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RonPurewal
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GMAT Focus 1: 805 Q90 V90 DI90
GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Posts: 252
Kudos: 1,503
V37-17 13 Jul 2026, 02:04
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Bunuel
Some city planners argue against the construction of new skyscrapers in urban areas. , claiming that taller buildings increase the "urban heat island" effect, making cities warmer. They claim that skyscrapers' physical properties—especially the thermal behavior of their component materials and their physical redirection of wind currents—cause warming in cities, suggesting that the resultant increase in temperature exacerbates pollution and impacts public health. In response, advocates for skyscraper construction argue that, with modern energy-efficient designs, skyscrapers can actually reduce overall urban temperatures by centralizing populations and reducing urban sprawl.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the skyscraper advocates' argument?


A. Urban sprawl has been shown to contribute significantly to increased vehicle emissions, which are a major source of urban pollution.
B. Studies have demonstrated that the energy-efficient designs of new skyscrapers often fail to perform as well as projected, resulting in higher energy consumption.
C. In cities with a high concentration of skyscrapers, a significant decrease in green spaces has been observed, contributing to higher urban temperatures.
D. The construction of skyscrapers frequently disrupts existing communities and leads to increased housing costs in urban areas.
E. Energy-efficient skyscrapers require a substantial initial investment, making them less economically feasible than traditional building designs.
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Cleaned up the wording of the original paragraph.

Choice D needs to be tightened up to meet GMAC-level standards for a correct answer. This choice would be improved if replaced with "The construction of skyscrapers raises rents throughout nearby residential areas to levels that a significant proportion of those areas' current residents can no longer afford".
("Disrupts existing communities" is a less-than-precisely defined phrase—and the part about cost increases needs to be anchored by some sort of wording that makes it reasonably certain that the cost increases are of sufficient magnitude to drive lots of people out. The addition of "a significant proportion ... can no longer afford" ensures that enough people will move to dedensitize the local population; the function of "throughout nearby residential areas" is to imply that the displaced residents will mostly have to move a fair distance away from their current neighborhoods, rather than just a few streets over.)
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