PrepTest 124, Section 2, Question 26
Editorialist: Some people argue that highway speed limits(71 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(8 more words not shown)
- ASome drivers who(17 more words not shown)
- BUniformity of speeds(15 more words not shown)
- CMost drivers who(18 more words not shown)
- DSome drivers who(10 more words not shown)
- EMost drivers who(17 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Would a higher average speed necessarily make the highway less safe?
My first worry about raising the limit would be that current speeders might simply go even faster. But read what the editorialist actually gives us: most current speeders would obey the higher limits, while almost all drivers who obey today's limits would speed up. We need to evaluate that proposed change, not replace it with our own story about everyone speeding more.
The argument then treats the higher average as enough to establish a large loss of safety. Could something else change in a helpful way? Perhaps drivers would pay more attention at the higher speed. That's one possibility to investigate, not something we know.
What we’re looking for
For the weaken question, I'd look for a safety benefit or another reason that a higher average needn't produce the predicted harm. We can accept that the average rises while questioning what that means for safety.
Working the answers
- A
A few rule-following drivers keeping their old speeds is compatible with the claim that almost all would increase them. The editorialist hasn't promised that every driver will speed up. This small exception doesn't establish that the average won't rise or that the predicted safety problem is mistaken.
- BCorrect
This gives us another safety factor: how similar the vehicles' speeds are. Under the editorialist's account, many slower, rule-following drivers would speed up while most current speeders would stay within the new limits. That gives us a reason to expect the two groups' speeds to become more similar.
If similarity matters more for safety than a low average does, the editorialist has left out a potentially important benefit. Drivers moving at more similar speeds may have less need to pass or overtake one another. We don't need everyone to travel at exactly the same speed, or a guarantee that the change makes the road safer. B undermines the inference that the higher average establishes a large safety loss.
- C
Most fast drivers never having had an accident doesn't show that faster driving adds little risk. Imagine the accident rate rising from 5 percent to 10 percent. Most drivers would still avoid accidents, even though the rate had doubled. C also doesn't tell us how the policy change would affect the drivers who currently obey the limit.
- D
The argument says most current speeders would obey higher limits, which leaves room for some not to. Identifying an exception doesn't refute that claim. Continued speeding also gives no clear reason to expect greater safety; it could add to the editorialist's concern.
- E
Believing a speed is safe doesn't make it safe. A driver could sincerely choose a speed based on personal judgment and still judge badly. We need information about the safety consequences of raising the limits, not merely the reasoning drivers use to choose their speeds.
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