Studies have shown that pedestrians

Answer choices

1. A

   Correct66% picked this

   The overwhelming majority of pedestrians in high-traffic areas cross streets

   Why this is right

   This provides the Alternate Explanation that, "the reason people get hit more often in the crosswalks isn't because they're cocky and don't look both ways, it's just because way-way-way more people cross in crosswalks than outside of crosswalks. It might be more dangerous to jaywalk (outside of a crosswalk). You might be more likely to get hit when you jaywalk. Perhaps people get hit 0.5% of the time when they jaywalk and only 0.1% of the time when they use the crosswalk. But since you have 100 people using the crosswalk for every 1 person jaywalking, there will still be a higher raw number of people getting hit in the crosswalk. So people will more often get hit in the crosswalk, even if they're less likely to be hit while using the crosswalk.

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

   66%
2. B

   No Impact1% picked this

   The number of pedestrians struck by cars has increased in

   This does nothing to suggest an alternate explanation for why there are more pedestrians hit inside the crosswalk than outside. And it doesn't undermine the plausibility that pedestrians get overly confident while using a crosswalk and don't bother to look both ways.

   1%
3. C

   Strengthens6% picked this

   Pedestrians tend to underestimate the chances that the signals at a

   This boosts the plausibility of the author's explanation that pedestrians get overly confident while using a crosswalk: they don't bother to look both ways / they assume the signals are working fine.

   6%
4. D

   Strengthens24% picked this

   Drivers are generally most alert to pedestrians who are in or

   This strengthens by ruling out an alternate explanation for why there are more pedestrians hit inside the crosswalk than outside. We might have argued that there are more accidents near crosswalks not because the pedestrians are less safe but because the drivers are less safe near crosswalks. But this answer rules that out and says that drivers are at their most aware near a crosswalk.

   24%
5. E

   Strengthens2% picked this

   Measures intended to promote safety tend to make people

   This boosts the plausibility of the author's explanation that pedestrians get overly confident while using a crosswalk: it explains how a measure intended to promote safety, such as a crosswalk, tends to make people less cautious. So they stop looking both ways before they cross.

   2%