The New York Times has boldly declared the end of the car culture in the United States. It based its claim on a few salient facts. The number of miles driven dropped steadily between 2005 and 2013. Over an even more extended period, rates of automobile ownership declined. The Times also charted changing attitudes toward driving and car ownership by young people, quoting one study that showed a 23-percent decrease in driving among young people. Car sharing, bikes, and public transit were among the reasons cited for this decrease.
But is the automobility of American culture actually over, or is it just in the slow lane? It is true that the era of massive road building projects not only seems to be over, but also actually peaked as long ago as 1980. It is also true that environmental and social factors, as well as the overcrowding of our roads and highways, are shaping new attitudes across all segments of society. During the past two decades, public transportation use has grown at a far faster rate than the population. Another significant factor in the declining number of miles driven has to do with our aging population; over many years, the number of miles driven has been shown to decline by age 45 . Vehicle costs as a percentage of income have also been rising since the mid-90s. While all of these data do not prove the end of cars, they may point to the end of the driving boom that characterized twentieth-century America.

Consider each answer individually and choose all that apply.

The passage suggests that the decline in driving is authenticated by which of the following?

A. A 23-percent decline in car ownership among young people
B. The end of the era of massive road building projects
C. The steady drop in the number of miles driven



It can be inferred from the passage that the author most likely thinks that the Times writer used the term "the end of car culture" because it

A. offered the clearest wording to contradict the phrase "automobility of American culture."
B. generalized the facts about U.S. driving trends in the most succinct and appropriate way.
C. created a new and appropriate catchphrase for referring to changes in driving.
D. summarized a number of recent studies and elucidated their results accurately.
E. reflected some current data and employed enough hyperbole to create interest.



In the second paragraph, the author is primarily concerned with

A. mitigating the Times's assertion that car culture is at an end.
B. explaining why the number of miles driven has declined recently.
C. presenting reasons for a changing demographic of car ownership.
D. disputing the claim that car ownership is in significant decline.
E. offering further proof for the Times's claim that the car culture is over.