A. Hornby has a larger population than Milston
Weakens: If Hornby has more people, higher total sales doesn’t mean residents are better informed per capita. Sales might be higher simply due to population, not interest or knowledge.
B. Most residents of Milston work in Hornby and buy their reading material there
Weakens: If Milston residents buy journals in Hornby, the sales figures don’t reflect who actually reads them. Milston residents could be the ones buying and reading, making them better informed despite lower Milston sales.
C. The average newsstand price of journals sold in Hornby is lower than in Milston
Does NOT weaken: Lower prices explain why more journals are sold in Hornby, but this doesn’t contradict that Hornby residents are better informed. If anything, affordable journals could make residents more informed by increasing accessibility.
D. A monthly journal restricted to local events is published in Hornby
Weakens: If local event journals inflate Hornby’s sales numbers, many “sports journals sold” aren’t about major sporting events, undermining the conclusion about being informed on major sports.
E. The average resident of Hornby spends less time reading sports journals than Milston residents
Weakens: Even if more journals are sold in Hornby, residents spending less time reading them means they’re likely less informed than Milston residents who read more.