Despite the threat of legal prosecution, many agencies gather personal

Question

Despite the threat of legal prosecution, many agencies gather personal data from phony telephone solicitations, often luring details from the respondent through the promise of non-existent prizes. Such solicitors sell this data to individuals and agencies that are willing to pay for information on people’s personal lives, buying habits, and political views. Politicians, however, have relied less on phony solicitors thanks to recent advances in public opinion polling, which generally supplies them with reliable information regarding voter attitudes on major issues. It is therefore likely that the phony solicitation industry will dwindle significantly in the years to come.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the conclusion above?

(A) Public opinion polling is not only effective at discerning the political attitudes of individuals, but also at revealing their buying habits and details of their personal lives.

(B) Most people are unwilling to share personal information on their preferences and attitudes with strangers over the telephone.

(C) Large retailers are by far the largest consumers of pirated personal information, and do not benefit from the information gathered in public opinion polls.

(D) Those politicians who rely on legal public opinion polls for information on voter attitudes are nonetheless hesitant to encourage the prosecution of the illegal data-gathering agencies.

(E) Due to the recent success of public opinion polling, the phony solicitors have begun to co-opt the public opinion agencies’ techniques for getting people to disclose information on their personal lives.

KarishmaB · Accepted Answer

Agencies gather personal info under false pretences. 
Individuals and agencies pay for this info (so that they can use it to sell products or to find out people's political views)
But now politicians get their info from reliable public opinion polls.

Conclusion: Phony solicitation industry will dwindle significantly in the years to come.
 
Is the logic reasonable? Why will this industry significantly dwindle? All the argument tells us is that politicians will not use it anymore because of public polls. Our conclusion will make sense if we find out that politicians are currently the major consumers of this phone industry (and will not be in the future because of public polls) or that public polls will be useful to many others too and the need for phone solicitation industry will reduce or something on these lines.

We need to undermine our conclusion. So we need to find a reason that says that the phone industry may continue to thrive, may continue to do well.

(A) Public opinion polling is not only effective at discerning the political attitudes of individuals, but also at revealing their buying habits and details of their personal lives.

Doesn't give a reason why phone solicitation industry will continue to do well.

(B) Most people are unwilling to share personal information on their preferences and attitudes with strangers over the telephone.

Doesn't give a reason why phone solicitation industry will continue to do well.

(C) Large retailers are by far the largest consumers of pirated personal information, and do not benefit from the information gathered in public opinion polls.

Correct. This says that biggest clients (by far) of phone solicitation industry are large retailers and they do not benefit from public polls. So they will continue to use phone solicitation industry. So the phone solicitation industry should continue to do well.

(D) Those politicians who rely on legal public opinion polls for information on voter attitudes are nonetheless hesitant to encourage the prosecution of the illegal data-gathering agencies.

This says that it prosecution of this industry is unlikely. This doesn't mean that this industry will continue to do well.

(E) Due to the recent success of public opinion polling, the phony solicitors have begun to co-opt the public opinion agencies’ techniques for getting people to disclose information on their personal lives.

It doesn't tell us whether politicians will go back to these phone solicitation agencies.

Answer (C)

karnavora1 · Answer

The argument says that because Politicians rely lesser on Phony Telephone Solicitation Data the Phony Solicitation industry will dwindle or decrease in the coming years, we need to weaken this arugment.

(A) Public opinion polling is not only effective at discerning the political attitudes of individuals, but also at revealing their buying habits and details of their personal lives. - Incorrect, this strengthens the argument.

(B) Most people are unwilling to share personal information on their preferences and attitudes with strangers over the telephone. - Incorrect, we are talking about people that share/have shared their data.

(C) Large retailers are by far the largest consumers of pirated personal information, and do not benefit from the information gathered in public opinion polls. - Correct, if most of the business came from Large retailers then the industry won't dwindle if Politicians stop buying this data.

(D) Those politicians who rely on legal public opinion polls for information on voter attitudes are nonetheless hesitant to encourage the prosecution of the illegal data-gathering agencies. - Incorrect, Irrelevant to the argument.

(E) Due to the recent success of public opinion polling, the phony solicitors have begun to co-opt the public opinion agencies’ techniques for getting people to disclose information on their personal lives. - Incorrect, this is tempting but is incorrect because we have no idea what is the impact of this on business.

mSKR · Answer

(A) Public opinion polling is not only effective at discerning the political attitudes of individuals, but also at revealing their buying habits and details of their personal lives.
>>strenghthens the conclusion

(B) Most people are unwilling to share personal information on their preferences and attitudes with strangers over the telephone.
>>slghtly strenghthens the conclusion

(C) Large retailers are by far the largest consumers of pirated personal information, and do not benefit from the information gathered in public opinion polls.
>>Weakens the conclusion.

(D) Those politicians who rely on legal public opinion polls for information on voter attitudes are nonetheless hesitant to encourage the prosecution of the illegal data-gathering agencies.
>>not directly related with telephonic collection of data. If anything, it still strengthens a bit.

(E) Due to the recent success of public opinion polling, the phony solicitors have begun to co-opt the public opinion agencies’ techniques for getting people to disclose information on their personal lives.
>>strenghthens the conclusion

Hence C

mdsaddamforgmat · Answer

IMO C: 
We need to find an option that will undermine the claim that phony solicitation industry will dwindle significantly in the years to come. i.e. we need to find an option that will claim that phony industry will thrive despite politicians non-reliance and Public opinion advances.

Mavisdu1017 · Answer

yes, this is align with my pre-thinking, but the second part of choice C made me confused as it saying "do not benefit from the information", so I think maybe retailers won't buy any more cause the information is not useful to expand their business. 
Can anybody shed some light?

apdevrarii · Answer

In option C, What if large retailers get personal information not from telephone solicitor but from someone else?

VerbalBot · Answer

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Despite the threat of legal prosecution, many agencies gather personal

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