PrepTest 127, Section 2, Question 18
Some credit card companies allow cardholders to skip(41 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(13 more words not shown)
- AAlthough insecticides are(33 more words not shown)
- BIncreasing the base(26 more words not shown)
- CIt is unwise(38 more words not shown)
- DIt is better(41 more words not shown)
- ESports cars are(31 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Skipping credit-card payments for a few months sounds like immediate relief. But what comes with that permission? If finance charges keep accumulating, postponing payment doesn't make the cost disappear. It can leave the cardholder with a much larger bill later.
The argument says skipping is almost never in the cardholder's interest. 'Almost' leaves room for unusual circumstances in which the immediate relief might matter more. We don't need to treat the claim as an absolute ban to understand its reasoning.
The principle is about the cost of putting an obligation off. Imagine avoiding a $10 expense today only to face a $50 expense later because of the delay. Those are illustrative numbers, not a claim about any particular card. The short-term relief can be outweighed by the extra long-term cost.
What we’re looking for
We need another argument using that principle. Look for a tempting immediate benefit, an expense or obligation deferred, and a recommendation against the deferral because it makes the eventual cost greater. A choice merely weighing some benefit against some harm won't necessarily match.
Working the answers
- A
Killing beneficial insects is a downside of using insecticide, but it isn't a larger future expense caused by postponing an existing obligation. The argument weighs effects occurring with the treatment. It lacks the delay that connects the cardholder's temporary relief to the later cost.
- B
This accepts a larger payroll expense because higher salaries make recruitment easier. It favors paying more for a benefit; it doesn't warn against delaying a cost because that delay makes the eventual bill worse.
- CCorrect
Using maintenance money for new roads provides the immediate benefit, much as skipping payments provides immediate relief. The maintenance is deferred, just as the card payments are. The neglected maintenance then becomes more expensive in the long run, paralleling the accumulated finance charges. Both arguments advise against the attractive short-term choice because it increases the later cost.
- D
This does compare an initial cost with a possible greater long-term cost, so it deserves a close look. But it favors the cheaper initial purchase despite the used equipment's potentially higher eventual cost. The original goes the other way: it advises against the short-term saving because of the greater later cost. The difference is the priority given to those costs, not simply that this choice recommends doing something.
- E
The thrill of driving a sports car is weighed against limited cargo capacity. That is a benefit-versus-drawback comparison, but there is no deferred obligation becoming more costly because it was delayed. It doesn't illustrate the principle about postponement.
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