Crowding on Moorevilles subway frequently leads to delays, because it

All right. Since there is no dialogue whatsoever on this question as of day five, I will get the ball rolling.

Note that if we are aiming to strengthen the officials' prediction, we need to understand exactly what that prediction entails. That prediction is as follows: [An increase in the number of daily train trips by 5 percent over the next ten years] is sufficient to ensure that the incidence of delays due to crowding [on Mooreville's subway] does not increase.

Why would this be so, given that ridership will increase by 20 percent? This presents a paradox, and a paradox can be solved by fitting in some missing piece of the puzzle. Which answer choice will supply that logically sound missing piece?

Whether the population of the city at large is expected to increase is beside the point. The fact remains that ridership is expected to increase 20 percent (even if the population of the city remains the same). This information does not supply the reasonable explanation that we seek to reconcile two conflicting pieces of information and strengthen the prediction.

Bus trips do not address the core problem of crowding on Mooreville's subway... because it is difficult for passengers to exit from the trains. Buses are nothing more than a distraction here. People might get to the subway faster, but what about when they need to get off?

Again, this new information could be true, but it does not change the prediction that ridership [on the subway] will increase by 20 percent. Keep your eye on the prize to avoid chasing associations such as this one.

If most of the increase affects off-peak hours, when fewer riders overall would be using the subway, then perhaps this 5 percent increase in the number of daily train trips could alleviate crowding during peak hours. The paradox is resolved, and the officials' prediction makes a lot more sense.

Sure, a transit authority needs to consider its operational budget, but such costs have nothing to do with linking the conflicting pieces of information from the passage: a 20 percent increase in ridership, yet just a 5 percent increase in daily train trips to address and maybe fix a problem.

In the end, only answer choice (D) holds up as a strengthener. This may be an old question, and it may be on the easier side, but it has good bones, as it were, a solid structure on which to build a firm foundational understanding of the CR task.

Good luck with your studies.

- Andrew