1. Fuel load is widely considered to be the major culprit for the recent increase in wildfires.
 

2. Fuel load consists of dead and dying trees, dense undergrowth, and stands of small trees.
 

3. The acreage of dead and dying wood and vegetation is increasing in scope and density because of tree diseases caused by fungi and insect infestation.
 

4. In addition to fuel load, extreme environmental conditions, such as drought and wind, can be the final ingredient in a deadly menu of conditions that lead to savage wildfires.
 

5. Effective forest management must include fuel reduction through logging and controlled burning.

—Adapted from Goffman, "Wildfires, Fuel Loads, and Forest Management
Policy Issues," Hot Topics Series, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Jan. 2004.
15 Mar. 2004

B. Read the author's claim and the list of supports. Then mark each support R if it is relevant to the claim or N if it is not relevant to the claim.

Claim: The federal government must appropriate funds for the growing financial cost of treating and caring for patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Supports:
6. The current economic impact of Alzheimer's on America is $100 billion a year for care (medical and custodial) and another $33 billion in work hours lost by caregivers.
 

7. According to Alzheimer's Association statistics, 4 million Americans have Alzheimer's, and 19 million have a family member with Alzheimer's.
 

8. Unless a preventive vaccine, a cure, or better treatment drugs are found, 14 million Americans will be ill with the disease in 2050.
 

9. It is extremely important for the Alzheimer's patient to have designated a trusted surrogate to make end-of-life decisions.
 

10. The average lifetime cost per Alzheimer's patient may be more than the $174,000 estimated by the Alzheimer's Association.

—Adapted from Stanton, "Alzheimer's Disease: A Family Affair and a Growing Social
Problem," Hot Topics Series, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Apr. 2001.
15 Mar. 2004