There is only one major road, Freeway Z, that links County X and County Y. The border of the two counties is primarily defined by a mountain range, over which the construction of new roads is severely restricted by environmental laws. A cost-effective solution to the problem of traffic congestion on Freeway Z is to build a commuter train tunnel through the mountain range. The successful implementation of this plan would cost far less than expanding the existing freeway and would also reduce the number of cars clogging the roads in both counties.
Which of the following, if true, could proponents of the plan above most appropriately cite as a piece of evidence for the soundness of their plan?
A. An effective commuter train tunnel between the counties would require major investment in mass transit within both counties.
B. The majority of all vehicles on the nation's freeways are traveling from one state to another.
C. 60% of the cars on Freeway Z are driven by people who live in County Y and work in County X.
D. Many new freeways are being built in areas that are presently served by commuter trains.
E. A large proportion of the vehicles on Freeway Z are commercial trucks carrying transcontinental shipments.
OA : C
I don't understand why can't B be correct. If majority of the vehicles on the freeway are travelling between two states, introduction of trains between those two states would reduce traffic. Experts Pls explain this?
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Freeway Z
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vivekvijayan
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HI vivekvijayan,
This question asks us (in a rather wordy way) to strengthen the plan that is described in the prompt. We need to understand the details behind the plan and the ultimate purpose of the plan.
The Facts:
-Freeway Z is the ONLY major road that links COUNTY X and COUNTY Y.
-The border between County X and County Y is most mountains; construction of new roads would be severely restricted by laws.
-A cost-effective solution to the TRAFFIC CONGESTION on Freeway Z is to built a commuter train through the mountain.
Conclusion:
-The successful implantation (of building the commuter train) would COST FAR LESS than expanding the freeway and would REDUCE THE NUMBER of cars clogging roads in both counties.
The Logic/Plan:
The primary problem that this plan is meant to fix is the CONGESTION (re: too many cars on the freeway between the two counties). The mountains restrict the number of possible solutions to this problem, so the proponents argue for the idea to build a commuter train - it's CHEAPER than trying to widen the freeway and should cut down on the TRAFFIC CONGESTION. Since those two points are the ones that the argument mentions, we're looking for an answer that confirms the cheaper cost and/or the congestion.
Answer C confirms the congestion by focusing on the workers who go from one County to the other . In theory, those same workers could take the commuter train instead of the freeway; if enough people took the train, the congestion would likely decrease. Answer B talks about vehicles traveling from one STATE to ANOTHER, which does not have anything to do with this argument (which focuses on one COUNTY to another).
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
This question asks us (in a rather wordy way) to strengthen the plan that is described in the prompt. We need to understand the details behind the plan and the ultimate purpose of the plan.
The Facts:
-Freeway Z is the ONLY major road that links COUNTY X and COUNTY Y.
-The border between County X and County Y is most mountains; construction of new roads would be severely restricted by laws.
-A cost-effective solution to the TRAFFIC CONGESTION on Freeway Z is to built a commuter train through the mountain.
Conclusion:
-The successful implantation (of building the commuter train) would COST FAR LESS than expanding the freeway and would REDUCE THE NUMBER of cars clogging roads in both counties.
The Logic/Plan:
The primary problem that this plan is meant to fix is the CONGESTION (re: too many cars on the freeway between the two counties). The mountains restrict the number of possible solutions to this problem, so the proponents argue for the idea to build a commuter train - it's CHEAPER than trying to widen the freeway and should cut down on the TRAFFIC CONGESTION. Since those two points are the ones that the argument mentions, we're looking for an answer that confirms the cheaper cost and/or the congestion.
Answer C confirms the congestion by focusing on the workers who go from one County to the other . In theory, those same workers could take the commuter train instead of the freeway; if enough people took the train, the congestion would likely decrease. Answer B talks about vehicles traveling from one STATE to ANOTHER, which does not have anything to do with this argument (which focuses on one COUNTY to another).
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
