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Difficulty: MediumCommand of Evidence: Textual

In a study of urban communities, sociologist Dr. Maya Lin investigated the factors influencing social cohesion in neighborhoods with community gardens. Lin hypothesized that community gardens foster neighborhood social cohesion not simply by providing shared physical space, but specifically by requiring cooperative decision-making regarding resource allocation, such as managing shared water usage and distributing communal tools. Which finding, if true, would most directly support Lin's hypothesis?

  1. Neighborhoods where community garden members had to establish and vote on rules for sharing limited water and tools reported significantly higher levels of mutual trust and neighborhood social cohesion than neighborhoods with gardens where resources were managed by an external city agency without resident input.Answer
  2. B
    Neighborhoods with community gardens had higher overall social cohesion scores than otherwise identical neighborhoods that only had traditional public parks with no gardening facilities.
  3. C
    Residents who participated in any form of community-organized outdoor activities, including neighborhood cleanups and block parties, reported higher levels of social cohesion than those who did not participate in such activities.
  4. D
    Neighborhoods where residents cooperatively decided on garden resource allocation also showed a dramatic decrease in household water consumption and an increase in tool recycling rates.

Answer

Neighborhoods where community garden members had to establish and vote on rules for sharing limited water and tools reported significantly higher levels of mutual trust and neighborhood social cohesion than neighborhoods with gardens where resources were managed by an external city agency without resident input.
The correct answer directly supports the hypothesis by showing that when the cooperative decision-making process is present, social cohesion is higher compared to when the same physical garden space exists but lacks resident-led resource management. This isolates the cooperative decision-making mechanism as the cause of the increased social cohesion.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the researcher's hypothesis.
The hypothesis is that community gardens build social cohesion specifically due to the cooperative decision-making required for resource allocation (like water and tools), not just from sharing a physical space.
To support the claim, the evidence must isolate the cooperative decision-making element and show it leads to higher social cohesion.
2
Evaluate the choices to find one that compares groups based on cooperative resource management and measures social cohesion.
The option describing neighborhoods where garden members voted on rules for sharing resources compared to those with external resource management shows higher cohesion in the cooperative group.
This directly isolates the variable of interest (cooperative resource decision-making) while keeping the physical garden space constant.

Key Concept

Selecting textual evidence to support a research hypothesis by isolating key variables.
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Topics

Command of Evidence: Textual

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