Question

A provincial government plans to raise the gasoline tax to give people an incentive to drive less reducing traffic congestion in the long term. However, skeptics point out that most people in the province live in areas where cars are the only viable transportation to jobs and stores, and therefore cannot greatly change their driving habits in response to higher gasoline prices.

In light of the skeptics objection which of the following if true would most logically support the prediction that the governments plan will achieve its goal of reducing traffic congestion?

• A. The revenue from the tax will be used to make public transportation a viable means of transportation to jobs and stores for far more people.
• B. The tax will encourage many residents to switch to more fuel-efficient cars reducing air pollution and other problems.
• C. Because gasoline has been underpriced for decades the province has many neighborhoods where cars are the only viable means of transportation.
• D. Most residents who cannot greatly change their driving habits could compensate for high gasoline prices by reducing other expenses.
• E. Traffic congestion is an especially serious problem for people for whom cars are the only viable means of transportation.

Answer 1

The correct option is A The revenue from the tax will be used to make public transportation a viable means of transportation to jobs and stores for far more people.

In the given question, the critics are pointing out that raising the gasoline tax has a big problem: most people have no other way to get to jobs and stores without driving. In order to strengthen the government's proposal, and that it will be a success, we need to find a way to overcome the obstacle of cars being the only mode of commute. In this context, option B and E do not seem to fit as option B does not address the problem of traffic congestion and even though option E seem to be on the side of the government , however, it seems to address the wrong issue: it reinforces that traffic is bad without actually suggesting a way to reduce traffic. Both, C and D, do the actual opposite of what is asked in the question. Both these options do no provide alternatives to reduce traffic. Thus, option A best befits the context.