When explaining the issues of urbanization in Africa of the late twentieth century, some textbooks conflate effects of the phenomenon with effects of urbanization in the newly industrialized cities of England in the early nineteenth century. That is, some historians restrict their analysis to the problems of overcrowding, lack of sanitation, and inadequate housing that occur in the wake of rapid mass movement from rural to urban areas. Their analysis ignores arguments, such as those put forth by the 1996 UN Habitat II conference, suggesting that economies of scale are preferable for the delivery of health care, clean water, electricity, and other needs. It further overlooks the freedoms available to women in the cities, where they may escape tribal or religious practices, or find fulfillment in both traditional and nontraditional roles.

The author of the passage would most likely consider which of the following ideas most similar to the reasoning of historians mentioned ?

A. Economies of scale is a relatively recent economic concept that suggests, not entirely accurately, that bigger is always better.
B. The problems of overcrowding, lack of sanitation, and inadequate housing also occurred in major U.S. cities during the Industrial Revolution.
C. The increased disparity in economic class in today's Mumbai cannot be attributed to globalization alone.
D. Urbanization has a negative effect on traditional social mores and usually proves disruptive to cultural unity.
E. The recent economic crises in Ireland may best be explained by examining financial crises in the United States in the late nineteenth century.



Which of the following, if it were true, most seriously undermines the support that the final sentence provides for the claim?

A. Urban women are more likely than men to have to deal directly with the problems of lack of sanitation.
B. Women in large urban centers often achieve a higher level of education than they achieve in rural areas.
C. Many rural women find fulfillment through local tribal and religious practices.
D. Inadequate housing in the cities often offers more advantages than adequate housing in rural areas.
E. Women in large urban centers often work in the marketplace.