Question 54·Easy·Inferences
In 2022 the small coastal town of Windham replaced most of its traditional streetlights with energy-efficient LED lamps. Before the switch, many residents expressed concern that the new lighting would be too harsh and would mar the town’s historic charm. Six months after installation, however, the town council received dozens of letters praising the improved nighttime visibility and the pleasant, warm glow of the LEDs. In a public statement, the council’s president emphasized that feedback had been overwhelmingly positive.
This response indicates that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For SAT Reading & Writing inference and completion questions, first pinpoint what a key phrase or pronoun (like "this response") refers to in the passage. Summarize in your own words the relationship or contrast described (here, initial worries vs later praise), then scan the choices for the one that restates that idea without adding new, unsupported details. Quickly eliminate any option that mentions topics not in the passage or that conflicts with its clearly positive or negative tone.
Hints
Locate what “This response” is about
Look back at the sentence right before the blank. What did the council president say, and what kind of feedback had the town received?
Compare before and after the streetlight change
How did residents feel about the new lights before they were installed, and how did they react six months after installation?
Check for new or unsupported ideas in the choices
Eliminate any option that talks about topics (like costs or efficiency) that the passage never mentions, or that go against the clearly positive tone of the feedback described.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what “This response” refers to
The blank comes right after: "In a public statement, the council’s president emphasized that feedback had been overwhelmingly positive." So "This response" refers to the town’s positive reaction: dozens of praising letters and the president’s statement that the feedback was very positive.
Contrast initial concerns with later feedback
At first, residents were worried that the LEDs would be "too harsh" and would hurt the town’s "historic charm." But six months later, people wrote letters praising "improved nighttime visibility" and the "pleasant, warm glow" of the LEDs. The actual experience was positive, not harsh or unattractive.
Determine the logical inference
When people are afraid something will look bad, and then later they praise how it looks and say the feedback is overwhelmingly positive, it shows those earlier fears did not really come true. That is the main idea the completion needs to express.
Match the inference to the best choice
Check each option against this idea. Only choice B states that the residents’ earlier worries about how the new lights would look mostly did not end up being true, which fits the contrast between their initial concerns and the later positive feedback. So the correct answer is B) residents’ worries about the appearance of the new lights were largely unfounded.