Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
May 1212:00 PM EDT
-11:59 PM EDT
Make the most of your break with the most realistic GMAT™ prep. Take up to $700 off select products.
May 1312:30 AM EDT
-01:30 AM EDT
Struggling to find the right strategies to score a 99 %ile on GMAT Focus? Riya (GMAT 715) boosted her score by 100-points in just 15 days! Discover how the right mentorship, tailored strategies, and an unwavering mindset can transform your GMAT prep.
May 1308:30 AM PDT
-09:30 AM PDT
In Episode 4 of our GMAT Ninja CR series, we tackle the most intimidating CR question type: Boldface & "Legalese" questions. If you've ever stared at an answer choice that reads, "The first is a consideration introduced to counter a position that...
May 1401:00 AM EDT
-02:00 AM EDT
Looking for your GMAT motivation to break through the score plateau? Pragati improved her score by massive 160 points with strategic guidance and hard-work! Find out how personalized mentorship and a strong mindset can turn GMAT struggles into success.- May 14
08:30 AM PDT
-09:30 AM PDT
Most GMAT test-takers are intimidated by the hardest GMAT Verbal questions. In this session, Target Test Prep GMAT instructor Erika Tyler-John, a 100th percentile GMAT scorer, will show you how top scorers break down challenging Verbal questions.. 
May 1506:00 PM PDT
-07:00 PM PDT
Start your free trial!
08 May 2026, 08:17
Kudos
Bookmarks
B
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
55%
(hard)
Question Stats:
62% (01:47) correct
38%
(01:46)
wrong
based on 66
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Drivers in the country of Holston want highway tolls eliminated. The cost of maintaining the highways is paid entirely out of revenue from the highway tolls. Holston must maintain its highways. Thus, it follows that if the tolls are eliminated, then the entire cost of maintaining the highways will have to be paid for by an increase in general taxes.
Which one of the following is an assumption made by the argument?
(A) Work on highway maintenance can be authorized only if the money needed to pay for it has already been collected.
(B) The amount of money saved by eliminating the costs associated with toll collection would not be available to pay part of the total cost of maintaining the highways.
(C) If the highway tolls are eliminated and the general taxes are increased to pay for maintaining the highways, there will be less emphasis on preventive maintenance.
(D) The total cost of maintaining the highways will be less if the highway tolls rather than the general taxes pay for the maintenance.
(E) If the highway tolls are not eliminated, there will be no need to increase the general taxes.
Which one of the following is an assumption made by the argument?
(A) Work on highway maintenance can be authorized only if the money needed to pay for it has already been collected.
(B) The amount of money saved by eliminating the costs associated with toll collection would not be available to pay part of the total cost of maintaining the highways.
(C) If the highway tolls are eliminated and the general taxes are increased to pay for maintaining the highways, there will be less emphasis on preventive maintenance.
(D) The total cost of maintaining the highways will be less if the highway tolls rather than the general taxes pay for the maintenance.
(E) If the highway tolls are not eliminated, there will be no need to increase the general taxes.
08 May 2026, 08:50
Kudos
Bookmarks
I think option B is the required assumption here.
The argument says:
• highway maintenance is currently paid entirely by toll revenue
• highways still must be maintained
• therefore, if tolls are eliminated, the entire maintenance cost will have to come from increased general taxes
But there is a hidden assumption in that jump.
The author is assuming that eliminating tolls would NOT free up enough money from toll collection operations to cover any meaningful part of the maintenance costs.
That is exactly what option B says.
If B were false, then the argument weakens immediately because the money saved from removing toll booths, toll workers, collection systems, etc. could help pay for maintenance without needing the full increase in taxes.
So B is necessary for the conclusion to hold.
---
Why the other options do not work:
(A) The argument never says maintenance money must already be collected before work begins.
That issue is completely outside the logic of the argument.
(C) Preventive maintenance is irrelevant.
The conclusion is only about where the money will come from.
(D) The argument never compares whether toll funding or tax funding is cheaper overall.
It only discusses replacing the funding source.
(E) This is too strong.
General taxes could still increase for other unrelated reasons even if tolls remain.
So B is the only choice that directly fills the logical gap in the argument.
I mainly solved this by asking:
“What is the author assuming before concluding that ALL maintenance costs must shift to taxes?”
That pointed directly to B.
If anyone sees another way to frame the assumption quickly, feel free to share.
— Rajdeep
The argument says:
• highway maintenance is currently paid entirely by toll revenue
• highways still must be maintained
• therefore, if tolls are eliminated, the entire maintenance cost will have to come from increased general taxes
But there is a hidden assumption in that jump.
The author is assuming that eliminating tolls would NOT free up enough money from toll collection operations to cover any meaningful part of the maintenance costs.
That is exactly what option B says.
If B were false, then the argument weakens immediately because the money saved from removing toll booths, toll workers, collection systems, etc. could help pay for maintenance without needing the full increase in taxes.
So B is necessary for the conclusion to hold.
---
Why the other options do not work:
(A) The argument never says maintenance money must already be collected before work begins.
That issue is completely outside the logic of the argument.
(C) Preventive maintenance is irrelevant.
The conclusion is only about where the money will come from.
(D) The argument never compares whether toll funding or tax funding is cheaper overall.
It only discusses replacing the funding source.
(E) This is too strong.
General taxes could still increase for other unrelated reasons even if tolls remain.
So B is the only choice that directly fills the logical gap in the argument.
I mainly solved this by asking:
“What is the author assuming before concluding that ALL maintenance costs must shift to taxes?”
That pointed directly to B.
If anyone sees another way to frame the assumption quickly, feel free to share.
— Rajdeep
08 May 2026, 12:45
Kudos
Bookmarks
Drivers in the country of Holston want highway tolls eliminated. The cost of maintaining the highways is paid entirely out of revenue from the highway tolls. Holston must maintain its highways. Thus, it follows that if the tolls are eliminated, then the entire cost of maintaining the highways will have to be paid for by an increase in general taxes.
Which one of the following is an assumption made by the argument?
The argument says that if tolls are eliminated, then all highway maintenance costs must be paid through higher general taxes. The assumption is that no other money freed up by eliminating tolls can cover even part of the maintenance cost.
(A) Work on highway maintenance can be authorized only if the money needed to pay for it has already been collected.
Wrong. The timing of when money is collected is not relevant.
(B) The amount of money saved by eliminating the costs associated with toll collection would not be available to pay part of the total cost of maintaining the highways.
Correct. If eliminating tolls also saves money from toll collection, and that saved money could pay part of highway maintenance, then the entire cost would not have to be covered by increased general taxes.
(C) If the highway tolls are eliminated and the general taxes are increased to pay for maintaining the highways, there will be less emphasis on preventive maintenance.
Wrong. This is about how maintenance would be managed, not how it would be funded.
(D) The total cost of maintaining the highways will be less if the highway tolls rather than the general taxes pay for the maintenance.
Wrong. The argument does not depend on maintenance being cheaper under toll funding.
(E) If the highway tolls are not eliminated, there will be no need to increase the general taxes.
Wrong. The argument is only about what happens if tolls are eliminated.
Answer: (B)
Which one of the following is an assumption made by the argument?
The argument says that if tolls are eliminated, then all highway maintenance costs must be paid through higher general taxes. The assumption is that no other money freed up by eliminating tolls can cover even part of the maintenance cost.
(A) Work on highway maintenance can be authorized only if the money needed to pay for it has already been collected.
Wrong. The timing of when money is collected is not relevant.
(B) The amount of money saved by eliminating the costs associated with toll collection would not be available to pay part of the total cost of maintaining the highways.
Correct. If eliminating tolls also saves money from toll collection, and that saved money could pay part of highway maintenance, then the entire cost would not have to be covered by increased general taxes.
(C) If the highway tolls are eliminated and the general taxes are increased to pay for maintaining the highways, there will be less emphasis on preventive maintenance.
Wrong. This is about how maintenance would be managed, not how it would be funded.
(D) The total cost of maintaining the highways will be less if the highway tolls rather than the general taxes pay for the maintenance.
Wrong. The argument does not depend on maintenance being cheaper under toll funding.
(E) If the highway tolls are not eliminated, there will be no need to increase the general taxes.
Wrong. The argument is only about what happens if tolls are eliminated.
Answer: (B)
