Question

in most building demolitions, the building materials are destroyed and sent to landfills. city officials in portland, oregon, wanted to reduce this waste. the officials passed a law requiring demolition companies to deconstruct some buildings instead. deconstruction involves carefully taking buildings apart piece by piece. damage to the materials is avoided so that they can be reused in new constructions. a 2019 study found that 27 percent of materials from deconstructions in portland were able to be reused. the remaining materials were processed for recycling instead of going to a landfill.

which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

choose 1 answer:

a to explain an effort made by the city of portland to reduce demolition waste and some results of that effort

b to discuss laws aimed to reduce demolition waste in portland and compare them to similar laws in other cities

c to show that popular support for measures that reduce demolition waste has increased since 2019

d to argue that building deconstruction is not as effective as other measures at reducing demolition waste

Explanation:

Analyze the text's structure and focus

The passage introduces a problem (demolition waste in landfills) and describes Portland's solution (a law requiring deconstruction). It explains what deconstruction is and provides specific results from a 2019 study showing its effectiveness (27% reused, the rest recycled).

Evaluate the options against the text

• (A) matches the text perfectly: it explains Portland's effort (the deconstruction law) and the results (27% reused, remainder recycled).
• (B) is incorrect because the text does not compare Portland's laws to other cities.
• (C) is incorrect because the text does not mention popular support or its increase.
• (D) is incorrect because the text presents deconstruction as a successful and positive measure, not an ineffective one.

Answer:

• (A) To explain an effort made by the city of Portland to reduce demolition waste and some results of that effort (Correct answer)
• (B) To discuss laws aimed to reduce demolition waste in Portland and compare them to similar laws in other cities
• (C) To show that popular support for measures that reduce demolition waste has increased since 2019
• (D) To argue that building deconstruction is not as effective as other measures at reducing demolition waste