Concerns of over-population in country XYZ led to government funded bi

Hello, kntombat. I remember this question from last week, when I had thought to respond to your initial query. This is a case in which I wish Veritas Prep could better mimic the phrasing of official questions, something that I believe may be prohibited by copyright law. An official question would likely drop in a crucial if true into the question stem, as in, Which of the following, if true, best explains...

Choice (A) looks decent. If a population favors male births and believes that birth control will increase the probability of conceiving females, then members of that population might have a compelling reason to avoid birth control, and the government-funded birth control initiatives might indeed fail. But is this the best answer? Probability is not absolute.

Choice (B) does indeed deal in extremes, but if it is true that every parent wants a male child and will avoid birth control until a male is conceived, then we are no longer dealing in probabilities, but in a definitive outcome. In this case, X will lead to Y, which will in turn lead to Z, the failed initiatives (unless a lot of males happen to be born to first-time parents). This is a safer answer than (A).

Choice (C) introduces a concern about the population of XYZ that we have no information about in the passage. It should be an easy one to see off.

Choice (D) does not touch on either birth control or curbing population growth, but attacks government-funded initiatives instead. This is another could-be-true consideration, like (A). I cannot say that it could not be the reason behind the failed initiatives, but again, does it present the strongest case?

Choice (E) follows the popular opinion on overpopulation, which has nothing to do with the initiatives.

I do not like to criticize questions that others have put a lot of thought and effort into, and I think Veritas Prep material is generally of high quality. In this case, though, I feel as though the missing if true opens the door to confusion. The hardest answer to argue against if that phrase were dropped in is (B), and that is what compelled me to choose it the first time.

I hope that helps. Thank you for thinking to ask me.

- Andrew