Bunuel
The city of Metropolis aims to reduce morning traffic congestion in the downtown core, defined as the average time spent waiting at red lights, by 20%. To achieve this, the city council has installed a new, highly advanced synchronization system for all traffic lights, an investment that cost $12 million. Since this system can increase the number of vehicles that pass through major intersections every hour by an average of 25%, the city council concludes that the installation of the new system will ensure that the city meets its congestion reduction target.
The argument above is flawed in that it:
(A) fails to establish a clear timeline for when the 20% reduction in congestion is expected to occur.
(B) fails to consider whether the advanced synchronization system will experience mechanical malfunctions or software errors during its initial implementation phase.
(C) assumes that the increased traffic flow through major intersections will not encourage more people to drive to the downtown core.
(D) provides statistical data from a new system but does not compare its performance with the city’s previous, older traffic light system.
(E) does not justify the $12 million investment by showing that the monetary benefits of reducing congestion will exceed the cost of the new system.
Manhattan Prep Official ExplanationStep 1: Identify the QuestionThe words
argument above is flawed signal that this is a
Find the Flaw problem.
Step 2: Deconstruct the ArgumentThe argument lays out a plan to reduce congestion downtown by speeding up the rate at which cars can move through major intersections.
Met: new sync. for traff. lights
flow ↑ 25% → reduce cong. by 20%
Step 3: Pause and State the GoalOn Find the Flaw questions, the goal is to find an answer that illustrates the logical flaw that underlies the given argument.
For this argument, look for a choice that demonstrates a critical flaw in the plan to reduce congestion by improving traffic flow.
Step 4: Work from Wrong to Right(A)
This is a critique of the argument's specificity or detail, not its logical validity. The core flaw of the argument is whether the plan can work, regardless of when it is expected to work. Note that the argument does not specify a timeline for the plan to work, making this choice out of scope.(B) Though failures in the new synchronization system during implementation would be a setback, that does not impact whether the system, when working properly, will be able to achieve its goal. Especially, because there is no timeline to reduce congestion mentioned in the argument, this choice does not present a flaw in the plan.
(C) CORRECT. Though one important factor that affects congestion is considered (the number of vehicles that can pass through intersections per hour), the plan fails to take into account other factors that affect congestion. If improved traffic flow just leads to more cars on the road, then it may fail to reduce congestion.
(D) The goal of the plan is to reduce congestion. Though there are other factors that the city could pay attention to, for example driver and pedestrian safety, those goals are outside the scope of this argument.
(E) Though the cost of the synchronization system is mentioned, the plan is not concerned with cost; only with traffic congestion. This choice is out of scope.