The following passage is about the history of Manhattan's street layout.
Manhattan's Grid
[1]
In the early nineteenth century, New York City was growing rapidly, yet its street layout was a chaotic jumble of narrow, winding pathways. To bring order to this expanding metropolis, the state legislature appointed a commission in 1807 to design a new street system. The resulting proposal, known as the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, introduced the iconic rectangular grid of streets and avenues that defines Manhattan today.
[2]
The planners prioritized practicality over aesthetic elegance. They rejected circular designs or diagonal boulevards, which were popular in European capitals, in favor of right-angled intersections. This layout maximized the utility of building lots and simplified the buying and selling of real estate. While some critics argued that the grid was monotonous, its efficiency facilitated the city's commercial explosion.
[3]
Today, the grid remains the structural backbone of Manhattan. It has proven remarkably adaptable, accommodating millions of residents, skyscrapers, and transit systems that the original planners could scarcely have imagined. Although Central Park was later carved out of the grid to provide green space, the basic rectangular network continues to shape the daily flow of life in the city.
Suppose the writer's goal had been to write an essay that traces the transition of New York City from a chaotic trading post to a global financial capital. Would this essay accomplish this goal?
- AYes, because the passage details how the grid system replaced chaotic pathways and ultimately supported the city's commercial expansion.
- BYes, because the passage explains the role of the state legislature and planners in establishing New York as a global financial capital.
- No, because the essay focuses on the design, implementation, and long-term adaptation of Manhattan's street grid rather than tracing the city's broader economic and financial history.Answer
- DNo, because the essay argues that the grid plan was too monotonous to support any significant commercial or financial growth.