PathFinder007
Despite the best efforts of our national soccer league, the city of Ashton refuses to adequately support its professional franchise, which has the lowest ratings, revenue, and season ticket sales of any in the league. Therefore it is clear that Ashton is not interested in soccer.
Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument?
A. Ashton’s franchise has been in existence for over twenty years.
B. Ashton is nationally renowned for its professional basketball team, perhaps the most successful in the history of the country.
C. Ashton has two long established collegiate soccer programs that dominate media coverage in the city.
D.Ashton has the lowest average income per capita of any city in the league.
E. Ashton has refused to build a new stadium to support the franchise.
As written, either C or D could be correct. If the conclusion read 'it is clear that Ashton is not interested in
professional soccer', D would be correct for the reasons described here (it provides an alternative explanation, other than lack of interest - which is common in weaken problems.)
However, since the conclusion doesn't mention professional soccer specifically, C certainly does weaken it, by showing evidence that Ashton is, in fact, interested in soccer. D is a more 'GMAT-like' answer, but that's not a decision you'd need to make on the test. There's something wrong with this problem.