Applying for a building permit can feel like navigating a maze designed to frustrate rather than protect, but each required step traces back to a specific failure somewhere in the past. Structural review exists because unreinforced additions have collapsed under snow load. Setback rules exist because a house built too close to a lot line blocks a neighbor's access and complicates emergency response. Electrical inspection exists because faulty wiring hidden behind drywall causes fires years after the work is done and forgotten. None of these rules is arbitrary, even when the paperwork attached to them feels that way.
The author's primary purpose in this passage is to
Pick an answer
Correct!
Not quite. The correct answer is highlighted.
Correct answer to question 95 (Paragraph Comprehension): explain the historical reasons behind permit requirements
Method
The passage takes each requirement in turn, structural review, setback rules, electrical inspection, and traces each one back to a specific past failure, which is an explanation of the reasoning behind the rules.
Updated: November 2026
Raise your AFQT scoreFree for iPhone and Android
