Reading Comprehension

vivek1110 wrote:For millennia, the Nile River flooded nearly every year as a natural consequence of heavy summer rains on the Ethiopian Plateau; in the last century, as the population in the region exploded, the cycle of flooding interspersed with periodic drought caused widespread suffering for the local population. In the mid-1950s, the Egyptian government concluded that a significant dam was necessary to enable the country's economic development to be on a par with that of Western nations. The Aswan Dam would prevent the annual flooding, generate hydroelectric power and supply a steady source of water for residents and agricultural activities, though it would also have other, less positive effects.

By the 1970s, most Egyptian villages had electric power, and the dam provided approximately half of Egypt's entire output of electricity. The benefits were counteracted, however, by consequences which were sometimes slow to appear but ruinous in their long-term effects. Dams prevent silt from flowing through to downstream lands. The silt is essential for renewing the minerals and nutrients that make the land fertile; before the dam, the Nile floodplain was famously productive. Farmers have had to substitute artificial fertilizers, reducing profits and causing pervasive chemical pollution with deleterious effects for the human, animal and plant populations living near or in the river. It is difficult to draw definite conclusions about a project with such substantial and varied results, but it would be untenable to assert that the Egyptian government should never have built the Aswan Dam.

The author's attitude toward the Aswan Dam Project is best reflected by which of the following phrases?

(A) inconsistent support

Incorrect

(B) strict neutrality

Probable but too narrow " strict"
POE -> Answer

(C) keen enthusiasm
Incorrect: Not stated anywhere

(D) mild endorsement
Confused between this and B. but

(E) cautious opposition
Incorrect

OA soon.

kevincanspain wrote:It is untenable to suggest that... = The suggestion that ... cannot be justified or defended i.e is unsustainable

The author implies that, despite its many and varied drawbacks, the dam seems to have done more good than harm. I would call this cautious or tentative endorsement, so D is the closest match.

A. inconsistent support (inconsistent = contradictory) . The author is careful to present the pros and cons, but he is not contradicting himself

B. The author feels strongly that it is wrong to assert that the dam should not have been built- he is taking a position, expressing an opinion, albeit a cautious one. This is not strict neutrality

C. Perhaps the easiest to eliminate
E. Does not oppose the dam, not even cautiously: he comes down in favor of it, though qualifies his approval