PSAT Reading Practice Question 581

Question: 581

"Santa's Big Helpers"—An economist discusses American overnight-delivery logistics. Written in 2015.
Each year the holiday season rolls around
and most people have difficulty doing all
the things to get ready for family gatherings
and traditions. Black Friday is either an
05adrenaline-laced day of chaos when bargains
can be garnered, or it is an experience to
avoid by sitting at a keyboard and becoming
part of the e-commerce movement. Some
people love the thrill of the hunt and others
10enjoy the peace and quiet of working down a
list with a company like Amazon.com.
Whatever your preference, the method
by which a product finds its way to you,
the consumer, is logistics. Originally a term
15that described the flow of materiel for the
military in the conflicts around the globe, it
has now found its way into every element of
consumerism. Major retailers have emerged
that specialize in online shopping; others
20have outlet stores and websites where the
buyer can choose a channel for procurement.
Other "big box" retailers have stores in malls
and large distribution centers where product
is delivered from the various manufacturers
25and moved through an integrated
supply chain to the point-of-sale retail
establishment. Making sure that your size
and desired color of clothing is on the hanger
is no small task and large teams of employees
30manage the information and product flows
to provide a seamless experience for the
customer.
Companies like FedEx have grown to be
an integral part of the American landscape.
35FedEx first specialized in overnight
deliveries via aircraft and then grew into a
full service provider using a truck network
in conjunction with air transport. "When
it absolutely, positively has to be there
40overnight" is its mantra, and it basically
provides certainty of service for a premium
price that consumers are willing to bear.
Product is prepared for shipment and FedEx
picks it up at the factory or distribution
45center. If it is traveling from New York City
to Los Angeles, California, it is loaded on
an aircraft in the early evening and flown
to Memphis, TN, arriving after midnight or
before. This massive influx of aircraft must
50be unloaded piece by piece, sorted to a new
destination, loaded on an out-going aircraft
and flown out in the early morning hours. In
Los Angeles, the plane is unloaded, the items
are taken by truck to a dispatching center and
55white delivery vans will navigate the perils of
rush hour traffic to make the delivery to the
person who wants the package.
FedEx and UPS now provide online
tracking of packages for the consumer. It
60is interesting to log on and see the journey
that a purchase has traveled to go from
source to destination. Each time an arrival
and a departure are scanned, that item has
to be picked up by an employee, placed on
65a moving belt to take to a sortation system,
and then placed on another vehicle for its
next leg in the sojourn. Holiday seasons
put these logistics systems to a severe test
each year, and companies in the business of
70logistics are constantly investing in new ways
to handle the information and the items as
they flow through the pipelines. Billions of
dollars have been invested in these types of
service industries, and the activity behind
75the scenes is something to behold. Santa
does indeed have his helpers, but instead of
a red sleigh and cute little reindeer, a 747 jet
aircraft and a white or brown delivery truck
are the real implements in keeping people
80happy in their gift giving. And if the recent
past is any indication, consumer spending on
e-commerce will only continue to increase.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Source: Statista.com

Which option gives the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

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