Bunuel wrote:
Government official: Currently many business travelers rely on a one-hour flight between the cities, but complain about congestion and delays at the airport. The new high-speed railway between Hamport and Dudley, Aplandia`s two major financial hubs, will be able to make the same trip in slightly less than three hours. Given this option, many who fly between the two cities during the week will choose the railway, since it will allow them to travel between the city centers in less time than a flight with the expected delays plus the commute to and from airports would take.
Which of the following, if true, would most cast doubt on his proposal above?
A. Tickets in the first class of the high speed railway will be as expensive as the average price of a plane ticket.
B. Several trains will be scheduled throughout the day to accommodate a large demand should the route become popular.
C. Twice within the last two decades there have been significant recessions in Aplandia.
D. The majority of those who commute between Hamport and Dudley say that they will continue doing so once the proposed railway is fully constructed.
E. The proposed speed at which trains are to travel will produce static electricity that will interfere with other trains’ equipment, thereby causing significant delays.
Magoosh Official Explanation:
Premise #1 – The new railway will be faster than the plane (for trips between the two hubs).
Conclusion: Many who take the plane will switch to the railway tracks.
(A) The focus of the conclusion is on the time not the price. Therefore, (A) is irrelevant.
(B) implies that the railway will be a viable alternative to flying.
(C) We don’t know anything about the price of the train tickets. If they are cheaper, then (C) would somewhat strengthen the conclusion. Of course, the focus is on whether commuters will switch to the train.
It is important to remember that the conclusion does not function on whether the new railway will be completed. Therefore, the line of thought that two recessions mean a possible third recession, and bad news for a finished railway, is not valid.
(D) simply says that people will continue commuting. The issue of how they will commute is not brought up.
(E) The conclusion hinges on the fact that the high-speed railway will get people between the two hubs faster. (E) suggests that the trains will not be on time and therefore will not be an alluring alternative for those hoping to get between the two cities quickly.