Question

a source of freshwater
1 turning salt water into freshwater may seem like magic. but it’s not. many countries do it. today, few people do this to meet their water needs. but by 2025, 14 percent of us will lack freshwater. we will have to make more freshwater. so, desalination has a strong future.
2 desalination removes salt from water to make freshwater. people learned how to do this long ago. aristotle wrote about it in 320 bce. sailors turned salt water into drinking water in the 1770s. then methods got better during world war ii. soldiers in the desert needed water. in the 1950s, people found new ways to filter seawater. by the 1990s, many cities were making freshwater from the sea.
3 in the last 10 years, the use of desalination has grown. the largest projects are in saudi arabia, australia, algeria, and israel. in california, a new plant will soon serve the people of san diego.
based on details in the passage, what can you infer about saudi arabia, australia, algeria, and israel?

• they have a lot of rain every year.
• they have more water than they need.
• they have many people who are in need of freshwater.
• they have fewer oceans and rivers than the united states.

Explanation:

The passage states that desalination (turning salt water to fresh water) is used where freshwater is needed. The largest desalination projects are in Saudi Arabia, Australia, Algeria, and Israel. This implies these countries have a demand for freshwater, so they likely have many people in need of freshwater. The other options are inconsistent: having a lot of rain or more water than needed would reduce the need for desalination, and the number of oceans/rivers compared to the US isn't supported by the text.

Answer:

C. They have many people who are in need of freshwater.