Critical Reasoning

Q. Record companies defend their substitution of laser-read compact discs (CD’s) for the much less expensive traditional long-playing vinyl records in their catalogs by claiming that the audio market is ruled by consumer demand for ever-improved sound reproduction rather than by record manufacturers’ profit-motivated marketing decisions. But this claim cannot be true, because if it were true, then digital audiotape, which produces even better sound than CD’s, would be commercially available from these same record companies, but it is not.
Which of the following, if true, best explains how the record companies’ claim about the nature of the audio reproduction market could be true and digital audiotape nevertheless be unavailable for the commercial market?
(A) Most consumers prefer audiotape to long-playing records or CD’s because of the tape’s durability and compactness.
(B) Prototypes of digital audiotape have been used to make master tapes of some performances in recording studios.
(C) The manufacturing technology that underlies the commercial production of CD’s requires equipment very similar to that needed for commercial production of digital audiotape.
(D) Record companies have not yet solved several quality-control problems that have beset attempts to produce digital audiotape in commercial quantities.
(E) CD’s are more expensive than long-playing vinyl records by about the same ratio as digital audiotape cassettes would be more expensive than conventional cassettes.

OA is [spoiler](D)[/spoiler]. Can someone explain please?

Thanks,
Rohit.

The question is asking which of the choices best explains why the record companies are able to sell more of CDs & not digital audio tapes.

A --> This also does not explain the claim.
B --> Out of scope
C --> If the explanation is right, the record companies could very well sell the digital audiotapes because as per the passage they give good audio quality. This does not explain
D --> This states a valid reason
E --> Out of scope

Hope that helps

Costs (from Higher to Lower)
Digital Audiotape - > CDs -> Vinyl Records

CD's are expensive than vinyl records , still Record Company defend CD's beause of the consumer demand

OA should provide an explanation for -
"Why digital audiotapes are not available , though they are more expensive than Cds ? "

(D) Quality problem with Digital Audiotapes, so they can not be produced in commercial quantities

I will Go with option D