Throughout much of its fifty-year history, the country of Dischordia has depended on beef imports in order to provide its citizens with a sufficient food supply. Four years ago, Dischordia instituted a program that incentivizes domestic grain production, and as of this year farmers in Dischordia are producing more grain than its citizens consume. Furthermore, for the first time ever, more Dischordians are consuming grain on a daily basis than are consuming beef on a daily basis. Clearly, the Dischordian grain initiative is what brought about this change.

The answer to which of the following questions would be most useful in evaluating the argument above?

A What fraction of Dischordia's food supply comes from beef imports, and what fraction from domestic grain?

B Does Dischordia depend more heavily on its grain supply than do most other countries?

C Will the Dischordian grain industry ever yield more food for Dischordians than does the Dischordian importation of beef?

D Has the daily consumption of grain in Dischordia grown as a result of the animal rights lobby's increased media presence and an increase in the purchase price of store-bought beef?

E Is the number of Dischordians who have recently given up meat and become vegetarians equal to the number of Dischordian vegetarians who have recently given up vegetarianism and begun to consume meat?

Hi anceer,

Could you please post the OE, if available?

Thank you.

I initially got the answer wrong and then spent some time on the same. What we need to answer is whether the option will give us a clear answer of YES or NO to the question "Did this result in a change, and not the initiative?".

A What fraction of Dischordia's food supply comes from beef imports, and what fraction from domestic grain?
Will not help to answer if the change in the numbers was because of the initiative.

B Does Dischordia depend more heavily on its grain supply than do most other countries?
irrelevent

C Will the Dischordian grain industry ever yield more food for Dischordians than does the Dischordian importation of beef?
irrelevent. Even if the answer to this question is yes, it still doesn't answer whether the change was because of the initiative.

D Has the daily consumption of grain in Dischordia grown as a result of the animal rights lobby's increased media presence and an increase in the purchase price of store-bought beef?
correct as it points out that the change was not because of the initiative.

E Is the number of Dischordians who have recently given up meat and become vegetarians equal to the number of Dischordian vegetarians who have recently given up vegetarianism and begun to consume meat?
Same as A

Hope it helps

this is a causal argument - so we need to find an alternate cause to weaken this argument

how about - price increase of the beef forced people to eat more grain? or people switched from beef to grain because of better health awareness

or worldwide there was beef infection going on, causing the fear among the resident

Clearly, the Dischordian grain initiative is what brought about this change.