Studies have shown that an automobile that runs on a blend of 85%
ethanol/15% gasoline gets better mileage than an otherwise similar car
equipped with a gasoline engine. Many American legislators have concluded
that an increase in tax incentives for ethanol production would lessen our
dependence on foreign oil. Which of the following, if true, casts the most
doubt upon the validity of the legislators’ conclusion?
• It takes 1.5 gallons of oil to produce 1 gallon of ethanol.
• Electric cars are cheaper to operate than cars running on the ethanol fuel
mix.
• It costs thousands of dollars to retrofit an automobile to run on the ethanol
fuel mix.
• The ethanol/gasoline blend emits more pollution that regular gasoline.
• The ethanol/gasoline blend has not been widely adopted in Europe.
ethanol/15% gasoline gets better mileage than an otherwise similar car
equipped with a gasoline engine. Many American legislators have concluded
that an increase in tax incentives for ethanol production would lessen our
dependence on foreign oil. Which of the following, if true, casts the most
doubt upon the validity of the legislators’ conclusion?
• It takes 1.5 gallons of oil to produce 1 gallon of ethanol.
• Electric cars are cheaper to operate than cars running on the ethanol fuel
mix.
• It costs thousands of dollars to retrofit an automobile to run on the ethanol
fuel mix.
• The ethanol/gasoline blend emits more pollution that regular gasoline.
• The ethanol/gasoline blend has not been widely adopted in Europe.
