16Hit1600
Information and IdeasVery hardMain idea of a passage on a policy's side effect

Information and Ideas practice question

The city's ban on cars in the old quarter achieved what it promised: cleaner air and quieter streets. It also produced something no one had planned. Rents in the quarter rose by half within three years, and many of the families whose quality of life the ban was meant to improve could no longer afford to live there.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

  1. A. The car ban delivered its intended benefits but also drove up rents, pushing out many of the residents it was meant to help.Correct
  2. B. The car ban failed to improve air quality.
  3. C. Rents in the old quarter fell after the ban.
  4. D. The city planned the rise in rents.

Answer: A. The car ban delivered its intended benefits but also drove up rents, pushing out many of the residents it was meant to help.

Success, and an unplanned cost borne by the intended beneficiaries.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. The car ban failed to improve air quality.
The air did get cleaner.
C. Rents in the old quarter fell after the ban.
Rents rose.
D. The city planned the rise in rents.
No one had planned it.

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