Consumer: The problem with bottled spring water is that it is no more

I'm a bit confused with question does it mean to weaken the bottled water argument or the home filtration argument?

Official Explanation

Answer choice (A):This Opposite answer choice can be quickly ruled out, because if many such companies had gone out of business in recent years, this would not weaken the author’s argument; instead this choice actually lends strength to the conclusion.

Answer choice (B): This choice would also strengthen the author’s argument. If the bottled water companies are unable to lower their wholesale prices, this makes it more likely that the gap in price between bottled water and home-filtered water will remain. So this choice, which bolsters the conclusion from the stimulus, cannot be the correct answer.

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice, and the one which points to a previously unreferenced basis for consumer preference—that of taste. If consumers base such purchases on taste alone, then the margin in cost is not likely to sway them toward home-filtration. Note also how the argument avoids a discussion of taste; the stimulus simply references the fact that bottled water is no more “healthy” than well-filtered tap water.

Answer choice (D): To begin with, the word “some” is very vague, and of no value in this instance. “Some” can be defined as one or more, so this choice basically provides that there is at least one person who prefers tap water. Further, this information plays no role in the author’s argument, which deals with bottled water vs home-filtered tap water; plain tap water falls into neither category.

Answer choice (E): Like many (but not all) incorrect responses to Weaken questions, this choice actually strengthens the author’s conclusion. The more effective and readily available the home-filtration systems are, the stronger the assertion that they will hurt the bottled water industry.