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gmatmachoman · Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:34 am

Emissions from automobiles that burn gasoline and
automobiles that burn diesel fuel are threatening the
quality of life on our planet, contaminating both
urban air and global atmosphere. Therefore, the only
effective way to reduce such emissions is to replace
the conventional diesel fuel and gasoline used in
automobiles with cleaner-burning fuels, such as
methanol, that create fewer emissions.
Which one of the following is an assumption on
which the argument depends?
(A) Reducing the use of automobiles would not
be a more effective means to reduce
automobile emissions than the use of
methanol.
(B) There is no fuel other than methanol that is
cleaner-burning than both diesel fuel and
gasoline.
(C) If given a choice of automobile fuels,
automobile owners would not select
gasoline over methanol.
(D) Automobile emissions constitute the most
serious threat to the global environment.
(E) At any given time there is a direct correlation
between the level of urban air pollution and
the level of contamination present in the
global atmosphere.

OA :After discussion... Very Happy

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maihuna · Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:50 am

IMO: A

Since author believes that only way to reduce pollution is change of fuel, author must have ruled out other alternate mechanism, which may reduce pollution, such as less automobile.

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raghavakumar85 · Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:35 pm

A says reducing the use of automobiles. But, the argument does not mention anything about reducing the use of automobiles. Not in Premise.

B) There is no fuel other than methanol that can replace gasoline n diesel fuel - the only choice effectively presented in the premise of the argument.

IMO B. Correct me If I am wrong.

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gmatmachoman · Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:40 pm

OA : A

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raghavakumar85 · Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:50 pm

Okay. When I apply denial test, A passes.

But not when I directly look for an assumption from the choices.

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2010gmat · Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:20 am

the only effective way to reduce such emissions is to replace the conventional diesel fuel and gasoline used in automobiles with cleaner-burning fuels

this is the key here...if we negate A i.e reducing th use of automobiles will reduce emmisions then the argument falls apart...

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palvarez · Sun Nov 08, 2009 4:26 pm

After boiling down to two choices A and B, look at "such as". B focuses on methanol vs other clean burning fuels. A focuses on clean burning fuels vs. reducing the use.

Trap to learn: trip test takers on some appositive crap!

"cleaner-burning fuels, such as methanol"

(A) Reducing the use of automobiles would not
be a more effective means to reduce
automobile emissions than the use of
methanol.
(B) There is no fuel other than methanol that is
cleaner-burning than both diesel fuel and
gasoline.

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AdamSkoreyko · Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:11 pm

The answer can not be B since in the initial question it is worded as "cleaner-burning fuels, such as methanol," indicating that there is several suitable fuels and methanol is just one example of such a fuel.

A is the correct answer.

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mmon · Tue Nov 17, 2009 5:00 am

Good explanation. A is the answer.

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