California Highway Expert: A recent study determined that

Question

California Highway Expert: A recent study determined that expensive sports cars account for only 5% of all traffic on our state highways, yet nearly 25% of all people that were ticketed for exceeding the speed limit were driving expensive sports cars. We must conclude that people who drive expensive sports cars are more likely to speed recklessly than people who do not.

The argument above depends on which of the following questionable assumptions?

A. Many of the people who were driving expensive sports cars received numerous speeding tickets during the period in which the study took place.

B. California drivers exceed the speed limit more often than drivers in other states.

C. People driving expensive sports cars are less likely to receive a speeding ticket than people who drive other types of vehicles.

D. People who receive speeding tickets are more likely to speed recklessly than people who do not.

E. People who have received at least one speeding ticket are more likely to have been in an accident than those who do not.

VeritasPrepBrandon · Accepted Answer

This question centers on a very important scope shift. Getting a speeding ticket is not the same thing as speeding recklessly. Be very wary of conclusions that introduce seemingly synonymous words or phrases to the premise, as this often indicates a scope shift. The assumption in this case must bridge that gap.

Using the negation technique that Veritas teaches, we can test the assumptions. Assumption choice D, when negated, states that "people who receive speeding tickets are NOT more likely to speed recklessly than people who do not." When negated, D crumbles the argument by destroying the bridge between premise and conclusion. Thus D is a required assumption.

I hope this helps!!!

avohden · Answer

Official Explanation

Answer D   - This argument contains a wording trick that is easy to overlook because most people fixate on the data points in the first sentence. Here is how the testmakers want you to read the argument: Because of the given data, people who drive expensive sports cars tend to speed more. But that is not what the conclusion says! The conclusion says (based on the data in the first sentence) that people with expensive sports cars are more likely to speed RECKLESSLY. As a result, the argument has a major gap: The data does indeed show that people who drive expensive sports cars are more likely to receive a speeding ticket, but not necessarily to speed more RECKLESSLY than other people. To jump to this conclusion you need some piece of information showing that people who receive tickets are more likely to speed RECKLESSLY. Answer choice (D) does just that and is the correct answer.

In (A), even if those people received multiple speeding tickets, the gap and flaw isolated above still exists and this does not strengthen the argument.

In (B) how California drivers relate to other state’s drivers is immaterial to this argument.

(D) contradicts the conclusion of this argument and thus weakens it.

For (E) the likelihood of accidents is also immaterial to the argument relating to expensive sports cars and speeding recklessly.

GmatDestroyer2013 · Answer

The CR questions tests four main categories : Scope shift, Representative, Plan/Proposals and Cause Effect.

This question targets the Scope shift category : To identify the argument is talking about the over speeding and ticketing while the conclusion is about the sports car driver being reckless while driving. To attack such questions the correct answer must connect the ticketing with the reckless driving.

Option D do this very well.

Ella02 · Answer

That was quitw difficult :/ i was pending between a and c

atptennis15 · Answer

Use negation technique. by negating D, link btw premise and conclusion will break.

California Highway Expert: A recent study determined that expensive sports cars account for only 5% of all traffic on our state highways, yet nearly 25% of all people that were ticketed for exceeding the speed limit were driving expensive sports cars. We must conclude that people who drive expensive sports cars are more likely to speed recklessly than people who do not.

The argument above depends on which of the following questionable assumptions?

As conclusion is talking about speed recklessly, option must bridge the gap between exceeding speed limit and speed recklessly.

A. Many of the people who were driving expensive sports cars received numerous speeding tickets during the period in which the study took place.

B. California drivers exceed the speed limit more often than drivers in other states.

C. People driving expensive sports cars are less likely to receive a speeding ticket than people who drive other types of vehicles.

D. People who receive speeding tickets are more likely to speed recklessly than people who do not.

People who receive speeding tickets are  NOT  more likely to speed recklessly than people who do not.

E. People who have received at least one speeding ticket are more likely to have been in an accident than those who do not

DharLog · Answer

California Highway Expert: A recent study determined that expensive sports cars account for only 5% of all traffic on our state highways, yet nearly 25% of all people that were ticketed for exceeding the speed limit were driving expensive sports cars. We must conclude that people who drive expensive sports cars are more likely to speed recklessly than people who do not.

The argument above depends on which of the following questionable assumptions?

A. Many of the people who were driving expensive sports cars received numerous speeding tickets during the period in which the study took place.
 it is closer to some kind of fact not to an assumption

B. California drivers exceed the speed limit more often than drivers in other states.
 We talk only about California, so it is irrelevant

C. People driving expensive sports cars are less likely to receive a speeding ticket than people who drive other types of vehicles.
 It conradictas the facts

D. People who receive speeding tickets are more likely to speed recklessly than people who do not.
 Yes. Maybe the fact of getting a ticket does not mean that it is a reckless driving

E. People who have received at least one speeding ticket are more likely to have been in an accident than those who do not.
 Yes, maybe, but it does not help

VerbalBot · Answer

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California Highway Expert: A recent study determined that

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