mahakmalik wrote:
Please explain,why answer cannot be B?
Lobsters and other crustaceans eaten by humans are more likely to contract gill diseases when sewage contaminates their water. Under a recent proposal, millions of gallons of local sewage each day would be rerouted many kilometers offshore. Although, this would substantially reduce the amount of sewage in the harbor where lobsters are caught, the proposal is pointless, because hardly any lobsters live long enough to be harmed by those diseases.
Which one of the following if true most seriously weakens the argument?
A> Contaminants in the harbor other than sewage are equally harmful to lobsters.
B> Lobsters, like other crustaceans, live longer in the open ocean than in industrial harbors.
C> Lobsters breed as readily in sewage contaminated water as in unpolluted water.
D> Gill diseases cannot be detected by examining the surface of the lobsters.
E> Humans often become ill as a result of eating lobsters with gill diseases.
Conclusion- the proposal is pointless .
The argument cites a reason why the proposal is pointless -because hardly any lobsters live long enough to be harmed by those diseases.
Now in order to weaken the argument we need to cast doubt on the conclusion with some new information.
Option E provides us with that extra information that we need to cast doubt on the conclusion.
Option E provides a reasoning why the proposal may not be pointless.
Perhaps the author must consider other ideas such as E before stating that the proposal is pointless.
B is of the topic because the point in question is not about the life length of the lobsters but about why the proposal may not be pointless.
E states that perhaps the proposal is not all pointless.
Hope the above helps.
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