Critical Reasoning

Nalmed Province's plan is to reduce highway congestion by expanding the commuter rail system, so giving more people the option of traveling by train. When a recent opinion poll presented this plan to province residents, they overwhelmingly favored it, even though they knew that enacting the plan would mean substantial tax increases. Consequently, the plan, if enacted, is very likely to succeed, because if people are prepared to pay, they expect to reap the benefit.

The inference made from the poll results is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that

it overlooks the possibility that once the highways are consistently uncongested, some commuters might have no motivation to switch from using their car to using the rail system

the favorable responses collected are entirely consistent with every one of those respondents expecting that it would be others who, by using the rail system, would ease highway congestion

those respondents who opposed the plan might nevertheless become users of the rail system as a result of its expansion

those respondents who opposed the plan might oppose it for reasons other than the tax increase required to carry it out

residents responding to the poll are likely to overestimate the tax increase they themselves will experience if the proposed expansion occurs