This is a strengthen question.

The conclusion is "so damage to palitito's buildings from the buses' exhaust will diminish significantly." Why will the damage diminish? Because the city now has parking for 1/3 of the buses and presumably these will no longer be idling at the curb.

We are looking for something that links this evidence of the parking spaces to the conclusion that there will be less damage. A and B discuss threats to the buildings in general when we have a very particular conclusion which is less damage from the buses. D is also beyond what we are discussing.

Answer choice E does not significantly strengthen in part because of the word "some." It says that "some of the tour buses" drive around the city while waiting for the passengers. Okay, how many is some? And, does driving around the city damage the buildings? And now that there are 1/3 of the spaces will these buses use them? This answer choice is not really to the point.

Choice C is better because if tour buses spend less than 1/4 of their time transporting passengers that makes 3/4 of the time spent idling. So this means that if those buses are not at the curb this is a significant cutback in the emissions.

David@VeritasPrep wrote:This is a strengthen question.
Answer choice E does not significantly strengthen in part because of the word "some." It says that "some of the tour buses" drive around the city while waiting for the passengers. Okay, how many is some? And, does driving around the city damage the buildings? And now that there are 1/3 of the spaces will these buses use them? This answer choice is not really to the point.

Choice C is better because if tour buses spend less than 1/4 of their time transporting passengers that makes 3/4 of the time spent idling. So this means that if those buses are not at the curb this is a significant cutback in the emissions.

But the Choice D already says that
E)Some of the tour buses that are unable to find parking drive around palitito while their passengers are visiting a site.
Now since parking space has been made available,shouldnt less buses drive arnd Palatito while the passengers are visiting sites.This would directly reduce the exhaust problems.

Two problems with E.

1) the word "some" this could mean as little as one bus that drives around the city. Some is never a good sign on a strengthen question - it may still be right but not a good sign because it is so weak and indefinite. Some can mean anything from one to all. Some people are billionaires. Some people are human. Each of these is true.

2) you are told in the stimulus "and idling produces as much exhaust as driving." So it does not matter if some people are driving around instead of idling. Same amount of exhaust. Yes it is true they would park instead of driving around but this is not better than parking instead of idling. So this gives us no stronger of an argument than we had without it.

Does that help?

David@VeritasPrep wrote:Two problems with E.

1) the word "some" this could mean as little as one bus that drives around the city. Some is never a good sign on a strengthen question - it may still be right but not a good sign because it is so weak and indefinite. Some can mean anything from one to all. Some people are billionaires. Some people are human. Each of these is true.

2) you are told in the stimulus "and idling produces as much exhaust as driving." So it does not matter if some people are driving around instead of idling. Same amount of exhaust. Yes it is true they would park instead of driving around but this is not better than parking instead of idling. So this gives us no stronger of an argument than we had without it.

Does that help?

Thanks David for the help.
I didnt see answer choice in the light of mosy buses have idled at the curb during each stop on their tour ,and idling prouces as much exhaust as driving.
1) Can a strengthener be a paraphrase of a premise statement or a statement in the stimulus?
2)Do we view the answer choice as NEW INFORMATIOn or do we view it in the light of the stimulus?