PrepTest 148, Section 1, Question 16
Airport administrator: According to the latest figures, less(86 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(10 more words not shown)
- AThe argument presumes,(17 more words not shown)
- BThe argument overlooks(16 more words not shown)
- CThe argument questions(15 more words not shown)
- DThe argument presumes,(18 more words not shown)
- EThe argument infers(16 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Would pilots always report their own mistakes? A thorough review of their reports won't give us the right number if the reports leave mistakes out.
What we’re looking for
One flight in two million sounds reassuring, although even a rare landing error can have serious consequences. The administrator says that rate is low enough to permit closer runways. But before relying on it, we need a reason to trust it. The competing estimate comes from only a partial review of air traffic control tapes. That may raise questions about how well the sample represents all flights. It doesn't automatically make the pilots' accounts more reliable. A pilot who nearly veered into trouble might not want to put that mistake in writing. For the flaw, we can question that source without establishing that the higher estimate is correct.
Working the answers
- A
The administrator never says closer runways will make pilots more careful. The argument is that off-course landings are already rare enough to permit closer runways. It doesn't depend on a further improvement in pilot behavior.
- BCorrect
The pilots are reporting on their own performance. If some omit their mistakes, even a thorough study of all their reports could seriously undercount off-course landings. This doesn't prove the pilots lied or establish the true rate. It identifies a reason the supposedly stronger source might be unreliable.
- C
Criticizing the basis of someone's estimate is different from attacking that person's integrity. The administrator questions the coverage of the tape review, not the honesty or character of the opponents.
- D
A partial collection of tapes could give perfectly accurate information about every flight it covers. The question would be whether those flights provide a reliable picture of all flights. The administrator's objection concerns the limited review, not necessarily the accuracy of a tape about a specific landing.
- E
The administrator calls the higher estimate relatively unreliable; that isn't the same as claiming it must be false. There is also a stated reason for the criticism: the review was partial. The more direct problem is accepting the pilots' reports without considering their own potential for missing information.
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