Source 1: An analysis by the Texas Comptroller's office reviewed county tax records and employment data from wind-rich West Texas. The report found new turbines increased local revenue for schools and hospitals, funded landowner lease payments, and supported construction and maintenance jobs. It also noted electricity produced during drought years buffered ranching communities against fuel-price spikes. However, benefits were uneven: counties with transmission lines saw greater gains than remote areas waiting on grid connections. The analysis compared wind's property-tax base to oil and gas and found steadier year-to-year values, though initial construction booms tapered. Overall, the report portrays wind as an economic anchor when strategically sited near existing infrastructure and markets. Local training programs further stabilized employment after build-outs ended.

Source 2: A Texas Parks and Wildlife review synthesized field observations, radar studies, and habitat models from the Llano Estacado to the Edwards Plateau. Researchers documented increased collision risk for night-migrating birds during low cloud ceilings, and grassland fragmentation affecting lesser prairie-chicken lekking sites. Pronghorn movements shifted around fenced transmission corridors, concentrating crossings at gates. The review emphasized that risk varied by placement: turbines clustered away from riparian routes and known roosts reduced bird mortality, while repowering older sites with slower-rotating blades lessened bat fatalities. Mitigation included seasonal curtailment during peak migrations and restoring native grasses beneath towers. The authors concluded that ecological costs can be lowered but not eliminated, requiring landscape-scale planning and continuous monitoring. Community input improved siting.

Which synthesis statement best combines the two sources while accurately representing their contributions and creating a new understanding?

Source 1: A statewide public-health study followed eighth through tenth graders for three years, collecting diary entries and wearable sleep data. After adjusting for homework load, extracurriculars, and family income, researchers found teens reporting four or more hours of recreational screen use on school nights averaged forty-five minutes less sleep and had greater variability across the week. The study emphasized correlation, not proof of causation, noting that stressed students might simultaneously seek more online time and sleep less. Still, the relationship strengthened when use occurred after nine p.m., especially for interactive platforms. The authors recommended school-based sleep education and family media plans that shift discretionary scrolling to earlier hours rather than focusing on total time alone. They urged consistent bedtimes.

Source 2: An academic sleep lab conducted a randomized crossover experiment with high-school volunteers. On one night, participants read printed material under dim, warm light; on another, they spent ninety minutes on a tablet emitting blue-enriched light. Saliva assays showed delayed melatonin onset after tablet exposure, and polysomnography recorded longer time to fall asleep, even when total bedtime was unchanged. The lab also tested software filters and found partial benefits, but not a full reversal of the delay. Researchers cautioned that the lab environment controlled distractions and lighting more tightly than homes. They concluded that evening light spectrum and interactivity both matter, suggesting practical steps: reduce blue-rich light and choose lower-stimulation activities during the hour before bed. Consistency helps, too.

Which synthesis statement best combines the two sources while accurately representing their contributions and creating a new understanding?

Source 1: A Texas Department of Transportation retrospective combined traffic counts, freight bills, and county employment statistics to evaluate interstate impacts since the 1960s. The report linked four-lane access to shorter delivery windows, rising warehousing jobs along beltways, and a surge in cross-border trade moving through El Paso and Laredo. Travel-time reliability improved for emergency services and school buses, and rural producers reached metropolitan markets more frequently. The analysis credited logistics parks near interchanges with attracting manufacturers but cautioned that benefits clustered around exits with modern utilities. Overall, the agency characterized the highway system as a backbone for statewide growth, lowering costs per mile and enabling just-in-time supply chains during both booms and drought-constrained years. Tourism corridors posted similar gains.

Source 2: A university oral-history project interviewed residents from San Antonio, Houston, and small Panhandle towns about freeway construction. Elders recalled thriving main streets losing foot traffic when bypasses opened, while business owners near new interchanges prospered. Several neighborhoods described homes removed for right-of-way and barriers that lengthened walks to schools and churches. Community leaders noted that promised parks or noise walls arrived years late or not at all. Participants welcomed faster regional trips but questioned whether routes could have preserved more local connections. The project emphasized lived experience over statistics and called for repairs that stitch streets back together—caps, safer crossings, and transit—so economic benefits do not require permanent divides within historic communities. Some proposed rerouting freight at night.

Which synthesis statement best combines the two sources while accurately representing their contributions and creating a new understanding?

Source 1: A national pediatric association reviewed multi-district natural experiments after high schools shifted start times later. Across urban and suburban sites, average weeknight sleep increased by fifty minutes, first-period tardiness fell, and teen car crashes declined in affected counties. Attendance improved most among students previously missing days, although standardized test scores rose modestly, if at all, within a year. Researchers suggested that cognitive benefits may require sustained sleep over longer periods. The review emphasized equity: later starts narrowed sleep gaps between students with long commutes and those living near campuses. It recommended community engagement and gradual implementation to protect childcare and activity schedules, noting that middle schools often require different timing than high schools. Teacher schedules also need coordination.

Source 2: A consortium of district administrators compiled budget models, transportation maps, and stakeholder surveys from recent start-time changes. They reported that shifting high schools later without new buses required tiered routing, which lengthened some elementary routes and increased after-school traffic congestion. Athletic directors flagged limited daylight for practices and games, leading to higher facility lighting costs. Families with early work shifts struggled with morning supervision when older siblings left later. Yet districts that partnered with transit agencies or staggered activity blocks reduced conflicts over time. The report concluded that later starts are feasible but operationally complex, and that communities should evaluate costs, equity impacts, and transportation options alongside expected sleep and safety gains. Pilot periods improved scheduling accuracy district.

Which synthesis statement best combines the two sources while accurately representing their contributions and creating a new understanding?

Source 1: A peer-reviewed sleep study tracking 28 high schools across several states for two years found that moving first bell to 8:30 gave teens about 45 to 60 more minutes of nightly sleep, reduced tardiness and first-period absences, and modestly improved grades in core subjects. Researchers used wrist-worn activity monitors and attendance records rather than self-reported surveys. Nurse visits for headaches and daytime sleepiness declined. The authors cautioned that benefits were strongest where after-school schedules did not creep later. They concluded that later starts are a relatively low-cost way to address adolescent sleep biology and that districts should expect measurable gains in well-being and attendance within the first semester after the change.

Source 2: A large suburban district's operations report examined transportation and staffing impacts of starting secondary schools later. Route stacking was not feasible without adding buses and drivers, raising annual costs by several million dollars and worsening a regional driver shortage. Afternoon traffic compressed pickup windows, limiting field time for athletics and complicating students' after-school jobs and family care duties. Principals anticipated rescheduling community-use permits and renegotiating contracts. The report recommended phased implementation, partnerships with local transit, and targeted support for working students. It concluded that later starts can be beneficial, but only if districts redesign transportation, supervision, and activity schedules rather than simply shifting bell times on paper.

Which statement best synthesizes both sources into a fair, new conclusion?

Source 1: A Texas university energy institute brief analyzing a decade of ERCOT data reports that growing wind capacity has lowered wholesale prices during high-output hours and reduced emissions by displacing older coal units. The brief notes that curtailments spike when transmission from West Texas is congested, which wastes low-cost power. Case studies show batteries and demand response can soak up surplus generation and smooth variability. The authors argue that targeted transmission upgrades, storage near load centers, and more flexible demand can help Texas harvest inexpensive wind while maintaining affordability.

Source 2: A grid operator's seasonal reliability assessment emphasizes that wind output can drop quickly during heat waves and at sunset, when demand remains high. It highlights the need for sufficient reserves and fast-ramping resources. Historical events show that low wind coinciding with high demand tightens operating margins, even when total installed capacity is large. The assessment points to adding flexible gas units, expanding demand response, and deploying storage to address variability, while cautioning that transmission constraints can magnify local reliability risks.

Which synthesis best combines the two sources' findings?

Source 1: Ecologists summarizing long-term wolf reintroduction studies report that in some Western parks, restored predation modestly reduced overbrowsing by elk, allowing willows and aspens to recover in specific valleys. That vegetation supported beavers and songbirds, and in places improved streambank stability. The review notes that effects vary by terrain, climate, and prey behavior; wolves are not a magic switch, and outcomes depend on local conditions and human activity outside park boundaries.

Source 2: A ranchers' association report documents livestock losses attributed to wolves and the costs of prevention, such as range riders, fladry, and guard animals. It argues compensation programs often miss indirect losses like weight reductions and disrupted breeding. The report supports nonlethal deterrents but stresses the need for funding, rapid response when packs settle near calving pastures, and clear protocols so producers are not left to absorb most of the risk.

Which conclusion most effectively synthesizes the two sources?

Source 1: A museum historian's essay argues that nineteenth- and early twentieth-century memorial culture turned the Alamo into a simplified hero tale that downplayed Tejano federalist fighters, civilian experiences, and the roles of Mexican politics and slavery in the conflict. Drawing on letters, land records, and newspaper accounts, the essay calls for interpretation that places the battle within broader regional histories and centers diverse voices, including Tejanos and Indigenous peoples. The historian contends that more inclusive storytelling strengthens historical understanding rather than erasing sacrifice.

Source 2: A tourism economics study finds that the Alamo's recognizable narrative anchors visitor spending that supports local jobs and tax revenue in San Antonio. Surveys suggest many visitors value a clear, engaging storyline as an entry point, and are open to added context when it is presented accessibly. The report warns that abrupt changes can spark controversy, but interactive exhibits and programming often increase dwell time and satisfaction without reducing attendance, provided the site's core identity remains legible.

Which synthesis best combines the two sources' insights about the Alamo?