#7 - If cold fusion worked, it would provide almost

[Jaeyoung]

I get that the answer is (C) but I don’t get why the answer isn't (E)

In answer (E), it says something about personnel costs.
And the stimulus doesn’t have any facts about personnel costs.
Should I have to assume that “replacing all the traditional electric generators” has something to do with personnel costs?

Could anyone explain why the answer isn't (E) ?
Thank you!

[Malila Robinson]

Hi Jaeyoung,
For Answer E, if the personnel costs are unrelated to the raw materials that are used it could mean that even if the raw materials were cheap(er) the personnel costs may not have decreased along with the cost of raw materials and that may explain why there was only a 25% reduction in cost for consumers.
Hope that helps!!
-Malila

[kassierimel]

The comment before me in this thread left me a little confused. Is the correct answer to the problem (C) or (E)? Also, could you explain why (D) is incorrect?

Thank you for the help.

[Stephanie Oswalt]

The comment before me in this thread left me a little confused. Is the correct answer to the problem (C) or (E)?

Hi kassierimel,

The correct answer is C! There were a few minor typos in the prior student's comment, which I have now corrected on their behalf to avoid further confusion. I'll have an instructor respond to your second question about D. Thanks!

[KelseyWoods]

Hi kassierimel!

This is a Resolve EXCEPT question, meaning that we are trying to find an answer choice that does NOT resolve the paradox in the stimulus. The four incorrect answers will resolve the paradox; we're looking for the answer choice that does NOT resolve.

The paradox in the stimulus is that cold fusion would allow us to create power from materials that are much cheaper than coal and oil, but replacing all of the traditional electric generators with cold fusion generators would result in a reduction of only 25% in the average residential electric bill.

Answer choice (D) is incorrect because it resolves this paradox. Answer choice (D) states that "Only a relatively small portion of any residential electric bill is determined by the electric company’s expenses for fuel." If only a relatively small portion of any residential electric bill is determined by the electric company's expenses for fuel, then using a cheaper fuel source would not make a big difference in the overall cost of electric bills.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey