Assignment: Geometry Writing Task, Part I

A neighbor of mine has a lawn that isn't looking too good. It looks something like the picture below.

He has decided to remove all the old sod (grass), bring in a new 4 inch layer of topsoil, install new in-ground sprinklers, and reseed the lawn. He seems to think that he'll be able to save money by hauling loads of topsoil from the store himself in his pickup truck, rather than paying for delivery, but I don't think he's right. You're going to help us settle this.

Make a guess how many pickup truck loads of topsoil my neighbor would have to make. This guess should be exactly that - a guess, not based on any calculations. I will give credit for any answer when I grade these.
What additional information will you need to answer this question? List everything you will need here. Part 2 of this question will provide all the information you ask for.

Download the assignment from one of the links below (.docx or .rtf):

Geometry Writing Task, Part I: Word Document

Geometry Writing Task, Part I: Rich Text Format

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Assignment: Geometry Writing Task, Part I