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Summer -- Winter

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by gmatblood » Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:52 pm
State X spends more money on highway safety and maintenance during the summer months when traffic is heaviest and less during the winter months when traffic is lightest. Therefore, the average number of highway accidents per car should be lower during summer months than during the winter when less money is available for safety and maintenance.

Which of the following, if true, casts the most serious doubt on the conclusion drawn above?


(A) The price of gas rises during the heaviest traffic season.
(B) Traffic congestion significantly increases the likelihood of accidents resulting from road rage or inattention.
(C) Routine road maintenance projects completed during the summer months make roads and highways safer during rain and snow storms year around.
(D) Insurance companies reduce auto insurance premiums if drivers successfully pass safety training courses.
(E) Highway lane lines are repainted every year in state X resulting in safer nighttime driving conditions year around.

OA, after sometime
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Source: — Critical Reasoning |

by mir.yahya » Sat Nov 05, 2011 2:04 pm
Option B for sure
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by gmatblood » Sat Nov 05, 2011 2:09 pm
mir.yahya wrote:Option B for sure
I know that its not for sure :)
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by mir.yahya » Sat Nov 05, 2011 2:24 pm
Right. My bad. Its either Option C or E
IMO Option E

Excellent choice of questions. I look forward to trying more from your side :)[/spoiler]
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by patanjali.purpose » Sat Nov 05, 2011 3:12 pm
gmatblood wrote:State X spends more money on highway safety and maintenance during the summer months when traffic is heaviest and less during the winter months when traffic is lightest. Therefore, the average number of highway accidents per car should be lower during summer months than during the winter when less money is available for safety and maintenance.

Which of the following, if true, casts the most serious doubt on the conclusion drawn above?


(A) The price of gas rises during the heaviest traffic season.
(B) Traffic congestion significantly increases the likelihood of accidents resulting from road rage or inattention.
(C) Routine road maintenance projects completed during the summer months make roads and highways safer during rain and snow storms year around.
(D) Insurance companies reduce auto insurance premiums if drivers successfully pass safety training courses.
(E) Highway lane lines are repainted every year in state X resulting in safer nighttime driving conditions year around.

OA, after sometime
More money in summer maintenance means less avg accident per car. It depends on 2 assumptions:
1) expenditure in summer is meant for summer only
2) More money spent means more money per car

C reflects assumptions 1 - if summer expense is menat for other season then we cannot say for sure that avg accident per car will be less than summer.

A - has no impact on conculsion
B - no impact on accident in summer/winter
D - no impact on accident in summer/winter
E - nighttime repair has no no impact on accident in summer/winter

IMO C
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by user123321 » Sat Nov 05, 2011 8:28 pm
gmatblood wrote:State X spends more money on highway safety and maintenance during the summer months when traffic is heaviest and less during the winter months when traffic is lightest. Therefore, the average number of highway accidents per car should be lower during summer months than during the winter when less money is available for safety and maintenance.

Which of the following, if true, casts the most serious doubt on the conclusion drawn above?


(A) The price of gas rises during the heaviest traffic season.
(B) Traffic congestion significantly increases the likelihood of accidents resulting from road rage or inattention.
(C) Routine road maintenance projects completed during the summer months make roads and highways safer during rain and snow storms year around.
(D) Insurance companies reduce auto insurance premiums if drivers successfully pass safety training courses.
(E) Highway lane lines are repainted every year in state X resulting in safer nighttime driving conditions year around.

OA, after sometime
IMO C

The money being spent is summer not getting utilized for highway safety for summer traffic but to make roads prepared for rain and snowstorms. So conclusion gets weakened.

user123321
Just started my preparation :D
Want to do it right the first time.
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by ranjeet75 » Sat Nov 05, 2011 9:13 pm
This is a weaken question.

B & C both weakens.

B - In summer when the traffic is heaviest the traffic congestion is high and therefore the likelihood of accidents is high. But the choice tells that the likelihood is high due to road rage or inattention and therefore it is not related with "safety & maintenance".

C - Road maintenance is done in summer and the roads are prepared for safe driving during rain & winter. Therefore, the cost is high in summer as maintenance is done but road is better in winter.

So, Option C should be the answer.
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