John was flying from San Francisco to New York with a connecting fligh

Question

John was flying from San Francisco to New York with a connecting flight in Chicago on the same airline. Chicago's airport is one of the largest in the world, consisting of several small stand-alone terminals connected by trams. John's plane arrived on time. John was positive he would make his connecting flight 30 minutes later because _________.

Which of the following most logically completes the argument above?

(A) John's airline is known for always being on time

(B) a number of other passengers on John's first flight were also scheduled to take John's connecting flight

(C) at the airport in Chicago, airlines always fly into and out of the same terminal

(D) John knew there was another flight to New York scheduled for one hour after the connecting flight he was scheduled to take

(E) the airline generally closes the doors of a particular flight 10 minutes before it is scheduled to take off

thkkrpratik · Answer

John would be positive only if he knew that he would not have to travel between terminals OR the travel between two different terminals (considering the several standalone terminals at the airport) would not take a lot of time.

Option C tells us that he would not have to travel between the terminals and thus he was confident about making it on time.

Option C

Option C tells us that he would not have to travel between the terminals and thus he was confident about making it on time.

Option C

akshitam27 · Answer

Is the question wrong ? As it states John would be 30 minutes late not 30 minutes early.

Reva22 · Answer

Can someone pls explain this question?!

guddo · Answer

John was flying from San Francisco to New York with a connecting flight in Chicago on the same airline. Chicago's airport is one of the largest in the world, consisting of several small stand-alone terminals connected by trams. John's plane arrived on time. John was positive he would make his connecting flight 30 minutes later because _________. 
 
Which of the following most logically completes the argument above?

John has only 30 minutes to make a connection in a very large airport with separate terminals.  The missing support  must show why he would not need much time to get from one flight to the other. The best reason is that both flights would be in the  same terminal .

(A) John's airline is known for always being on time

This is not enough. His first plane already arrived on time. The issue is whether he can physically reach the connecting flight in 30 minutes.

(B) a number of other passengers on John's first flight were also scheduled to take John's connecting flight

This does not guarantee that John will make the connection. Other passengers having the same connection does not mean the connection is easy or certain.

(C) at the airport in Chicago, airlines always fly into and out of the same terminal

This is correct. Since both flights are on the same airline, John would arrive and depart from the same terminal. That makes a 30-minute connection much more realistic.

(D) John knew there was another flight to New York scheduled for one hour after the connecting flight he was scheduled to take

This does not explain why John would make his scheduled connecting flight. It only gives a backup option.

(E) the airline generally closes the doors of a particular flight 10 minutes before it is scheduled to take off

This weakens the argument. It means John effectively has only about 20 minutes, not 30 minutes.

Answer: (C)

egmat · Answer

Hi Reva22,

Happy to walk through this one. It's a "fill in the blank" argument, and the trick with these is to first spot the  worry  the setup plants, then find the choice that erases exactly that worry.

Here's the setup, piece by piece:

- John has only  30 minutes  between landing and his connecting flight.
- Chicago's airport is  one of the largest in the world , made of "several small stand-alone terminals connected by trams."
- Despite all that, John is  positive  he'll make the connection.

So the blank has to give us a reason that makes  30 minutes  clearly enough - even in a huge, spread-out airport. The one danger the passage highlights is having to hop between far-apart terminals by tram, which eats time.

Why (C) is right:  "airlines always fly into and out of the same terminal." This means John lands and departs from the  same  terminal - no tram ride across the airport. The scary part of the setup disappears, so  30 minutes  is plenty. That directly justifies his confidence.

Why the others don't work:

-  (A)  On-time reputation - irrelevant; his plane  already  arrived on time. The issue is getting across the airport, not whether flights run late.
-  (B)  Other passengers making the same connection doesn't help  John  physically reach the gate any faster.
-  (D)  A backup flight an hour later would explain being  relaxed about missing  this one - not being confident he'll  make  it.
-  (E)  Doors closing  10 minutes  early actually  shrinks  his time - that would make him less confident, not more.

One quick note on the phrasing you may have seen questioned in the thread: "connecting flight  30 minutes  later" just means his next flight departs  30 minutes  after he lands - that's his connection window, not a delay. Only  (C)  removes the terminal-crossing risk inside that window.

Answer: C

John was flying from San Francisco to New York with a connecting fligh

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John was flying from San Francisco to New York with a connecting fligh

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