Winston: The Public Transportation Authority

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Stimulus

Winston: The Public Transportation Authority (PTA) cannot fulfill its mandate to operate without a budget deficit unless it eliminates service during late‐night periods of low ridership. Since the fares collected during these periods are less than the cost of providing the service, these cuts would reduce the unauthorized fare increases, and fare‐increase authorization would take two years.

Ping: Such service cuts might cost the PTA more in lost fares than they would save in costs, for the PTA would lose those riders who leave home during the day but must return late at night. Thus the PTA savings for only one leg of such trips.

What this question is testing

Strengthen

Your task

Find the choice that makes the argument's conclusion more likely to be true.

Common trap

Answers that are consistent with the argument but add no real support, or that strengthen a claim the argument doesn't make.

Winning move

Locate the gap between evidence and conclusion, then pick the choice that closes it.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question

18.

Which one of the following, if true, most strongly supports

Answer choices

Correct88% picked this
Over 23 percent of the round trips made by PTA riders are either initiated or else
Why this is right
This answer directly supports Ping's argument by providing a quantifiable measure of the number of riders affected by late-night service cuts. If over 23 percent of round trips involve late-night periods, this indicates a significant proportion of riders could potentially stop using the service due to the cuts, resulting in a substantial loss in fares.
Skill tested: Strengthen · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
88%
No Impact6% picked this
Reliable survey results show that over 43 percent of the PTA ’s riders oppose any
While it provides information about public opinion regarding service cuts, this does not directly impact the analysis of fare loss vs cost savings. Whether riders oppose the cuts doesn't change the financial dynamics Ping is addressing.
6%
No Impact0% picked this
The last time the PTA petitioned for a 15 percent fare increase, the
The outcome of a past fare increase petition does not help us analyze the specific impact of cutting late-night services on the PTA's budget deficit.
0%
No Impact2% picked this
The PTA ’s budget deficit is 40 percent larger this year than it
Although this speaks to the general financial situation of the PTA, it doesn't specifically address whether late-night service cuts would be a net gain/loss in revenue compared to cost savings.
2%
Opposite (if anything)4% picked this
The PTA ’s bus drivers recently won a new contract that guarantees them a significant cash bonus each time
The fact that drivers make a lot more during the late hours means that the city would save a lot of money by eliminating those hours. That goes against Ping's conclusion. He thinks loss in revenue will outweigh cost savings, but this answer makes cost savings sound big.
4%

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