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zoezhuyan
hi AndrewN,
I agree that the problem of exhaust from idling buses is not considered.
for me, more tourists choose tour bus than other means of transportation, say subways, that means tourists buses occupy more percentage than subway, so if parking targets to tour buses, then it seems more likely to reduced damage. although D is slightly strengthen, not strong as C, but I think D is just little strengthen.

please point out my fault.

thanks in advance
Hello, zoezhuyan. The main issue I have with (D) is that we are not concerned with how people, tourists or not, arrive in Palitito, only with what the buses are doing within the city, whether driving or idling. Yes, the first line of the passage does indeed say that the buildings in Palitito have been damaged by exhaust from the many tour buses that come to the city. However, the damaging exhaust described thereafter is understood to be emitted once those buses are within the city: idling produces as much exhaust as driving. I would call (D) a good trap answer—it does touch on the presence of tour buses in the city—but this comparison to other means of transportation has nothing to do with the argument, which could hold with or without such a comparison being made. Take, for instance, a split of 35/33/32 for the percent of tourists who visit the city by tour bus, automobile, and train, respectively; we could even make it, say, 23/22/20/18/17 and add planes and ferries to the mix, such that more people could be coming to the city on the whole by other means of transportation, and such a consideration still would not affect the argument.

If you look at choice (C) again, you might notice a clever bit of information that fits the linear logic of the passage perfectly: buses spend so much of the time they are in Palitito driving around, leaving us to deduce that these buses, the ones under scrutiny, must either be idling or be parked the rest of the time. The plan to reduce their exhaust by providing additional parking for a third of the tour bus fleet may not be perfect, but choice (C) directly touches on the argument that damage to Palitito's buildings from the buses' exhaust will diminish significantly. The details make all the difference.

I hope that helps add further clarity to this tough question. Thank you for thinking to ask.

- Andrew
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While I understand how option C is the correct answer, I am unable to eliminate option E.

Some of the buses keep driving around when they can't find parking (driving around creates as much exhaust fumes as idling). So if some of these 'some buses that keep driving around" can find parking in the new system, the amount of exhaust fumes will be reduced.
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elizebethsunny
While I understand how option C is the correct answer, I am unable to eliminate option E.

Some of the buses keep driving around when they can't find parking (driving around creates as much exhaust fumes as idling). So if some of these 'some buses that keep driving around" can find parking in the new system, the amount of exhaust fumes will be reduced.

The passage explicitly tells us that idling and driving produce the same amount of exhaust, so whether buses idle at the curb or drive around the city while their tourists are on a tour is really not material.

We want to strengthen the argument that the new parking will SIGNIFICANTLY [quantifiers matter a lot in CR! Keep an eye out for them!] reduce the damage done by bus exhaust.

To strengthen this argument, the first thing I would look for is something that tells me buses can and will use the parking spots.

E just gives us another 'set' of buses that, if they were to use the parking spots, would help us reduce damage done to buildings, but it doesn't strengthen the idea that these buses CAN or WILL use the parking spots!

And none of the answers really provide such a justification! So, drat.

But another, more subtle thing: if buses don't spend that much time *waiting for their tourists* (either idling OR driving around)--if buses spend most of their time shuffling tourists from spot to spot--then these new parking spots won't help enough to *significantly* reduce the damage done to buildings.

Consider this math:

Exhaust from buses driving tourists around + Exhaust from buses waiting for their tourists = total exhaust

This argument is predicated on the idea that we can lower 'exhaust from buses waiting' enough that we will significantly reduce total exhaust. But if that 'exhaust from buses waiting' just isn't very large, this plan won't work!
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elizebethsunny
While I understand how option C is the correct answer, I am unable to eliminate option E.

Some of the buses keep driving around when they can't find parking (driving around creates as much exhaust fumes as idling). So if some of these 'some buses that keep driving around" can find parking in the new system, the amount of exhaust fumes will be reduced.
(E) doesn't strengthen the argument because it doesn't add meaningfully to what we know.

We already know that most buses are not able to park. The fact that some of those that can't park drive around doesn't make the situation materially different since, as the passage says, "idling produces as much exhaust as driving."

So, regardless of whether waiting buses are idling or driving around, providing parking for a third of them will have the same effect. Thus, the fact that some are driving around doesn't change the expected outcome of the plan.
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MamtaKrishnia
For years the beautiful Renaissance buildings in Palitito have been damaged by exhaust from the many tour buses that come to the city. There has been little parking space, so most buses have idled at the curb during each stop on their tour, and idling produces as much exhaust as driving. The city has now provided parking that accommodates a third of the tour buses, so damage to Palitito's buildings from the buses' exhaust will diminish significantly.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the argument?


(A) The exhaust from Palitito's few automobiles is not a significant threat to Palitito's buildings.

(B) Palitito's Renaissance buildings are not threatened by pollution other than engine exhaust.

(C) Tour buses typically spend less than one-quarter of the time they are in Palitito transporting passengers from one site to another.

(D) More tourists come to Palitito by tour bus than by any other single means of transportation.

(E) Some of the tour buses that are unable to find parking drive around Palitito while their passengers are visiting a site.
­MartyMurray GMATNinja KarishmaB and any other experts

For option (C), how can we deduce that if 1/4 of the time is taken in transporting passengers from one site to another, the remaining 3/4 of the time can only be taken in either parking or idling?
Some other scenarios that can happen:
1. Time spent driving around without any passengers
2. Time spent driving to another place to park the bus before he/she completes his duty

The reason why I eliminated this option is that it seemed to take an assumption that the remaining time can only be spent in either parking or idling. ­
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SlowTortoise
For option (C), how can we deduce that if 1/4 of the time is taken in transporting passengers from one site to another, the remaining 3/4 of the time can only be taken in either parking or idling?
Some other scenarios that can happen:
1. Time spent driving around without any passengers
2. Time spent driving to another place to park the bus before he/she completes his duty

The reason why I eliminated this option is that it seemed to take an assumption that the remaining time can only be spent in either parking or idling. ­
Regarding, the possibility of 1. Time spent driving around without any passengers, that possibility doesn't change the scenario because, even if they do drive around without passengers, providing more parking will still help to reduce the amount of exhaust they produce while in Palitito.

Regarding 2. Time spent driving to another place to park the bus before he/she completes his duty, the passage is about "tour buses that COME TO THE CITY."

So, presumably, the point is that the buses come to the city with passengers, who tour the city, and then leave with those passengers and drop them off elsewhere at the end of the tour.

Accordingly, 2.Time spent driving to another place to park the bus before he/she completes his duty is out because the drivers would not drive to another place to park the bus while in Palitito. They would do so after leaving Palitito when their tours are complete.­
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Struggled to understand why C stood out.
the portion of pollution from driving: x
the portion of pollution from idling: y
x+y=total pollution from tour buses
if x:y=9:1, then adding more parking lots would not help alleviate total pollution all that much, much of the pollution 90% remains unaddressed
if x:y=1:9, then adding more parking lots sounds a deal
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MartyMurray KarishmaB GMATNinja

(C) Tour buses typically spend less than one-quarter of the time they are in Palitito transporting passengers from one site to another.

This option says 25% time spent going from one site to another, why can't we infer that rest of the time spent on bringing tourist to the city.

Let's say there are 3 sites to visit
Total time = Time to pickup tourist from their location to 1st site + Time travel inside the city from one site another (1 to 2 and 2 to 3rd site) + Time to bring tourist from 3rd site to drop location.

Why rest of the time is considered as parking or idle instead of above case?
We also don't know if the tourist were staying in the same city or different city and just came to visit the site.
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Sneha2021
(C) Tour buses typically spend less than one-quarter of the time they are in Palitito transporting passengers from one site to another.

This option says 25% time spent going from one site to another, why can't we infer that rest of the time spent on bringing tourist to the city.

Let's say there are 3 sites to visit
Total time = Time to pickup tourist from their location to 1st site + Time travel inside the city from one site another (1 to 2 and 2 to 3rd site) + Time to bring tourist from 3rd site to drop location.

Why rest of the time is considered as parking or idle instead of above case?
We also don't know if the tourist were staying in the same city or different city and just came to visit the site.
Notice exactly what choice (C) says:

(C) Tour buses typically spend less than one-quarter of the time they are in Palitito transporting passengers from one site to another.

Choice (C) is about the time when the buses are "in Palitito."

So, "one-quarter of the time" is one-quarter of only the time they are in Palitito. Time spent traveling to Palitito is separate.

So, presumably, during "'the time they are in Palitito," tour buses are transporting passengers, idling, roaming around the city empty, or parked.
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