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Difficulty: EasyRecognizing Implied Cause and Effect

Technicians in the motor pool parked several diesel transport trucks outside overnight in sub-zero temperatures. The following morning, the drivers turned the ignition keys, but the engines cranked sluggishly and failed to start. After the maintenance crew wheeled portable heaters into the staging bay and directed warm air onto the fuel tanks and engine blocks for thirty minutes, each vehicle started on the first attempt.

What most likely caused the trucks' initial failure to start?

  1. A
    The application of warm air from portable heaters
  2. The prolonged exposure to freezing overnight temperaturesAnswer
  3. C
    A mechanical defect inside the portable heaters
  4. D
    The sluggish cranking of the ignition system

Answer

The prolonged exposure to freezing overnight temperatures
The passage describes trucks failing to start after exposure to sub-zero temperatures and functioning normally once warmed. This sequence logically implies that the freezing conditions caused the starting failure.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the initial condition and subsequent problem in the scenario.
The trucks were left outside in sub-zero weather and failed to start the next morning.
Recognizing the starting state provides the context for evaluating what led to the malfunction.
2
Examine the intervention and the resulting outcome.
Applying warm air to the engines enabled them to start on the first attempt.
Identifying what cured the problem reveals the unstated root cause.
3
Deduce the implied causal relationship between temperature and engine performance.
Because heating reversed the failure, the extreme cold was the underlying cause.
Connecting the cold environment to the successful heat remedy confirms the implied cause.

Key Concept

Recognizing Implied Cause and Effect
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Recognizing Implied Cause and Effect

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