Question 125·Medium·Central Ideas and Details
Over the past decade, urban community gardens have multiplied across many midsize cities. Local organizers say the plots not only supply fresh produce to neighborhoods that lack supermarkets but also bring together residents who might otherwise never meet. City officials point to lower crime rates and cleaner vacant lots as additional benefits. While each garden faces challenges such as limited space and unpredictable funding, supporters argue that the social and environmental gains far outweigh these obstacles.
Which choice best expresses the central idea of the passage?
For central idea questions, first read the short passage and immediately summarize it in your own words in one simple sentence, focusing on who/what it’s about and what is said overall. Then scan the answer choices and eliminate any that (1) mention things the passage never talks about, (2) contradict the tone (for example, negative when the passage is clearly positive), or (3) are too narrow, focusing on one detail instead of the whole passage. Finally, choose the option that best matches your summary and covers the passage’s main points without adding new information.
Hints
Restate the passage
Try to say in one simple sentence what the passage is mainly about overall, not focusing on any one detail.
Check the author’s attitude
Ask yourself: Does the author seem mostly positive, mostly negative, or mixed about urban community gardens?
Watch for new or extreme ideas in the answers
Look for any answer choices that mention topics the passage never brings up (like taxes, competition with other industries, or predictions about the future) and be cautious about those.
Match scope and focus
Choose the option that matches the big-picture message—gardens, their effects on cities and residents, and how the author weighs benefits versus challenges—rather than a narrow or invented point.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the question type
The question asks for the central idea of the passage. That means you should look for the overall main point the author is making, not a small detail or something implied only once.
Summarize the passage in your own words
Reread the passage and briefly restate it:
- Urban community gardens have multiplied.
- They supply fresh produce to areas without supermarkets.
- They bring residents together who might not otherwise meet.
- City officials see lower crime and cleaner lots.
- There are challenges (space, funding), but supporters say the benefits are much greater than the problems. In one short sentence, the passage is mainly saying that these gardens are growing in number and provide important benefits to cities and communities despite some obstacles.
Eliminate choices that add new or incorrect ideas
Compare each answer choice to your summary:
- A talks about increasing property taxes, which is never mentioned.
- B says officials are reluctant to support gardens and worry about competition with commercial farming; the passage actually shows officials pointing to benefits, and commercial farming is never mentioned.
- C predicts that popularity will decline because of more efficient rural agriculture; the passage does not mention rural agriculture or any decline. These three choices add new ideas or contradict the clearly positive, supportive tone of the passage.
Match the remaining choice to the main point
The remaining option is D: it says that the expansion of urban community gardens benefits cities by providing fresh produce and strengthening community bonds. This exactly matches the passage’s focus on more gardens, fresh food in underserved neighborhoods, and bringing residents together, along with other benefits that outweigh challenges. So the correct answer is D) The expansion of urban community gardens benefits cities by providing fresh produce and strengthening community bonds.