A human rights group is considering ways to place additional pressure

Tanvay
Could you please share your thoughts on why the answer is E. How this question is relevant to the human rights group’s decision of whether calling for a boycott would lead to higher wages for the employees of Mercury?

VERITAS PREP OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

This question is a type of “Most Useful to Know” that instead asks which answer choice would be the “Least Useful to Know?” The conclusion you are evaluating is whether or not calling for a boycott would lead to higher wages for the employees of Mercury Sports Shoes? The group plans to boycott Champion Sports Apparel, which is owned by the same conglomerate as Mercury Shoes. So the question really is, will boycotting another brand owned by the conglomerate exert more pressure on Mercury Shoes?

Any answer choice that is useful to know can be eliminated. Choice A is useful to know since a boycott is meant to generate revenue losses and the impact of those losses could determine the success of the boycott. Choice B is useful to know since the availability of substitute products is always an important aspect of a boycott. It is easier to boycott butter – since butter substitutes are available – than it is to boycott gasoline. Choice C is relevant because if other companies have increased wages it will be easier to convince Mercury Shoes to do so. This is a tricky one, but it is more relevant than choice E. Choice D is clearly relevant since it asks whether this strategy has succeeded in the past. Choice E is the correct answer since it is not relevant to the conclusion. What if other conglomerates do own shoe as well as apparel companies. How would this impact the success of the boycott? This is least relevant.

Hi rsrighosh,

You have kinda answered your question yourself. E is not relevant to human rights' decision and this is why it is the right answer. You understood the argument pretty well, but faltered at understanding "the question". The question asks us about an option that is least directly relevant to the human rights group’s decision. And as you have pointed out yourself, (E) indeed is least relevant to their decision. And thus, the correct choice.

You are absolutely right. I did not understand the question. Skipped the word "least" while reading it
Thanks for pointing it out.