Email
From: Evan Riley, Chair, Juniper Estates Neighborhood Committee
Sent: December 12
To: Loretta Acosta, Zoning Commissioner
CC: Rudy Hartwell, Mayor
Subject: Proposed re-zoning for Brannick's Superstore adjacent to Juniper Estates
1. I represent the Juniper Estates Neighborhood Committee. Last night, community residents had a meeting in which they expressed views on the re-zoning request Brannick's Superstore proposed. Nearly 100% of the attendees were opposed to the Antrim Zoning Commission allowing a Brannick's to be built on the land adjacent to Juniper Estates. I have been asked to summarize neighborhood opposition.
2. A Brannick's Superstore is a wonderful place to shop. It provides groceries prescriptions and even auto repairs. However, it is not an appealing structure to have in one's backyard. This is especially true for residents of Juniper Estates. Situated on the northern edge of the Antrim city limits, Juniper Estates is more rural than urban. Many of our residents moved to the northern edge of Antrim to be near the woods and the wildlife. They wanted to be away from the city, not in the middle of a busy shopping mecca. Furthermore, construction of this superstore would remove a large portion of forest from the area adjoining Juniper Estates and uproot the wildlife that depends on it.
3. In place of deer, this superstore would bring in cars and chaos. With traffic congestion comes increased pollution and noise. In effect, a store the size of Brannick's would bring the city right to our doorsteps. While we live within the city limits of Antrim, we reside in the rural community of Juniper Estates, and we want to keep it rustic.
4. Even though most Juniper Estates residents commute to jobs downtown, about 15% of our residents work right here in the surrounding area. These folks are largely small- business owners and their employees. They depend on the purchases made by residents of the Antrim community for their livelihoods. These shopkeepers are happy to let members of the rest of the community spend their city earnings in our shops. Antrim shoppers know that our shops are unique and distinctive, offering original, often handmade products. These businesses are a source of both income and pride for their owners and employees.
5. Unfortunately, the shops near Juniper Estates could not compete with the prices of a nearby superstore. If Brannick's is right next door, most people will shop there. Brannick's can afford to sell for less. Its presence in the community could force many of our local businesses to close. Even people who are loyal customers of the small, specialized shops could eventually succumb to the lure of a superstore.
6. Additionally, the Property Trends website states that building a superstore typically drops home values by 10%. This is reason enough for members of our community to protest the proposed zoning adjustment.
7. Antrim already has two Brannick's Superstores. How many superstores do we need? If you change the zoning legislation, let it be for something that will enhance the beauty and uniqueness of our community. Juniper Estates has enough traffic and noise. We need to protect the businesses we have and the independent personality of our rural community. We strongly urge you to decline Brannick's re-zoning request.
Evan Riley
**********
Press Release
February 2
For Immediate Release
Brannick's Superstore Is Coming!
8. Thanks for being our new neighbor!
9. Brannick's application for the re-zoning of land adjacent to Juniper Estates has been approved with some revisions. We are now preparing to begin construction. Although our original plan was to build a full-sized store on this land, we have modified our plan to accommodate the community concerns that were presented to us by the Antrim Zoning Commission. People in the neighborhood were unhappy with our plan, and beginning a feud with potential customers is never an option for Brannick's. Therefore, we have made some concessions that we hope will please our customers in the area.
10. The first concern of our new neighbors is the noise and traffic the store could generate. Unfortunately, traffic and noise come with the territory of a superstore. Brannick's Superstores are popular, and this one will no doubt draw customers from nearby towns. However, we have worked with the Antrim City Council to find a way to minimize the noise and traffic and to limit our impact on Juniper Estates.
11. We have agreed to forgo our original plan to use the full 200,000 square feet possible under the original re-zoning request. Our store will instead occupy only 125,000 square feet. This size will allow for a buffer zone of wooded area between our store and Juniper Estates. Brannick's will maintain this wooded area; our landscaping team will scrupulously clean up any trash that winds blow into this area. This area will ensure that the store is not visible to nearby residents and will greatly reduce the traffic noise.
12. Furthermore, in the spirit of community involvement, we will place an 80-inch plasma
screen within the store for local ads and announcements. And this service will be free to
all local businesses! These ads could generate more business for local shops, because
Brannick's general merchandise and services. Aren’t competition for these more specialized shops.
13. We will soon have nearly 100 job openings. Applications for the new store are avallable
online. We are looking forward to being your new neighbor.
Based on the email, which description characterizes the relationship between the profitability of the small shops near Juniper Estates and the opening of a Brannick's Superstore?
Correct answer: A
The email says the small shops near Juniper Estates could not match a superstore's prices. Paragraph 5 explains the chain: Brannick's can buy in huge amounts, so it can charge less. Shoppers will follow the lower prices. When regular customers leave, the small shops lose the income they need to stay open. Evan Riley warns that many of these businesses could close. He adds that even loyal customers may give in "to the lure of a superstore." So the email ties shop profits to store size and low prices. The correct choice is A.
A) The size of Brannick's would allow it to offer lower prices, possibly forcing the small shops out of business.
This matches the email. Paragraph 5 states the shops "could not compete with the prices of a nearby superstore" and that Brannick's "can afford to sell for less." It then predicts that many local businesses "could force" them to close. Large buying power leads to low prices, lost customers, lost profit, and possible closure. Choice A states this chain in the correct order.
B) Brannick's would attract new customers to the area, bringing business to the small shops.
This is the opposite of the email's claim. Riley never says the superstore would help local shops. He says the shops would lose customers because Brannick's sells for less. The press release does mention free ads for local businesses, but that idea comes from Brannick's, not from the email. The question asks what the email says, so this choice uses the wrong source.
C) The small shops charge higher prices than Brannick's would, potentially allowing them to offer better wages to their workers.
The email does suggest the small shops charge more. Paragraph 5 says they cannot compete with Brannick's lower prices. But the email never links higher prices to better wages. It says the shops depend on local purchases for their livelihoods and could be forced to close. Choice C adds a claim about wages that appears nowhere in the email, so it is unsupported.
D) The small shops carry products too specialized for Brannick's, ensuring the loyalty of their customers.
The email does say the shops offer "unique and distinctive" handmade goods. But it does not say this guarantees loyalty. Paragraph 5 says even loyal customers "could eventually succumb to the lure of a superstore." So the email predicts that customer loyalty may fail under price pressure. Choice D overstates the protection that specialty goods provide.
Conclusion
This item asks you to trace a cause-and-effect chain inside one paragraph. Brannick's large size lets it sell for less. Lower prices pull customers away from small shops. Lost sales cut shop income and could close them. Answer A states that chain exactly. On similar items, find the sentence that links two ideas, then check whether the choice keeps the same order and the same level of certainty. Watch for choices that borrow details from the other passage. The skill matters because readers often must connect a cause to its likely result.
Why the others are wrong
Many test takers pick a choice because it sounds reasonable in real life, not because the email actually says it. You might assume a new superstore brings more shoppers to the whole area, so local shops benefit. That idea is not in the email, and it reverses what Riley warns about.
Another common error is grabbing a detail from the press release instead of the email. The question asks what the email says, so free ads or other promises from Brannick's do not count. Always check which source the question names.
A third trap is adding a claim the passage never makes. Higher prices do not automatically mean better wages for workers. If the email does not link two ideas, the choice is unsupported, no matter how logical it sounds.
Concept tested
Tracing a cause-and-effect chain in a passage: how a superstore's size and lower prices lead to lost customers, reduced income, and possible closure for small shops.
GED Tip
Find the sentence that links Brannick's buying power to its low prices, then follow where lost customers lead. Match the choice that keeps that same order and the email's exact level of certainty.
