PrepTest 105, Section 4, Question 25
Some residents of Midville claim that Midville is(69 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(7 more words not shown)
- AMidville is generally(10 more words not shown)
- BSome of the(10 more words not shown)
- CServices funded by(14 more words not shown)
- DSome residents of(11 more words not shown)
- EMost of the(13 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Higher taxes are a real expense. Giving residents more services doesn't automatically make that expense disappear. First-class airfare can include more benefits and still cost more than a coach ticket.
But the author adds something beyond "you get more." Residents of nearby towns pay separately for trash removal and face higher housing and transportation costs. Midville's taxes fund services and assistance that could reduce those other bills. Now I can see the intended comparison: add up the costs of living in each place instead of looking only at the tax rate.
Does that prove the totals come out even? We haven't seen the numbers. Perhaps the savings offset the higher taxes; perhaps they don't. We could also wonder how efficiently Midville supplies the services. Those are fair questions about the evidence, but the author's position is clear.
What we’re looking for
We're asked for the main point. Return to the opening disagreement: some residents say Midville is generally more expensive, and the author says they're mistaken. The examples about services are reasons offered for that rejection. We want the claim they support, whether or not the support fully convinces us.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
Midville is generally no more expensive to live in than nearby towns. This captures the author's rejection of the residents' claim. The taxes are higher, but the author points to other costs that are lower.
We don't need to verify the author's arithmetic to identify the conclusion. Also, “no more expensive” allows Midville to cost the same or less. The argument need not claim that every resident's expenses are identical across the towns.
- B
Thinking a town is expensive isn't the same as thinking its taxes are too high. A resident might value the services and willingly pay the taxes while still believing that living there costs more. In any event, B describes a residents' attitude, not the author's main response to it.
- C
The argument doesn't make a general claim that municipal services cost less than privately funded ones. It compares the overall costs of particular towns. Even if public and private services cost the same to provide, counting both tax bills and separate bills would still be necessary for that comparison.
- D
Ignoring services when comparing expenses doesn't establish that residents don't know those services exist. They could know about them and fail to account for the savings. More importantly, the author's point goes beyond what residents notice: their conclusion about Midville's relative expense is mistaken.
- E
We aren't told how many residents use each service, much less that most residents use all of them. Rent assistance, for example, could serve only a small group. E adds an unsupported claim about use and leaves out the conclusion about the overall cost of living.
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