Q2

[demetri.blaisdell]

This is an identification question. Did you develop a good map of the passage as you went? If you did, you probably knew the answer to this question would be in paragraph 3, where the author explains how contamination of groundwater happens.

(E) is the answer and you find it in lines 23-28. The fresh groundwater is above the petroleum and saline reservoirs. That's why when they drill to reach the oil, they often end up contaminating the groundwater above it.

Wrong answers:

(A) is in the wrong paragraph. Lines 55-58 are about one example of a disaster---not what is true generally of underground oil reservoirs.

(B) is completely unsupported. There's discussion of coastal contamination in the last paragraph but nothing about where oil reservoirs are more commonly located.

(C) has a detail distortion. Watch out. There's no comparison about oil versus gas reservoirs. In fact, gas reserves are mentioned in line 16 but not discussed in the rest of the passage.

(D) is picking up on paragraph two. But that information is from the 1890s. Plus, the author doesn't seem to concerned about the possibility that oil reservoirs will be contaminated. She seems much more worried about the water.

It seems the only way this problem is tricky is if you confuse water and gas reservoirs. Post any questions you may have about this problem.

Demetri