Bus passenger: "Cutting off bus routes to the most distant suburbs is short sighted and hurts our citizens. Those routes may not have been the most profitable, but they were vital for residents in those suburbs to get to work and to school. Now, many citizens have no affordable way to commute."
City councilman: "Cutting off the bus routes was the only way to protect our citizens. The unprofitable bus routes were causing the bus fares to increase at exorbitant rates, making it difficult for all citizens to afford the bus. Cutting off the unprofitable routes allows most citizens to still utilize the bus services at a reasonable price. Keeping the unprofitable routes would have meant raising the cost to where residents in the distant suburbs could not afford the bus anyway."
The city councilman's claim disputes which aspect of the bus passenger's argument?
A)Whether the bus routes to distant suburbs were profitable.
B)Whether citizens in the distant suburbs have other ways to commute.
C)Whether cutting off the bus routes was good for residents in distant suburbs.
D)Whether cutting off the bus routes hurts citizens.
E)Whether the unprofitable bus routes were difficult to maintain.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The city councilman's claim disputes whether cutting off the bus routes hurts citizens. The councilman does not dispute that cutting off bus routes to distant suburbs is difficult for those living in the suburbs, but does dispute whether the move is good for citizens as a whole. The bus passenger argued the move would hurt specific citizens, but the councilman asserts that it will keep costs low and benefit most citizens.

Bus Passenger: "Cutting Off Bus Routes to the Most Distant