samark wrote:
Life in an urban center, with daily experiences of subways, crowded sidewalks and dense living, provides countless opportunities for social contact and connection. Exurban life, by contrast, exists in the openness of freeways and one-acre lots, exhibiting little that would suggest social commonality. Yet studies show that people who live in exurbia consistently rate their feeling of connectedness to their community as strong whereas urban dwellers more frequently express feelings of isolation.
Which of the following, if true, contributes most to an explanation of the difference in the reported feelings of connectedness between urban and exurban dwellers? A. The cost of living in exurbia is significantly lower than that in urban areas.
B. Rates of attendance at houses of worship are much higher in exurban areas than in urban ones.
C. Exurban school districts often spend more per capita on their students than do those in urban areas.
D. The rate of violent crime is much lower in exurban areas than in urban ones.
E. Many people who live in exurbia moved there from urban areas.
Source:
MGMAT test.
I marked choice E as correct answer thinking that "feeling of connectedness" gathered in survey for exurbia residents is a reflection of many people who have migrated from urban areas and hence, they have their old experience registered in the survey.
I have doubts about choice B, because attendance at houses of worship is just one signal among all factors. It is not strong enough to logically prove the difference in the feelings of urban and exurban dwellers.
Hi Experts,
AjiteshArun,
generisI am confused why choice D is not considered for the correct answer.
My reasoning: -
In the correct answer choice, we are assuming that perhaps exurban dwellers find through these organizations a sense of community lacking in urban areas.
Quote:
Choice B is the only choice that provides a potential reason for the relative connectedness of exurban dwellers. It offers the possibility that because rates of attendance at houses of worship is higher in exurban areas, perhaps exurban dwellers find through these organizations a sense of community lacking in urban areas, where people perhaps do not have ongoing social contacts despite their physical proximity
On similar grounds we can assume that,
Since, rate of violent crime is much lower in exurban areas, we can conclude that exurban dwellers perhaps trust each other more and hence feel more connected with each other.