In the past year the National Broadcasting Network (NBN) has lost near

Question

In the past year the National Broadcasting Network (NBN) has lost nearly 30 percent of its advertising revenue. Most of the advertisers who ended their association with NBN did so in the month following the network's broadcast of a controversial political program. Industry analysts believe that the controversial program led to NBN's loss of so much revenue.

Each of the following, if true, provides additional support for the analysts' belief EXCEPT:

(A) Many of the advertisers that left NBN have strong political positions and prefer not to financially support those who disagree with them.

(B) Another network that broadcast the controversial program experienced a similar drop in advertising revenue.

(C) Most of the drop in advertising revenue resulted from advertisers cutting down their number of advertisements, not ceasing to advertise completely.

(D) Many of the advertisers who left NBN also advertise on competing networks, and these other networks did not experience drops in advertising revenue when NBN did.

(E) The month following the broadcast of the controversial program is typically one in which networks experience an increase in advertising revenue.

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diasdexter766 · Answer

Option E!

Does not impact the conclusion or is rather a paradox!

cdrectenwald · Answer

The answer is (C), as it does not directly support the belief that the controversial program caused the revenue drop. Instead, it focuses on a reduction in ad frequency rather than advertisers abandoning NBN due to the program’s content.

mohitchowdhury · Answer

E as it doesn't affect directly

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

C

This strengthen question has a passage with a clear argument based on causality. It claims that the controversial program led to advertisers ending their association with the network. In EXCEPT questions, remember that the correct answer might not be the opposite of a strengthen answer (a "weaken" answer); it might be an answer that has no effect.

Choice (A) strengthens the argument. If the advertisers have strong political opinions, that is one reason they might not want to support a network that broadcasts a controversial political program. (B) also strengthens the argument, as another network saw the same causal effect. Choice (C) does not strengthen the argument; the argument is based on revenue losses due to advertisers leaving, not advertisers reducing how much they advertise.

Choice (D) suggests that if the network hadn't broadcast the controversial program, it wouldn't have lost the revenue, which strengthens the argument. (E) strengthens the argument as well, by eliminating one possible alternative explanation for the loss in the revenue.  Choice (C) is correct.

Pranavsawant · Answer

Okay and why is E wrong? It is literally the definition of a 180. If ad revenue was expected to increase, how does that strengthen the claim of the analysts?

catluvr12 · Answer

While cancelling out E, are we assuming that since ad spends will increase in the next month they will decrease in the current month? I feel like that is a very bold assumption to make since ad spends could remain the same across networks and increase from that base in the next month.

In the past year the National Broadcasting Network (NBN) has lost near

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In the past year the National Broadcasting Network (NBN) has lost near

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