AbdurRakib wrote:
Transportation expenses accounted for a large portion of the total dollar amount spent on trips for pleasure by residents of the United States in 1997, and about half of the total dollar amount spent on the transportation was airfare. However, the large majority of United States residents who took trips for pleasure in 1997 did not travel by airplane but used other means of transportation.
If the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true about United States residents who took trips for pleasure in 1997?
(A) Most of those who traveled by airplane did so because the airfare to their destination was lower than the cost of other available means of transportation.
(B) Most of those who traveled by airplane did so because other means of transportation to their destinations were unavailable.
(C) Per mile traveled, those who traveled by airplane tended to spend more on transportation to their destination than did those who used other means of transportation.
(D) Overall, people who did not travel by airplane had lower average transportation expenses than people who did.
(E) Those who traveled by airplane spent about as much, on average, on other means of transportation as they did on airfare.
SolutionPassage AnalysisTransportation expenses accounted for a large portionExpenses for transport formed a large portionof the total dollar amount spent on trips for pleasure by residents of the United States in 1997of the total amount (in dollars) that was spent on trips for pleasure by the U.S. residents in 1997., and about half of the total dollar amount spent on the transportation was airfare.
Almost half of the total amount of money spent on transportation was spent on airfare.However, the large majority of United States residents who took trips for pleasure in 1997But, a large majority of the U.S residents (who took trips for pleasure in 1997)did not travel by airplane but used other means of transportation.did not travel by airplane. This large majority used some other modes of transportation.Gist of the passage- We are talking about the residents of the U.S who took pleasure-trips in 1997
- They used different modes of transportation to travel
- Airplane was one of them
- It was found that a large portion of their total dollar spending on the trip, was on transportation
- And almost a half of this expenditure on transportation was on airfare.
- This was inconsistent with the fact that a large majority ( a number much higher than 50 percent) of these residents of the U.S (who took pleasure-trips in 1997) did not travel by airplane.
- They used other modes of transportation.
Question stem analysisIf the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true about United States residents who took trips for pleasure in 1997? If the information given in the passage is absolutely true, then which of the options contains information about United States residents (who took trips for pleasure in 1997) that is also true?
Answer Choice AnalysisAUnderstand the choiceThis option tells us the reason why the residents who traveled by plane did so. They took the plane because the airfare to their destination was lower than the cost of any other available mode of transportation.
Analyze in the context of the passage and the question stemThe passage tells us two things relevant to this option
A large majority (a number much higher than just 50 percent) of the travelers did not travel by airfare
Almost half of the transportation cost was for airfare
Based on this can we deduce the reasons why some travelers chose to travel by air while a large majority did not? No, we cannot.
Hence, we cannot say that this information is 100% true.
BUnderstand the choiceThis option gives us another reason behind why the travelers traveled by airplane. It says most of those who chose to travel by airplane did so because no other means of transportation was available to their choice of destination.
Analyze in the context of the passage and the question stemOnce again, we do not know what other modes of transportation are there. We do not know anything about their choice of destination. In fact, we just know that
A large portion of travel costs was on transportation
Almost half of the transportation cost was for airfare
A large majority (a number much higher than just 50 percent) of the travelers did not travel by airfare
Hence, we cannot tell with 100% surety that this answer choice contains information that must be true.
CUnderstand the choiceThis option means that for every mile traveled by airplane, people who traveled by air had to spend more on transportation to their destination. The others who traveled by other modes of transportation did not spend as much per mile when they traveled to their destination.
Analyze in the context of the passage and the question stemThe passage does not give us any information about the number of miles traveled by those who traveled by air and by those who did not. In order to conclude this option, we need to know the distance traveled by air, the number of people who did so, and the total cost incurred by them on airfare.
Hence, we cannot conclude this option.
DUnderstand the choiceThis option says overall (not all but on average), the people who did not travel by airplane had lower average transportation costs than the people who traveled by airplanes.
Analyze in the context of the passage and the question stemWe know that that
A large portion of traveling costs was on transportation
Almost half of the transportation cost was for airfare
A large majority (a number much higher than just 50 percent) of the travelers did not travel by airfare
So, let us take any high percentage to represent a large majority, say 80% (we can take any high percentage 75% or 85%, etc.)
Then what we are saying is 80% of the people traveled by other means of transportation and 20% traveled by airplane. Since almost half of the transportation cost was on airfare and the other half on other means of transport, we can say that
80% of people spent 50% of the transportation cost on other means of transportation (or 80% of people contributing to 50% of the cost)
20% of people spent 50% of the transportation cost on airfare (or 20% people contributing to 50% of the cost)
Clearly, the first category will give rise to lower average transportation expenses than the second one.
Hence, this option must be true as per the information given in the passage.
EUnderstand the choiceThis option says two things. It means people who traveled by airplane also used other means of transportation. And, on average, they spent equally on airfare and other means of transportation.
Analyze in the context of the passage and the question stemThe primary problem with this option is that it concludes that people who traveled by airplane also traveled by other means of transportation. Now as per the passage we clearly know that there is a category of people who did not travel at all by airplane. But whether the category of people who did travel by airplane used or did not use other means of transportation is nowhere implied in the passage.
Hence, this is not the right answer choice as it cannot be concluded logically from the passage.
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