Question

What is the writer's claim in the passage about the U.S. Forest Service policy?

a) The Forest Service's fire suppression policy is effective and should continue.
b) The Forest Service's fire suppression policy needs to be entirely revamped.
c) The Forest Service should focus on protecting older trees from fire.
d) The Forest Service's policies have had no impact on forest ecology.

Write one piece of evidence that strongly supports the claim made in the passage.
a) The Forest Service extinguished all fires on western lands.
b) Fire is a key part of the life cycle of healthy forests.
c) Old trees are more resistant to pests and fire.
d) The Forest Service policy creates conditions for more intense fires.

What kind(s) of evidence could make the argument stronger in the passage?
a) Statistical data on the number of fires suppressed by the Forest Service.
b) Personal anecdotes from Forest Service employees.
c) Opinions of politicians on forest management.
d) Information on the history of forest management in other countries.

Answer 1

The correct answers are b, d, a respectively. The writer argues that the U.S. Forest Service's fire suppression policy needs substantial changes and cites the creation of conditions for more intense fires as evidence. To strengthen the argument, the inclusion of statistical data on fire suppression efforts would be beneficial.

Step-by-step explanation:

The writer's claim in the passage about the U.S. Forest Service policy is that the Forest Service's fire suppression policy needs to be entirely revamped (b).

One piece of evidence that strongly supports this claim is the observation that the Forest Service policy creates conditions for more intense fires (d).

To make the argument stronger in the passage, evidence that could be integrated includes statistical data on the number of fires suppressed by the Forest Service (a).

Evidence of the ineffectiveness of the current fire suppression policies can be seen in how these policies have led to an accumulation of flammable materials in forests, contributing to more intense and potentially devastating fires. Additionally, the passage discusses the complexity of fire, climate, and vegetation interactions, highlighting the limited success of maintaining 'historic' fire regimes and suggesting that a more adaptive approach to managing fire and its consequences might be needed.