Trancorp currently transports all its goods to Burland Island by truck

Question

Trancorp currently transports all its goods to Burland Island by truck. The only bridge over the channel separating Burland from the mainland is congested, and trucks typically spend hours in traffic. Trains can reach the channel more quickly than trucks, and freight cars can be transported to Burland by barges that typically cross the channel in an hour. Therefore, to reduce shipping time, Trancorp plans to switch to trains and barges to transport goods to Burland.

Which of the following would be most important to know in determining whether Trancorp’s plan, if implemented, is likely to achieve its goal?

(A) Whether transportation by train and barge would be substantially less expensive than transportation by truck

(B) Whether there are boats that can make the trip between the mainland and Burland faster than barges can

(C) Whether loading the freight cars onto barges is very time consuming

(D) Whether the average number of vehicles traveling over the bridge into Burland has been relatively constant in recent years

(E) Whether most trucks transporting goods into Burland return to the mainland empty

ID: 500386
00967

Source  :  GMATPrep Default Exam Pack

Trancorp Transport

Step 1: Identify the Question

The phrase most important to know in determining in the question stem indicates that this is an  Evaluate the Argument  question.

Step 2: Deconstruct the Argument

Traffic slows trucks

Avoid traffic: Train to barge

Conc: Faster to ship by train+barge

The argument focuses on   comparing shipping times   via trucks versus trains and barges. Are there any other factors that might increase the time train and barge shipping takes?

Step 3: Pause and State the Goal

On Evaluate questions, the goal is to find a piece of information that would be important to know to determine whether the conclusion is valid. The correct answer could either strengthen or weaken the conclusion, depending upon the outcome of evaluating that element.

Step 4: Work from Wrong to Right

(A) The cost of shipping methods is irrelevant because the conclusion relates only to the time for shipping.

(B) The conclusion states only that train and barge shipping would be faster than shipping by trucks. Other shipping methods, such as boats, are not relevant to this comparison.

(C) CORRECT . Transferring the cars from trains to barges is a necessary step in shipping by this method. If this step takes a long time, it could mean that the overall shipping process takes longer than shipping by truck; this would weaken the conclusion. On the other hand, if this step takes very little time, then the author may be correct that shipping by trains and barges is faster; this would strengthen the conclusion.

(D) The argument states that traffic is currently a problem that slows shipping by truck. Understanding the trends in traffic would not provide additional information to compare shipping times. (It’s possible that information about future traffic volume could be helpful, but this choice talks only about traffic volume in the past.)

(E) The argument is only concerned with shipping times to Burland. Whether trucks return empty does not influence the time it takes to transport goods into Burland.

gmatlbs · Accepted Answer

Trancorp currently transports all its goods to Burland Island by truck. -  A background information.\

The only bridge over the channel separating Burland from the mainland is congested, and trucks typically spend hours in traffic. -  A background information. 
Trains can reach the channel more quickly than trucks, and freight cars can be transported to Burland by barges that typically cross the channel in an hour. –  Possibilities

Therefore,  to reduce shipping time , Trancorp  plans to switch to trains and barges  to transport goods to Burland.  Line of action  to achieve  the Objective

Assumption – The selected option of train and barge will save time or will not exceed the time taken by trucks.
Activities such as - 
a. barge loading 
b. other administrative activities such as clearances , security check etc 
c. barge movement time – time taken is one hour as per
d. barge unloading 
Hence, it is assumed that total time taken in activities (a to d or may be more) is less than total time spent by trucks to carry out the operation.
Thus evaluate the cycle time of the selected option/ Look out for options in the same line of thought.

A: Whether transportation by train and barge would be substantially less  expensive  than transportation by truck.  the objective is to reduce shipping time , expense is not the concern

B: Whether there are  boats  that can make the trip between the mainland and Burland faster than barges can  beyond the plan … 
C: Whether loading the freight cars onto barges is very time consuming. –  Correct , need to evaluate  
D: Whether the average number of vehicles traveling  over the bridge  into Burland has been relatively constant in recent years?  So what …how it will impact the operation below the bridge 
E: Whether most trucks transporting goods into Burland  retur n to the mainland empty?  So be it …objective is only to reduce shipping time

tharunv · Answer

C is the answer since it is a question of time and not money (so we eliminate A) - boats are not being talked about, so that puts B away. D and E are not relevant to the time being saved.

adiagr · Answer

Important thing is to note that the argument is about time.

(A) Cost is not an issue in this argument. So this option is OUT.
(B) Boats are not discussed in argument. OUT.
(C) This touches the idea of time. HOLD.
(D) Irrelevant detail. Even if vehicle numbers have gone down, as per argument, trucks are still stranded. So we dont gain anything. OUT
(E) This is linked to cost issue and not time. so OUT

C is the best option and is the answer.

rosegeorge · Answer

Trancorp currently transports all its goods to Burland
Island by truck. The only bridge over the channel separating Burland from the mainland is congested, and trucks typically spend hours in traffic. Trains can reach the channel more quickly than trucks, and freight cars can be transported to Burland by barges that typically cross the channel in an hour. Therefore, to reduce shipping time, Trancorp plans to switch to trains and barges to transport goods to Burland.

We are concerned about 2 things: 
 1. Time spent should reduce
2. Will Barge and Train help in this ?

Which of the following would be most important to know in determining whether Trancorp’s plan, if implemented, is likely to achieve its goal? 
A: Whether transportation by train and barge would be substantially less expensive than transportation by truck. --  Expense ??- Out Of scope  
B: Whether there are boats that can make the trip between the mainland and Burland faster than barges can  BOATS ??- Out Of scope  
C: Whether loading the freight cars onto barges is very time consuming.  Well, this is something we are looking for , will it take more tome to load /unload Goods on train/barges  
D: Whether the average number of vehicles traveling over the bridge into Burland has been relatively constant in recent years?  avg number ??- Out Of scope  
E: Whether most trucks transporting goods into Burland return to the mainland empty?

SANGEET77 · Answer

Trancorp currently transports all its goods to Burland Island by truck. The only bridge over the channel separating Burland from the mainland is congested, and trucks typically spend hours in traffic. Trains can reach the channel more quickly than trucks, and freight cars can be transported to Burland by barges that typically cross the channel in an hour. Therefore, to reduce shipping time, Trancorp plans to switch to trains and barges to transport goods to Burland.

Which of the following would be most  important to know  in determining whether Trancorp’s plan, if implemented, is likely to achieve its goal?

A: Whether transportation by train and barge would be substantially less expensive than transportation by truck.-->  Expense not mentioned anywhere. GMAT tried to play with these kinds of option.

B: Whether there are boats that can make the trip between the mainland and Burland faster than barges can-->  Comparing the duration between boats and barges. Actually we need to compare among trucks, trains and barges.

C: Whether loading the freight cars onto barges is very time consuming.-->  Since the question is regarding the reducing the time. Right answer.

D: Whether the average number of vehicles traveling over the bridge into Burland has been relatively constant in recent years? --> Irrelevant.

E: Whether most trucks transporting goods into Burland return to the mainland empty?-->  Irrelevant

sakshamgmat · Answer

The answer is C).

The argument says that Transcorp's plan is to switch from trucks to barges and trains to transports its goods to Burland in order to reduce shipping time.

The only options which focus on time taken in transportation of goods are B) and C). (note; Costs are not the focus of this argument neither is the change in number of vehicles hence other options are not viable)

Between B) and C) the option C) is correct because of the keyword in question stem
Which of the following would be most important to know in  determining whether Transcorp’s plan, if implemented, is likely to achieve its goa l? 
notice: question doesn't ask us to determine if the plan should be implemented. If the question had asked that, B) would be a contender as we would consider alternatives as well.

However, here the question says that if the plan is implemented how likely is the plan likely to achieve its goal ?
for that we need to pick factors included in current plan and evaluate their effectiveness.

Hence C).

merajul · Answer

Hi, I was following Power Score Bible. For evaluation questions , we should use Variance Test. Can anybody apply variance test in this questions. I am not able to understand the logic behind the OA

abhimahna · Answer

Let me apply the variance test for you here: The main reason of switching from trucks to trains and barges is they will reduce the shipping time. Ok. Lets's apply the test on option C "Whether loading the freight cars onto barges is very time consuming. ". 1. Yes, Loading is very time consuming. Ohh.. We thought this would help us save sometime but even if it is not taking time to transport, it will consume that time while loading the goods. So, the end user will never see any decrease in shipping time. Hence, this is weakening our conclusion. 2. No, Loading is not at all time consuming. Nice. So, I can say now I will be able to transport the goods in less time, hence reducing the shipping time. Thus, on one side, I am weakening the conclusion while on the other side I am strengthening it. Hence, C is the best answer. Let me know if you need any help in applying this test to any other options.

cuhmoon · Answer

What about trains? Nothing is mentioned about trains in the options and only barges

Also - for evaluate questions, do the answer choices add new information?

KB04 · Answer

Trancorp currently transports all its goods to Burland Island by truck. The only bridge over the channel separating Burland from the mainland is congested, and trucks typically spend hours in traffic. Trains can reach the channel more quickly than trucks, and freight cars can be transported to Burland by barges that typically cross the channel in an hour. Therefore, to reduce shipping time, Trancorp plans to switch to trains and barges to transport goods to Burland.

Which of the following would be most important to know in determining whether Trancorp’s plan, if implemented, is likely to achieve its goal?
Question type: evaluate a plan
T (Trancorp) uses trucks to transport, which takes time. T comes with an another idea and says that we can use trains and barges to transport and we can reduce shipping time.
Missing information: There is a massive assumption that is hidden in the argument. The author takes it for granted that the suggested plan will work. I mean, think about it, how do we know that the suggested plan is even capable enough to succeed.

(A) Whether transportation by train and barge would be substantially less expensive than transportation by truck
Eliminate since we are more concerned with the saving the shipping time rather than the cost.

(B) Whether there are boats that can make the trip between the mainland and Burland faster than barges can 
So what if the boat can make the trip. Do we know if the boats can be used in shipping? No, eliminate.

(C) Whether loading the freight cars onto barges is very time consuming
Spot on! That’s what we would like to know if we use barges to ship the cars, is that going to be time consuming since our main aim is to save time.

(D) Whether the average number of vehicles traveling over the bridge into Burland has been relatively constant in recent years
Out of focus. Eliminate.

(E) Whether most trucks transporting goods into Burland return to the mainland empty
Why on earth would we be interested in knowing if the trucks come empty or fully loaded? Eliminate.

GMATNinja · Answer

The answer choices do not ADD new information. Rather, each describes something that might be useful to know in evaluating the plan/argument/etc.

Sure, it might be useful to have some more information about the trains, but we are already told that "trains can reach the channel more quickly than trucks." Out of the remaining options, answering the question presented in choice (C) would be the most useful in determining whether Trancorp’s plan, if implemented, is likely to achieve its goal.

vishvendra97 · Answer

i understood the reasoning behind option c but it only mentions about barges and not about trains and the argument states that the plan is to switch to trains and barges not barges alone and this answer only tells about barges. if anyone can explain this would be helpful.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

(C) mentions "freight cars," which make up trains.

I guess that, in order to understand why (C) is correct, you have to be aware that "loading freight cars onto barges" is essentially loading trains onto barges.

gambit07 · Answer

Option C would have been a better answer had it said "Whether loading the freight cars onto barges is very time consuming  compred to loading the trucks ".

For all we know, loading the trucks could also be very time consuming. In any case, C is the only possible answer here since we are not bothered about other possible ways other than trucks and trains, as shown in option B, to reduce the shipping time.

krndatta · Answer

KarishmaB  Ma'am, 
Please elaborate on option B. 
If there are boats that can make the trip faster than barges, then switching to barges may not be a good option. 
Boats are available and Transcorp can reduce shipping time by switching to boats.

Please evaluate where I am going wrong.

Thanks

KarishmaB · Answer

Trancorp currently uses trucks. Trucks waste a lot of time on the bridge over the channel. Trains reach the channel faster and then the freight can be transferred to barges that cross the channel in an hour. So Trancorp plans to shift to trains + barges approach. We need to evaluate whether this will actually save time. (A) Whether transportation by train and barge would be substantially less expensive than transportation by truck Cost irrelevant to our discussion on time. (B) Whether there are boats that can make the trip between the mainland and Burland faster than barges can Irrelevant. Our plan is Trains + Barges. We need to find whether it is faster than trucks. Whether there is a plan B that is even better than our plan is irrelevant. We have to evaluate whether the given plan will achieve its goal. Whether another plan can achieve the goal in an even better manner is not our discussion right now. krndatta (C) Whether loading the freight cars onto barges is very time consuming Correct. If trucks transport goods then this step is not involved. There is no transference of goods from one mode to another. They just get loaded at source at cross the channel themselves using the bridge. Crossing the bridge takes too much time. We know that trains reach the channel faster and then freight cars can be transported on barges to cross the channel within an hour but this intermediate step of loading freight cars on barges is the question. What if that takes too long? Then all the time saved may get wasted in doing that. If loading freight cars on barge is not time consuming then we may save time using the train + barges method. (D) Whether the average number of vehicles traveling over the bridge into Burland has been relatively constant in recent years Irrelevant. We know it takes too much time to cross the bridge. What we may be interested in is what the state of the bridge will be in future. Whether the traffic has increased in the past or stayed steady doesn't help. The current state is a problem so even if it has stayed steady and will continue to stay steady, it is still a problem. (E) Whether most trucks transporting goods into Burland return to the mainland empty Irrelevant Answer (C) Discussion on Useful to Evaluate Questions: https://youtu.be/1JtHjH1lWZc

A_Nishith · Answer

Assumption – The selected option of train and barge will save time or will not exceed the time taken by trucks.
Activities such as -
a. barge loading
b. other administrative activities such as clearances , security check etc
c. barge movement time – time taken is one hour as per
d. barge unloading
Hence, it is assumed that total time taken in activities (a to d or may be more) is less than total time spent by trucks to carry out the operation.
Thus evaluate the cycle time of the selected option/ Look out for options in the same line of thought.

Options:
A: Whether transportation by train and barge would be substantially less expensive than transportation by truck. the objective is to reduce shipping time , expense is not the concern

B: Whether there are boats that can make the trip between the mainland and Burland faster than barges can beyond the plan ...
C: Whether loading the freight cars onto barges is very time consuming. – Correct , need to evaluate
D: Whether the average number of vehicles traveling over the bridge into Burland has been relatively constant in recent years? So what ...how it will impact the operation below the bridge
E: Whether most trucks transporting goods into Burland return to the mainland empty? So be it ...objective is only to reduce shipping time

Answer: C

Trancorp currently transports all its goods to Burland Island by truck

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Trancorp currently transports all its goods to Burland Island by truck

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

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