Vicky wrote:
In the United States, injuries to passengers involved in automobile accidents are typically more severe than in Europe, where laws require a different kind of safety belt. It is clear from this that the United States needs to adopt more stringent standards for safety belt design to protect automobile passengers better.
Each of the following, if true, weakens the argument above EXCEPT:
(A) Europeans are more likely to wear safety belts than are people in the United States.
(B) Unlike United States drivers, European drivers receive training in how best to react in the event of an accident to minimize injuries to themselves and to their passengers.
(C) Cars built for the European market tend to have more sturdy construction than do cars built for the United States market.
(D) Automobile passengers in the United States have a greater statistical chance of being involved in an accident than do passengers in Europe.
(E) States that have recently begun requiring the European safety belt have experienced no reduction in the average severity of injuries suffered by passengers in automobile accidents.
CR10661.01
Best way to answer CR questions is to identify the conclusion and then go from there
Conclusion here is : United States needs to adopt more stringent standards for
safety belt design to protect automobile passengers better
What the author is saying is that better safety belt design will protect automobile passengers in US better.
Now, the question asks us to find 4 weaken statements to this conclusion and eliminate them. The choice remaining choice will be the correct one.
A - Alternate reason to why the accidents are less severe in Europe, which is that europeans are more likely to wear seatbelts. - Eliminate
B- European drivers receive some specialized training that reduces the severity of accidents. Alternate reason - Eliminate
C - Cars in Europe are more sturdy. Alternate reasons - Eliminate
D - Americans have a greater chance of getting in an accident. - Can't understand how this weakens the conclusion. - Keep for now
E - Some states in the US have tried the European style of the safety belt but have seen no reduction in the average - Weakens the argument by telling us that the plan implemented for a small sample has not had the expected impact - Eliminate
Left with option, D, though I cannot understand it completely, must be the correct answer.