SAT OwlFor decades, librarians assumed that late fees encouraged patrons to return books on time. After one city's public library stopped charging late fees, however, a larger share of overdue books was eventually returned, and thousands of cardholders who had stopped visiting began borrowing books again. These results suggest that late fees ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
were the main reason that patrons returned books on time.
may have discouraged some patrons from using the library at all.
should be raised to encourage faster returns.
had no effect on the number of people using the library.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
When fees ended, many cardholders who had stopped visiting came back. That suggests the fees had been keeping some people away from the library, choice B.
Choice A repeats the librarians' old assumption, which the results call into question.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. This choice repeats the initial assumption that the passage explicitly challenges. The evidence shows that removing fees led to more returns, contradicting the idea that fees were the primary motivator for timely returns.
- C. This choice contradicts the evidence presented. Since stopping the fees resulted in a larger share of overdue books being returned, raising them would likely have the opposite effect.
- D. This choice is incorrect because the text states that thousands of cardholders who had stopped visiting began borrowing books again after fees ended, proving the fees did affect usage.
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