Suppose That the Cost of Installing an Overhead Pedestrian Walkway

question 175

Multiple Choice

Suppose that the cost of installing an overhead pedestrian walkway in a college town is $100,000.The walkway is expected to reduce the risk of fatality by 0.5 percent,and the cost of a human life is estimated at $10 million.The town should

• A)install the walkway because the estimated benefit is twice the cost.
• B)install the walkway because the estimated benefit equals the cost.
• C)not install the walkway, since the cost is twice the estimated benefit.
• D)install the walkway, since the cost of even a single life is too great not to take action.

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Definitions:

Humanist

A humanist is someone who emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively, often preferring critical thinking and evidence over acceptance of dogma or superstition.

Rhetoric

The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.

Married Women

Women who are legally united in marriage; historical legal contexts often defined their rights, property, and status in relation to their husbands.

Medici Family

A powerful and influential Florentine family in the 14th to 17th century known for their support of the arts and sciences as well as their own banking empire.