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Difficulty: MediumEliminating Paradox-Deepening Traps

Over the last six months, Apex Delivery Company replaced its manual sorting facility with a new automated system that processes packages 50% faster. Surprisingly, despite this significant improvement in sorting speed, the company's average delivery time per package has increased during this same period.

Statement: The apparent paradox described above would be deepened if it were discovered that Apex recently hired a large fleet of new delivery drivers and optimized its delivery routes, significantly reducing the transit time from the sorting facility to the customer.

Answer: Answer

Answer

True
The correct answer is True because the paradox is based on delivery times increasing despite faster sorting. If transit times were also reduced by hiring more drivers, then both major phases of delivery became faster. This makes the overall increase in delivery time even more inexplicable, actively deepening the paradox.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the two conflicting facts that create the apparent paradox.
Fact 1: Sorting speed increased by 50%. Fact 2: Overall average delivery time per package increased.
Understanding the discrepancy is necessary before evaluating how new information affects it.
2
Determine the criteria for a fact to deepen the paradox.
A fact deepens the paradox if it provides another reason why the unexpected outcome (increased delivery time) should NOT have happened.
This establishes a framework for evaluating the provided statement.
3
Analyze the effect of the new information provided in the statement.
The new information states that transit times were significantly reduced due to more drivers and optimized routes.
We must evaluate how this new premise interacts with the original conflicting facts.
4
Conclude whether the new information resolves or deepens the paradox.
Since both sorting and transit are now faster, an overall increase in delivery time makes even less sense. Therefore, the new information deepens the paradox.
This confirms that the statement provided in the stem is logically true.

Key Concept

Eliminating Paradox-Deepening Traps
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Eliminating Paradox-Deepening Traps

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