The spatial distribution of different racial and ethnic populationsdemonstrates that segre

The spatial distribution of different racial and ethnic populations

demonstrates that segregation persists in virtually all of America's housing

markets, from large urban areas to rural counties. What exactly are the ill-

effects of this demographic isolation？ The most extreme geographic segregation

(5) is unique to black Americans and apparently unrelated to economic status and

not explained by preferences for the residence, thus strongly suggesting the

persistence of racial discrimination. In contrast to poor whites, who typically

live dispersed among better-off families, poor blacks, because of residential

segregation, are concentrated in poor neighborhoods. As a result, residential

(10) segregation contributes to the problems of these areas, including high

concentrations of poverty, educational failure, unemployment, extramarital

parenthood, crime, and high mortality. In addition, the increasing importance

of suburbs as centers for commerce and habitation has drained resources from

inner cities and led to a cyclic decline in the political will to address poverty and

(15) urban decline, both of which disproportionately affect ethnic minorities.

In the passage, the author is primarily concerned with

A．hypothesizing about a set of circumstances

B．chronicling the emergence of a phenomenon

C．comparing two conflicting points of view

D．cataloging the cause and effects of a phenomenon

E．arguing the necessity of solving a problem