Although they cost up to three times as much as standard engine oils

Question

Although they cost up to three times as much as standard engine oils, synthetic motor oils resist viscosity breakdown, that is, a degradation of their lubricating and engine-protection abilities, longer than do standard motor oils. They also maintain maximum lubrication over a wider variety of temperatures than their conventional counterparts. That allows for up to 66% longer durations between oil changes, as well as significantly more protection at engine startup, when most enginewear is believed to occur.

If the above statements are true, then which of the following must also be true?

A. Cars that use synthetic motor oils will last longer than cars that use standard motor oil.
B. The benefits of certain kinds of motor oil may compensate for their added cost. 
C. Drivers who use synthetic motor oils care more about their cars than do drivers who use conventional oils.
D. Blended motor oils, which fuse standard and synthetic oils, offer considerably less engine protection than does purely synthetic motor oil.
E. Treatments or additives for standard motor oil do not offer a viable alternative to synthetic oils.

Shreyaarora · Answer

Answer would be B. 
I was a tad bit confused between choosing A or B. but A is a long derivation & it doesn't necessarily imply that cars will last longer. That is something we end up assuming. But B is pretty straight forward & the statement shows that it might be worth the extra cost. So, i would go with B.

bhaskar1999 · Answer

(A) Cars using synthetic oil last longer — Not necessarily. The passage never says how much overall car life is affected.

(B)  The benefits of certain motor oils may compensate for their added cost — The passage shows synthetics cost more but provide clear functional advantages (longer intervals, better protection). Thus, the benefits may outweigh the cost.

(C) Drivers who use synthetics care more — Opinion about people’s motives, not supported.

(D) Blended oils offer less protection — Not mentioned.

(E) Additives don’t work — Not mentioned.

Akshat_verma_25 · Answer

Your reasoning is absolutely correct and your reasoning that A choice goes too far and extreme, it is making claim about the whole car. We cannot derive whether car will last longer or not just on the basis of motor oils. maybe there are other factors which affects the car longevity such as - rush driving, maintenance etc. Option B, on the other hand, can be inferred properly.

Akshat_verma_25 · Answer

Official Explanation
The statements discuss the advantages of synthetic over standard motor oils. Choice (A) goes beyond the information given. Choice (B), however, has the conservative wording you like to see in an inference answer, so keep that one. Get rid of (C), since you can’t generalize about drivers who use certain kinds of oil. Eliminate (D) and (E), since they’re beyond the scope of the statements.

Although they cost up to three times as much as standard engine oils

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