Difficulty: Easy

Average Score: 88%

(1) New York City has a long history with bicycle lanes, which are either painted on a street or constructed alongside a street and are used by bicycles rather than cars. (2) Its first bike lane â€” and the country's first â€” was built in 1894, along Brooklyn's Ocean Parkway. (3) Interest in bicycle lanes reappeared in the 1970s, and by 1980, Mayor Ed Koch saw to the construction of them on Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown. (4) However, those lanes faced such fierce opposition that they were immediately removed. (5) Things have recently changed: since 2006, the city has taken bike lanes to a whole new level. (6) It installed more than 250 miles around the city's five boroughs. (7) Many New Yorkers complained the new bike lanes slowed car traffic and reduced the number of parking spaces. (8) Others complained bicyclists were not following traffic rules in the lanes. (9) In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, religious leaders convinced the city to remove a new strip of freshly painted bike lane in their neighborhood. (10) Elected officials and perturbed residents of Staten Island also pressured the city into removing its own 2.35-mile dedicated lane. (11) Most New Yorkers have gotten used to the idea: a recent poll of New York City residents shows that two-thirds of them support the bike lanes. (12) They cite environmental reasons for their support, as well as the health and safety benefits the lanes provide bike riders. (13) Ultimately, the city can be happy knowing that statistics have shown its new bike lanes have already made the streets of New York safer for bikers and pedestrians.

In context, which sentence would be best to insert at the beginning of the second paragraph (sentences 7–10)?

Rationale

The sentence "Other New Yorkers say they are in favor of the bike lanes just for keeping bicyclists off the sidewalks." should be inserted after sentence 12.

This placement makes sense as it directly follows other reasons why New Yorkers support bike lanes, such as for environmental reasons, health, and safety benefits. Inserting the statement here contributes to the ongoing discussion of support for bike lanes in the passage.

A (Acceptance of the city's new bike lanes did not come immediately.) CORRECT

Inserting the sentence after sentence 1 would not make sense because the passage has not yet introduced the concept of support or opposition for bike lanes. The first sentence is simply stating what a bike lane is, not discussing opinions on them.

B (The new bike lanes served numerous purposes for New Yorkers.) YOUR ANSWER

Inserting the sentence after sentence 3 would be inappropriate because the passage has just begun to discuss the history of bike lanes in the city. The discussion of different opinions on bike lanes, including the one in the sentence to be inserted, does not start until later in the passage.

C (In 2006, the majority of New York City residents did not own bicycles.) YOUR ANSWER

Placing the sentence after sentence 9 would be jarring because sentence 9 discusses opposition to bike lanes, specifically in Williamsburg. Inserting a sentence about support for bike lanes here disrupts the flow of the passage and the balance of presenting both sides of the argument.

D (Many pedestrians and motorists supported bicycle riding on city streets.) YOUR ANSWER

This is the correct placement for the sentence. Sentence 12 ends the discussion of reasons why New Yorkers support bike lanes, and the sentence to be inserted provides another reason for this support, thus maintaining the coherence of the discussion.

Conclusion

The sentence "Other New Yorkers say they are in favor of the bike lanes just for keeping bicyclists off the sidewalks." fits best after sentence 12, as it contributes to the ongoing discussion of New Yorkers' support for bike lanes. Other placements, after sentences 1, 3, or 9, would disrupt the logical flow and thematic progression of the passage.

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