Baumgartner's comparison of the environmental hazards of gasoline-powered cars with those of electric cars is misleading. He examines only production of the cars, whereas it is the product's total life cycle-production, use, and recycling-that matters in determining its environmental impact. A typical gasoline-powered car consumes 3 times more resources and produces 15 to 20 times more air pollution than a typical electric car.
Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion of the argument?
(A) Baumgartner makes a
deceptive comparison between the environmental hazards of gasoline powered and electric cars. - CORRECT. My only issue is with the word "deceptive". It can be true that it is a deceptive comparison but for that to happen our prior knowledge of the real world - that is of no use in CR - has to be taken into consideration. Without that we don't know whether its deceptive or not - we just know it is a conclusion, what it is actually as per passage we don't know.
(B) The
use of a typical gasoline-powered car
results in much greater resource depletion than does the use of a typical electric car. - WRONG. It's like E only. Specific activity concluded which is subjective, however, even after that we figure out this conclusion doesn't help.
(C) Baumgartner
uses inaccurate data in his comparison of the environmental hazards of gasoline-powered and electric cars. - WRONG. Can't be right in claiming that inaccurate data was used. May be or may not be the case.
(D) The total life cycle of a product
is what matters in assessing its environmental impact. - WRONG. Though true but it is misdirected. It leads to nowhere as far as conclusion(highlighted text) is concerned. Even if it is a conclusion, what after this. The passage just lingers on.
(E) The
production of gasoline-powered cars
creates more environmental hazards than does that of electric cars. - WRONG. Specific activity leads to more hazards is subjective and can't be a conclusion for this passage.
Answer A.
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