City Colleges board wants to minimize the colleges expenditures on

Question

City College’s board wants to minimize the college’s expenditures on physical facilities over time and so has asked the physical facilities department to consider choosing double-pane windows when replacing old windows. Compared to single-pane windows, double-pane windows provide much more insulation to a building, thus reducing energy costs. Moreover, the labor and other costs associated with installing double-pane windows are the same as those for single-pane windows.

Which of the following would it be most useful to know in determining whether switching to double-paned windows would be likely to help minimize City College’s physical facilities expenditures?

A) Whether the expected service life of double-pane windows is at least as long as that of the currently used single-pane windows

B) Whether any colleges have replaced single-pane windows with any options other than double-pane windows

C) Whether the company from which CIty College buys single pane windows also sells double pane windows

D) Whether City College plans to construct any new buildings

E) Whether the crews that currently maintain single pane windows at City College know how to maintain double pane windows

PyjamaScientist · Answer

(A)  for me. Time taken 1:12.

The argument talks about the similar costs of installation for both single pane and double pane windows. We need to evaluate if the double-pane window have any other associated high costs, such as "high-maintenance", "frequent replacements", etc. Because if an another malicious variable exists then the author's conclusion that this change would lead to "less expenditures on physical facilities" would seem shaky.

Option (A) does that nicely here. If the double-pane windows require frequent changeovers then they might not help in reducing costs. The money saved on energy expenditure could be offset by the frequent change-overs of the double-pane windows, thus, the author needs to evaluate (A) for his conclusion.

gloomybison · Answer

A) Whether the expected service life of double-pane windows is at least as long as that of the currently used single-pane windows
 Correct 
We are given that installing double-pane windows costs as much as installing single-pane windows. However what if the life expectancy of double-pane windows is much shorter than that of single-pane windows? In that case, the plan to minimizing the costs may falter.

B) Whether any colleges have replaced single-pane windows with any options other than double-pane windows
We don't care about what other colleges did. Other colleges' action can't necessarily set a precedent for such case

C) Whether the company from which City College buys single pane windows also sells double pane windows
Irrelevant

D) Whether City College plans to construct any new buildings
Even if it plans to construct a new building cost of installing double-pane windows would be the same as installing single-pane windows

E) Whether the crews that currently maintain single pane windows at City College know how to maintain double pane windows
This is tempting, but we are concerned about minimizing the expenditures. Of course one may assume that if crew can't handle the the maintenance it may incur further costs, but still we don't really know whether it will cost

City Colleges board wants to minimize the colleges expenditures on

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City Colleges board wants to minimize the colleges expenditures on

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