Editorialist: Some people argue that

Answer choices

1. A

   No Impact Too Weak: Some11% picked this

   Some drivers who obey current speed limits would not change their speed after the introduction of

   This doesn't push back against anything the author said or thought. The author said that almost all all rule-following drivers who currently obey the limit will increase their speed. So she is already allowing for what this answer choice is saying. It's a very weak (and therefore unlikely-to-be-correct) idea that "at least one rule-follower will not increase their speed".

   11%
2. B

   Correct63% picked this

   Uniformity of speeds among vehicles is more important for highway safety than is a low

   Why this is right

   This helps us make a very salient comparison between Current World and Plan World. In Current World, we have a lower average highway speed (a bunch of rule-following 55mph folk and a bunch of rule-breaking 70mph folk, for an average somewhere in the 62mph range). In Plan World, with a 70mph limit, the rule-followers and the (former) rule-breakers will be going 70mph, for an average somewhere in the 70mph range. But, in Plan World, there is greater uniformity of speeds among vehicles, since people are all going closer to 70mph. In Current World, the 70mph speeders are going much faster than the 55mph slowpokes, and so there is more irregularity to cars' speeds, and that weaving of fast cars past slower cars is creating hazardous situations. According to this answer, Plan World's higher uniformity of speed will outweigh Current World's lower average speed in terms of achieving highway safety. If Plan World seems safer than Current World, then we're pushing back against the author's conclusion that "in plan world, it would greatly decrease highway safety".

   Skill tested: Weaken · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   63%
3. C

   No Impact9% picked this

   Most drivers who drive 10 to 20 percent faster than current speed limits have never been involved

   Since the "speeders", the ones currently going 70 in a 55, who will then go 70 in a 70mph zone if the new limit goes into effect, are driving the same speed in both Plan World and Current World. Since their behavior isn't changing in this hypothetical world, we don't really get any value of learning about them (unless we're told that their behavior would change somehow in Plan World).

   9%
4. D

   No Impact Too Weak: Some6% picked this

   Some drivers who violate current speed limits would also violate higher

   This doesn't push back against anything the author said or thought. The author said that most drivers who currently speed over the limit will obey the new speed limit. So by using that quantifier, she is already allowing for what this answer choice is saying. It's a very weak (and therefore unlikely-to-be-correct) idea that "at least one current speeder will end up also speeding over the new, faster limit".

   6%
5. E

   Unclear Impact11% picked this

   Most drivers who violate current speed limits determine their speeds by what they believe to be

   The speeders (the ones who currently break the 55mph limit but most of whom would obey the higher speed limit) are essentially driving the same speed in both Plan World and Current World. Unless their behavior is changing in this hypothetical world, we don't really get any value of learning about them. This answer doesn't make it clear whether they would deem things more/less safe in Plan World, so we can't tell if they would behave differently or in which direction that difference would go.

   11%