Critical Reasoning

Hillsburgh and Nansensville are two major metropolitan areas only 50 miles apart. Until recently, the only road connecting the two cities was a traffic-clogged, six-lane Interstate Highway. Six years in the making, the Metro Expressway, an four-lane road connecting the two cities, was hoped to relieve this congestion. After the first month, however, the traffic along the Interstate Highway has not improved.

Which of the following, if true, could account for the continued traffic congestion along the Interstate Highway?

A.The Metro Expressway opened up in July, a month when many of the citizens leave for vacation.

B.During the month that the Metro Expressway opened, the railway workers who service the train connecting the two cities went on strike.

C.The new expressway is made up of a high-grade asphalt that is said to wear down less over time than the asphalt on the Interstate Highway.

D.The Hillsburgh Gazette reports that police activity along the Interstate Highway has decreased since many police are now patrolling the Metro Expressway.

E.In the next five years, both cities plan on building another expressway connecting both cities.

my concern: i agree that B can be a probable answer here.But i have feel that A and D are also contenders. Both gives us reason as why there might be a huge traffic in the first month.

reason for A: IF The Metro Expressway opened up in July, a month when many of the citizens leave for vacation THEN we make a conclusion that the TOTAL traffic might have increased in this month and hence NO MATTER the new Metro Expressway was opened but still the traffic on the interstate high way remained constant for this month

aditya8062 wrote:Hillsburgh and Nansensville are two major metropolitan areas only 50 miles apart. Until recently, the only road connecting the two cities was a traffic-clogged, six-lane Interstate Highway. Six years in the making, the Metro Expressway, an four-lane road connecting the two cities, was hoped to relieve this congestion. After the first month, however, the traffic along the Interstate Highway has not improved.

Which of the following, if true, could account for the continued traffic congestion along the Interstate Highway?

A.The Metro Expressway opened up in July, a month when many of the citizens leave for vacation.

B.During the month that the Metro Expressway opened, the railway workers who service the train connecting the two cities went on strike.

C.The new expressway is made up of a high-grade asphalt that is said to wear down less over time than the asphalt on the Interstate Highway.

D.The Hillsburgh Gazette reports that police activity along the Interstate Highway has decreased since many police are now patrolling the Metro Expressway.

E.In the next five years, both cities plan on building another expressway connecting both cities.

Fact 1: Hillsburgh and Nansensville are now connected by the Metro Expressway, a new four-lane road.
Fact 2: One month after the opening of the Expressway, traffic along the Interstate -- the other road connecting Hillsburgh and Nansenville -- has not improved.

The correct answer choice must explain why traffic has not improved along the Interstate, despite the opening of the Expressway.

Answer choice B: During the month that the Metro Expressway opened, the railway workers who service the train connecting the two cities went on strike.
Implication:
People who normally travel between the two cities by train now must drive, explaining why traffic along the Interstate has not improved -- despite the opening of the Expressway.

The correct answer is B.

my concern: i agree that B can be a probable answer here.But i have feel that A and D are also contenders. Both gives us reason as why there might be a huge traffic in the first month.

reason for A: IF The Metro Expressway opened up in July, a month when many of the citizens leave for vacation THEN we make a conclusion that the TOTAL traffic might have increased in this month and hence NO MATTER the new Metro Expressway was opened but still the traffic on the interstate high way remained constant for this month

A: The Metro Expressway opened up in July, a month when many of the citizens leave for vacation.
If people left for vacation in July -- implying that they were not traveling to work every day -- traffic should have IMPROVED.
The correct answer choice must clearly explain why traffic along the Interstate has NOT improved.
Eliminate A.

D. The Hillsburgh Gazette reports that police activity along the Interstate Highway has decreased since many police are now patrolling the Metro Expressway.
The decrease in police activity along the Interstate cannot clearly be connected to the amount of traffic along the Interstate.
Eliminate D.

thanks Guru for your reply
i somehow interpreted A very differently

A says:The Metro Expressway opened up in July, a month when many of the citizens leave for vacation----->it appears to me that A is telling us as why more people might have crowded the interstate highway. when more people are leaving for vacation then that process might have made these roads more congested. i somehow feel that it might be a continuous process that might have increased the traffic.

Guru please tell me as what is preventing me to interpret A the way i have done

Also D says: The Hillsburgh Gazette reports that police activity along the Interstate Highway has decreased since many police are now patrolling the Metro Expressway.----->if the police activity has decreased along interstate highway then CAN'T it motivate more people to use that particular highway,after all "less policing" along a road means "less trouble" . i am not doubting the integrity of people of "Hillsburgh and Nansensville" but any normal person would try to avoid more policing on road.
what is preventing me to make this interpretation of D

aditya8062 wrote:thanks Guru for your reply
i somehow interpreted A very differently

A says:The Metro Expressway opened up in July, a month when many of the citizens leave for vacation----->it appears to me that A is telling us as why more people might have crowded the interstate highway. when more people are leaving for vacation then that process might have made these roads more congested. i somehow feel that it might be a continuous process that might have increased the traffic.

Guru please tell me as what is preventing me to interpret A the way i have done

This line of reasoning defies common sense.
Once people have LEFT for vacation, they stop contributing to daily traffic congestion.
The result will be FEWER drivers on the road.
Imagine the following:
Question: Why is the Interstate still congested?
Answer: Because many citizens have left for vacation.
The answer above is illogical.

Also D says: The Hillsburgh Gazette reports that police activity along the Interstate Highway has decreased since many police are now patrolling the Metro Expressway.----->if the police activity has decreased along interstate highway then CAN'T it motivate more people to use that particular highway,after all "less policing" along a road means "less trouble" . i am not doubting the integrity of people of "Hillsburgh and Nansensville" but any normal person would try to avoid more policing on road.
what is preventing me to make this interpretation of D

You are suggesting that a normal driver would prefer a HIGHLY CONGESTED road to a NEW road simply because the highly congested road has less police activity.
For this line of reasoning to be valid, it would have to be common knowledge that police activity concerns the average driver far more than does daily traffic congestion.