#10 - Railroads rely increasingly on automation. Since fewer

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Main Point. The correct answer choice is (A).

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[TootyFrooty]

Can someone please provide a detailed answer, and also why D is incorrect. Thanks!

[GCast22]

Please advise on my understanding of the LR problem's construction...Thanks!

The first two sentences serve as premises ("Railroads rely on...automation." + "...fewer railroad workers are needed, operating costs have been reduced.").

While the third sentence is the overall conclusion/argument ("This means that...") because it is set up by the author in a way that the stated preceding elements together result in an increase in the "volume of freight shipped by rail."

The fourth and last sentence regarding trucks and trucking industry only serve as additional information and are not central to the scope of the argument.

Hence, why answer choice (A) is the correct choice.

[Dana D]

Hey G,


You are correct in that the third sentence ("this means that") is the conclusion and the first two sentences are premises for that.

I would add that the last sentence ("The chief competitor of railway shipping is shipping by truck, and no reduction in operating costs is predicted for the trucking industry") is also a premise that strengthens the argument. For example, if this was a weakening question and the author concluded that rail volume will increase and we weren't told that the chief competitor of railway shipping is the truck industry, we wouldn't be able to as conclusively say that railroad shipping volume will go up - maybe trucking has even cheaper operating costs and everyone is going to start using them instead.

Main point questions have to do with the conclusion, and since the third sentence is the conclusion, and answer choice (A) restates that sentence, answer choice (A) is the correct answer.