Question

the book of national parks by robert sterling yard chapter 1 at the time of this book’s publication in 1919, the national park system in the united states was barely three years old, though national parks had existed for almost fifty years. in this excerpt from his book on the national park system of the united states, the author explains why the national parks in america are the best in the world. (1) the national parks of the united states are areas of supreme scenic splendor or other unique quality which congress has set apart for the pleasure and benefit of the people. at this writing they number eighteen, sixteen of which lie within the boundaries of the united states and are reached by rail and road. those of greater importance have excellent roads, good trails, and hotels or hotel camps, or both, for the accommodation of visitors; also public camp grounds where visitors may pitch their own tents. outside the united states there are two national parks, one enclosing three celebrated volcanic craters, the other conserving the loftiest¹ mountain on the continent. (2) the starting point for any consideration of our 1 select the correct answer. which statement best describes how the author orders the ideas in this passage? a. the author simply discusses his ideas as they seem appropriate, with no particular order. b. ideas are listed in their order of importance, with the less important ideas supporting the more important ones. c. ideas are listed first to last in a chronological order, beginning with the one that occurred first. d. the author begins with a single idea and then moves through a list of others. reset next

Explanation:

To determine the author's organizational structure, analyze each option:

• Option A: The passage has a clear structure (defining national parks, then details), so "no particular order" is incorrect.
• Option B: The passage does not prioritize ideas by importance (e.g., listing park features without a hierarchy of importance).
• Option C: The passage does not follow a chronological timeline (no events ordered by time).
• Option D: The author starts with the main idea ("National Parks of the United States are...") and then lists details (number of parks, accessibility, accommodations, international parks). This matches the "single idea then a list" structure.

Answer:

D. The author begins with a single idea and then moves through a list of others.