Satellite navigation systems (satnavs)

Answer choices

1. A

   No Impact: who uses satnavs4% picked this

   People who are often required to drive to novel destinations are more likely to use satnavs than people who are rarely required

   This is just telling us who is more likely to use satnavs, and unsurprisingly it's drivers who are frequently going to new destinations and thus need directions. But that doesn't tell us anything about whether those drivers are saving fuel or being safer by having a satnav vs. a paper map vs. any other means of finding their way.

   4%
2. B

   No Impact3% picked this

   The more fuel a vehicle consumes, the more motivation a driver has to find the shortest route to

   No Impact: wanting to find shortest route Like (A), this answer seems to just spell out a common sense fact, which means it won't really have any impact on the argument, since we already know common sense facts. Naturally, the more of a gas guzzler you drive, the more financial incentive you have to keep your trips as short as possible. But that motivation applies to all drivers. No one is generally interested in spending more fuel or time than they need to, so everyone is generally interested in finding the shortest route to a destination. Presumably, satnavs are giving you the shortest route they can find, and people using paper maps are seeking the shortest route they can find. Since everybody is motivated to find the shortest route, this doesn't provide any distinction between driving with a satnav and driving with a paper map, and thus it gives us no additional way to argue that driving with a satnav is more fuel efficient or safer.

   3%
3. C

   No Impact: who plans ahead1% picked this

   Drivers who do not routinely need to drive to an unfamiliar location are more likely to plan out their

   Like (A), this is just telling us who is more/less likely to use satnavs. This answer makes it sound like people who usually don't need to drive somewhere new are more likely to plan their route carefully prior to departure (which sounds like they're neither relying on satnav to guide them nor checking a paper map while driving to figure out the next turn). These people seemingly aren't using satnav or paper map, so they have no bearing on whether using a satnav would tend to make a driver save fuel and be safer.

   1%
4. D

   Weakens, if anything1% picked this

   Drivers who own satnavs usually prefer to drive to their accustomed destinations by using their customary routes rather than by following the

   This is talking about people who use satnavs. Is it telling us that they're saving fuel or being safer? No, it's saying they usually don't bother using their satnavs. They already know their preferred route, so they don't bother turning on the computer to boss them around. If people who drive cars with satnavs aren't using the satnavs, then we aren't going to be able to argue that the satnav is saving them fuel or promoting safety.

   1%
5. E

   Correct92% picked this

   Drivers who are given directions as needed are less likely to change course suddenly or

   Why this is right

   This pairs up something we know about satnavs (the computer announces directions as needed, while you're driving) with something that relates to saving fuel or promoting safety (less likely to make risky maneuvers). We know that if a driver is using a paper map, they are not being "given" directions as needed. They are checking on directions. Drivers using their satnavs would be "given" directions by the computer, and apparently this correlates with safer driving, so it helps us to support part of the conclusion.

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

   92%