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Difficulty: HardResolving Paradoxes and Discrepancies

In an effort to lower fleet fuel costs and carbon emissions, a commercial beverage distributor replaced its traditional single-use glass bottles with ultra-lightweight aluminum cans. Although the aluminum cans weighed significantly less per unit than the glass bottles, the company's total annual fleet fuel consumption increased by 14 percent during the year following the transition. This increase occurred despite the company delivering the exact same total volume of beverage product across identical distribution routes, with no changes to vehicle fuel efficiency, delivery schedules, or driver performance. Which of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy described above?

  1. A
    The manufacturing process required to produce aluminum cans generates higher industrial emissions than the process used to produce glass bottles.
  2. Because aluminum cans structural integrity degrades when stacked under heavy weight, delivery trucks could not be loaded as high, requiring 25 percent more truck trips to transport the same volume of product.Answer
  3. C
    Aluminum cans cool more rapidly than glass bottles when placed in refrigerated delivery compartments, reducing the load on secondary cargo cooling units.
  4. D
    Municipal recycling centers in the distributor's primary delivery regions process aluminum cans at a substantially higher rate than glass containers.
  5. E
    The price per gallon of diesel fuel used by the delivery fleet remained virtually unchanged throughout the entire twelve-month period.

Answer

The apparent discrepancy is resolved by the option explaining that aluminum cans cannot be stacked as high without damage, forcing the company to run 25 percent more truck trips to move the same product volume.
The correct answer identifies a volumetric constraint that counteracts the weight advantage of aluminum cans. If lower structural strength prevents stacking cans to full truck capacity, more delivery trips are required to transport the same total product volume. Running 25 percent more truck trips directly explains why overall fleet fuel consumption increased by 14 percent despite each individual load being lighter.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the core facts forming the paradox.
Fact 1: Aluminum cans weigh significantly less per unit than glass bottles. Fact 2: Fleet fuel consumption increased by 14 percent while transporting the exact same product volume over identical routes.
Resolving a discrepancy requires clearly isolating the two seemingly contradictory facts.
2
Evaluate the underlying assumption.
The implicit assumption is that lighter cargo weight directly reduces total transport fuel usage per shipment volume.
Fuel consumption depends not only on weight per unit, but also on the total number of vehicle trips required.
3
Assess how additional constraints impact total vehicle trips.
If structural limitations prevent high vertical stacking, cargo space per truck is underutilized. Consequently, more total truck trips are needed, raising overall fuel usage despite lower total weight per trip.
A valid resolution must account for both facts simultaneously without denying either premise.

Key Concept

Volume vs. Weight Transport Constraints in Discrepancy Resolution
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

Resolving Paradoxes and Discrepancies

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