RC Question 2 Explanation, by LSATHacks
DISCUSSION: Reread around line 55 for the full context of this question. The author is recommending two steps:
- Reduce excess fuel, so that fires won’t be horribly destructive.
- Once excess fuel is removed, allow maintenance burns every 15-20 years.
It sounds like the periodic fires every 15-20 years will maintain the lower level of fuel in the forests.
Lines 50-54 describe these fires. They’re either controlled burns we set ourselves, or fires caused by lightning when conditions are damp.
___________
- Not quite, though I can see how this is tempting. “Maintenance burns” doesn’t just refer to the old style of fire. If it did, then we would never set fires, and we would allow lightning fires to burn even if conditions were dry. Lines 50-54 show that the author instead recommends intentional fires, and letting lightning fires burn only when conditions are damp.
- The author recommends reducing the density of young, small trees. Mature trees are the ones we want to leave standing. See lines 12-14.
- Modern North American forests have too much fuel. If we allow fires to occur before we remove fuel, they fires will be very destructive. See lines 27-31.
- No fires used to occur at intervals “greater than 50 years”. 50 years is only referenced in line 30 – it’s the length of time we have prevented fires from occurring in forests.
- CORRECT. See lines 50-54 as well as line 55. The author says that maintenance burns are fires that we set and control, or lightning fires that we allow to burn when conditions are damp.
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On review I found out that lines 50-54 discuss different fires from the ones in lines 55. The former are fires which are a part of the effort to reduce the current fuel levels in the forests. The latter describe fires that happened as a part of the natural cycle before humans began their intervention. These are the fires in lines 7-9.
A little edit – these fires are required to simulate the old ones. But the author doesn’t preclude them from being set intentionally by humans.
So while answer choice A mentions some sort of fires in the past, the correct answer choice is E, mentioning the fires which will imitate the effect of the old ones.
I meant “See lines 50-54 as well as line 55”. The author intends to include natural fires and human lit fires that are allowed to burn, but not to destroy the forests.
The old style low intensity fires can’t happen anymore, because there’s too much fuel in the forests. The lightning fires are only allowed when conditions are damp, so that’s not the same as the ancient fires.