Question

Question was provided via image upload.

Explanation:

Analyze the target paragraph

The question asks for the sentence that presents the main idea of "this paragraph". Looking at the layout, the prompt is placed directly below the fourth paragraph of the passage, which begins with: "Even though federal laws are being written to help the homeless, people's prejudice is strong and the homeless are stigmatized..."

Evaluate the paragraph's core argument

This paragraph focuses on the contrast between federal laws helping the homeless and local prejudices/laws that criminalize or stigmatize them. It provides a specific example of a church in Milwaukee being declared a public nuisance for feeding and sheltering homeless youth, and asks if city laws reflect our real prejudice against the homeless.

Assess the given options

• Option 1: "It's important to make laws against homeless people." This contradicts the sympathetic tone of the passage.
• Option 2: "States and cities are passing laws that contradict each other." While local and federal actions differ, the paragraph specifically highlights how local laws reflect societal prejudice against the homeless.
• Option 3: "People are prejudiced against the homeless, and that's why they make laws against them." This directly captures the main idea of the paragraph, linking human prejudice to the creation of local laws that stigmatize and criminalize the homeless (such as declaring the church a nuisance).

Answer:

• (A) It's important to make laws against homeless people.
• (B) States and cities are passing laws that contradict each other.
• (C) People are prejudiced against the homeless, and that's why they make laws against them. (Correct answer)