Logical Reasoning

PT131 · S3 · Q4 On a short trip

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On a short trip a driver is more likely to have an accident if there is a passenger in the car, presumably because passengers distract drivers.

Background

On short trips, people with passengers are more likely to get into an accident (probably because passengers distract drivers).

Surprising Claim

On long trips, people with passengers are less likely to get into an accident.

Goal

What's the crucial difference between short trips and long trips that would make having passengers a safety asset? (Maybe they keep you awake, or read maps and signs for you)

4.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the facts described above?

  1. People are much more likely

    Irrelevant Distinction

    It doesn't matter overall whether people do more short or long trip driving. What we're trying to understand is why passengers seem to impair safety for one type of driving while improving safety for the other type.

    1% picked this

  2. Good drivers tend to take

    Irrelevant Distinction

    This doesn't tell us anything about why passengers would help safety on a longer trip.

    1% picked this

  3. Correct

    The longer a car trip

    Why this is right

    This gives a reason why passengers are a safety asset on long trips: they help keep you alert.

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

    94% picked this

  4. On a long trip the

    Unclear Impact

    The fact that extra passengers have about the same effect as one passenger still doesn't tell us why "a positive number of passengers" seems to help one avoid accidents.

    3% picked this

  5. Most drivers take far more

    Irrelevant Distinction

    This is the same type of answer as choice (A), digging into raw totals of short/long or driving alone/with passengers. It doesn't matter which of these qualities shows up more in raw totals. We're trying to explain unusual correlations in the averaged out stats.

    1% picked this

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