Chlorofluorocarbons are the best possible solvents to have in car engi

Question

Chlorofluorocarbons are the best possible solvents to have in car engines for cleaning the electronic sensors in modern automobile ignition systems. These solvents have contributed significantly to automakers' ability to meet legally mandated emission standards. Now automakers will have to phase out the use of chlorofluorocarbons at the same time that emission standards are becoming more stringent.

If under the circumstances described above cars continue to meet emission standards, which one of the following is the most strongly supported inference?

If under the circumstances described above cars continue to meet emission standards, which one of the following is the most strongly supported inference?

(A) As emission standards become more stringent, automakers will increasingly cooperate with each other in the area of emission control.

(B) Car engines will be radically redesigned so as to do away with the need for cleaning the electronic ignition sensors.

(C) There will be a marked shift toward smaller, lighter cars that will have less powerful engines but will use their fuel more efficiently.

(D) The solvents developed to replace chlorofluorocarbons in car engines will be only marginally less effective than the chlorofluorocarbons themselves.

(E) Something other than the cleansers for electronic ignition sensors will make a relatively greater contribution to meeting emission standards than at present.

GMATNinja · Accepted Answer

We weren't asked which answer choice would lead to lower emissions.

Here's the question again:

This is an inference question. Whatever answer choice we keep must be supported by the passage, and more strongly supported by the passage than every other answer choice.

Choice (B) describes an outcome where automakers radically redesign car engines to eliminate the need to clean electronic ignition sensors. While it's  possible  that this could happen, there's nothing in the passage to suggest that automakers would take this specific, radical action.

To keep us grounded, let's refresh on what the author has written:

Chloroflourocarbons (CFCs) are the best possible solvents for electronic sensors in modern auto ignition systems. 
  CFCs have contributed significantly to automakers' ability to meet emission standards. 
  Automakers must phase out use of CFCs AND meet more stringent emission standards. 
    Cars will continue to meet emission standards.

Now let's look at the other answer choices:

Just like choice (B), choice (A) presents a  possible  outcome: Automakers will increasingly cooperate with each other. And just like with choice (B), there's nothing in the passage to support this inference. Eliminate (A).

Just like choices (A) and (B), choice (C) simply is not supported by anything the author has written in the passage, so we can eliminate it as well.

Again, what in the passage suggests this outcome? Nothing. There is no information whatsoever about solvents developed to replace CFCs in car engines, so eliminate (D).

Finally! This is the ONLY choice that reflects what the passage tells us about automakers and the requirements that they must satisfy.

According to the passage, as automakers phase out the use of CFCs, we should expect a significant decrease in their ability to meet emission standards.

Therefore, automakers will have to find some other way to improve their ability to meet emission standards, which are becoming more stringent. The passage does NOT reveal what that other way could be. It only describes the two simultaneous goals that automakers must achieve.

Unlike every other choice, (E) doesn't specify an action or an outcome that is totally absent from the passage itself. Instead, (E) directly follows the text, stating that  something other than cleansers  (because CFCs, the best cleanser, have to be phased out)  will make a relatively greater contribution to meeting emission standards  (because CFCs have contributed significantly to automakers' ability to meet those standards).

Choice (E) is a solid inference, while every other answer choice is a smart-sounding statement that is NOT supported by the passage.

I hope this helps!

Paul · Answer

I took E without seeing previous choices. I think that the crucial point is that  emission standards are becoming more stringent . D says that the newly developed solvent is marginally less effective than the current one. However, if emission standards are becoming more stringent, then cars will slowly be out of pace with the new requirements. E, however, claims that some  other  factor, relatively more effective, will diminish the emission of chlorofluorocarbons. This will ensure that standards, although  increasingly stringent , will be met in the future

aniket16c · Answer

Argument - CFCs is the best option to clean sensors + they have contributed significantly to control emissions. 
Current scenario - Use of CFC needs to be decreased + emission standards have become stringent.

(A) As emission standards become more stringent, automakers will increasingly cooperate with each other in the area of emission control. 
- Not necessarily. There could be a possibility that the factor that is used for emission control drives the sales. Hence, automakers will not cooperate. 
- Wrong

(B) Car engines will be radically redesigned so as to do away with the need for cleaning the electronic ignition sensors. 
- Not required. The CFC are best but not necessarily the only. May be the quantity new solvents required is slightly more than the quantity of CFC required to clean the sensors. And there are other solvents that can control the emissions. 
- Wrong
 
(C) There will be a marked shift toward smaller, lighter cars that will have less powerful engines but will use their fuel more efficiently. 
- Lighter cars does not mean less emissions
- Wrong

(D) The solvents developed to replace chlorofluorocarbons in car engines will be only marginally less effective than the chlorofluorocarbons themselves. 
- Less effective in terms of what? Let us consider in both the aspects. 
- In cleaning, the new solvent will be less effective, as CFC is the best solvent. We can counter this argument, as we do not know best in terms of quantity, quality or cost.
- Even if the new solvent may be just marginally effective at cleaning sensors, we do not know about the effectiveness of the new solvents at emission control 
- Wrong

(E) Something other than the cleansers for electronic ignition sensors will make a relatively greater contribution to meeting emission standards than at present.
- Something other than cleansers = CFC. 
- Let us consider CFC contributes 60% to emission control. If CFCs are banned some solvents other than CFCs will definitely fill the void of 60%
Correct

auradediligodo · Answer

Chlorofluorocarbons are the best possible solvents to have in car engines for cleaning the electronic sensors in modern automobile ignition systems. These solvents have contributed significantly to automakers' ability to meet legally mandated emission standards. Now automakers will have to phase out the use of chlorofluorocarbons at the same time that emission standards are becoming more stringent.

If under the circumstances described above cars continue to meet emission standards, which one of the following is the most strongly supported inference?

If under the circumstances described above cars continue to meet emission standards, which one of the following is the most strongly supported inference?

Inference question

Pre-thinking

The question told us that the current cleansers were great until now but if the new legislation is stricter the cleansers will be gradually eliminated.
It seemed to me kind of a paradox because cleansers until now were great so logically I thought that as regulations become stricter their usage would have increased....
  So something probably will be used instead of cleansers and logically that something will function better accordingly to the new legislation

While analyzing the answer choices let's remember that the correct option must be true in relation with the argument.

POE:

(A) As emission standards become more stringent, automakers will increasingly cooperate with each other in the area of emission control. 
 Not a must be true statement

(B) Car engines will be radically redesigned so as to do away with the need for cleaning the electronic ignition sensors. 
 Not a must be true statement

(C) There will be a marked shift toward smaller, lighter cars that will have less powerful engines but will use their fuel more efficiently. 
 Not a must be true statement

(D) The solvents developed to replace chlorofluorocarbons in car engines will be only marginally less effective than the chlorofluorocarbons themselves. 
 Logically the new solvent should be better than the previous one. OUT

(E)   Something other than the cleansers for electronic ignition sensors will make a relatively greater contribution to meeting emission standards than at present.
 In line with pre-thinking

rnn · Answer

why is B wrong? if Car engines will be radically redesigned then then it will contribute to less emissions right?

unraveled · Answer

Chlorofluorocarbons are the best possible solvents to have in car engines for cleaning the electronic sensors in modern automobile ignition systems. These solvents have contributed significantly to automakers' ability to meet legally mandated emission standards. Now automakers will have to phase out the use of chlorofluorocarbons at the same time that emission standards are becoming more stringent.

If under the circumstances described above cars continue to meet emission standards, which one of the following is the most strongly supported inference?

If under the circumstances described above cars continue to meet emission standards, which one of the following is the most strongly supported inference?

(A) As emission standards become more stringent,  automakers will increasingly cooperate  with each other in the area of emission control. - WRONG. Irrelevant.

(B)  Car engines will be radically redesigned  so as to do away with the need for cleaning the electronic ignition sensors. - WRONG. Like A this too is irrelevant. It may or may not happen. So inference is conditional.

(C) There will be a  marked shift toward smaller, lighter cars that will have less powerful engines  but will use their fuel more efficiently. - WRONG. Again Like A and B.

(D) The solvents developed to replace chlorofluorocarbons in car engines  will be only marginally less effective than  the chlorofluorocarbons themselves. - WRONG. It may be so that they are not rather more eefective.

(E) Something other than the cleansers for electronic ignition sensors  will make a relatively greater contribution to meeting emission standards than at present . - CORRECT.  Following more strigent standards would make replacements to contribute more by being more effective.

Answer E.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Chlorofluorocarbons are the best possible solvents to have in car engi

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Chlorofluorocarbons are the best possible solvents to have in car engi

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