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Updated on: 31 May 2024, 07:51
Originally posted by Skywalker18 on 07 Jun 2017, 07:16.
Last edited by Bunuel on 31 May 2024, 07:51, edited 6 times in total.
Last edited by Bunuel on 31 May 2024, 07:51, edited 6 times in total.
Edited the question.
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Question Stats:
74% (01:49) correct
26%
(02:07)
wrong
based on 10976
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The heavy traffic in Masana is a growing drain on the city's economy—the clogging of the streets of the central business district alone cost the economy more than $1.2 billion over the past year. In order to address this problem, officials plan to introduce congestion pricing, by which drivers would pay to enter the city's most heavily trafficked areas during the busiest times of the day.
Which of the following, if true, would most strongly indicate that the plan will be a success?
(A) Approximately one-fifth of the vehicles in the central business district are in transit from one side of the city to the other .
(B) Planners expect that, without congestion pricing, traffic in Masana is likely to grow by 6 percent in the next five years .
(C) In other urban areas, congestion pricing has strongly encouraged carpooling (sharing of rides by private commuters).
(D) Several studies have shown that a reduction in traffic of 15 percent in Masana could result in 5,500 or more new jobs.
(E) Over 30 percent of the vehicles in the city's center are occupied by more than one person
Which of the following, if true, would most strongly indicate that the plan will be a success?
(A) Approximately one-fifth of the vehicles in the central business district are in transit from one side of the city to the other .
(B) Planners expect that, without congestion pricing, traffic in Masana is likely to grow by 6 percent in the next five years .
(C) In other urban areas, congestion pricing has strongly encouraged carpooling (sharing of rides by private commuters).
(D) Several studies have shown that a reduction in traffic of 15 percent in Masana could result in 5,500 or more new jobs.
(E) Over 30 percent of the vehicles in the city's center are occupied by more than one person
Evaluation of a Plan
Situation
Traffic congestion in Masana has been harming the city's economy. To address the problem, officials plan to make drivers pay to enter the city's most heavily trafficked areas during the busiest times of day.
Reasoning
What would most strongly suggest that the plan will reduce the harm to Masana's economy from traffic congestion? In order to succeed, the plan will have to be implemented and effectively enforced. Furthermore, the prices drivers pay will have to be high enough to significantly change their behavior in ways that reduce the amount of traffic congestion in the city. Finally, the economic benefits from the reduced traffic congestion will have to substantially outweigh any economically damaging side effects of the congestion pricing. Any evidence that any of these conditions will hold would provide at least some support for the prediction that the plan will succeed.
(A) This provides no evidence that the congestion pricing would affect the behavior of either the one-fifth of drivers whose vehicles traverse the city or of the other four-fifths of drivers, nor does it give any evidence that the plan would produce overriding economic benefits.
(B) This indicates that the traffic problem will grow worse if the plan is not implemented, but it does not provide any evidence that the plan will help address the problem.
(C) Correct. This indicates that similar plans have successfully changed drivers' behavior in other cities in a way likely to reduce the number of cars on the road in heavily trafficked areas at busy times of day without producing harmful economic side effects. Thus, it provides evidence that the strategy could also be successful in Masana.
(D) Although this suggests that reducing traffic congestion would be economically beneficial, it doesn't provide any evidence that the plan will succeed in reducing traffic congestion.
(E) This suggests that many drivers in the city center are already carpooling, which, if anything, indicates that the plan will be less able to further affect those drivers' behavior and thus could be less effective than it might otherwise be.
Masana's Traffic
Step 1: Identify the Question
The question asks for the answer that would indicate that the plan will be a success, so this is a Strengthen the Argument question.
Step 2: Deconstruct the Argument
Traffic hurts econ
→cost =1.2B
Plan: congestion pricing
Step 3: Pause and State the Goal
On Strengthen questions, the goal is to find an answer that makes the conclusion more likely. In this problem, look for a reason that congestion pricing will be more likely to address the traffic congestion and associated economic issues in Masana.
Step 4: Work from Wrong to Right
(A) Based on this answer 20% of drivers are going across the city, and 80% are driving for other purposes. There is no clear relationship between this information and the effectiveness of congestion pricing (i.e. are drivers traversing the city more or less likely to not drive if congestion pricing is implemented?).
(B) The argument establishes that traffic is already a problem. This answer suggests that this problem is likely to get worse in the next five years, but this information does not help evaluate whether congestion pricing will help.
(C) CORRECT. This answer states that congestion pricing was effective in reducing traffic in other cities because commuters carpooled, reducing the number of cars on the road. Knowing that a plan worked in a similar situation supports the idea that the plan might have its intended effect in Masana.
(D) This answers links the traffic issues to economic issues, stating that there is information that a reduction in traffic could benefit the economy through the creation of jobs. It does not, however, address whether the specific plan of implementing congestion pricing would result in reduced traffic.
(E) If anything, this answer weakens the argument because it suggests that additional carpooling (encouraging carpooling is one way that congestion pricing might reduce traffic) may not be feasible in Masana because many cars already contain multiple passengers.
Situation
Traffic congestion in Masana has been harming the city's economy. To address the problem, officials plan to make drivers pay to enter the city's most heavily trafficked areas during the busiest times of day.
Reasoning
What would most strongly suggest that the plan will reduce the harm to Masana's economy from traffic congestion? In order to succeed, the plan will have to be implemented and effectively enforced. Furthermore, the prices drivers pay will have to be high enough to significantly change their behavior in ways that reduce the amount of traffic congestion in the city. Finally, the economic benefits from the reduced traffic congestion will have to substantially outweigh any economically damaging side effects of the congestion pricing. Any evidence that any of these conditions will hold would provide at least some support for the prediction that the plan will succeed.
(A) This provides no evidence that the congestion pricing would affect the behavior of either the one-fifth of drivers whose vehicles traverse the city or of the other four-fifths of drivers, nor does it give any evidence that the plan would produce overriding economic benefits.
(B) This indicates that the traffic problem will grow worse if the plan is not implemented, but it does not provide any evidence that the plan will help address the problem.
(C) Correct. This indicates that similar plans have successfully changed drivers' behavior in other cities in a way likely to reduce the number of cars on the road in heavily trafficked areas at busy times of day without producing harmful economic side effects. Thus, it provides evidence that the strategy could also be successful in Masana.
(D) Although this suggests that reducing traffic congestion would be economically beneficial, it doesn't provide any evidence that the plan will succeed in reducing traffic congestion.
(E) This suggests that many drivers in the city center are already carpooling, which, if anything, indicates that the plan will be less able to further affect those drivers' behavior and thus could be less effective than it might otherwise be.
Masana's Traffic
Step 1: Identify the Question
The question asks for the answer that would indicate that the plan will be a success, so this is a Strengthen the Argument question.
Step 2: Deconstruct the Argument
Traffic hurts econ
→cost =1.2B
Plan: congestion pricing
Step 3: Pause and State the Goal
On Strengthen questions, the goal is to find an answer that makes the conclusion more likely. In this problem, look for a reason that congestion pricing will be more likely to address the traffic congestion and associated economic issues in Masana.
Step 4: Work from Wrong to Right
(A) Based on this answer 20% of drivers are going across the city, and 80% are driving for other purposes. There is no clear relationship between this information and the effectiveness of congestion pricing (i.e. are drivers traversing the city more or less likely to not drive if congestion pricing is implemented?).
(B) The argument establishes that traffic is already a problem. This answer suggests that this problem is likely to get worse in the next five years, but this information does not help evaluate whether congestion pricing will help.
(C) CORRECT. This answer states that congestion pricing was effective in reducing traffic in other cities because commuters carpooled, reducing the number of cars on the road. Knowing that a plan worked in a similar situation supports the idea that the plan might have its intended effect in Masana.
(D) This answers links the traffic issues to economic issues, stating that there is information that a reduction in traffic could benefit the economy through the creation of jobs. It does not, however, address whether the specific plan of implementing congestion pricing would result in reduced traffic.
(E) If anything, this answer weakens the argument because it suggests that additional carpooling (encouraging carpooling is one way that congestion pricing might reduce traffic) may not be feasible in Masana because many cars already contain multiple passengers.
ChiranjeevSingh
Expert
Tutor
Expert reply
Updated on: 24 Jul 2022, 23:22
Originally posted by ChiranjeevSingh on 31 Jul 2017, 23:20.
Last edited by ChiranjeevSingh on 24 Jul 2022, 23:22, edited 1 time in total.
Last edited by ChiranjeevSingh on 24 Jul 2022, 23:22, edited 1 time in total.
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Understand the Passage
The heavy traffic in Masana is a growing drain on the city’s economy – the clogging of the streets of the central business district alone cost the economy more than $1.2 billion over the past year.This statement says that heavy traffic is taking an increasing toll on the Masana’s economy. The part after hyphen gives a specific statistic to emphasize the point. It says that the heavy traffic in the given district cost the economy a significant amount in the last year.
In order to address this problem, officials plan to introduce congestion pricing, by which drivers would pay to enter the city’s most heavily trafficked areas during the busiest times of the day.The statement starts with “in order to address the problem”. We need to be absolutely clear what problem we are trying to address. The problem is that heavy traffic is negatively impacting the economy. So, addressing the problem will mean reducing the negative impact of the traffic on the economy.
What is the plan to do so?
The plan is to charge congestion pricing to the drivers entering the city’s most heavily trafficked areas during the busiest times.
Predict an Answer
The plan’s objective is to reduce negative impact of the heavy traffic on the economy. The plan is to charge congestion pricing to people driving during the busy times.
What do you think is the assumption underlying the plan?
The fundamental assumption is that such congestion pricing will deter people from driving in heavy traffic areas during busy times. Right?
Because if people continue to drive during busy hours, the plan will not meet its objective.
So, any option that indicates that this assumption is valid will be a strengthened.
Option Analysis
(A) Incorrect. What proportion of the vehicles are in transit from one end to the other end is irrelevant.
Are these vehicles not going to pay congestion pricing?
There is nothing to suggest that they will not.
Are these guys not going to be affected by congesting pricing?
Again, nothing here suggests so.
So, this option has no impact whatsoever on the argument.
(B) Incorrect. What happens without congestion pricing is irrelevant.
Even if the traffic grows by 50% without congestion pricing, this information will not impact whether congestion pricing is going to reduce traffic or not.
Think about it. Let’s say I ask you whether taking classes from XYZ institute will help me. If you say that without the institute I’ll fail, this information will not help me. I still don’t know whether after joining the institute, I’ll pass.
Even if you say that without the institute I’ll score 90%, this information also doesn’t answer my query. Probably after joining the institute, my score will go up to 95%. So, the institute may still help.
Similarly, a knowledge of what happens without congestion pricing will not help us evaluate the effectiveness of congestion pricing.
(C) Correct. If, in other areas, congestion pricing has encouraged carpooling, it might do so in Masana too. In such a case, the traffic is likely to go down, suggesting that the plan will meet its objective.
Some people may say here that Masana may be different from other areas. If the plan has worked in other areas, we cannot be sure that it’ll work in Masana too.
I’ll agree to these people. We cannot be “sure” that the plan will work in Masana too. However, the objective here is not to be “sure” but to just “support” that the plan will work.
The question to ask is: does your belief in the plan increase after reading this option?
If the answer is yes, this option is the correct option.
(D) Incorrect. Option D is just presenting a benefit of the reduction in traffic, not telling us anything about whether the plan will succeed or not.
(E) Incorrect. Again, doesn’t matter whether 30% or 50% or 80% of the vehicles are occupied by more than one person, the point is whether the congestion pricing will reduce traffic. This option doesn’t give us any relevant information to evaluate that.
11 Jun 2017, 16:14
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Nightmare007
Quote:
The question asks, "Which of the following would most strongly indicate that the plan will be a success?". We don't need an answer that proves with 100% certainty that what worked in other cities will work in Manasa. If the plan worked in other urban areas, this is strong evidence that the plan will work in Masana, and that's all we need.
Choice A, on the other hand, gives us no indication of whether the plan will succeed. The ratio of the number of vehicles traveling across the city to the number of vehicles just travelling into the central business district and back out (without crossing the city) makes no difference. We need evidence that the congestion pricing will reduce the clogging of the streets in the central business district, and the background information given in choice (A) does not provide evidence either way.
I hope this helps!
