After the Springfield Sluggers posted three losing seasons in a row ov

The correct answer here is C. This question is asking us to "strengthen the argument", but with a catch. The conclusion we're looking to strengthen is that "it was a good decision to extend the manager's contract". The catch is that the premises given to us so far actually DON'T go in favour of extension. Hence, we're looking for external information that tells us the team, or the manager is doing something right.

A - It does not matter that Higgins had a winning record with another team. We need info that says he's doing well with this team. OUT

B - If this is true, it means that the fortunes of Springfield will improve. However, this doesn't validate the decision to keep the manager in any way. This is a totally external factor which in no way indicates that the manager did anything worth keeping him for. OUT

C - Springfield may have an absolute losing record, but this info shows that they have a)improved consistently and b)over-performed for their payroll. This actually DOES indicate that the manager did something right. Hence, it strengthens the argument and is CORRECT.

D - Whether other teams have lobbied for their manager to be removed or not, and the success of that endeavour are both totally irrelevant. Like we saw in A, we only need to watch for what this manager has done with this team. OUT

E - This doesn't give us much info about whether the team has been doing okay or not. If anything, it mildly suggests that things are unstable, and that the manager has therefore done a bad job. OUT

As with all Assumption based CR questions, it is essential to correctly identify the conclusion. One added challenge to this otherwise simple question is that the premises don't really support the given conclusion, and this is rather uncommon. However, so long as you stick to IDing the conclusion, and parsing through the options to eliminate 4 of them, you should be fine!

- Matoo