It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to regard a policy in which all forest fires...

lerondagates on November 11, 2019

Correction to above post: Can someone explain how the answer is D? I'm having trouble pulling this together from the passage.

I initially chose A. I see why A is incorrect from the previous discussion. Thank you.

BenMingov on November 11, 2019

Hi Lerondagates, thanks for the question!

Answer choice D is correct because the author claims that there is too much fuel for fires within forests in present-day North America. If forest fires were to be left to burn naturally, there would be devastating damage. (Not something the author wants). You can refer to lines 20-23 for support.

Additionally, lines 50-57 describe the author's recommendation regarding how to approach forest fires in the present and then, once fuel has been reduced. It is recommended to allow lightning-caused fires to burn only when the weather is damp enough to avoid too much damage. Not always.

Hope this helps!