IMAT 2020 Q10 [Conclusion | Driverless Cars]

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Although the idea of a driverless vehicle seems like the stuff of science fiction, we are moving very close to the reality of self-driving cars. But we are so engrossed in the technology that we are ignoring the legal implications – and legislating for new scenarios takes time. A whole new set of questions is raised by the development of these machines. One example is the question of who takes responsibility when an accident happens. Given that the vast majority of crashes are caused in part at least by human error, self-driving cars should have the capacity to save lives. But they will not be perfect. So if an accident happens, who is responsible? The owner of the car, or the manufacturer of the car? The car itself cannot be prosecuted or made to pay damages.

Which one of the following can be drawn as a conclusion from the above passage?

A. The design of driverless cars will continue to improve with time.

B. All the technology needed to create a self-driving car is already available.

C. New laws are needed to determine liability for accidents involving driverless cars.

D. It will be impossible to determine liability for accidents involving driverless cars.

E. We should not continue to develop self-driving cars.

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Summary of Steps to Solve Drawing Conclusion Type Questions:

  • Read the Question (Every question)
  • Go through the text and underline evidence
  • Read the answer and eliminate the outliers
    • (easiest to eliminate contradictory conclusions)
  • Using the underlined evidence and examples, prove each conclusion. Ask yourself “is this another piece of evidence? Or is this proved and strengthened by what’s in the text?”
  • Remember to ignore bias and disregard answers that may be true in the real world, but are not supported in the text.

Since we are solving a drawing conclusions question, the answer will not be stated in the text, so it is important to find the main topic and arguments made. The main idea in this text is about driverless vehicles, and specifically the legal complications they come with. The author is saying that we need to be more clear on the laws surrounding these vehicles, and specifically the liability of these cars. This is what I would take away as the author’s conclusion even if not directly. Now let’s example the answers:

A The design of driverless cars will continue to improve with time.

The focus of the passage is not on the design, but rather on the laws surrounding these cars. Therefore we cannot draw conclusions surrounding the design and it is not the focus of what the author is talking about. Therefore A is incorrect.

B All the technology needed to create a self-driving car is already available.

We are told in the text that we are moving very close to the reality of self-driving cars but we are not told if it is available yet. The focus then switches to legal implications, which is the main focus. therefore B is incorrect as it gives information not backed up by the text and is not as relevant.

C New laws are needed to determine liability for accidents involving driverless cars.

The author is being very critical and bringing to focus the issues surrounding the legal implications of these self-driving cars. The author is calling for a clarification of laws surrounding the liability of these cars, and this is why C is correct.

D It will be impossible to determine liability for accidents involving driverless cars.

The author is not saying that it is impossible, but rather that these laws need to be made. The author wants clarity and reform in these laws, and this is why they are asking all these questions instead of completely shooting the idea down. Therefore D is incorrect.

E We should not continue to develop self-driving cars.

Nowhere is this said nor can be inferred. The problem the author has with self-driving cars is the liability, not the cars in general. Therefore E is incorrect.

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