The difficulty with the proposed high-speed train line is that a used plane…
2017
The difficulty with the proposed high-speed train line is that a used plane can be bought for one-third the price of the train line, and the plane, which is just as fast, can fly anywhere. The train would be a fixed linear system, and we live in a world that is spreading out in all directions and in which consumers choose the free-wheel systems (cars, buses, aircraft), which do not have fixed routes. Thus a sufficient market for the train will not exist.
Which of the following, if true, most severely weakens the argument presented above?
- A.
Cars, buses, and planes require the efforts of drivers and pilots to guide them, whereas the train will be guided mechanically.
- B.
Cars and buses are not nearly as fast as the high-speed train will be.
- C.
Planes are not a free-wheel system because they can fly only between airports, which are less convenient for consumers than the high-speed train's stations would be.
- D.
The high-speed train line cannot use currently underutilized train stations in large cities.
- E.
For long trips, most people prefer to fly rather than to take ground-level transportation.
Attempted by 13 students.
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Correct answer: C
The argument claims a used plane is better than a fixed train line because it can fly anywhere. The weakness is that planes are not truly free-wheel systems: they operate between airports, which may be less convenient than train stations.