Question

Read the first sentence of the article.

Escalating their battle to stamp out an unprecedented spread of street encampments, city officials have begun seizing tiny houses from homeless people in South Los Angeles.

What does the word "unprecedented" convey to the reader?
A. that the city has never before experienced the homeless situation that is occurring now
B.that the current homeless situation in the city is confusing to most people

C.that the city realizes that the homeless situation is growing at an unpredictable rate

D. that the current homeless situation is creating hazardous conditions for city residents

Answer 1

The word "unprecedented" conveys the following:

A. that the city has never before experienced the homeless situation that is occurring now.

Step-by-step explanation:

"Unprecedented" is an adjective used to refer to something that has never been done or seen before, something that has never happened before. When the speaker of the sentence says the "spread of street encampments" is unprecedented, what he/she means is that the city has never experienced this situation before, that it had never been this urgent or alarming. For that reason, the best option is letter A. that the city has never before experienced the homeless situation that is occurring now.