Purpose > Main Idea Practice Test

Editorial by a museum director: When we tested pay-what-you-wish hours on Thursday evenings, families and students who had never visited came through the doors. Some board members worried that donations would collapse. They did not: suggested contributions, cafe sales, and memberships during other hours kept revenue steady. More importantly, the galleries were alive with the kind of conversation that measures a museum's worth better than a ledger can. We are not proposing free admission at all times; our electricity, conservators, and guards must be paid. But a weekly window lowers the barrier just enough to welcome those who count dollars carefully. A museum that is only affordable to some will be trusted by few.

From a science column: Volcanic ash is often cursed for darkening skies and choking crops, yet in the long term it can enrich the very fields it once blanketed. After the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, farmers on nearby islands reported higher yields once ash had weathered into soil; trace minerals and improved structure helped water linger where roots could reach it. Today, agricultural researchers are testing finely ground rock, or rock dust, as a climate-friendly soil amendment. If modest applications can mimic the slow gifts of ash without the disaster that delivers it, farms might use less synthetic fertilizer and even lock away some carbon. The past suggests the possibility; current trials will decide how much of it is practical.