PrepTest 144, Section 2, Question 17
City leader: If our city adopts the new(61 more words not shown)
The city leader's statements, if(11 more words not shown)
- AThe city should(8 more words not shown)
- BIn general, it(20 more words not shown)
- CThe city cannot(24 more words not shown)
- DIt would be(10 more words not shown)
- EThe only way(9 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
An extra $2 billion in tourist spending sounds useful. But what would the plan cost? A big benefit alone wouldn't make a plan reasonable if achieving it cost far too much.
The city leader then gives us a comparison that addresses that concern. Paying to attract an automobile plant would be reasonable, and the tourism plan would cost less while creating just as many jobs. Notice what is equal: the number of jobs. We're not told that the two plans bring in the same amount of money.
What we’re looking for
That supports a modest conclusion: adopting the tourism plan would be reasonable too. We don't need to call it the best possible plan. The question asks what the statements most support, and the cheaper way to get the same number of jobs has a clear basis in the comparison.
Working the answers
- A
We aren't told to choose the least expensive measure available. There could be another cheap measure that creates hardly any jobs. The passage compares two particular options with equal job creation; it doesn't make low cost the only rule for every decision.
- B
One reasonable proposal to attract an automobile plant doesn't establish a general policy for manufacturing plants. Other proposed plants could have different costs and benefits. B extends the judgment beyond the particular comparison the city leader gives us.
- C
We know which plan costs less, not how much money the city has available. It might be able to afford both. The comparison doesn't establish a budget limit that forces the city to choose one or the other.
- DCorrect
The automobile-plant proposal is reasonable, and the tourism proposal would create as many jobs for less money. That gives us support for regarding the tourism plan as reasonable as well. D stays with the particular plan and the limited judgment supported by the comparison.
- E
The passage itself gives us another way to create jobs: attracting an automobile plant. Nothing says tourism is the only route. Supporting this plan doesn't require excluding all other job-creation measures.
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