $100 billion in damages - have shown us the effects of catastrophic flooding can be financially devastating. we should hope we never confront 170 - mile - an - hour cyclone winds like katrinas smashing off our shores, driving a 28 - foot - high surge of water against our levees. however, faced even with lesser storms, our older technology sitting on the edge of obsolescence, increases the risk of expensive damage. it will cost our community far less to prevent flood damage now than to shoulder an overwhelming financial burden of recovery when a flood inevitably occurs.\nas surely as hurricanes will continue to strike our community, our resolve to prevent catastrophic flooding must remain firm. to save money today is to invite disaster tomorrow. now is the time to take action. now is the time to modernize our levees. if we do not, i fear that our families and community will be the next ones devastated by flood.\nto save money today is to invite disaster tomorrow.\nwhich best explains a rhetorical device in this sentence and its purpose?\na. the sentence uses charged language to show readers that there are no reasonable alternatives to the authors viewpoint.\nb. the sentence uses parallelism to make the point memorable and to add a sense of urgency to the authors argument.\nc. the sentence uses charged language to keep readers from questioning the authors expertise on the subject.\nd. the sentence uses parallelism to express the authors emotion and to invite readers sympathy

opponents to modernizing our communitys levees argue that the cost is prohibitive, and they are not willing to replace something that does an adequate job. recent bids suggest a cost of some $3.7 million to modernize the levee system of levees which protect our city. what it is true that new levees and pumps are expensive, investing in our levees now will reduce maintenance costs in the long run. just look at your last few decades such as spending $6 million maintaining our outdated system. if you compare those costs, you will see that spending money now to modernize our levees will actually save us money over the next 15 years.\nin addition, in storms of the last few decades such as katrina - which caused over $100 billion in damages - have shown us the effects of catastrophic flooding can be financially devastating. we should hope we never confront 170 - mile - an - hour cyclone winds like katrinas smashing off our shores, driving a 28 - foot - high surge of water against our levees. however, faced even with lesser storms, our older technology sitting on the edge of obsolescence, increases the risk of expensive damage. it will cost our community far less to prevent flood damage now than to shoulder an overwhelming financial burden of recovery when a flood inevitably occurs.\nas surely as hurricanes will continue to strike our community, our resolve to prevent catastrophic flooding must remain firm. to save money today is to invite disaster tomorrow. now is the time to take action. now is the time to modernize our levees. if we do not, i fear that our families and community will be the next ones devastated by flood.\nto save money today is to invite disaster tomorrow.\nwhich best explains a rhetorical device in this sentence and its purpose?\na. the sentence uses charged language to show readers that there are no reasonable alternatives to the authors viewpoint.\nb. the sentence uses parallelism to make the point memorable and to add a sense of urgency to the authors argument.\nc. the sentence uses charged language to keep readers from questioning the authors expertise on the subject.\nd. the sentence uses parallelism to express the authors emotion and to invite readers sympathy

Answer

Brief Explanations:

Let's analyze each option:

  • Option A: The text does not claim there are no reasonable alternatives. It focuses on arguing for modernization, not eliminating all other possibilities.
  • Option B: The sentence “Now is the time to modernize our levees. If we do not, I fear that our families and community will be the next ones devastated by flood” uses parallelism (repeating “Now is the time... If we do not...”). This structure makes the point memorable and adds a sense of urgency as it emphasizes the immediacy of the action (modernizing levees) and the consequence (devastation if not done).
  • Option C: There is no indication that the language is used to stop readers from questioning expertise. The focus is on the argument for action.
  • Option D: The parallelism here is more about creating a sense of urgency (time - action - consequence) rather than expressing emotion and inviting sympathy. The main goal is to drive the argument for modernization with a sense of immediacy.

Answer:

B. The sentence uses parallelism to make the point memorable and to add a sense of urgency to the author’s argument.