I Pick -E

In private school 90% students go on to do the education in college. Means 90 students out of 100

In public school (Including reasoning given in E) 65 out of (100-30=70) go on to do the education in college. Means 65 students out of 70

This clearly weakns the argument "if parents in the county wish to increase the likelihood that their children will attend college, they should send them to private rather than public schools. "

Conclusions are like a house of cards that are built on a foundation of a few base cards (aka assumptions). Knock down one of the foundation cards, and regardless of the strength of other cards, the house comes falling down. One should also remember that the scope of the GMAT argument is limited to the facts presented in the argument.
One cannot assume that the rural students of this country are financially disadvantaged in any way. This might a county where the farmers sell a lot of corn and make a whole lot of money.
Let's zone in on the conclusion of the argument :
Therefore, if parents in the county wish to increase the likelihood that their children will attend college, they should send them to private rather than public schools.

The whole conclusion is based on the statistical data, which seem to indicate that students who attend private school have some sort of advantage over public school students. Note that the argument is silent about what this advantage could be.

Hmm....What if we prove that the conclusion that is drawn from the statistical data is incorrect. The whole argument is built on the assumption that the % of students who go on to attend college is THE indicator of the superiority of private school instruction vis-a-vis public school instruction.
( E) clearly indicates that given statistic IS NOT a good measure of the superiority of private schools. (E) implies that the % has nothing to do with superiority of private school instruction.

Lets think about it another way
Imagine that i am being interviewed a lawyer :
Scenario : Jane is being accused of grand larceny.
Me : I saw Sam yesterday at 5 o clock and he told me that he saw Jane stealing a car.
Lawyer : Your time card proves that you were in the office till 7 PM, hence there is no way that you could have talked to Sam at 5
Me : You are right. That conversation never happened. I made it up
Judge : The whole case is built on the testimony that you saw Sam at 5. That never happened, hence the case is dismissed.


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I am between C and D, but, may be, you are right that C is the best one, because C exactly talk about graduates.

According to a recent research study, more than 90% percent of graduates of private high schools in a certain county continue their education in college. By contrast, only 65% of graduates of public high schools subsequently pursue college education. Therefore, if parents in the county wish to increase the likelihood that their children will attend college, they should send them to private rather than public schools.

Which of the following statements would most seriously weaken the argument above?
A. Graduates of private schools typically score higher on standardized tests and other tests of academic achievement.-> this is irrelevant
B. While private schools are typically very expensive, attendance of public school is free for the residents of the county. -> irrelevant
C. In comparison with graduates of private schools, a substantially greater proportion of public school graduates receive need-based financial aid for their college education. -> this is irrelevant
D. In comparison with private schools, public schools provide more opportunities for student involvement in sports and other athletic activities, which almost always increase the likelihood of students’ acceptance to colleges. -> this strengthens

E. Since most public schools are located in rural areas of the county populated primarily by farmers, nearly 30% of students from public high schools choose to pursue farming occupations rather than apply to colleges. -> this weakens
the logic stated above since the students themselves opt not to go to college
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cheers
Its Now Or Never

i think d

Vote for D.

IMO E)

Correction made ..Thanks spriya

Do you by any chance have the OE? Thanks!

i pick E, but i somewhat think that 30% in option E is a bit lower, ie. if the number were 60%, that could be better?