A
Widened and extended roads tend to attract many more motorists than used them before their improvement.
B
Typically, road widening or extension projects are undertaken only after the population near the road in question has increased and then leveled off, leaving a higher average population level.
C
As a general rule, the greater the number of lanes on a given length of highway, the lower the rate of accidents per 100,000 vehicles traveling on it.
D
Rural, as compared to urban, traffic usually includes a larger proportion of trucks and vehicles used by farmers.
E
Urban traffic generally moves at a slower pace and involves more congestion and delays than rural and suburban traffic.
A
During the study, for most of the advertisements more people went through the checkout lines after they were aired than before they were aired.
B
A large proportion of the consumers who bought a product shortly after the airing of an advertisement for it reported that they had not gone to the store intending to buy that product.
C
Many of the consumers reported that they typically bought at least one of the advertised products every time they shopped at the store.
D
Many of the consumers who bought an advertised product and who reached the checkout line within 40 minutes of the advertisement’s airing reported that they could not remember hearing the advertisement.
E
Many of the consumers who bought an advertised product reported that they buy that product only occasionally.
In a study of patients who enrolled at a sleep clinic because of insomnia, those who inhaled the scent of peppermint before going to bed were more likely to have difficulty falling asleep than were patients who inhaled the scent of bitter orange. Since it is known that inhaling bitter orange does not help people fall asleep more easily, this study shows that inhaling the scent of peppermint makes insomnia worse.
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author hypothesizes that inhaling the scent of peppermint makes insomnia worse. She bases this on the observation that patients with insomnia who inhaled the scent of peppermint before bed were more likely to have difficulty falling asleep than patients who inhaled the scent of bitter orange, which doesn’t help people fall asleep more easily.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that inhaling peppermint directly causes difficulty in falling asleep, without considering alternative explanations and other factors.
She also assumes that the only difference between the two groups is the scent they were exposed to, without considering other possible differences that could influence the outcomes.
She also assumes that the study was conducted properly and that the study’s sample is representative of all insomnia sufferers.
A
Several studies have shown that inhaling the scent of peppermint tends to have a relaxing effect on people who do not suffer from insomnia.
The study and the author’s conclusion are only addressing the effects of inhaling the scent of peppermint on people who do suffer from insomnia. So the effects on people who do not suffer from insomnia is irrelevant.
B
The patients who inhaled the scent of bitter orange were, on average, suffering from milder cases of insomnia than were the patients who inhaled the scent of peppermint.
The author assumes that the only difference between the two groups is the scent they inhaled, but (B) shows that those who inhaled bitter orange already had milder insomnia than those who inhaled peppermint. This weakens the conclusion that peppermint worsens insomnia.
C
Because the scents of peppermint and bitter orange are each very distinctive, it was not possible to prevent the patients from knowing that they were undergoing some sort of study of the effects of inhaling various scents.
We don’t know that the patients’ knowledge of the study affected their ability to fall asleep, or why it would have affected one group’s ability but not the other’s. (C) also doesn’t address the author’s conclusion or assumptions.
D
Some of the patients who enrolled in the sleep clinic also had difficulty staying asleep once they fell asleep.
The study and conclusion are only about the effects of the scents on falling asleep. Whether patients stayed asleep is not relevant.
E
Several studies have revealed that in many cases inhaling certain pleasant scents can dramatically affect the degree to which a patient suffers from insomnia.
This could mean that inhaling certain pleasant scents can make insomnia worse or that it can make it better. We also don’t know what qualifies as a “pleasant scent” here. (E) is simply too vague to apply to the author’s conclusion about this specific study.
A
It is an explicit premise of the argument.
B
It is an implicit assumption of the argument.
C
It is a statement of background information offered to help facilitate understanding the issue in the argument.
D
It is a statement that the argument claims is supported by the study.
E
It is an intermediate conclusion that is offered as direct support for the argument’s main conclusion.