PT1.S3.Q18 - In the united States proven oil reserves- the amount..

kupetz.sophie

Why is E the right answer and not A?

In the United States proven oil reserves —the amount of oil considered extractable from known fields—are at the same level as they were ten years ago. Yet over this same period no new oil fields of any consequence have been discovered, and the annual consumption of domestically produced oil has increased.
Which one of the following, if true, best reconciles the discrepancy described above?

A) Over the past decade the annual consumption of imported oil has increased more rapidly than that of domestic oil in the United States.
E) Due to technological advances over the last decade, much oil previously considered unextractable is now considered extractable

Admin Note: Edited title. Please use the format: "PT#.S#.Q# - brief description of the question."

maco4538

So resolve questions we have to transform the stimulus into a question.

Why, if no new oil reserve have been discovered and the amount of oil considered extractable has not changed, run counter to the increasing consumption of domestic oil?

A) The mystery lies within the ability of domestic reserves to keep up with domestic demands. Information about imported oil (not domestic) does not tell us anything. In general, you can spot a wrong answer when it brings in an element not mentioned in the stimulus. Our aim is to take the pieces of information given to us to solve the problem. A wrong answer will give you an extra piece. So only use what was given to you in the stimulus.

E) One thing you should always flag are instances of belief used in place of support. The amount of oil considered extractable is someone's assessment - we dont take people's opinions as facts. In fact, one of main flaw types is fact vs belief. So what is believed to be the extractable amount is purely speculative. E says that the actual amount of extractable oil is higher than previously thought which would solve the puzzle at hand.