If the airspace around centrally located airports were restricted to commercial airliners and only those private planes equipped with radar, most of the private-plane traffic would be forced to use outlying airfields. Such a reduction in the amount of private-plane traffic would reduce the risk of midair collision around the centrally located airports
The conclusion drawn in the first sentence depends on which of the following assumptions?
(A) Outlying airfields would be as convenient as centrally located airports for most pilots of private planes.
CONVENIENCE is not something that we care about for making this argument work. The conclusion here is that a reduction in the amount of private-plane traffic would reduce the risk of midair collision around centrally located airports.
(B) Most outlying airfields are not equipped to handle commercial-airline traffic.
Again, not essential. We don’t need to assume that outlying airfields are not equipped for commercial planes to think that private planes can be sent out there.
(C) Most private planes that use centrally located airports are not equipped with radar.
Correct. The entire argument is predicated on this idea that private planes can be sent outwards and that would in turn, reduce the traffic. But, suppose most planes were in fact equipped with radar – the argument folds – traffic and midair collisions would not necessarily decrease.
(D) Commercial airliners are at greater risk of becoming involved in midair collisions than are private planes.
Counter-intuitive and does not go in the direction we want.
(E) A reduction in the risk of midair collision would eventually lead to increases in commercial airline traffic.
Again, not the direction we want.
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