Reading Comprehension

Five times as many workers may be needed to construct a power plant as
to operate it. The numbers may be even more disproportionate for a
major pipeline or dam. When the construction ends, a substantial
reduction in population is virtually guaranteed. Hence, there may be no
justification for providing an infrastructure necessary to maintain
adequate levels of service during the construction period.

Money necessary to build water systems, schools and roads and to
fund salaries and maintenance costs is mismatched by traditional taxing
programs. The construction project is usually not subject to local property
tax until it nears completion, which may be five years after the impact
has occurred. Alternative sources of tax revenue cannot begin to cover
the cost of providing the necessary services. Even if some governments
have money, they may not be the right governments. Some entities may
suffer the impact of development without being able to tax it. For
example, a development may be located in the county just outside the
limits of an incorporated city. The county will be entitled to tax the
property while the city may receive most of the project population and
demand for services.

The 1960s and 1970s witnessed a new boomtown era in the West.
The typical contemporary boomtown is fuelled by a quest for energy in
the form of a fossil-fuelled electric generating plant, a hydroelectric dam
or a new mine. The energy project is typically located near a small
community or is forced to start a community from scratch. Often, the
boomtown is poorly planned and under-financed. Long-time residents find
their community changed for the worse and newcomers find the town an
undesirable place to live.

The boomtown is characterized by inadequate public services,
undesirable labour conditions, confusion in community structure, and
deterioration of the quality of life arising from rapid population growth
due to a major economic stimulus. Accelerated growth is the most
distinguishing characteristic of a boomtown.
Studies have shown that large-scale development in sparsely
populated areas causes major social problems. Housing, street and water
systems construction, school development and police and fire protection
lag far behind population growth. Rent and property tax increases join
with a rise in the general cost of living to harm persons on fixed incomes.
Education in the community may suffer. One result of boomtown living is
higher incidence of divorce, depression, alcoholism and attempted
suicide. Until recently, planners have ignored or understated such
problems. While the boomtown promotes an "•us against them"– mentality
- the old timers versus persons brought to the community by the boom
- the fact remains that all parties suffer. Newcomers may blame oldtimers
for a lack of support just as old-timers may blame them for a
deterioration of community life. Consequences of the boomtown also
harm the project developer. The undesirable community results in poor
worker productivity and frequent worker turnover, factors that delay
construction and push projects over budget. Problems of rapid growth in
some boomtowns are compounded by the fact that most of the
population disappears with the completion of project construction.

1. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following are possible
ways in which a boomtown is affected by poor planning and under-financing?
I. Unsatisfactory labour conditions
II. Inadequate police protection
III. Poor community relations
A. II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
D. I, II, and III
E. I only