In recent years, the Holdsville Transportation Authority (HTA) has noted consistent delays on its Ho...

题目信息

In recent years, the Holdsville Transportation Authority (HTA) has noted consistent delays on its Holdsville-River Valley bus, which runs from downtown Holdsville to the suburb of River Valley. In order to decrease the commuting time from Holdsville to River Valley, the HTA recently eliminated the James Street stop on the Holdsville-River Valley line. However, data show that the average commuting time from Holdsville to River Valley has actually increased since the elimination of the stop.

Which of the following provides the best explanation for the increase in commuting time from Holdsville to River Valley?

A:Almost all of the commuters who previously used the James Street stop now use the adjacent Green Street stop, causing overcrowding and excessive boarding and de-boarding delays at the Green Street stop.

B:A small percentage of the commuters who previously used the James Street stop now use alternate modes of transportation to commute from Holdsville to River Valley.

C:90% of Holdsville-River Valley commuters were in favor of eliminating the James Street stop.

D:The Holdsville-River Valley bus route runs along River Street, which is always congested with heavy automobile traffic.

E:The Johnstown bus line, another line operated by the HTA, has also experienced an increase in average commuting time since eliminating a stop on its route.

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正确答案： A:Almost all of the commuters who previously used the James Street stop now use the adjacent Green Street stop, causing overcrowding and excessive boarding and de-boarding delays at the Green Street stop.

The question asks us to explain a counterintuitive result. How is it that the elimination of the James Street stop actually caused an increase in commuting time? In order to answer this question, we must consider any unexpected side effects of the elimination that could have resulted in unanticipated delays. What changed after the elimination that caused unexpected delays?

(A) CORRECT. The overcrowding of the Green Street stop is an unexpected side effect that caused unanticipated delays that did not exist before the elimination of the James Street stop.

(B) This does not provide a reason for an increase in delays. If anything, fewer commuters would cause a decrease in commuting time.

(C) The commuters’ opinions regarding the elimination of the James Street stop have nothing to do with the reason why the elimination actually caused an increase in commuting time.

(D) There is no indication that the traffic conditions have changed since the elimination of the James Street stop. Heavy traffic was a problem before the elimination, just as it has been since the elimination. Therefore, this cannot be the cause of increased commuting time.

(E) While this information may point to an emerging pattern, it does not help to explain why eliminating a stop on the Holdsville-River Valley line would cause an increase in commuting time.

笔记