The number of serious traffic accidents (accidents resulting in hospitalization or death) that occurred on Park Road ...

Ava on January 23, 2020

Answer choices D and E

Can someone explain why answer choices D and E are wrong? I understand that you are trying to find someone to weaken the cause and effect argument here, but I feel that the correct answer choice doesn't as explicitly address the rate of injury/accidents as explained in the stimulus.

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Victoria on January 25, 2020

Hi @shafieiava,

The passage concludes that the reduction of the speed limit led to the decrease in serious accidents.

Why? Because the number of serious accidents between 1986 and 1990 was lower than between 1981 and 1985 and the speed limit was lowered in 1986.

(D) is incorrect because it does not impact the strength of the argument. The author is drawing their conclusion based solely on serious accidents (i.e. accidents resulting in hospitalization or death). Therefore, rates of non-serious accidents are irrelevant to the argument.

(E) is incorrect because it does not impact the conclusion that the speed limit was the cause of the decrease in accidents. This change in classification would actually result in a greater number of accidents being classified as serious than between 1981 and 1985, failing to address why the total number of serious accidents would be lower in the following period.

Hope this is helpful! Please let us know if you have any further questions.