Single correct option
Urban planners have long assumed that adding more traffic lanes reduces congestion by giving cars more room to move. But data from dozens of cities that widened highways in the past three decades shows congestion often returns to previous levels within a few years, sometimes worse. This happens because more road capacity encourages more people to drive — commuters who previously took trains, carpooled, or avoided peak hours shift back to solo driving once the road feels less crowded, eventually filling the new capacity entirely. The phenomenon, called induced demand, suggests that widening roads treats a symptom while quietly enlarging the underlying cause.
Which of the following best summarizes the passage?
Which of the following best summarizes the passage?
- A. Cities should never build new roads under any circumstances, since traffic will always return to previous levels.
- B. Widening roads often fails to durably reduce congestion because the added capacity itself induces more driving, which eventually re-fills the road — treating a symptom rather than addressing the cause.
- C. Trains and carpools are always more efficient than driving alone, regardless of the situation.
- D. Traffic congestion is caused primarily by poor city planning decisions made decades ago.
Show answer and solution
Answer: (B) Widening roads often fails to durably reduce congestion because the added capacity itself induces more driving, which eventually re-fills the road — treating a symptom rather than addressing the cause.
The passage's key claim is that added road capacity 'induces' more driving that eventually fills it back up, so the fix doesn't durably work — captured precisely by option 1's 'induces more driving... re-fills the road.' Option 0 overstates the claim into an absolute policy prescription the passage never makes; options 2 and 3 introduce claims not actually stated.
Saved on this device. Sign in or create a free account to keep it on every device.