The fight against the drug trade in Country X should focus for the time being on tightening the country’s borders and targeting its major smugglers. Wiping out poppy fields in rural areas means even greater hardship for an economically depressed farming population. Rather, the United Nations and the government of Country X must carefully rebuild agricultural infrastructure in areas where the economy depends on these poppy fields.

What purpose do the two boldface sentences serve in the passage?


A. The first is the conclusion drawn by the speaker; the second is the alternative to that conclusion.

B. The first is a short-term solution to a problem; the second is a long-term solution to the same problem.

C. The first presents a problem; the second poses an ideal solution to the problem.

D. The first presents a popular solution to a problem; the second presents a solution preferred by the author.

E. The first presents an argument; the second presents evidence to support the argument.



OA B

Source: Manhattan Prep