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Difficulty: EasyCompleting the Passage Logically

Which of the following most logically completes the argument below?

A city recently installed automated solar-powered traffic signals at several busy intersections to reduce municipal electricity costs. Although the initial purchase price of these solar signals was higher than that of standard signals, the solar units generate all their own electricity and require minimal ongoing maintenance. Because the long-term savings on electricity and routine maintenance will exceed the higher upfront installation costs, city officials concluded that adopting these solar signals will ultimately ________.

  1. reduce the city's overall financial expenditures for operating these traffic signals over their lifetime.Answer
  2. B
    eliminate all traffic congestion and delays at the busy intersections.
  3. C
    increase the city's annual electricity budget over the coming years.
  4. D
    prompt neighboring municipalities to immediately replace all of their traffic signals with solar units.
  5. E
    require higher routine maintenance expenditures than traditional electrical signals.

Answer

The correct completion is that adopting the solar signals will ultimately reduce the city's overall financial expenditures for operating these traffic signals over their lifetime.
The argument sets up a financial comparison: higher upfront costs balanced against even greater operational and maintenance savings over time. Summing these factors leads strictly to a net savings over the signals' operational lifetime, making the option regarding reduced overall lifetime expenditures the only logically sound completion.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the given premises.
Premise 1: Upfront purchase costs for solar signals are higher than standard signals. Premise 2: Solar signals generate their own power and require minimal maintenance. Premise 3: Accumulated savings on electricity and maintenance will exceed the higher initial cost.
Understanding all premises is essential to determining the net logical conclusion.
2
Synthesize the premises to find the direct logical outcome.
If total lifetime savings exceed the initial excess cost, the net financial result is an overall reduction in total lifetime operating costs.
The conclusion of a 'completing the passage' item must strictly follow from the combination of stated premises without requiring external assumptions.

Key Concept

Completing the Passage Logically
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Completing the Passage Logically

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