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Difficulty: MediumStrengthening Arguments

A regional logistics firm installed real-time thermal monitoring sensors on its refrigerated delivery fleet to reduce perishable food spoilage during long-distance transport. During a six-month trial, fleet vehicles equipped with these sensors experienced a 35 percent reduction in cargo spoilage compared to unequipped vehicles operating on identical routes. The operations manager concluded that real-time temperature alerts directly prevented spoilage by enabling drivers to adjust cooling settings immediately upon detecting system malfunctions.

Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest support for the operations manager's conclusion?

  1. Vehicles equipped with the thermal sensors experienced mechanical refrigeration failures at the exact same rate as unequipped vehicles during the trial period.Answer
  2. B
    Drivers operating vehicles with thermal sensors reported that alert notifications were frequently delayed until after cargo temperatures exceeded safe thresholds.
  3. C
    Food spoilage rates across the regional transport industry decreased overall during the trial period due to unseasonably cool ambient weather.
  4. D
    Installing thermal sensors on long-distance delivery fleets is the most cost-effective capital investment available to logistics providers.
  5. E
    Competitor logistics firms that adopt real-time monitoring technology are projected to increase overall customer satisfaction ratings over the next two years.

Answer

The statement showing that sensor-equipped vehicles experienced mechanical refrigeration failures at the exact same rate as unequipped vehicles.
The conclusion asserts a direct causal link: real-time thermal alerts caused a reduction in spoilage by allowing drivers to intervene. A classic way to strengthen a causal claim is to rule out alternative explanations. If sensor-equipped trucks suffered mechanical refrigeration failures at the exact same rate as unequipped trucks, the lower spoilage in the sensor group cannot be attributed to fewer baseline mechanical breakdowns. Eliminating this confounder significantly reinforces the manager's conclusion.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Deconstruct the argument into premise and conclusion.
Premise: Sensor-equipped trucks had 35% less cargo spoilage on identical routes. Conclusion: Sensor alerts directly caused the reduction by letting drivers fix cooling issues immediately.
Identifying the explicit conclusion isolates the causal claim that must be supported.
2
Identify potential logical gaps or alternative explanations.
An alternative explanation could be that the sensor-equipped trucks were simply newer or broke down less often than unequipped trucks.
To strengthen a causal argument, ruling out plausible alternative causes reinforces the proposed cause.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that eliminates an alternative cause or validates the causal mechanism.
Confirming that mechanical breakdown rates were identical across both groups eliminates the possibility that fewer breakdowns accounted for the lower spoilage, leaving driver intervention via alerts as the primary cause.
Ruling out alternative explanations directly increases the likelihood that the author's stated conclusion is correct.

Key Concept

Ruling Out Alternative Causes in Causal Arguments
Estimated Time:1m 40s
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Topics

Strengthening Arguments

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