|Question 12Verbal

Source Texts

Text
A student is writing a research paper on the history of irrigation in the United States, situating the development of the Bear River Reservoir (created in Amador County, California, in 1900) in a larger historical context. The student claims that innovation in irrigation practices throughout the United States has led to designs with increased efficiency.
Which quotation from a study of irrigation best supports the student's claim?
"While the low humidity of Southern California's desert areas makes irrigation a requirement if agriculture is to be a success there, the relatively high humidity in the northern parts of the state makes such practices less necessary."
A
"The importance of irrigation infrastructure in the United States today cannot be overstated, since it is the most widely utilized means of conveying water for food production. Accordingly, any increase in the efficiency of irrigation, however small, would be of significant economic and social value."
B
"The irrigation system developed by the Hohokam people in the 7th century CE in what is now Arizona was simple but applied hydraulic engineering design features that are still in use today."
C
"Competition for water as a scarce economic resource inspired the development of sprinkler irrigation systems, which have contributed to the reduction of water used for irrigation in the United States to 45% of the total water usage of its population. Comparatively, 70% of the world's water usage is dedicated to irrigation."
D