Unmaintained Areas of Contiguous Stands of Forest are Particularly Vulnerable to Hard-To-Control Wildfires

Reading Passage Question

Unmaintained areas of contiguous stands of forest are particularly vulnerable to hard-to-control wildfires, and logging practices can exacerbate conditions when unsellable lumber debris is scattered or, worse still for firefighters, piled and abandoned. Prescribed burning, carried out with careful consideration for air quality and the potential for runoff of ash into streams and lakes, need not occur yearly nor need the area be completely burned. Once maintenance is established and assuming normal rainfall patterns, a partial burn every three to four years will prevent fuel continuity, reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Once previous burns have decreased available deadwood fuel, foresters may employ patchy burns, leaving stands of unburned vegetation in the midst of treated areas rather than allowing the fire to progress to full coverage of the area.

The practical results of prescribed burns go well beyond fire control and mitigation of damage caused by wildfire to businesses and personal investments in increasingly populated forest areas. After well-managed burns, biodiversity increases because of the destruction of fast-growing species that would otherwise monopolize resources, crowding out other plants and decreasing available varieties of habitat. One category of unwanted species, in particular, is kept in check by prescribed burns: such pests as insects and plant diseases. In addition, species that are fire dependent for propagation benefit from controlled burns, so the aesthetic value of scenic and recreational areas is also enhanced. Particularly when well-planned patchy burns are prescribed and the top story of vegetation is preserved, the resulting visual contrasts are pleasing to the eye.

“Unmaintained areas of contiguous stands of forest are particularly vulnerable to hard-to-control wildfires”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 3 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

1. The passage suggests that

1. homeowners should avoid forested areas when choosing a place to live.
2. prescribed burns are not needed in grassland or coastal plain areas where trees are not concentrated.
3. aesthetic results should be the guiding principle of prescribed burning.
4. because prescribed burns can become uncontrolled burns, evacuation of affected areas should precede any prescribed burns.
5. careful practices by logging companies would reduce the danger of catastrophic wildfire.

2. What function does the second paragraph perform in the passage?

1. It explains that prescribed burns control pests and increase biodiversity.
2. It describes conditions under which prescribed burns may safely be carried out so foresters and area residents remain safe.
3. It presents benefits of prescribed burns, thus adding a further argument to the need for prescribed burns.
4. It persuades area residents to allow prescribed burns near their businesses and homes.
5. It catalogues the plant and animal species that benefit from prescribed burns.

3. Which statement below, if added to the passage, would most likely convince homeowners whose houses are near the areas of prescribed burns to agree that such burns are necessary, despite the temporary declines in air quality and aesthetics?

1. Well-managed burns protect seed trees while eliminating ground debris.
2. Burning at a time of high winds and warm temperatures risks greater scorch damage to trees marked for preservation.
3. Logging businesses can pile unsellable wood so that it is less of a hindrance to tractor plows working the area.
4. If not burned off, piles of deadwood hinder the construction of fire lines that hold back advancing wildfires.
5. Prescribed burns are usually carried out several weeks before seed fall of the dominant species.

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