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Craft and StructureMediumResponding with a counterexample

Craft and Structure practice question

Text 1 An urban planner claims that a city cannot reduce car use without first building an extensive rail network. Text 2 A transport researcher notes that a mid-sized city with no rail at all cut car trips by a fifth in five years using frequent buses, protected bike lanes and parking charges.

Based on the texts, how would the researcher in Text 2 most likely respond to the planner's claim?

  1. A. By pointing to a city that reduced car use substantially without any rail network.Correct
  2. B. By agreeing that rail must come before any other measure.
  3. C. By arguing that bike lanes are more important than buses.
  4. D. By claiming that parking charges do not affect car use.

Answer: A. By pointing to a city that reduced car use substantially without any rail network.

Text 2 describes exactly what Text 1 says cannot happen: a big reduction in car use with no rail. That is a counterexample.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. By agreeing that rail must come before any other measure.
Text 2's city had no rail and still succeeded.
C. By arguing that bike lanes are more important than buses.
Text 2 lists three measures without ranking them.
D. By claiming that parking charges do not affect car use.
Parking charges are among the measures Text 2 credits.

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