Paving materials deteriorate faster as they get hotter, and dark
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11 Mar 2024, 09:32
Paving materials deteriorate faster as they get hotter, and dark paving materials, such as asphalt, get hotter in summer than light-colored materials, such as concrete. Bard County has to make frequent repairs to its asphalt roads, so in order to save on its road maintenance costs it is considering a plan to repave the roads with concrete whenever complete repaving becomes necessary. Fortunately, repaving with concrete is no more expensive than repaving with asphalt.
This question is a Plan question. So, since it doesn't include a stated conclusion, we have to find the implied conclusion, which will basically be that the goal of the plan will be achieved. The goal is the following:
to save on its road maintenance costs
So, the implied conclusion is the following:
By repaving roads with concrete whenever complete repaving becomes necessary, Bard County will save on its road maintenance costs.
We see that, the county has reasoned that, since concrete is affected less by heat and repaving with concrete is no more expensive than repaving with asphalt, the county will save money by repaving with concrete.
Which of the following would it be most useful for the county to determine in assessing whether the plan would achieve its goal?
This is an Evaluate question. So, the correct answer will be the one such that different answers to the question it presents will weaken or strengthen the case for believing the plan will work.
A. Whether, of all readily available light-colored paving materials, concrete stays the coolest in summer
Answers to this question won't affect the argument since, regardless of whether concrete stays the coolest, it should stay cooler than the asphalt it replaces.
Eliminate.
B. Whether it takes longer to repave a road with concrete than with asphalt
Answers to this question won't affect the argument since the goal is to save money, not time, and since, regardless of how long it takes to repave with concrete, the passage has already stated as fact that "repaving with concrete is no more expensive than repaving with asphalt."
So, regardless of whether it takes longer to repave with concrete, the county would by doing so spend no more than it would by repaving with asphalt.
Eliminate.
C. Whether concrete roads present any safety hazards not presented by asphalt roads
The stated goal is "to save on its road maintenance costs."
So, the answers to this question won't affect the strength of the argument since, even if concrete roads present some safety hazards not presented by asphalt roads, the maintenance costs would not be affected by that fact.
Eliminate.
D. How many roads in the county will need to be completely repaved over the next ten years
This choice is tricky because the number of roads that need to be completely repaved will affect the county's road maintenance costs.
At the same time, we can see why this choice is incorrect by noticing that the conclusion is not about total costs. It's about saving on costs.
Regardless of how high the total maintenance costs will be, repaving with concrete could make them lower than they would have been.
So, the answers to this question will not affect the strength of the argument since, regardless of how many roads will need to be repaved, the county could still save by repaving with concrete instead of asphalt.
Eliminate.
E. How the cost of repairing roads paved with concrete compares with the cost of repairing roads paved with asphalt
This choice is interesting because it brings up a new factor. We already know that repaving with concrete is no more expensive than repaving with asphalt, and we know that concrete road will likely need fewer repairs than asphalt roads, but what about the cost of repairs to concrete roads?
If the answer to the question presented by this choice is that it costs more to repair concrete roads, then the case for the plan is weakened because the greater costs of repairs will offset, and possibly exceed, the savings associated with having to repair less frequently.
On the other hand, if the answer is that it costs the same or less to repair concrete roads, then the case for the plan is strengthened since that information helps to confirm that the county will save by repaving with concrete.
So, knowing how the costs of repairing compare helps with determining whether the plan would achieve its goal.
Keep.
Correct answer: B