Self-study
Shaw: Regulatory limits on pollution emissions from power plants should be set in terms of the long-term average emissions level rather than peak emissions levels.
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Analysis
Shaw claims that limits on pollution levels should be based on average emissions rather than the highest peaks. Levin disagrees, arguing that basing the regulatory limit on averages would be akin to basing speed limits on cars’ average speeds, which wouldn’t make sense given that such an average would include times when cars are slowed by traffic or stopped at red lights.
The question asks us to find what, for a power plant, would be analogous to times when a car is at a red light. Cars’ average speeds are likened to a power plants’ average emissions, and cars are not moving at all when they’re at a stoplight, so such time would be analogous to times when a power plant does not emit any pollution at all.
12.
Based on the analogy in ███████ █████████ ████ ████ █ ███████ ██████ ██ █ █████████ ██ █████████ ██ ████ ████ █ █████ █████
a
operates without any ██████████ ██ ███ █████████ █████████
Neither speaker mentions the monitoring of power plants. Regulation may presuppose monitoring, but that's not what Levin's analogy is about; rather, it's about the standards of regulation.
b
operates at peak ██████████
Neither speaker mentions efficiency. Levin's analogy is about the actual level of pollutants power plants emit, which doesn't depend on the plant's efficiency.
c
emits pollutants at █ ████ ███ █████
This would be analogous to times when cars are in traffic—when they’re moving slowly. The correct answer must be analogous to times when cars are at stoplights—when they’re not moving at all.
d
emits no pollutants ██ ███
Cars’ speeds are analogous to power plants’ emission levels, so times when cars’ speeds are zero (at stoplights) would be akin to times when power plants’ emissions are zero.
e
emits pollutants at ███ ████ █████
This would be analogous to times where cars are moving at their maximum speed—the opposite of what we’re looking for. Cars at stoplights are not moving at all.