Question 106·Easy·Inferences
In an article about urban community gardens, journalist Miguel Santos reports that many volunteers are willing to travel across town to work in the gardens on weekend mornings, even though weekday afternoon shifts are available much closer to their workplaces. Santos concludes that volunteers’ scheduling choices suggest that the ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For questions asking what a conclusion or inference “suggests,” first carefully note the pattern or contrast described in the text (here, farther weekend gardens vs. closer weekday gardens). Then choose the option that restates the implied reason behind that pattern without adding new details not mentioned in the passage. Quickly eliminate choices that introduce new topics (like temperature, nutrition, or emotions about commuting) that the author never discusses.
Hints
Locate the contrast
Underline the parts that describe when and where volunteers garden. How do weekend mornings compare to weekday afternoons? How do across-town gardens compare to those closer to workplaces?
Ask why someone would choose the less convenient option
If volunteers are picking a time and place that are less convenient, what does that suggest about how they view the activity? Are they trying to save time, or are they doing something they enjoy during their free time?
Check each option against the passage details
For each answer, ask: Is this directly supported by what Santos reports, or does it add a new idea (like temperature, nutrition, or commuting feelings) that the passage never mentions? Eliminate any answer that brings in new, unsupported information.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the situation described
The journalist says many volunteers travel across town to garden on weekend mornings, even though there are weekday afternoon shifts at gardens closer to their workplaces. So volunteers are choosing a less convenient option (traveling farther on weekends) over a more convenient one (nearby weekday shifts).
Identify the key contrast
The key contrast is:
- Weekend mornings vs. weekday afternoons
- Across town vs. much closer to their workplaces
This suggests the choice is not based on convenience of location or fitting into the weekday work schedule. Instead, volunteers seem to prefer weekend time, even if it is less convenient to get there.
Think about what this pattern suggests
When people choose something less convenient in terms of time and distance, it often means they value it as something special or enjoyable, not just something to squeeze into their regular weekday routine. Here, the volunteers’ behavior implies how they think about gardening: as part of their free time (weekends) rather than as an easy weekday activity near work.
Match the inference to the answer choice
We need the choice that captures the idea that volunteers prefer gardening as a weekend leisure activity rather than a convenient weekday task near work. That is exactly what choice A) volunteers regard gardening primarily as a leisure activity rather than as a convenient weekday task says, so A is the correct answer.