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VerbalCritical Reasoning

Free GMAT Critical Reasoning Practice Question

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The transit authority proposed extending the number 12 bus line to the new hospital on the edge of town. Surveys show that many hospital employees and patients currently have no direct bus service and rely on costly taxis. Extending the line would add only two stops and a few minutes to the route. For these reasons, the authority recommends approving the extension.

Which of the following best expresses the main conclusion of the argument?

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Answer & Explanation

Correct answer

C

The main conclusion is the claim the rest of the passage is built to support. The phrase "for these reasons" signals that the final sentence carries the conclusion and the earlier sentences supply the support.

The lack of direct bus service, the reliance on costly taxis, and the small added cost of only two stops and a few minutes all point to one recommendation: approve the extension of the number 12 bus line. That recommendation is choice C.

Choice A, the lack of direct service, is survey evidence offered to justify the proposal, a premise rather than the conclusion. Choice B, the small added route cost, is a supporting reason given to make the extension easy to approve, not the claim being argued. Choice D, that a new hospital was built on the edge of town, is background context the argument assumes rather than tries to prove. Choice E states an absolute rule covering every medical facility, far broader than the single recommendation the transit authority actually makes.