V11-27

Question

A chemical plant has been criticized for its contribution to air pollution through the use of diesel-fueled vehicles. Determined to reduce overall emissions, the plant’s management decided to replace these vehicles with either solar-powered or battery-powered alternatives. Management chose battery-powered vehicles, reasoning that because they produce no exhaust emissions, the switch would reduce the plant’s total carbon footprint.
 
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines management’s decision to switch from diesel to battery-powered vehicles in order to reduce overall emissions?

A. Solar-powered vehicles do not produce more pollution than battery-powered vehicles.
B. The chemical processes at the plant cause significantly more pollution than the diesel-oil-driven vehicles.
C. Electric vehicles operating within the chemical plant must be equipped with costly spark-proof safety devices. 
D. The electricity needed to recharge the battery-powered vehicles would be generated by burning coal, which releases carbon dioxide.
E. Other plants in the vicinity will continue to use diesel-oil-driven vehicles.

souvik101990 · Answer

Official Solution:

A chemical plant has been criticized for its contribution to air pollution through the use of diesel-fueled vehicles. Determined to reduce overall emissions, the plant’s management decided to replace these vehicles with either solar-powered or battery-powered alternatives. Management chose battery-powered vehicles, reasoning that because they produce no exhaust emissions, the switch would reduce the plant’s total carbon footprint.
 
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines management’s decision to switch from diesel to battery-powered vehicles in order to reduce overall emissions?

A. Solar-powered vehicles do not produce more pollution than battery-powered vehicles.
B. The chemical processes at the plant cause significantly more pollution than the diesel-oil-driven vehicles.
C. Electric vehicles operating within the chemical plant must be equipped with costly spark-proof safety devices. 
D. The electricity needed to recharge the battery-powered vehicles would be generated by burning coal, which releases carbon dioxide.
E. Other plants in the vicinity will continue to use diesel-oil-driven vehicles.

A. This statement does not necessarily imply that solar powered vehicles cause less pollution than battery powered vehicles. Hence this statement does not seriously undermine the decision of buying the battery powered vehicles.
 
B. Even though the chemical processes generate high pollution, replacing diesel-oil powered vehicle with environmentally friendly vehicles would still be beneficial for the environment.
 
C. The statement does not state that the safety devices are applicable only for battery powered vehicles, but not for solar powered ones. Both types would be affected equally. Hence this option does not illustrate a cost disadvantage for the battery powered vehicles compared to solar ones.
 
D.  Correct.  Management bases its expectation of lower total emissions on the elimination of vehicle exhaust. D) identifies another source of emissions associated with the switch: generating electricity to recharge the vehicles. These emissions could offset the expected savings, weakening management’s reasoning. However, D does not establish that the switch would necessarily provide no environmental benefit.
 
E. Even though other plants in the vicinity pollutes the environment, replacing diesel-oil powered vehicle with environmentally friendly vehicles would still be beneficial for the environment.

Answer: D

SeregaP · Answer

Great question! I really loved the trap of scope shift

bks170882 · Answer

Official Solution:

Burning fossil fuels - oil, coal, and natural gas - causes pollution. The environment manager of a chemical plant proposes replacement of all diesel-oil driven vehicles that run inside the plant with either rechargeable electric battery powered vehicles or solar powered vehicles. The management decided to buy battery powered vehicles because of their lower investment cost despite the requirement of installation of electric battery charging points at various locations in the plant. 
Which of the following  statements most seriously undermines the decision of the management ?

A. Solar powered vehicles do not cause more pollution than battery powered vehicles. 
B. The chemical processes in the plant causes much higher pollution than that the diesel-oil driven vehicles produce. 
C. The vehicles that go inside the chemical plant need to be fitted with costly spark-proof safety devices. 
D. A coal-fired power plant supplies electricity to the chemical plant. 
E. Other plants in the vicinity of the chemical plant will continue to use diesel-oil driven vehicles.

Doubt: Here we need to undermine the decision of management, which is "decision to buy battery powered vehicles BECAUSE  of their lower investment cost

Shouldn't C be the answer?

Tverma2 · Answer

The managemen't decision is based on lower investment cost. This implies anything that shows the cost might not be low will be the answer. 
Selecting the non green reason (coal plants) is more like undermining the decision of the environmentalist.

Shouldn't C be correct option ?

Regards,

NikitaVChoudhary · Answer

The management decision is based on lower investment costs.

Shouldn't C be correct option ?

pinklemonhat · Answer

points made in prompt: 
conclusion - replace oil vehicles with reachargeable electric battery or solar vehicles to reduce pollution
more of a premise / mini conclusion - pick rechargeable electric battery because it is cheaper, even with charging point costs

unfortunately cost isn't really the point here.. it's the fact that they want to reduce pollution. the argument opens up with the problem, and the plan is to fix it. it also can't be C (the only answer that is related to the cost) since we don't know what the cost of the fitting is).

gmat test writers throw this answer in on purpose, and then do not define the cost increase, to throw test takers off.

source - i literally picked C as well, and racked my brain to understand why that wasn't the answer.

answer is a solid D.

BottomJee · Answer

I think this is a  high-quality  question and I agree with explanation.

phamminh2003 · Answer

why B is not the correct answer?

bb · Answer

The reason B is incorrect is that the chemical plant pollution is a constant. Whether the choices made for solar vehicles or electric vehicles, the chemical plant will continue to create pollution.

The choice and influence that the Committee has it to reduce pollution admitted by the vehicles. It is still reducing the pollution though perhaps much much less than would be the reduction if the plant was shut down, Shutting down the plant outside of the scope of this question. The question is focused on the choice of two types of vehicles.

Posted from my mobile device

Ro_007 · Answer

If option C mentioned "electric vehicles" instead of just vehicles, is that a better contender than option D for a weakener ?

bb · Answer

Interesting question. If we changed "C" to only be limited to electric vehicles, it would make electric vehicles more expensive than diesel ones to operate at the plant. It would also make both electric vehicle types equally more expensive, not really impact the decision of solar vs. electric. Also, our motivation for vehicle replacement was reduction of pollution, not cost cutting, thus this would not be a good weakener. It would make it more expensive than before but the cost element was referring only between Solar vs. Battery powered vehicles, not about diesel vs. electric. I hope it is clear.

P.S. It is a great idea - I have gone ahead and updated C to include this detail.

Ro_007

If option C mentioned "electric vehicles" instead of just vehicles, is that a better contender than option D for a weakener ?

P.S. It is a great idea - I have gone ahead and updated C to include this detail.

anushkatew · Answer

This is a great question that’s helpful for learning.

elslyknight · Answer

souvik101990   bb  I have 2 inputs for this question and explanantion. Despite bb's updating option C to change 'Vehicles' to 'Electric Vehicles', I still think C is a better contender.

Task  - Identify flaw in the  chemical plant's management's decision in opting for electric vehicles instead of solar because they're initially cheaper.  
 
 Key  - Conclusion is all about the financial decision. I don't feel the conclusion is implied that the decision is cheaper investment + environmental benefit. The environment benefit is stated truth in the premise, that the  chemical factory  is for sure causing less pollution with either options.

Option  C  - While it states that ONLY electric vehicles need costly parts, it is a rather fair inductive reaasoning to consider that electric vehicles will be costlier than solar - FLAW in conclusion.

Opotion  D  - Scope shift! From chemical factory's emissions to 'overall' enviromental net emissions! That is a typical trap in GMAT. We're concerned about 1. Financial decision of choice of vehicle >> 2.  Chemical Plant's  emmision and  not  overall region's or earth's net emmission. I think the chemical plant for sure has reduced its emissions!

Here's where I think this should go

Q -  Which of the following statements most seriously undermines the decision of the management?  I think the answer is strongly C.
Q -  Which of the following statements most seriously undermines the decision of the management  to reduce overall emmisions?   I think the answer is D.

Let me know what you think.

bb · Answer

Hi  elslyknight ,

I appreciate your feedback. Yes, this question seems to keep on coming up and I can see that there is slight mis-alignment as to what the question is looking for: a) financial b) environmental and what you brought up in terms of plant vs overall pollution (though I think this is too nuanced for a short CR passage). but the bottom line is that I can see we need to tighten it. 👍

Question for you - did you mean Diesel here?
The reason I ask is that Solar are actually also electric so this would apply to both of these types but not diesel ones.

bb · Answer

Second update: I have gone ahead and clarified the question - perhaps making it too clear but it makes the question indeed better, even if easier.

awaikar · Answer

I don’t quite agree with the solution. Coal could still be more efficient than Diesel and still reducing the emissions?

3D · Answer

This is a great question that’s helpful for learning and I like the solution - it’s helpful.

HNS · Answer

In option D aren’t we assuming that the emission from the coal fired power plant will be greater than or equal to the emission from the diesel fueld vehicle ?

Since we can’t assume any new information how can option D be correct ?

Although other options are not as strong as Option D but isn’t option D quite weak as an answer ?

hr1212 · Answer

Hi  HNS ,

You are right to point out that it is difficult to comment on the exact emission levels for both diesel and battery-powered vehicles. But remember that in GMAT Critical Reasoning, when you are trying to weaken an argument, you only need an option that highlights the assumption the argument is relying on. It does not need to completely break the argument. Many weaken questions are intentionally open-ended.

In this case, we know battery-powered vehicles reduce carbon footprint, but the argument assumes that the electricity needed for this new project does not meaningfully increase that footprint. Option D, even if it feels open-ended, directly targets that assumption. That is why it works as the correct answer.

V11-27

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