Question 11·Medium·Central Ideas and Details
In a recent survey of 2,000 urban residents, sociologists found that 68 percent considered access to green spaces an important factor when choosing a neighborhood. The researchers also noted that respondents living within a ten-minute walk of a park reported, on average, spending 30 minutes more outdoors each day than those who lived farther away.
Based on the passage, which choice best describes people who live more than a ten-minute walk from a park?
For detail questions that ask what is "based on the passage," first underline the specific group or item being asked about (here, people living more than a ten-minute walk from a park). Then quickly scan the passage to find the exact sentence that mentions that group, and restate in your own words what is said about them. Finally, use process of elimination to remove any answer choices that (1) introduce new information not in the passage, (2) make a claim about something the passage never compares, or (3) contradict a clear fact from the text, and choose the option that best matches your paraphrase of the relevant sentence.
Hints
Find the sentence about time spent outdoors
Look at the second sentence, which mentions how many minutes people spend outdoors depending on how close they live to a park.
Focus on the group the question asks about
The question asks about people who live more than a ten-minute walk from a park. In the sentence, which phrase refers to that group?
Interpret the comparison
If one group spends 30 minutes more outdoors than another group, what must be true about the amount of time the second group spends outdoors?
Eliminate answers that add new, unsupported ideas
Check each choice and cross out any that mention things the passage never discusses, like where people live (urban vs. rural) or how often they responded to the survey.
Step-by-step Explanation
Locate the part of the passage about distance from a park
Focus on the second sentence: it compares respondents living within a ten-minute walk of a park to those who lived farther away. The question is asking about the second group: people who live more than a ten-minute walk from a park.
Understand the comparison being made
The passage says respondents living within a ten-minute walk "reported, on average, spending 30 minutes more outdoors each day than those who lived farther away." This tells you that the closer group spends more time outdoors, and the farther group spends less time outdoors.
Match this idea to the answer choices
We need the choice that restates that people who live farther from a park (more than a ten-minute walk) spend less outdoor time than those who live closer. Choice B) They spend fewer minutes outdoors each day than people who live closer. says exactly this, so B is correct.