Multiple choice

Directions: For this question, select the best of the answer choices given.

It would cost Rosetown one million dollars to repair all of its roads. In the year after completion of those repairs, however, Rosetown would thereby avoid incurring three million dollars worth of damages, since currently Rosetown pays that amount annually in compensation for damage done to cars each year by its unrepaired roads. Which of the following, if true, gives the strongest support to the argument above?

  1. Communities bordering on Rosetown also pay compensation for damage done to cars by their unrepaired roads.

  2. After any Rosetown road has been repaired several years will elapse before that road begins to damage cars.

  3. Rosetown would need to raise additional taxes if it were to spend one million dollars in one year on road repairs.

  4. The degree of damage caused to Rosetown's roads by harsh weather can vary widely from year to year.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The argument claims that road repairs will save $3 million annually in damages compared to the $1 million repair cost. However, if roads immediately begin damaging cars after repair, the savings calculation changes dramatically. Option B states that repaired roads remain safe for several years before damaging cars again, which means the $3 million in annual damages would truly be avoided for multiple years, making the $1 million investment genuinely cost-effective. This directly strengthens the argument's economic reasoning.

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