Question 21·Hard·Inferences
Several small towns in the region recently began offering tax credits to households that install rooftop solar panels. In advertisements for the credits, town officials emphasized the role of solar power in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Six months later, applications for the credits exceeded expectations by 120%, even though the upfront cost of installation remained unchanged and local electricity rates had actually fallen. According to an energy economist, the surge in applications "shows that homeowners are responding to more than just immediate financial savings." These observations best support the inference that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For inference-based text completions, first restate the concrete facts and identify any contrast (here, rising demand despite weaker immediate savings). Then treat quoted commentary as a clue about what kind of conclusion the author is steering you toward. Finally, choose the option that is directly grounded in details the text actually provides, and eliminate choices that rely on unstated predictions, assumed motives, or missing program details.
Hints
Spot what makes the outcome surprising
Applications surged even though electricity got cheaper and installation costs didn’t drop. That means something besides immediate bill savings likely helped drive demand.
Use what the towns emphasized
The passage tells you what officials highlighted when promoting the credits. How might that messaging connect to homeowners’ reasons for applying?
Avoid answers that require extra facts
Be wary of choices that assume things the passage never states (like future rate changes, a program ending, or details about the credit amount).
Step-by-step Explanation
Restate the key facts
Summarize what the passage establishes:
- Towns offered tax credits for rooftop solar.
- Towns advertised the credits by emphasizing reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
- Six months later, applications were 120% higher than expected.
- The upfront installation cost did not change.
- Electricity rates fell, which tends to reduce the immediate bill-savings appeal of solar.
So the surge can’t be explained solely by stronger short-term financial savings.
Use the economist’s comment to frame the inference
The economist says homeowners are responding to more than just immediate financial savings.
So the completion should point to a motivation that goes beyond short-term dollars-and-cents—especially one that the passage itself makes salient.
Match the inference to what the passage highlights
The passage specifically mentions that officials advertised solar as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That makes an environmentally driven motivation directly relevant to the situation described.
Now test each choice to see which one is best supported by the given facts (not by speculation).
Eliminate choices that add unsupported assumptions; confirm the best-supported choice
- Choice A (expecting rates to rise): Possible in real life, but the passage gives no evidence about future rate expectations.
- Choice B (program may be reduced/discontinued): The passage never mentions an end date or policy change, so this is unsupported.
- Choice C (credit eliminated most financial risk): The passage provides no information about the credit’s size or how households perceive risk, so this is not supported.
- Choice D (valuing environmental benefits): Fits the advertising emphasis on emissions reduction and aligns with the economist’s point that motivations extend beyond immediate savings.
Therefore, the best-supported inference is: many homeowners place significant value on environmental benefits when deciding whether to install solar panels.