Question 9 • 11011de2 CONNECTED Fall 2026 NM-US History and Geography S2
Read the passage from the Houston Chronicle about air quality in Houston in 2019. “I’m surprised and disturbed that Houston’s air quality worsened in this year’s [American Lung Association ‘State of the Air’] report,” said Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas. “The trend since 1999 had been one of steady progress and instead now it seems we are backtracking and that’s bad news particularly for the hundreds of thousands of people who have asthma or other vulnerable populations like senior citizens. . . .”Current models estimate that more than 60 percent of ozone pollution is from cars, according to Raun, and to address that, the city is trying to encourage practices such as the use of mass transit and transitioning to fuel-efficient or low-emission vehicles.How is Houston trying to combat increasing ozone pollution?
Answer
A
by raising taxes on vulnerable populations
B
by increasing access to health care
C
by encouraging use of mass transit
D
by prohibiting the sale of new cars
Explanation
The passage says that because cars contribute more than 60 percent of ozone pollution, Houston is encouraging mass transit and fuel-efficient or low-emission vehicles. Therefore, the correct choice is “by encouraging use of mass transit.” The passage does not say the city is raising taxes, increasing health care access, or prohibiting new car sales.
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.