Why does the author include the last paragraph?
Analyze and Evaluate Information and Ideas · TELPAS Grades 10–12 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 3: make inferences, draw conclusions, and think about why the author wrote a text and how it is built.
Read the passage. Then answer the questions.
Why Cities Run Hot
On a summer afternoon in Houston or Dallas, the temperature downtown can be several degrees higher than in the farmland a few miles outside the city. The difference is often greatest after sunset. Scientists call this pattern the urban heat island effect, and it has become a serious concern for Texas cities, which are among the fastest-growing in the country.
The main cause is what cities are built from. Asphalt roads, dark roofs, and concrete parking lots absorb a large amount of the sun's energy during the day. Like a stone left in the sun, they stay hot for hours and release that heat slowly into the night air. Fields and forests behave differently. Plants release water through their leaves, and as that water evaporates, it cools the air around them, much as sweat cools the skin. When land is paved, that natural cooling is lost.
Cities also produce heat of their own. Cars, factories, and air conditioners all give off heat as they run. This creates a frustrating cycle: hotter nights lead people to run their air conditioners longer, and the air conditioners push even more heat outside.
The effect is more than uncomfortable. When nights stay hot, the human body has less time to recover from the heat of the day, and heat-related illness becomes more likely, especially for older adults, outdoor workers, and people without air conditioning. Higher demand for electricity during heat waves can also strain the power grid.
Cities are testing several solutions. Planting trees along streets provides shade and brings back some of the cooling that plants supply. Cool roofs, which are painted white or made of reflective materials, bounce sunlight away instead of absorbing it. Some cities have also tried lighter-colored pavement on parking lots and playgrounds.
None of these steps can make a city as cool as the countryside. But researchers who measure temperatures block by block have found that shaded, tree-lined streets can be noticeably cooler than nearby streets with no trees. For neighborhoods with few trees, those few degrees can matter.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why does the author include the last paragraph?
- To argue that cities should stop building new parking lots
- To prove that planting trees can make a city as cool as farmland
- To explain how researchers measure temperatures in each block
- To admit the solutions have limits but show they still helpCorrect answer
Why “To admit the solutions have limits but show they still help” is correct
This asks about the purpose of a paragraph and how an author handles a limitation. The first sentence concedes that no solution makes a city as cool as the countryside; the word 'But' then turns to evidence that trees still lower temperatures where they are planted. Students should notice how the paragraph balances both ideas.
Why the other answers are wrong
- To argue that cities should stop building new parking lots — Parking lots are mentioned only in earlier paragraphs, and the author never calls for a ban.
- To prove that planting trees can make a city as cool as farmland — The paragraph's first sentence says the opposite: none of the steps can make a city that cool.
- To explain how researchers measure temperatures in each block — Block-by-block measuring is mentioned to introduce the findings, but the method is never explained.
Practice more of this
More reading practice for Grades 10–12, or see the TELPAS practice test for 10th–12th grade.
This is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Texas Education Agency or the official TELPAS program. All questions here are original practice material written to match the published test design.