PrepTest 107, Section 1, Question 3
There should be a greater use of gasohol.(37 more words not shown)
Each of the following, if(6 more words not shown)
- ACars run less(8 more words not shown)
- BSince less gasoline(13 more words not shown)
- CCars burn on(11 more words not shown)
- DGasohol is cheaper(11 more words not shown)
- EBurning gasoline adds(10 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Gasohol has some advantages. What about the disadvantages?
The author recommends using more of this mixture of alcohol and gasoline. We get a higher octane rating and fewer carbon monoxide emissions than with straight gasoline. Fine, but can cars run well on it? Is it expensive? What about other emissions? A list of benefits doesn't settle every reason for or against using a fuel.
The next sentence addresses carbon dioxide: burning gasohol adds no more than plants remove through photosynthesis. That answers one environmental concern. It still leaves questions about price, production, performance, and other possible harms. Because the conclusion recommends greater use overall, those practical concerns matter. Even a fuel with attractive emissions could be difficult or costly to produce.
What we’re looking for
This is a strengthen EXCEPT question. Four choices will give us a reason to favor greater use; the remaining choice won't. A lower price or better performance could help. We should select the choice that adds no support, whether it's irrelevant or actually gives us a reason to hesitate.
Working the answers
- A
Better performance is a reason to favor gasohol. The wording puts gasoline on the worse side: cars run less well on gasoline than on gasohol. That answers our question about how well the fuel works, so it strengthens the recommendation and isn't the exception.
- B
Making an energy shortage less likely gives us another benefit of using gasohol. The author doesn't have to limit the case to emissions. Reducing reliance on gasoline in a way that helps avoid a shortage supports the broader recommendation to use more gasohol.
- CCorrect
We need slightly more gasohol to travel the same distance. That is a disadvantage: a car goes through more of this fuel per kilometer. It doesn't mean gasohol is worse in every respect, and it doesn't erase the benefits already described. But it gives us a cost to weigh, not another reason to increase its use. That makes it the exception.
- D
This directly addresses the price concern. Gasohol costs less to produce and less to buy at the pump. A cheaper fuel becomes more attractive to producers and drivers, so this supports greater use.
- E
This helps by pointing out a problem with gasoline. Gasoline adds more carbon dioxide than plants can remove, whereas gasohol's contribution stays within the amount removed. That comparison gives us an environmental reason to prefer gasohol. A strengthener can help the proposed option by showing a disadvantage of its alternative.
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