Question 10

Residential development creates a need for communities to extend water, sewer, and other municipal services to previously undeveloped areas; such extension costs more than they collect.

The best version of the underlined portion is "more than they collect," which accurately reflects the comparison between the costs incurred by communities and the revenue they receive from property taxes.

A) as it is now

This option does not improve the original text and lacks clarity. Retaining the phrase "as it is now" fails to specify what comparison is being made regarding costs and collections, leaving the meaning ambiguous.

B) more for communities to collect

This choice introduces unnecessary complexity and does not convey a clear comparison. It suggests a focus on the amount communities need to collect rather than the actual costs versus revenues, which is not the primary concern of the sentence.

C) more than they collect

This option succinctly captures the intended comparison between the costs of extending services and the property tax revenues collected. It clarifies that the expenses outweigh the income, effectively conveying the economic burden on communities.

D) will be more than is collected by communities

While this option captures the essence of the comparison, it introduces an unnecessary future tense ("will be"), which may imply a delay in the costs being realized. The original context appears to discuss current conditions rather than a future projection.

Conclusion

The choice "more than they collect" is the most effective option as it directly compares the costs of extending municipal services to the revenue from property taxes, maintaining clarity and conciseness. All other options either fail to convey the necessary comparison or introduce ambiguity and unnecessary complexity. Thus, option C is definitively the best choice.