KAPLAN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE QUESTION TYPE
Since the word “weaken” appears in the question stem, this is a Weaken question.

STEP 2: UNTANGLE THE STIMULUS
The conclusion is that if the local elementary school students played sports less, they would read more books. The evidence is that almost all of these students play sports two or more times a week, while the average number of books they read is lower than the national average. The author assumes that playing sports is causing students to read relatively fewer books. Note that the first sentence of the stimulus functions as background information rather than as evidence; it tells you why reading books might be important, but it is not used to support the claim that the students would read more books if they played sports less.

STEP 3: PREDICT THE ANSWER
Whenever you’re asked to weaken a causal argument, consider the three classic alternative explanations: (1) cause and effect may be reversed (“reading fewer books leads to playing sports more often”), (2) there may be an alternative cause of the effect (“many local students have little access to books”), or (3) the apparent link between two events is coincidental (“whatever the cause of reading fewer books, it isn’t playing sports”). You don’t know exactly what the right answer will say, but you can expect it to fall into one of these three categories.

STEP 4: EVALUATE THE CHOICES
(D) weakens the argument by proposing another reason local children don’t read books and do play sports. Since books are hard to get, if the children weren’t allowed to play sports, they might just be bored rather than read more. Thus, (D) is correct. (A) is irrelevant because the argument is concerned with local elementary school students, not middle school students from across the country. The author’s conclusion is about what would cause students to read more books, not about the effect their not reading books will eventually have, so (B) does not weaken the argument. (C) presents an irrelevant comparison. The argument specifically compares local elementary school students to a national population of elementary school students, so how younger children compare to older readers is irrelevant. (E) is a 180. It strengthens the argument, suggesting that indeed playing sports caused these students to read fewer books.
_________________

Cause and effect. Reading more books at elementary school is correlated with later academic success. Okay, cool. Also, these students (local) are spending more time playing rather than reading books, inferring, they might not achieve an academic sucess as someone who reads?

We need to weaken this conclusion.

(B) Participating in sports in elementary school has been shown to be as highly correlated as reading books to later academic success.

Imo,Option B weakens this correlation by stating:reading books is not the only way one could achieve later academic success.

Don't be another brick in the wall.

Posted from my mobile device

Studies have shown that the number of books read in elementary school is correlated with later academic success. In the past year, local elementary students have read an average of 10 fewer books than the nationwide elementary student average of 35 books per year, while 90 percent of those local students report playing sports at least twice a week. If these students participated less in sports, they would read more books.

Which of the following, if true, would most effectively weaken the argument?


(A) A nationwide survey of middle school students determined that if given a choice between reading a book and playing a sport, most of these students would choose reading a book. Incorrect

students choice is irrelevant to argument

(B) Participating in sports in elementary school has been shown to be as highly correlated as reading books to later academic success. Incorrect

academic success is not main point, last line is express main point

(C) The attention spans of elementary school students do not allow these children to read for as long as older students and adults are expected to read. Incorrect

attention spans is irrelevant to argument

(D) The local elementary school is in a rural area in which there is no bookstore or public library and internet service is unreliable. Correct

although students play less sports, they cant read more books; weakens argument

(E) Some local elementary school students who used to enjoy reading have said they no longer choose to read books, preferring to play sports at least twice a week. Incorrect

not all students express this choice,

Premise : Local elementary students have read fewer books than the nationwide elementary student, while 90 percent of those local students report playing sports at least twice a week.
Conclusion: If these students participated less in sports, they would read more books.
i.e. the local elementary students couldn't have participated in sports without impacting their reading.

Prethink:
In this problem, the fact that the number of books read in elementary school is correlated with later academic success is just a distraction. It has nothing to do with the conclusion as long as we don't know the academic success of local students w.r.t the nationwide elementary students.

To weaken the conclusion, we need to add an information that says that the local students could have participated in sports without impacting their reading. There could be some other reason why these participated more into sports .

Let's see the choices-
(A) A nationwide survey of middle school students determined that if given a choice between reading a book and playing a sport, most of these students would choose reading a book.
Middle school students are not in the scope of the argument. It's about elementary school students.
(B) Participating in sports in elementary school has been shown to be as highly correlated as reading books to later academic success.
Let's consider the participation in sports is not very useful in later academic success.Do we know that the local elementary students could not be successful later? No such information. Thus, this choice does not impact the argument.
(C) The attention spans of elementary school students do not allow these children to read for as long as older students and adults are expected to read.
The argument is about local and nationwide elementary school students, and not about elementary school students and adults.
(D) The local elementary school is in a rural area in which there is no bookstore or public library and internet service is unreliable.
This is correct. The choice gives the other reason why these local elementary students participated more into sports. Had they got the reading facility,they might have managed to read too without impacting their sports. This questions the conclusion that the local students couldn't have participated in sports without impacting their reading.
(E) Some local elementary school students who used to enjoy reading have said they no longer choose to read books, preferring to play sports at least twice a week.
The shift of the preference from reading to sports actually, if at all, supports the conclusion that couldn't have participated in sports without impacting their reading.

D

Conclusion: If students participated less in sports, they would choose to read books.

To weaken: We should be able to tell participating less in sports would not necessarily lead to students choosing to read books.

(A) A nationwide survey of middle school students determined that if given a choice between reading a book and playing a sport, most of these students would choose reading a book.

Why should we concern ourselves with Middle school students. Eliminated

(B) Participating in sports in elementary school has been shown to be as highly correlated as reading books to later academic success.

Okay success is ensured but we don't know whether they will pick up reading if asked to leave sports. Eliminated

(C) The attention spans of elementary school students do not allow these children to read for as long as older students and adults are expected to read.

Clearly out of scope

(D) The local elementary school is in a rural area in which there is no bookstore or public library and internet service is unreliable.

We are told they are reading 25 books on average. What we don't know is if that is all that is available to them. Say if they have 35 books available but choose to read 25 that means having additional book resource available is irrelevant. The option seems juicy to me but there is still a loophole in my opinion. We were never told the number of books that we available to them at the first place. I will eliminate this one.

(E) Some local elementary school students who used to enjoy reading have said they no longer choose to read books, preferring to play sports at least twice a week.

Although "some" students is still avoidable for me but option does weaken the argument. Students such as these won't go back to reading a book even if sports is taken away. E is my answer.

Conclusion: If these students participated less in sports, they would read more books.

Pre-thinking: To weaken the conclusion, we need to see a reason, why elementary school students read less. But, the reason shouldn't be linked with participation in sports.

Argument: Participation in Sports -> fewer books to read
To weaken, XYZ reason -> fewer books to read

Which of the following, if true, would most effectively weaken the argument?

(A) A nationwide survey of middle school students determined that if given a choice between reading a book and playing a sport, most of these students would choose reading a book. -> It is giving reasons for more books to read. Incorrect.

(B) Participating in sports in elementary school has been shown to be as highly correlated as reading books to later academic success. -> It is a premise, not the weakening statement. Incorrect.

(C) The attention spans of elementary school students do not allow these children to read for as long as older students and adults are expected to read. -> The comparison is incorrect.

(D) The local elementary school is in a rural area in which there is no bookstore or public library and internet service is unreliable. -> we got XYZ reason for reading fewer books. Let's keep it.

(E) Some local elementary school students who used to enjoy reading have said they no longer choose to read books, preferring to play sports at least twice a week. -> some students doesn't give the reason for reading fewer books.

So, I think D

ueh55406
Here condition is If these students participated less in sports, they would read more books
We have to break this co-relation to find weaken argument.

Only possibility is in D.
If students participated less in sports...they do not read more as there is there is no bookstore or public library and internet service is unreliable

I hope this may help you.
_________________

imo D
Studies have shown that the number of books read in elementary school is correlated with later academic success. In the past year, local elementary students have read an average of 10 fewer books than the nationwide elementary student average of 35 books per year, while 90 percent of those local students report playing sports at least twice a week. If these students participated less in sports, they would read more books.

Which of the following, if true, would most effectively weaken the argument?

The conclusion is
If these local students participated less in sports, they would read more books.
given
90 percent of the local students report playing the sports at least twice a week
and
Local elementary students have read an average of 10 fewer books than the nationwide elementary student .

The assumption can be
there is no time or resource left for local students , so that the total hours and the average reading of books got reduced ..
Any option around that will be our answer ..

(A) A nationwide survey of middle school students determined that if given a choice between reading a book and playing a sport, most of these students would choose reading a book.
-- Out of scope .. as we are discussing about the local students ..

(B) Participating in sports in elementary school has been shown to be as highly correlated as reading books to later academic success.

-- So what ... that doesn't contribute to the conclusion

(C) The attention spans of elementary school students do not allow these children to read for as long as older students and adults are expected to read.
-- Not relevant
(D) The local elementary school is in a rural area in which there is no bookstore or public library and internet service is unreliable.

-- correct .. Alternative explanation to the conclusion .. weaken ..


(E) Some local elementary school students who used to enjoy reading have said they no longer choose to read books, preferring to play sports at least twice a week.
-- Some local students play sports twice a week .can be 1 student or can be 99 student .. So partial scope

Studies have shown that the number of books read in elementary school is correlated with later academic success. In the past year, local elementary students have read an average of 10 fewer books than the nationwide elementary student average of 35 books per year, while 90 percent of those local students report playing sports at least twice a week. If these students participated less in sports, they would read more books.

Which of the following, if true, would most effectively weaken the argument?

Conclusion: If these students participated less in sports, they would read more books.

(A) A nationwide survey of middle school students determined that if given a choice between reading a book and playing a sport, most of these students would choose reading a book.
But still the local elementary students are reading fewer books.

(B) Participating in sports in elementary school has been shown to be as highly correlated as reading books to later academic success.
But still the local elementary students are reading fewer books.

(C) The attention spans of elementary school students do not allow these children to read for as long as older students and adults are expected to read.
Older students are not the part of the discussion.

(D) The local elementary school is in a rural area in which there is no bookstore or public library and internet service is unreliable.
Correct.
Conclusion: If these students participated less in sports, they would read more books.
This option says that even if they stopped playing twice, they could not have read more books as there were fewer resources available.

(E) Some local elementary school students who used to enjoy reading have said they no longer choose to read books, preferring to play sports at least twice a week.
Some students may or may not decrease the average readership.

Choice D is the answer.