Statement of a United States copper mining company: Import quotas should be imposed on the less expensive copper mined outside the country to maintain the price of copper in this country; otherwise, our companies will not be able to stay in business.
Response of a United States copper wire manufacturer: United States wire and cable manufacturers purchase about 70 percent of the copper mined in the United States. If the copper prices we pay are not at the international level, our sales will drop, and then the demand for United States copper will go down.
If the factual information presented by both companies is accurate, the best assessment of the logical relationship between the two arguments is that the wire manufacturer’s argument

(A) is self-serving and irrelevant to the proposal of the mining company
(B) is circular, presupposing what it seeks to prove about the proposal of the mining company
(C) shows that the proposal of the mining company would have a negative effect on the mining company’s own business
(D) fails to give a reason why the proposal of the mining company should not be put into effect to alleviate the concern of the mining company for staying in business
(E) establishes that even the mining company’s business will prosper if the mining company’s proposal is rejected

Agreed. (C) looks like the wire manufacturer has a legitimate reason to keep copper prices at the (low) international level.

C all the way

B
paraphrase:
Statement:
apply import quotas for copper mined outside the country. this copper is also less expensive. this is to maintain the prices of copper mined inside the country. otherwise the local companies will go out of business
repsonse:
The local cable/wire mfgrers purchase 70% of local mine outputs.
if the purchase price for copper at the intl level is not the same as local price, then their input cost is more and hence their product prices more and hence their sales will drop. and as a result, the demand for US copper (by the local cable/wire companies) will go down.

So the cable.wire mfgrs are supporting the quota, because theya re currently purchasing the local copper which is more expensive than that available internationally. so if the proposal is accepted, then the copper prices are at the same level everywhere and in turn, their own pricing of their product is equal and their sales are steady!

So any options supporting this is the answer: B
All the other 4 answers dont support the copper miners.


(A) is self-serving and irrelevant to the proposal of the mining company
(B) is circular, presupposing what it seeks to prove about the proposal of the mining company
(C) shows that the proposal of the mining company would have a negative effect on the mining company’s own business
(D) fails to give a reason why the proposal of the mining company should not be put into effect to alleviate the concern of the mining company for staying in business
(E) establishes that even the mining company’s business will prosper if the mining company’s proposal is rejected