A municipal council recently planted thousands of fast-growing shade trees along residential streets with the goal of lowering household summer electricity bills. Council members reasoned that by shielding home roofs and exterior walls from direct sunlight during peak afternoon hours, the trees would significantly reduce the need for indoor air conditioning.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the council members' reasoning?
- Air conditioning units in the municipality consume significantly more energy when the surrounding air and building walls are heated by direct afternoon sunlight.Cevap
- BDense tree foliage retains heat and humidity during summer nights, causing residents to increase their air conditioner usage after sunset.
- CThe municipal council recently approved additional funding to upgrade the public streetlighting system with energy-efficient LED fixtures.
- DProperty values for residential homes located on streets with mature trees are on average higher than those for homes on unshaded streets.
- EThe fast-growing tree species selected by the council requires more frequent pruning by municipal workers than standard street trees do.
Cevap
The argument is most strongly supported by the statement establishing that air conditioning units consume significantly more energy when building walls are heated by direct afternoon sunlight.
The correct response directly strengthens the argument by providing evidence for the underlying physical mechanism. If air conditioners draw significantly more electricity when building walls absorb direct sunlight, then shading those walls directly reduces the thermal load on the cooling units, validating the council's claim that household electricity bills will drop.
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Anahtar Kavram
Strengthening a argument by confirming an underlying causal link or operational mechanism.