- Tue May 10, 2016 5:56 pm
#24356
Complete Question Explanation
Parallel Reasoning. The correct answer choice is (E)
The unusual format of this double-stimulus is actually similar enough to many other questions, which present the situation and analysis in a single paragraph.
The situation is that the government taxes gasoline heavily to reduce driving, and then uses the tax revenue to reduce the prices charged for electricity.
The analysis is that when greater success is achieved in reducing driving, less success will be achieved in reducing the prices charged for electricity.
In general, there is a trade-off in how well the tax can accomplish the goals. If the tax succeeds at the goal of discouraging driving, the tax will provide less money for electricity subsidy. Since you are asked to parallel the situation, you should look for a situation in which there is similarly a trade-off in how well a method can accomplish two goals.
Answer choice (A): The goals are to discourage lateness and remind clients who are late to return their books. Even if the fees do virtually eliminate lateness, that should not much diminish the library’s ability to send reminders using the fees, since now far fewer people need to be reminded. This plan does not involve a necessary trade-off, so this choice is wrong.
Answer choice (B): The goals are to discourage use of overnight delivery and to pay for the cost of overnight delivery. Even if the surcharges do virtually eliminate overnight deliveries, each customer that still wants overnight delivery will have to pay the surcharge (which covers delivery cost), so there is no trade-off between the goals, and this choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (C): This situation does not involve a clear trade-off. Though there are many reasons to discard this choice, one of the simplest is that the management seems to decide that since low fees will not pay for both upkeep and new projects, the management will not engage in new projects. That involves admittedly discarding the potential goal of new projects in favor of the goal of keeping fees low, which is dissimilar to the stimulus.
Answer choice (D): The goals are customer convenience and employee wage-augmentation. The restaurant uses a multi-stepped method of automatic tipping and tip-sharing. The goals are compatible, and since this method includes more steps than the one in the stimulus, so this choice is wrong.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. The toll is used with the goal of discouraging bridge use and raising money for a new bridge. As does the stimulus, that involves a trade-off between goals, because if people stop using the old bridge, the toll will no longer provide much funding for the new bridge.
Parallel Reasoning. The correct answer choice is (E)
The unusual format of this double-stimulus is actually similar enough to many other questions, which present the situation and analysis in a single paragraph.
The situation is that the government taxes gasoline heavily to reduce driving, and then uses the tax revenue to reduce the prices charged for electricity.
The analysis is that when greater success is achieved in reducing driving, less success will be achieved in reducing the prices charged for electricity.
In general, there is a trade-off in how well the tax can accomplish the goals. If the tax succeeds at the goal of discouraging driving, the tax will provide less money for electricity subsidy. Since you are asked to parallel the situation, you should look for a situation in which there is similarly a trade-off in how well a method can accomplish two goals.
Answer choice (A): The goals are to discourage lateness and remind clients who are late to return their books. Even if the fees do virtually eliminate lateness, that should not much diminish the library’s ability to send reminders using the fees, since now far fewer people need to be reminded. This plan does not involve a necessary trade-off, so this choice is wrong.
Answer choice (B): The goals are to discourage use of overnight delivery and to pay for the cost of overnight delivery. Even if the surcharges do virtually eliminate overnight deliveries, each customer that still wants overnight delivery will have to pay the surcharge (which covers delivery cost), so there is no trade-off between the goals, and this choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (C): This situation does not involve a clear trade-off. Though there are many reasons to discard this choice, one of the simplest is that the management seems to decide that since low fees will not pay for both upkeep and new projects, the management will not engage in new projects. That involves admittedly discarding the potential goal of new projects in favor of the goal of keeping fees low, which is dissimilar to the stimulus.
Answer choice (D): The goals are customer convenience and employee wage-augmentation. The restaurant uses a multi-stepped method of automatic tipping and tip-sharing. The goals are compatible, and since this method includes more steps than the one in the stimulus, so this choice is wrong.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. The toll is used with the goal of discouraging bridge use and raising money for a new bridge. As does the stimulus, that involves a trade-off between goals, because if people stop using the old bridge, the toll will no longer provide much funding for the new bridge.
