PrepTest 150, Section 3, Question 3
Taxi driver: My passengers complained when, on a(51 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- AA taxi driver(19 more words not shown)
- BA taxi driver(20 more words not shown)
- CA taxi driver(13 more words not shown)
- DA taxi driver(14 more words not shown)
- EA taxi driver's(17 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Saving fuel is one consideration. Is it the one that should decide this?
I can understand why the passengers complained: it's a hot day, and the driver turned off the air conditioner. My first thought is that perhaps the engine can't handle the hill with the air conditioner running. But the driver explicitly rules that out. The engine can do both without slowing. The problem is the extra fuel it would use.
That leaves a choice between fuel economy and passenger comfort. Even if the driver cares mainly about money, saving fuel now might cost money later if uncomfortable customers choose another taxi next time. That's a possibility to consider, not a prediction that every unhappy passenger will leave.
What we’re looking for
We're asked to support the driver's decision, though. I'd look for a principle that gives protecting fuel economy priority in this situation. The driver has given a reason to dislike running the air conditioner; we need a rule that turns that reason into a justification for switching it off.
Working the answers
- A
Maintaining speed isn't the problem. The driver says the engine can climb the hill and run the air conditioner without slowing. A rule against running it when consistent speed is difficult doesn't apply to the reason given for this decision.
- BCorrect
This makes maintaining normal fuel economy a requirement for running the air conditioner. Running it while climbing the hill would substantially reduce fuel economy, so the rule tells the driver not to run it in these circumstances. B gives the fuel concern the priority the argument needs. We don't have to agree with that priority to see how the principle supports the conclusion.
- C
Balancing the two concerns leaves the decision open. It could mean tolerating the additional fuel use because passenger comfort matters more on a hot day. Or it could favor switching the air conditioner off. Without a rule about how to weigh the concerns here, C doesn't establish that this particular tradeoff was the right one.
- D
The passengers complained about losing the air conditioning. A principle putting customer satisfaction first points toward keeping them comfortable, rather than sacrificing their comfort for fuel economy. This doesn't justify the driver's stated priority.
- E
This makes the absence of complaints a requirement for an acceptable short interruption. But the passengers did complain. If this was a short interruption of the kind E describes, the rule would count against the driver's decision. We aren't told its duration, so we shouldn't claim E governs every possible interruption; either way, it supplies no support for turning the air conditioner off here.
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