Whenever a major airplane accident occurs, there is a dramatic increase in the number of airplane mishaps reported, a phenomenon that may last for as long as a few months after the accident. Airline officials assert that the publicity given the gruesomeness of major airplane accidents focuses media attention on the airline industry and the increase in the number of reported accidents is caused by an increase in the number of news sources covering airline accident, not by an increase in the number of accidents.
Which of the following, if true, would seriously weaken the assertions of the airline officials?
(A) The publicity surrounding airline accidents is largely limited to the country in which the crash occurred. [highlight]It strengthens the airline officer assertion as media is focusing only on one country[/highlight]
(B) Airline accidents tend to occur far more often during certain peak travel months. [highlight]Correct. As during certain period accident increases and hence increase in number of reported accidents in news[/highlight]
(C) News organizations do not have any guidelines to help them decide how severe or how close an accident must be for it to receive coverage. [highlight]Irrelevant, nothing mentioned about severity.[/highlight]
(D) Airplane accidents receive coverage by news sources only when the news sources find it advantageous to do so.
[highlight]Irrelevant, Advantages not mentioned in the passage[/highlight]
(E) Studies by government regulations show that the number of airplane flight miles remains relatively constant from month to month [highlight]Irrelevant , Nothing said about accidents[/highlight]