WillGetIt wrote:
Proposed new safety rules for the Beach City airport would lengthen considerably the minimum time between takeoffs from the airport. In consequence, the airport would be able to accommodate 10 percent fewer flights than currently use the airport daily. The city’s operating budget depends heavily on taxes generated by tourist spending, and most of the tourists come by plane. Therefore, the proposed new safety rules, if adopted, will reduce the revenue available for the operating budget.
The argument depends on assuming which of the following?
(A) There are no periods of the day during which the interval between flights taking off from the airport is significantly greater than the currently allowed.
(B) Few, if any, of the tourists who use the Beach City airport do so when their main destination is a neighboring community and not Beach City itself.
(C) If the proposed safety rules are adopted, the reduction in tourist numbers will not result mainly from a reduction in the number of tourists who spend relatively little in Beach City.
(D) Increasing the minimum time between takeoffs is the only way to achieve necessary safety improvements without a large expenditure by the city government on airport enhancements.
(E) The response to the adoption of the new safety rules would not include an increase in the number of passengers per flight.
OG2017, CR628, P534
Solutionpassage analysis Proposed new safety rules for the Beach City airportNew safety rules have been proposed for the Beach City airport.
would lengthen considerably the minimum time between takeoffs from the airport.These rules would significantly increase the minimum time that is allowed between takeoffs from the airport.
In consequence, the airport would be able to accommodate 10 percent fewer flights than currently use the airport daily.As a result of the increased time between takeoffs, the airport will be able to run 10% fewer flights than are currently accommodated.
The city’s operating budget depends heavily on taxes generated by tourist spending,It is also given to us that the city’s operating budget relies largely on the taxes that are generated by the tourists that visit the city and spend money there.
and most of the tourists come by plane.Most of the tourists arrive by plane.
Therefore, the proposed new safety rules, if adopted, will reduce the revenue available for the operating budgetConclusion:If the new safety rules
{they lengthen considerably the minimum time between takeoffs from the airport}
{the airport would be able to accommodate 10 percent fewer flights that currently use the airport daily}
are adopted, they will reduce the revenue available for the operating budget
pre-thinking Falsification questionIn what scenario will the new safety rules, if adopted, not reduce the revenue available for the operating budget of the city?
Given that
the new rules significantly increase the minimum time between takes off from the airport
The airport will be able to run 10% fewer flights than are currently
The city’s operating budget depends heavily on taxes generated by tourist
Most of the tourists arrive by plane.
Thought ProcessThe author believes that the new rules will reduce the number of flights run by the airport and thus lead to the reduction in the number of tourists, most of whom arrive by flight. A reduction in the number of tourists would mean less revenue generated by tourist spending. This would in turn reduce the budget available for the city’s operating expenses than come mainly from this tourist spending.
Falsification conditionWhat if the passenger carrying capacity of the flights is increased at the time when the number of flights is reduced due to the adoption of the new safety rules?
In that case, even with 10% fewer flights, the total number of passengers would remain nearly at the same level as before and the impact on the number of tourists arriving by the plane would be negligible. Consequently, the revenue available for the city operating budget would also remain unaffected and our conclusion would break down.
AssumptionThe passenger-carrying capacity of the existing flights cannot be increased to accommodate more passengers.
Answer Choice AnalysisAThis option says that there are no time periods during daytime when the time between takeoffs is significantly greater than that currently allowed.
Does this option have to be true for my conclusion to hold true? No
What the current regulations allow, and whether there are any greater time intervals between takeoffs will cease to matter once the new regulations are adopted. And they will significantly reduce the time intervals between takeoffs.
Hence, this is not the answer.
BThis option says that there are hardly any tourists who use the airport if their main motive is to visit the neighboring community and not Beach city.
So, let us see. Which category of tourists are we talking of in this option? The ones who are anyways not going to spend in Beach city. So even if their already non-existent numbers go down further, they will not be affecting the city’s tourist revenue. This option does not concern my conclusion at all.
Hence, this is not the answer.
COn the adoption of the safety rules, the number of tourists will go down. And this reduction will come mainly from those tourists who spend relatively more in Beach city.
Let us say this option is true. Does it give us the exact numbers of such tourists (who spend relatively more) or their proportion to ones who don’t? No. What if a very small number of tourists spend relatively more? Then can we determine the actual impact of such reduction on the total tourist revenue? No. Therefore it does not impact our conclusion.
Hence, it is not the correct answer.
DThis option says that the only way to achieve the required safety enhancements without incurring huge government expenditure is to increase the minimum time between takeoffs
It is this particular way (increase the minimum time between takeoffs) that sets the context of the argument. But, it being the only way is not necessary for our argument to be watertight. This particular way if adopted, clearly sets the doubts about tourist numbers going down. There might be other ways but, they are beyond the scope of the argument.
Hence, this is not the correct choice.
EThis option says that the action in response to the execution of the safety rules will not include increasing the number of passengers per flight.
This is in line with our pre-thinking assumption.
Hence, it is the correct choice.
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