University budget committee: Athletes experience fewer injuries on artificial-turf athletic fields than on natural-grass fields. Additionally, natural-grass fields are more expensive to maintain than fields made of artificial turf. Nevertheless, this committee recommends replacing the university’s current artificial-turf field with a natural-grass field.
"Surprising" Phenomenon
Why does the committee recommend replacing artificial-turf with natural-grass, even though fewer athletes are injured on artificial-turf, and artificial-turf is cheaper to maintain?
Objective
The correct answer should differentiate artificial-turf and natural-grass in a way that’s negative for artificial-turf or positive for natural-grass. The correct answer should relate to money and costs, because the recommendation is made by the budget committee.
A
The university’s current artificial-turf athletic field has required extensive maintenance since its original installation.
We already know that natural-grass is more expensive to maintain. So even if artificial-turf has required extensive maintenance, that requirement would continue, in a more costly way, with a natural-turf field.
B
Most injuries sustained on artificial-turf fields take longer to heal and require more expensive physical therapy than do injuries sustained on natural-grass fields.
This gives us something negative about artificial-turf fields compared to natural-grass fields. This helps explain why the budget committee might have recommended switching to natural-grass.
C
It is difficult for spectators at athletic events to determine whether an athletic field is artificial turf or natural grass.
This doesn’t differentiate between artificial-turf and natural-grass, and it doesn’t tell me something worse about artificial-turf compared to natural-grass.
D
Maintaining artificial-turf fields involves the occasional replacement of damaged sections of turf, whereas natural-grass fields require daily watering and periodic fertilization.
We already know that natural-grass fields are more expensive to maintain. This just gives us additional details on the extra maintenance required for natural-grass.
E
Athletes who have spent most of their playing time on natural-grass fields generally prefer not to play on artificial-turf fields.
It’s not clear that athlete preference is something that would motivate a recommendation of the budget committee. But even if it is, we have no reason to think athletes at the university have spent most of their time on natural-grass fields.