The town of Burle is constructing a new water reservoir system that

Question

The town of Burle is constructing a new water reservoir system that necessitates extensive digging in the yards of the houses on several residential blocks. The town managers have promised to reimburse homeowners for any fencing, trees, or large plants that will be removed in the process. Some owners have complained that, because of the expense of hiring people to replace what has been removed, they will still be financially burdened by the project.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the claim that the water reservoir system will not be financially burdensome to the homeowners?

(A) The cost of hiring people to replace what has been removed from the yards of homeowners affected by the construction of the new reservoir system will vary greatly from home to home.
(B) One year before the actual estimated start time of the work, the town of Burle made clear to all residents that the construction would take place.
(C) The new reservoir system will cut water bills for homeowners in Burle by 60%.
(D) The properties affected by the construction of the new reservoir system are some of the most expensive in Burle.
(E) An independent committee of townspeople of Burle reached the conclusion that there was no practical means of constructing the new reservoir system without digging into the yards of some homeowners.

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Question 67: Burle Water Reservoir

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mqureshi10 · Answer

My Answer: C

The premise of the home owner's argument is essentially that the costs of this reservoir endeavor are higher than the savings they would receive. In order to weaken this (by strengthening town manager's claim), we should find some way to make the overall net value of this not financially burdensome to homeowners.

(A) The cost of hiring people to replace what has been removed from the yards of homeowners affected by the construction of the new reservoir system will vary greatly from home to home.
 (Not Correct. Cost varying from home to home means some may have less financial burden than others, but it does nothing to make it not burdensome overall, or to convince the people who it would affect otherwise.)
 
(B) One year before the actual estimated start time of the work, the town of Burle made clear to all residents that the construction would take place.
 (Not Correct. Having been told beforehand does not change the costs of the endeavor. )

(C) The new reservoir system will cut water bills for homeowners in Burle by 60%.
 (Correct. This answer demonstrates how overall, the homeowners will be less financially burdened by this endeavor. An example here could entail something like spending the savings on replacement fences, trees, etc)

(D) The properties affected by the construction of the new reservoir system are some of the most expensive in Burle.
 (Not correct. Same problem as A. Only affecting some does nothing to argue against the point that focuses on the population overall)

(E) An independent committee of townspeople of Burle reached the conclusion that there was no practical means of constructing the new reservoir system without digging into the yards of some homeowners.
 (Not Correct. Just because there was no other way, does not mean that it won't be financially burdensome.)

ueh55406 · Answer

(C) The new reservoir system will cut water bills for homeowners in Burle by 60%. - only option that talks about how the reservoir will save cost to the homeowners in some way or the other.

C is the answer. Imo.

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winterschool · Answer

The town of Burle is constructing a new water reservoir system that necessitates extensive digging in the yards of the houses on several residential blocks. The town managers have promised to reimburse homeowners for any fencing, trees, or large plants that will be removed in the process. Some owners have complained that, because of the expense of hiring people to replace what has been removed, they will still be financially burdened by the project.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the claim that the water reservoir system will not be financially burdensome to the homeowners?

(A) The cost of hiring people to replace what has been removed from the yards of homeowners affected by the construction of the new reservoir system will vary greatly from home to home.  Incorrect

extra info, it partially weakens and strengthens argument

(B) One year before the actual estimated start time of the work, the town of Burle made clear to all residents that the construction would take place.  Incorrect

new info, not related with cost

(C)  The new reservoir system will cut water bills for homeowners in Burle by 60%.   Correct

reduce bills will minimize cost of hiring people, so project will not be financially burdened

(D) The properties affected by the construction of the new reservoir system are some of the most expensive in Burle.  Incorrect

not related with cost

(E) An independent committee of townspeople of Burle reached the conclusion that there was no practical means of constructing the new reservoir system without digging into the yards of some homeowners.  Incorrect

new statement

kntombat · Answer

The answer to this question has to be C    as it is the only answer that clearly showcases how the new water reservoir will not financially burden the homeowners.

Options B and D are out    as they are irrelevant.

Options A and E are out    as they are answers that could be true but they not help solve the confusion posed by the question stem.

EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Answer

Official Explanation:

The town of Burle is constructing a new water reservoir system that necessitates extensive digging in the yards of the houses on several residential blocks. The town managers have promised to reimburse homeowners for any fencing, trees, or large plants that will be removed in the process. Some owners have complained that, because of the expense of hiring people to replace what has been removed, they will still be financially burdened by the project.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the claim that the water reservoir system will not be financially burdensome to the homeowners?

(A) The cost of hiring people to replace what has been removed from the yards of homeowners affected by the construction of the new reservoir system will vary greatly from home to home. 
 (B) One year before the actual estimated start time of the work, the town of Burle made clear to all residents that the construction would take place. 
 (C) The new reservoir system will cut water bills for homeowners in Burle by 60%. 
 (D) The properties affected by the construction of the new reservoir system are some of the most expensive in Burle. 
 (E) An independent committee of townspeople of Burle reached the conclusion that there was no practical means of constructing the new reservoir system without digging into the yards of some homeowners.

Question Type:   Inference (Assumption family)
  Boil It Down:   Burle is making a new reservoir system which requires digging in yards. The town has promised to reimburse the cost for removal. Some owners have complained that they will still be financially burdened.
  Goal:    Find the missing information that would best support this particular claim.

Analysis:

This is an interesting question, because the conclusion is in the question itself, and not in the prompt. The prompt never comes to the conclusion that the homeowners will not in fact be financially burdened, but nonetheless that is our goal to prove. As with any assumption family question, let’s plug it in:

Evidence:  Even though this project necessitates extensive digging into yards, the town managers have promised to reimburse homeowners for any fencing, tress, or large plants removed in the process. 
 Assumption:  ???
 Conclusion:  Despite their complaints, the homeowners will not be financially burdened by the installation of the water reservoir system.

What assumptions is the author making here? I have two immediate thoughts that maybe you share as well. First, why only reimbursement for fencing, trees, or large plants? That’s a short list isn’t it? Are those the only costs needed to be reimbursed? Perhaps our answer would say something like “only fencing, trees, or large plant removal is expensive when digging in yards, every other cost is nominal.” That would support our argument. Second, reimbursement is not the same as no financial burden, depending on the timeline. What if homeowners must front the cost, and then they don’t receive reimbursement until the next year! You must be in a good financial position to front the cost for reimbursement. Perhaps a good answer choice could then say, “homeowners will pay nothing out of pocket for reimbursement.” That could also help support the argument that no financial burden will occur. Either way, with two predictions in mind let’s look at our answer choices.

(A) The cost of hiring people to replace what has been removed from the yards of homeowners affected by the construction of the new reservoir system will vary greatly from home to home.
 Hmmm. Does this help the argument? I can only see how this weakens the argument, if I’m being honest. If the cost of hiring help varies from home to home it certainly could prove to be a financial burden, especially if the reimbursement does not cover the cost of hiring help. Because this could only weaken our argument, it must be wrong.

(B) One year before the actual estimated start time of the work, the town of Burle made clear to all residents that the construction would take place.
 So, the town made it clear that the construction would occur. How does this help the financial hardship? Does it hurt the argument? Does it help the argument? It is unclear what impact telling the residents that the construction will happen will have. For this reason, I can’t say for sure that this supports the argument.

(C) The new reservoir system will cut water bills for homeowners in Burle by 60%.
 This is the correct answer. If the people have their water bills reduced by 60%, then any financial hardship by them will be lessened. A 60% reduction is not chump change by any means. Honestly, I was not in love with this answer, but the question asks, “Which most strongly supports this claim.” This is the only answer which could support the argument without making assumptions. A 60% reduction in cost means people are saving money, saving money means less financial hardship.

(D) The properties affected by the construction of the new reservoir system are some of the most expensive in Burle.
 I’ll admit that I liked this trap answer at first. If you picked this answer, then you – much like myself – fell victim to assumptions. As we’ve discussed before, assumptions are never good when choosing an answer. Let me show you my initial line of reasoning: properties affected are the most expensive, only rich people can afford the most expensive homes, rich people will not be financially burdened by the work if they get reimbursed. However, I made too many assumptions. I assumed only rich people can afford the nicest homes. Then I assumed that rich people would not be financially burdened while waiting for the reimbursement. None of these assumptions are proven to be true. A quick google search tells me it can cost up to $20,000 to replace a full-grown oak tree. Even very well-off families could be financially burdened by this. Just because this project only affects well off properties, does not mean those owners will not be financially burdened. Do not make unwarranted assumptions when answering the question.

(E) An independent committee of townspeople of Burle reached the conclusion that there was no practical means of constructing the new reservoir system without digging into the yards of some homeowners.
 No other practical means of constructing the reservoir system does not mean people will not be financially burdened by it. We need an answer which shows why financial burden will not result. It’s unfortunate that digging into yards may be the only way to complete this project, but it does not make the financial burden any less for the homeowners.

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The town of Burle is constructing a new water reservoir system that

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615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

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