In Country E, car sales have dropped significantly in the past 8 years. During this time, public awareness about the ecology and the serious harm caused by fossil fuel-burning vehicles, amongst other things, has experienced a tremendous increase. This heightened level of public awareness, therefore, is the reason for the drop in car sales.
Which of the following would it be most useful to establish in order to evaluate the argument?
A. Whether there is any opposing evidence showing that vehicles that run on fossil fuels do not influence the ecology to a great extent
B. Whether car sales have decreased in countries with similar population densities to Country E
C. Whether the retail prices of cars, or of fuel, have increased during the past 8 years
D. Whether the public awareness campaigns held in Country E touched on the subject of recycling
E. Whether the fossil fuel-burning vehicles in Country E are manufactured locally or imported.
OA C
Source: Economist Gmat
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In Country E, car sales have dropped significantly in the
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Premise: Sales of cars in country E have dropped significantly in the past 8 years.
Conclusion: The heightened level of public awareness is the reason for the drop in car sales.
Option A - Incorrect:
According to the passage, there is no evidence to show that fossil fuel vehicles do not influence ecology. The public awareness was based on the ecology and serious harm caused by fossil fuel burning vehicles. So, there is no opposing evidence to back this claim.
Option B - Incorrect:
This argument is concerned about country E, and not other countries. Therefore, this claim portrayed in this option is irrelevant.
Option C - Correct:
This option fits in much better in evaluating the argument. Although the drop in car sales in the past 8 years was acknowledged to the awareness about ecology and serious harm caused by fossil fuel-burning cars, it's reasonable for evaluation of this argument to conclude from the statement, that the prices of cars or fuel consumption have increased during the past 8 years because people might have gone for alternatives cars to fossil fuel-burning vehicles. Hence, more expensive to purchase.
Option D - Incorrect:
The public awareness was on ecology and serious harm caused by fossil fuel burning vehicles, and not on the subject of recycling. Hence, this claim is false.
Option E - Incorrect:
We can't know whether the fossil fuel burning vehicles in country E were manufactured locally or imported because there is no basis for such a claim in the passage.
Conclusion: The heightened level of public awareness is the reason for the drop in car sales.
Option A - Incorrect:
According to the passage, there is no evidence to show that fossil fuel vehicles do not influence ecology. The public awareness was based on the ecology and serious harm caused by fossil fuel burning vehicles. So, there is no opposing evidence to back this claim.
Option B - Incorrect:
This argument is concerned about country E, and not other countries. Therefore, this claim portrayed in this option is irrelevant.
Option C - Correct:
This option fits in much better in evaluating the argument. Although the drop in car sales in the past 8 years was acknowledged to the awareness about ecology and serious harm caused by fossil fuel-burning cars, it's reasonable for evaluation of this argument to conclude from the statement, that the prices of cars or fuel consumption have increased during the past 8 years because people might have gone for alternatives cars to fossil fuel-burning vehicles. Hence, more expensive to purchase.
Option D - Incorrect:
The public awareness was on ecology and serious harm caused by fossil fuel burning vehicles, and not on the subject of recycling. Hence, this claim is false.
Option E - Incorrect:
We can't know whether the fossil fuel burning vehicles in country E were manufactured locally or imported because there is no basis for such a claim in the passage.
