Question 165·Hard·Text Structure and Purpose
Urban planners often claim that lining streets with tall, dense trees is the surest way to cool a neighborhood. A recent thermal-imaging survey of five cities, however, found a more complicated pattern: while dense canopies lowered midday surface temperatures, they also slowed air movement, leaving some blocks warmer after sunset than comparable, more open streets. The researchers do not argue against trees; rather, they suggest that staggered plantings and mixed canopy heights can reduce daytime heat without prolonging nocturnal warmth. In short, the study modifies, rather than rejects, the traditional guideline.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
For text-structure questions, label each sentence (or clause) by function—e.g., “common belief,” “new evidence,” “complication,” “recommendation/qualification.” Then pick the answer choice whose sequence of functions matches the passage exactly, being wary of choices that overstate the conclusion (e.g., ‘abandons’ when the text says ‘modifies’) or add steps the passage never includes (history, definitions, unresolved ending).
Hints
Focus on the first sentence
Decide whether the opening is introducing a problem, a definition, a rule, or a commonly held idea. Pay attention to the phrase “often claim.”
Describe the study’s effect on the belief
Does the research completely overturn the planners’ view, or does it add a complication/trade-off? Note both the daytime cooling and the after-sunset warming described.
Let the last sentence guide you
The final sentence states how the study relates to the traditional guideline. Use that relationship to choose between “rejects/abandons” vs. “modifies/refines.”
Match each answer’s parts to the passage
For each option, point to a specific place in the passage that matches each claimed move (belief, evidence type, conclusion). Eliminate any option that includes a move you can’t actually find.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the first sentence is doing
The opening sentence reports what urban planners often claim about dense trees cooling neighborhoods. This functions as a statement of a widely held belief/guideline, not a definition, history, or a problem narrative.
Track how the study changes the picture
The study’s results introduce a trade-off: dense canopies cool surfaces at midday but can reduce airflow and leave some blocks warmer after sunset. This complicates (and partially contradicts) the original belief without fully disproving it.
Use the conclusion to determine the passage’s structure
The researchers explicitly do not argue against trees and instead recommend adjustments (staggered plantings, mixed canopy heights). The final sentence states the study modifies, rather than rejects, the guideline.
Therefore, the structure is: summarize a widely held belief → present evidence that partially contradicts/complicates it → recommend a narrower reinterpretation:
It summarizes a widely held belief, gives evidence that partially contradicts that belief, and recommends a narrow but important reinterpretation.