BeckyRobinsonTPR
Many households have replaced at least one of their traditional gasoline powered cars with electric cars. It is thus clear to see that less gasoline is being used as a result of the operations of these households than they would have used if they had maintained their original cars.
which of the following, if true casts the most doubt on the argument above?
A) More gasoline was used to produce the new electric cars than was used to produce the traditional cars.
B) Many of the households that have replaced at least one of their traditional cars have decreased the amount of miles they drive.
C) Some of the households that have replaced at least one of their traditional cars use their electric car more often than their traditional car.
D) Electric companies use gasoline powered generators to produce at least some of the electricity they provide to their customers.
E) A fully charged electric car travels fewer miles than a gasoline powered car with a full tank.
----------------------------
Explanation by Gian.
IMO D. Nice Question, Let me try.
Premise: Many households have replaced atleast one of their traditional gasoline cars with electric cars.
Conclusion: Thus, consumption of gasoline will be reduced because of the replacement operation.
B & C: Strengthens the conclusion
E: No effect on the conclusion
A: This choice is going beyond the scope. Because once cars are produced, the gasoline consumption depends on the type of car used extensively. What if, people are using electric cars on a daily use and traditional cars on weekends. The gasoline consumption v'll be reduced in the long run & this choice supports the author's point.
So, even if, more gasoline was initially required to produce the electric cars, it can be considered an initial investment.
Choice A doesn't hit the central assumption of the author: That after the replacement operation is done, gasoline consumption v'll reduce because more and more people will drive electric cars.
Coming to Choice D: More Electric cars on the roads means they need to be charged also on a daily or weekly basis. So, electricity companies v'll provide electricity to charge these electric cars but WAIT, they v'll use gasoline powered generators to produce that electricity. So, is the gasoline consumption reduced ? NO
It hurts the author's conclusion.
----------------------
It is a good explanation. But.
So, Gian says that in optopn A we have consider the initially required gasoline for production of electric cars an initial incestment, but in a long run gasoline consumption will be reduced and it supports the aauthor's point.
Ok. Option D says that "Electric companies use gasoline powered generators to produce at least
some of the electricity"
Sure. Lets assume that this "some" is equal to 5%. And another 95% is produced by solar generator. And these 5% will be never bit up the amount of gasoline that the owners of electricity cars saved by buying these cars.
So, actually it strenghens the author's conlusion, not casts doubt on it.
How are you, people, who chose the option D, so sure that this is the clear answer?
Now, about the accent on words
"as a result of the operations of these households". Some of you did it, some not.
I did it, an I chose option B. Witt the same reasoning as an author 1 post above me, asavrud, has
----------------
Are we not assuming while discarding option B (and saying that it strengthens the argument) that the decrease in the amount of miles driven is due to the replacement of gasoline powered cars with electric ones? If the distance driven was going to be reduced regardless then the decrease in consumption of gasoline would've happened even without the replacement?
B seems like the tricky answer.
D says that electric companies use gasoline to produce "at least some" electricity but that does not mean that gasoline is being used more or less compared to when gasoline powered cars were being used!
----------------
Where are we wrong?