PrepTest 143, Section 3, Question 2
While sales of other highly fuel-efficient automobiles are(59 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(7 more words not shown)
- AThe Hydro is(7 more words not shown)
- BThe Hydro is(12 more words not shown)
- CThe Hydro has(7 more words not shown)
- DHydro buyers are(9 more words not shown)
- EHydro buyers have(12 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Wouldn't another fuel-efficient car impress the neighbors too?
The Hydro's sales are rising while its competitors' sales fall. At first, I'd wonder whether it is cheaper or looks better. The manufacturer points to price and fuel efficiency, but competing cars are comparable on both. Those features don't explain what makes the Hydro stand out.
The author offers a different explanation: people buy it to look environmentally conscious. Fine, but apply the same question to that story. What makes the Hydro different? If the neighbors see every competing car as equally environmentally friendly, wanting to impress them still doesn't explain choosing this one.
What we’re looking for
For the required assumption, I want a reason the Hydro sends a distinctive message. The argument needs the neighbors to recognize something environmentally friendly about it that they don't recognize in the competing cars.
Working the answers
- A
Rising sales do not mean the Hydro is the most popular car in its category. Imagine its market share growing from 1 percent to 3 percent while a competitor still has 40 percent. Its success would still need an explanation, and the author's proposed explanation could work without making it the market leader.
- BCorrect
The Hydro is recognizable as environmentally friendly in a way its competitors are not. That supplies the distinction the argument needs. If buyers want their neighbors to notice their environmental concern, the Hydro's distinctive appearance or reputation could give them a reason to choose it over another equally efficient car. Without that difference in recognition, the proposed motive faces the same problem as the manufacturer's explanation: it doesn't distinguish the Hydro.
- C
A better safety record could give someone another reason to buy the car. But the author doesn't need that reason to explain purchases motivated by appearances. The environmental-image explanation could work even if the Hydro were no safer than its competitors.
- D
My neighbors don't have to own a Hydro to recognize one. They could drive entirely different cars and still see my purchase as environmentally conscious. Their owning the same car isn't required for the impression the author describes.
- E
Wanting to look environmentally conscious doesn't mean caring less about the environment. A buyer might care deeply about environmental causes and also enjoy having the neighbors notice. Those motives can coexist. The argument doesn't require Hydro buyers to care less than other buyers.
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