The state of Hawaii plans to build a nuclear power plant in a town alo

Question

The state of Hawaii plans to build a nuclear power plant in a town along the leeward coast of Oahu. The nuclear power plant is expected to provide new jobs for people in Oahu. The town in which the power plant will be located, however, is unhappy with the plan. A spokesperson for the town reveals to the local news station that the residents are concerned about the dangers of nuclear power, as well as the potential for another accident of the magnitude of the Chernobyl disaster. As the spokesperson notes, Chernobyl was the nuclear power plant in Ukraine where a reactor exploded in 1986, creating extremely unsafe levels of radiation for residents throughout Ukraine and parts of Eastern Europe. The long-term effects of the Chernobyl explosion included permanent health damage for many residents and a variety of birth defects among children. These possible consequences are what the Hawaiian town residents most fear, in the event that a nuclear facility in Hawaii suffers a similar accident.

Which of the following statements would, if true, most seriously undermine the state’s attempt to build the nuclear power plant?

(A) The community is unsure whether the new nuclear power plant can be built within the required budget.

(B) Many of the jobs that the nuclear power plant would bring are not higher-paying than the jobs that are currently available.

(C) The state and federal governments are offering large tax incentives for communities that begin using nuclear power.

(D) A local builder is planning a neighborhood near the expected site of the nuclear power plant and has already sold 75% of the lots.

(E) Ocean water surrounding Hawaii is too warm to cool a nuclear reactor, so the plant would have to use extra energy to keep a nuclear reactor cool.

This is a  CR Butler Question

Check the links to other Butler Projects:

Data Sufficiency Butler  
  Problem Solving Butler  
  Reading Comprehension Butler  
  Data Insights Butler

saurabhkukreti · Answer

E is the ans correct me if I am wrong

7seven7 · Answer

Correct Answer = E (As per Bunuel)

I chose B.

My Thinking: We need to undermine state’s attempt to build the nuclear power plant. Paragraph mentions "The nuclear power plant is expected to provide new jobs for people in Oahu" i.e. the govt/state expects this to happen once the plant is ready. If the jobs created by the Nuclear Power Plant does not provide higher salaries than current jobs, then people will not switch their jobs and work for the nuclear plant (given the risk), thus undermining one of the expected objective.

Rejected "E" as Para doesn't care about it's working/efficiency but does mention Jobs which is taken care by "B" (Maybe I am wrong, will wait for official answer and explanation).

theharry13 · Answer

Can Someone Please Explain It Real Quick ...

nishantswaft · Answer

We have to undermine the plan of the state 
and option E states that

(E) Ocean water surrounding Hawaii is too warm to cool a nuclear reactor, so the plant would have to use extra energy to keep a nuclear reactor cool.

this  adds another factor that creates a doubt on the execution of the plan. 
 Although to me it is a weak weakner but among the given answer choices it is the one that is clearly connected to he argument.

Hope this helps.

EshaFatim · Answer

I approached it the following way -

Reading the whole passage, the primary concern that stood out was about a plausible disaster that could come out of this plan according to the local community. Even though the community is promised new job opportunities, they are still dwelling on the risk. Because if occurred, the consequences could take a major toll like the historical event of Chernobyl.

So to undermine the singular promise of the  state, a major way to approach is to prove the idea of the community which is "to identify the risk of that power plant".
 
   (E) Ocean water surrounding Hawaii is too warm to cool a nuclear reactor, so the plant would have to use extra energy to keep a nuclear reactor cool.

Among all the options, option E stands out with a possible risk under the layer that might occur. As per option E, the location of the proposed power plant is not feasible in the first place as it's not a supportive environment to maintain the power plant as one should. The failure to keep the plant cool might lead to an explosion in Hawaii in the future which is exactly what the community as a whole fears as well.

However, I do agree that this might not be the best weakener IMO as it leaves it up to our inference that "not maintaining the cool temperature of the plant" is what can cause an explosion. Only if there were a mention of this cause-effect pattern in the passage when it mentioned Chernobyl, it would have made the weakener more solid.

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Overview:

Questions discuss plans by the state of Hawaii to build a nuclear power plant in a town on the leeward coast of Oahu. The townspeople are not happy with this plan and have acquired a spokesperson to explain their concerns about the intended facility. According to the spokesperson, the town’s primary fear is that the new nuclear power plant will create another incident like the Chernobyl disaster; the spokesperson cites details of that disaster, including its long-term effects. Question asks for the problem that most undermines the state’s plans to build the facility. To answer the question, the student needs to consider which answer choice has the greatest effect on the state’s plans by taking into account the options among the answer choices – the answer choice that provides a clear problem with the construction or running of the plant will be correct.

The Correct Answer:

E Answer choice (E) indicates the most serious problem that could undermine the state’s plans to build the new nuclear power plant. If the facility needs cold water to cool the reactor core, the extra energy required to cool the reactor would add extra expense to the construction and maintenance of the facility, potentially damaging its chances of being a viable energy alternative. Answer choice (E) is correct.

The Incorrect Answers:

A The opinion of the community regarding the budget is a legitimate issue. The community’s fears alone, however, do not necessarily indicate the most serious problem that could undermine the construction of the plant. Regardless of how well founded (or not) those fears are, these fears can be allayed, or the project might be proceed in spite of them. (This contrasts with the answer choice (E): if the statement this answer choice describes were true, it is very unlikely that the plant would be built.) Answer choice (A) is correct.

B Although the value of the jobs that the plant will bring into the community is a worthwhile consideration, answer choice (B) offers too little detail to present a problem that is as serious as the problem indicated in the correct answer choice. Therefore, this answer choice is incorrect.

C Answer choice (C) does raise questions about the connection between state officials and the managers of the nuclear power plant, but this alone does not necessarily mean that there is corruption involved. Answer choice (C) does not contain enough information to undermine the state’s plans and is thus incorrect.

D The plans of the local builder do not by themselves necessarily present a problem as serious as the problem described in the correct answer choice; again, the latter would almost certainly prevent the building of the plant, while this is not true of answer choice (D). Answer choice (D) is thus incorrect.

The state of Hawaii plans to build a nuclear power plant in a town alo

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

The state of Hawaii plans to build a nuclear power plant in a town alo

Prep Toolkit

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards