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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 14 Dec 2014, 06:44
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain living organisms. However, the government recently scrapped an unmanned science mission to Europa and replaced it with a project aimed at landing an astronaut on Mars. Polls show that the public is far more fascinated by space travel than by discovering life elsewhere in the universe. Critics argue that the government's decision-making process places a greater emphasis on popularity than it does on the importance of scientific research.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen a contention by the government that the new project is a better use of its funds?

(A) In the first year of the project, the government will spend 30% of its total budget on developing a space shuttle that can travel to Mars; that figure is expected to drop to 0% after five years.
(B) The government cannot be absolutely certain of the chances for success of either project.
(C) Some scientists are convinced that a mission to Europa would add immeasurably to our understanding of the universe.
(D) A new telescope that has just become available to scientists promises to yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to provide.
(E) Most people feel that a shuttle to Mars is the next logical step in the development of a system that will allow humans to travel even further in the solar system.
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 16 Feb 2015, 04:25
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kukr007
Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain living organisms.
However, the government recently scrapped an unmanned science mission
to Europa and replaced it with a project aimed at landing an astronaut on Mars.
Polls show that the public is far more fascinated by space travel than by discovering
life elsewhere in the universe. Critics argue that the government's decision making
process places a greater emphasis on popularity than it does on the
importance of scientific research.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen a contention by the government
that the new project is a better use of its funds?
(A) In the first year of the project, the government will spend 30% of its total
budget on developing a space shuttle that can travel to Mars; that figure is
expected to drop to 0% after five years.
(B) The government cannot be absolutely certain of the chances for success of
either project.
(C) Some scientists are convinced that a mission to Europa would add immeasurably
to our understanding of the universe.
(D) A new telescope that has just become available to scientists promises to
yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to
provide.
(E) Most people feel that a shuttle to Mars is the next logical step in the development
of a system that will allow humans to travel even further in the solar
system.
Show more

(E) is wrong because "most people" think 'Mars Mission' is a logical step. So (E) just tells us why Mars mission is so popular. The important aspect of the question is that whether government is weighing more on Mars mission than on Europa mission.
(D) clears it out. It says that there is a telescope which is far better than the Europa mission (for the research). With this we can conclude that government is not against the Europa mission but maybe it found a better resource.

Analysis - Some People are tempted to choose (E) because they forget that government is the focus, not the people.

One more reason to reject (E) would be that it talks about human travel further in solar system. Recall, the critic said that government is more interested in popular choice rather than scientific research
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 08 Mar 2017, 06:30
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kukr007
Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain living organisms. However, the government recently scrapped an unmanned science mission to Europa and replaced it with a project aimed at landing an astronaut on Mars. Polls show that the public is far more fascinated by space travel than by discovering life elsewhere in the universe. Critics argue that the government's decision-making process places a greater emphasis on popularity than it does on the importance of scientific research.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen a contention by the government that the new project is a better use of its funds?

(A) In the first year of the project, the government will spend 30% of its total budget on developing a space shuttle that can travel to Mars; that figure is expected to drop to 0% after five years.
(B) The government cannot be absolutely certain of the chances for success of either project.
(C) Some scientists are convinced that a mission to Europa would add immeasurably to our understanding of the universe.
(D) A new telescope that has just become available to scientists promises to yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to provide.
(E) Most people feel that a shuttle to Mars is the next logical step in the development of a system that will allow humans to travel even further in the solar system.
Show more

(D) A new telescope that has just become available to scientists promises to yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to provide.

Now they have a new telescope that they can use to get even more research than they would have if they sent an unmanned mission?
That's a good reason to cancel the unmanned mission. If that's true, then pretty much any other project would be a better use of funds!

(E) Most people feel that a shuttle to Mars is the next logical step in the development of a system that will allow humans to travel even further in the solar system.

That's interesting, but it doesn't tell us anything new about why spending the money on the Mars project is better than spending money on the Europa project. We already know that people are more interested in space travel. This answer is a tangent that's trying to get us to think more about that and make us forget about the conclusion, which centered on a comparison of the two projects.
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 08 Apr 2017, 06:38
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ziyuen
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain living organisms. However, the government recently scrapped an unmanned science mission to Europa and replaced it with a project aimed at landing an astronaut on Mars. Polls show that the public is far more fascinated by space travel than by discovering life elsewhere in the universe. Critics argue that the government's decision-making process places a greater emphasis on popularity than it does on the importance of scientific research.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen a contention by the government that the new project is a better use of its funds?

(A) In the first year of the project, the government will spend 30% of its total budget on developing a space shuttle that can travel to Mars; that figure is expected to drop to 0% after five years.
(B) The government cannot be absolutely certain of the chances for success of either project.
(C) Some scientists are convinced that a mission to Europa would add immeasurably to our understanding of the universe.
(D) A new telescope that has just become available to scientists promises to yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to provide.
(E) Most people feel that a shuttle to Mars is the next logical step in the development of a system that will allow humans to travel even further in the solar system.

(D) A new telescope that has just become available to scientists promises to yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to provide.

Now they have a new telescope that they can use to get even more research than they would have if they sent an unmanned mission?
That's a good reason to cancel the unmanned mission. If that's true, then pretty much any other project would be a better use of funds!

(E) Most people feel that a shuttle to Mars is the next logical step in the development of a system that will allow humans to travel even further in the solar system.

That's interesting, but it doesn't tell us anything new about why spending the money on the Mars project is better than spending money on the Europa project. We already know that people are more interested in space travel. This answer is a tangent that's trying to get us to think more about that and make us forget about the conclusion, which centered on a comparison of the two projects.
Show more

That's ridiculous..... If a telescope can do the same thing as does the Europa unmanned mission, then how the Mars project is the better use of fund... So you send a person to Mars to keep an eye on the Jupiter's moon that could have been done from Earth itself and you are saying that that's a better use of funds? :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 18 Aug 2018, 16:15
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But D does not say that the telescope of Tokyo will be available to NASA.
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 19 Aug 2018, 19:15
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But D does not say that the telescope of Tokyo will be available to NASA.
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A new telescope that has just become available to scientists ---- How you figure that ??
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 23 Aug 2018, 12:16
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But it never mentioned that the scientists are from NASA. aragonn
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 23 Aug 2018, 16:58
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I am referring to this one. and why even telescope of Tokyo ???

Quote:
But D does not say that the telescope of Tokyo will be available to NASA.
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 24 Aug 2018, 04:55
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain living organisms. However, the government recently scrapped an unmanned science mission to Europa and replaced it with a project aimed at landing an astronaut on Mars. Polls show that the public is far more fascinated by space travel than by discovering life elsewhere in the universe. Critics argue that the government's decision-making process places a greater emphasis on popularity than it does on the importance of scientific research.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen a contention by the government that the new project is a better use of its funds?

(A) In the first year of the project, the government will spend 30% of its total budget on developing a space shuttle that can travel to Mars; that figure is expected to drop to 0% after five years.
(B) The government cannot be absolutely certain of the chances for success of either project.
(C) Some scientists are convinced that a mission to Europa would add immeasurably to our understanding of the universe.
(D) A new telescope that has just become available to scientists promises to yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to provide.
(E) Most people feel that a shuttle to Mars is the next logical step in the development of a system that will allow humans to travel even further in the solar system.
Show more

OA: D

Quote:
(D) A new telescope that has just become available to scientists promises to yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to provide.
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As New telescope has been already built and it is better than the unmanned mission to Europa in discovering life on Europa,
So landing astronaut on Mars is a better use of its funds
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 24 Aug 2018, 06:34
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The original question in the Manhattan SC book has Tokyo mentioned in it and the ans is the same. aragonn
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 24 Aug 2018, 10:29
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain living organisms. However, the government recently scrapped an unmanned science mission to Europa and replaced it with a project aimed at landing an astronaut on Mars. Polls show that the public is far more fascinated by space travel than by discovering life elsewhere in the universe. Critics argue that the government's decision-making process places a greater emphasis on popularity than it does on the importance of scientific research.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen a contention by the government that the new project is a better use of its funds?

(A) In the first year of the project, the government will spend 30% of its total budget on developing a space shuttle that can travel to Mars; that figure is expected to drop to 0% after five years.
(B) The government cannot be absolutely certain of the chances for success of either project.
(C) Some scientists are convinced that a mission to Europa would add immeasurably to our understanding of the universe.
(D) A new telescope that has just become available to scientists promises to yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to provide.
(E) Most people feel that a shuttle to Mars is the next logical step in the development of a system that will allow humans to travel even further in the solar system.
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That's ridiculous ! How is telescope related for what ? Stupid explanation .
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 24 Aug 2018, 10:31
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain living organisms. However, the government recently scrapped an unmanned science mission to Europa and replaced it with a project aimed at landing an astronaut on Mars. Polls show that the public is far more fascinated by space travel than by discovering life elsewhere in the universe. Critics argue that the government's decision-making process places a greater emphasis on popularity than it does on the importance of scientific research.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen a contention by the government that the new project is a better use of its funds?

(A) In the first year of the project, the government will spend 30% of its total budget on developing a space shuttle that can travel to Mars; that figure is expected to drop to 0% after five years.
(B) The government cannot be absolutely certain of the chances for success of either project.
(C) Some scientists are convinced that a mission to Europa would add immeasurably to our understanding of the universe.
(D) A new telescope that has just become available to scientists promises to yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to provide.
(E) Most people feel that a shuttle to Mars is the next logical step in the development of a system that will allow humans to travel even further in the solar system.

(D) A new telescope that has just become available to scientists promises to yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to provide.

Now they have a new telescope that they can use to get even more research than they would have if they sent an unmanned mission?
That's a good reason to cancel the unmanned mission. If that's true, then pretty much any other project would be a better use of funds!

(E) Most people feel that a shuttle to Mars is the next logical step in the development of a system that will allow humans to travel even further in the solar system.

That's interesting, but it doesn't tell us anything new about why spending the money on the Mars project is better than spending money on the Europa project. We already know that people are more interested in space travel. This answer is a tangent that's trying to get us to think more about that and make us forget about the conclusion, which centered on a comparison of the two projects.
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This doesn't makes sense at all !!!
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 24 Aug 2018, 10:34
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain living organisms. However, the government recently scrapped an unmanned science mission to Europa and replaced it with a project aimed at landing an astronaut on Mars. Polls show that the public is far more fascinated by space travel than by discovering life elsewhere in the universe. Critics argue that the government's decision-making process places a greater emphasis on popularity than it does on the importance of scientific research.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen a contention by the government that the new project is a better use of its funds?

(A) In the first year of the project, the government will spend 30% of its total budget on developing a space shuttle that can travel to Mars; that figure is expected to drop to 0% after five years.
(B) The government cannot be absolutely certain of the chances for success of either project.
(C) Some scientists are convinced that a mission to Europa would add immeasurably to our understanding of the universe.
(D) A new telescope that has just become available to scientists promises to yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to provide.
(E) Most people feel that a shuttle to Mars is the next logical step in the development of a system that will allow humans to travel even further in the solar system.
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I think if the question stem was what would strengthen a contention of the critics argument then D would have made sense . !!
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 24 Aug 2020, 04:08
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Quote:
Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain living organisms. However, the government recently scrapped an unmanned science mission to Europa and replaced it with a project aimed at landing an astronaut on Mars. Polls show that the public is far more fascinated by space travel than by discovering life elsewhere in the universe. Critics argue that the government's decision-making process places a greater emphasis on popularity than it does on the importance of scientific research.
Show more

Goverment - Scrapped unmanned science mission and replaced it with with manned mission to Mars.
Critics - Goverment decision is based on popularity rather than importance of scientific research

Quote:
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen a contention by the government that the new project is a better use of its funds?
Show more

To strengthen government decision we need an argument whcih tells us that government decision is made in interest of scientific research.


-- A and B are don't help much and C weakens government decision.

Quote:
(D) A new telescope that has just become available to scientists promises to yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to provide.
Show more
-- This give us reason why government cancel the unmanned project to Europa.

Quote:
(E) Most people feel that a shuttle to Mars is the next logical step in the development of a system that will allow humans to travel even further in the solar system.
Show more
-- This might be true, but it doesn't help us in showing that governments decision is "insert of science", rather it helps critics argument that Goverment decision is based on popularity.

Answer is D. Hope you find explanation helpful.
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 26 Aug 2020, 19:53
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain living organisms. However, the government recently scrapped an unmanned science mission to Europa and replaced it with a project aimed at landing an astronaut on Mars. Polls show that the public is far more fascinated by space travel than by discovering life elsewhere in the universe. Critics argue that the government's decision-making process places a greater emphasis on popularity than it does on the importance of scientific research.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen a contention by the government that the new project is a better use of its funds?

(A) In the first year of the project, the government will spend 30% of its total budget on developing a space shuttle that can travel to Mars; that figure is expected to drop to 0% after five years.
(B) The government cannot be absolutely certain of the chances for success of either project.
(C) Some scientists are convinced that a mission to Europa would add immeasurably to our understanding of the universe.
(D) A new telescope that has just become available to scientists promises to yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to provide.
(E) Most people feel that a shuttle to Mars is the next logical step in the development of a system that will allow humans to travel even further in the solar system.
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The key to answering this question is the focus on "better use of funds". We need to find an options that suggests that travel to mars is better that mission to Europa. Option D does exactly explain why funds to mission Europa will not be worth.
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 08 Jan 2025, 20:32
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MartyMurray KarishmaB Is this question legit ?
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 14 Jul 2025, 18:35
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This is from MGMAT CR book, problem set 10 Strengthen Chapter. Even I am starting to doubt the legitimacy of the options. EG ,, for A: Govt is not saying anything regarding the cost of traveling to Europa,,hence in the explanations provided, this is being treated as wrong. for D, The cost of telescope is also not given(as per my pod),,but this is being treated as correct answer. Highly confusing.
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 07 Oct 2025, 06:15
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egmat is this question legitimate?
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 08 Oct 2025, 01:12
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This is from MGMAT CR book, problem set 10 Strengthen Chapter. Even I am starting to doubt the legitimacy of the options. EG ,, for A: Govt is not saying anything regarding the cost of traveling to Europa,,hence in the explanations provided, this is being treated as wrong. for D, The cost of telescope is also not given(as per my pod),,but this is being treated as correct answer. Highly confusing.
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RitabrataSarkar To see why (D) works where (A) fails, let's clarify the central idea:

What does "better use of funds" really mean?

A project is a "better use of funds" if it provides a better return on investment. This can happen in two ways:

  • Cost side: It costs less for the same (or better) benefit.
  • Benefit side: It provides a greater benefit for the same (or lower) cost.

You were correctly focused on the cost side, which is why option (A) felt incomplete. Now let's consider the benefit side.

What is the "benefit" of the Europa mission?

The passage tells us the mission is for scientific research—to discover if there is life and "add immeasurably to our understanding of the universe." The benefit is scientific information.

How does option (D) affect this benefit?

Option (D) states that a new telescope "promises to yield more information than the planned mission to Europa was designed to provide."

This statement directly attacks the scientific benefit of the Europa mission. If a different tool can achieve the mission's primary goal betterand more effectively, the original mission loses its value. It has become redundant.

Spending any significant amount of money on a project whose core benefit has been eliminated is, by definition, a poor use of funds. By making the Europa mission a demonstrably bad use of funds, option (D) strengthens the argument that the Mars mission is the better use of funds by comparison, regardless of the exact costs involved.

I hope this clears up your confusion!
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egmat
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Scientists suspect that Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, may contain 08 Oct 2025, 01:15
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catcun
egmat is this question legitimate?
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catcun Yes, the question does make sense.

Here's the logic for why option (D) has to be correct:
  1. If the telescope can give us the Europa information (and more), then the Europa mission becomes redundant/unnecessary
  2. Spending funds on a redundant mission = wasteful allocation of resources
  3. Therefore, the Mars mission becomes a better use of funds - not because it's cheaper, but because Europa spending is no longer justified
  4. The government can now say: "We chose Mars because the Europa science goals can be achieved through the telescope, so Mars is the wiser investment"

If you think any part of the question or answer choices do not make sense, you can highlight that. I'd address- but overall, the synthesis of the question is correct.
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