Beverage company representative: The plastic rings that hold six-packs of beverage cans together pose a threat to wild animals, which often become entangled in the discarded rings and suffocate as a result. Following our lead, all beverage companies will soon use only those rings consisting of a new plastic that disintegrates after only three days’ exposure to sunlight. Once we all complete the switchover from the old to the new plastic rings, therefore, the threat of suffocation that plastic rings pose to wild animals will be eliminated.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the representative’s argument?

A. The switchover to the new plastic rings will take at least two more years to complete.
Out of scope as timeline is not a matter

B. After the beverage companies have switched over to the new plastic rings, a substantial number of the old plastic rings will persist in most aquatic and woodland environments.
Correct: it is telling even if A happens B will be there and we know B causes C...so weaken


C. The new plastic rings are slightly less expensive than the old rings.
Out of scope as expensiveness is not the matter

D. The new plastic rings rarely disintegrate during shipping of beverage six-packs because most trucks that transport canned beverages protect their cargo from sunlight.
Out of scope as we are interested for discarded rings not the ones in use


E. The new plastic rings disintegrate into substances that are harmful to aquatic animals when ingested in substantial quantities by them.
Shell game: Good option but points to aquatic animals not the wild animals
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Beverage company representative: The plastic rings that hold six-packs of beverage cans together pose a threat to wild animals, which often become entangled in the discarded rings and suffocate as a result. Following our lead, all beverage companies will soon use only those rings consisting of a new plastic that disintegrates after only three days’ exposure to sunlight. Once we all complete the switchover from the old to the new plastic rings, therefore, the threat of suffocation that plastic rings pose to wild animals will be eliminated

We have to weaken the switchover from old to new, only B does that

B. After the beverage companies have switched over to the new plastic rings, a substantial number of the old plastic rings will persist in most aquatic and woodland environments.

This clearly weakens the argument.

E. The new plastic rings disintegrate into substances that are harmful to aquatic animals when ingested in substantial quantities by them.

This weakens the new plastic rings doesn't weaken the the plasticrings have been switchedover from old to new... we don't know what happened to the old rings.
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