Single correct option
Paragraph: Urban planners have long assumed that widening roads reduces traffic congestion by increasing capacity. Decades of data across cities that added lanes tell a different story: traffic volume rises to fill the new capacity within a few years, a phenomenon economists call 'induced demand' — commuters who previously avoided driving at peak hours, took public transport, or chose not to make a trip at all, respond to the newly available road space by driving more. The net effect, several studies suggest, is that congestion returns to roughly its earlier level, but with more cars on the road and less funding left over for alternatives such as transit.
Which of the following best summarises the paragraph?
Which of the following best summarises the paragraph?
- A. Widening roads is always the cheapest way to reduce congestion in the long run.
- B. Adding road capacity often fails to durably reduce congestion because induced demand draws in new traffic, eventually restoring earlier congestion levels while consuming resources that could have funded alternatives.
- C. Public transport is a more popular choice than driving in every city that has studied induced demand.
- D. Congestion is caused entirely by poor road design rather than by the number of vehicles on the road.
Show answer and solution
Answer: (B) Adding road capacity often fails to durably reduce congestion because induced demand draws in new traffic, eventually restoring earlier congestion levels while consuming resources that could have funded alternatives.
The paragraph's core claim is that added capacity draws induced demand, so congestion returns to roughly its earlier level while diverting resources from alternatives — option B captures this cause-effect chain precisely. A contradicts the passage's actual finding; C and D make claims (universal popularity of transit; design as the sole cause) that the paragraph never makes.
Saved on this device. Sign in or create a free account to keep it on every device.