Despite a steady stream of pessimistic forecasts, our economy continues to grow and prosper. Over the last 15 years the service sector of our economy has greatly expanded. Last year alone, 500,000 Americans found employment in the service sector. In the face of evidence such as this, one cannot argue that our economy is wilting.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously undermine the conclusion drawn above?
(A) Many Americans who took jobs in the service sector last year were also offered jobs in other sectors of the economy.
(B) Most of the job growth in the service sector can be attributed to people forced out of the declining manufacturing sector.
(C) American society has developed many programs that greatly offset the consequences of a sluggish economy.
(D) 40 years ago the American economy experienced a period of prosperity far greater than that of today.
(E) The importance of the service sector in determining the well being of the overall American economy has decreased somewhat in the past 10 years.