PrepTest 146, Section 2, Question 6
Astronomer: This country's space agency is currently building(51 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(11 more words not shown)
- AA government agency(25 more words not shown)
- BIf more than(18 more words not shown)
- CIf it becomes(23 more words not shown)
- DOne should not(18 more words not shown)
- EIn determining which(21 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Spending money already doesn't settle whether we should spend more. If a telescope has cost $10 billion and needs only another $10 to finish, completing it sounds attractive. But suppose it has cost $6 billion and still needs $4 billion. That's less than we've already spent, but it's still a huge additional expense. Can we afford it, and is the finished telescope worth it?
The astronomer focuses on avoiding waste of the earlier investment. I can see the concern, but canceling an expensive project might sometimes prevent an even bigger loss. The amount spent is not, by itself, a reason to commit whatever remains.
What we’re looking for
We're being asked to support the astronomer's reasoning, though. A 'finish what you've started' principle would do that. Look for a rule that connects the investment already made with a recommendation to complete the telescope.
Working the answers
- A
This compares spending on the telescope with the agency's entire budget. We aren't told that relationship. The telescope might account for a tiny share of the agency's spending or a very large one. Knowing that the project has cost more than it will cost to finish doesn't tell us whether the exception in A applies.
- BCorrect
We've already spent more than the remaining cost, so more than half of the total cost has been spent. For example, $6 billion already spent and $4 billion left would mean spending 60 percent of the $10 billion total. B says that a project in that situation should be completed.
This is a more specific version of the finish-what-you-started rule I was looking for. The stated spending comparison satisfies its condition, and its recommendation is exactly the astronomer's conclusion. We're comparing money spent with total cost, not claiming that more than half of the physical work is necessarily finished.
- C
'Way over budget' doesn't tell us that the final cost will exceed twice the original budget. More importantly, C recommends cancellation in that situation. We are trying to justify the astronomer's recommendation to continue, so a rule directing cancellation doesn't help.
- D
This captures the objection we raised while reading: a considerable past investment doesn't, by itself, justify additional spending. That challenges the astronomer's reasoning. It is a relevant criticism, but the question asks for a supporting principle.
- E
This introduces a different basis for choosing projects: their prospects for important discoveries. We don't know how the telescope compares with other projects on that measure. The astronomer's stated reason concerns spending already committed, and E doesn't make that reason support completion.
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