Official Solution:
Marine and Juhu Beach, located 5 miles apart, are the top two beaches in Country X. After an epidemic at Marine Beach in August, the number of tourists at Juhu Beach has since increased compared to the same period in previous years. It is therefore concluded that the increase in tourists at Juhu Beach is directly related to the epidemic at Marine Beach.
Which of the following, if true, would weaken this argument?
A. In spite of epidemic at Marine beach, there was little effect on tourists who visited country X.
B. The influx of tourists is normally higher in the months following August compared to the rest of the year.
C. There were several cases of drowning at Juhu Beach in the month of August this year.
D. Several highly anticipated tourist attractions have opened in the past three months at the top three beaches of Country X.
E. Although the two beaches are only 5 miles apart, there have been no reported cases of the infection in the area around Juhu Beach.
A. The argument is about the visitors in Juhu beach, not about total visitors in country X.
B. The passage states that the visitors to Juhu beach this year is higher than that last year (during the same time). That in general the no. of visitors in August is high does not explain or refute the difference between the numbers in two years.
C. The conclusion of the passage is that the increase in number of visitors is the effect of epidemic in marine beach. Number of drownings in Juhu beach does not affect this causal relation.
D. Correct. If the conclusion is that X causes Z, then weakening statement would be something else Y causes Z, since this statement gives reason to doubt the conclusion: Y, not X causes Z. Here X = Epidemic in Marine beach, Z = increase in visitors in Juhu beach, and Y = opening of other tourist attractions.
E. The reasoning is same as that in option C: this statement does not oppose the causal relation.
Answer: D