Reading Comprehension · Question 6 · Medium

Why, according to the passage, are heatwaves especially dangerous for elderly residents of crowded neighbourhoods?

On a summer afternoon, the centre of a large city can be several degrees warmer than the farmland just beyond its edge. Scientists call this the urban heat island effect. Concrete, asphalt and brick absorb sunlight during the day and release the stored heat slowly after sunset, so cities cool far less at night than the countryside does. Air conditioners add to the problem by pumping warm air out of buildings onto the streets, and the scarcity of trees means there is little shade or evaporation to cool the air. The consequences are not merely uncomfortable. Hot nights prevent the body from recovering from daytime heat, which is why heatwaves are especially dangerous for elderly residents of crowded neighbourhoods. Some remedies are surprisingly simple. Painting roofs white reflects a large share of incoming sunlight, and rooms beneath such roofs can be a few degrees cooler. Planting trees along streets and protecting existing lakes also help. None of these measures can reverse the effect entirely, but together they can make the difference between a hot night and a deadly one.

1. They cannot afford air conditioners
2. Hot nights prevent the body from recovering from daytime heat
3. White roofs are rare in crowded areas
4. They spend more time outdoors during the day

Previous: According to the passage, why do cities cool less at night than the countryside? · Next: Which of the following remedies is NOT mentioned in the passage?

Practise reading comprehension

Try a fresh set of reading comprehension questions with an explanation after every answer, free and without signing up: Reading Comprehension practice. Or sit a full placement mock test.

More reading comprehension questions

• Which of the following was NOT one of the three rules introduced?
• What can be inferred about the senior developers who initially complained?
• According to the passage, why do cities cool less at night than the countryside?
• Which of the following remedies is NOT mentioned in the passage?
• Which of the following best describes the author's view of the remedies…
• According to the passage, what brought hundreds of millions of new users…
• Which pair of reasons does the passage give for the rapid growth of voice…
• As used in the passage, the word 'scarcer' most nearly means
• Which statement would the analysts mentioned at the end of the passage most…
• What does the term 'attention residue' refer to in the passage?

More verbal ability practice

Idioms & Phrases · Active & Passive Voice · Direct & Indirect Speech · Synonyms · Antonyms · Error Spotting · Sentence Completion · Sentence Improvement

LogicWiz Exams home · All practice topics · Placement mock tests · Daily 10 challenge