A company that manufactures sports equipment has received complaints that their portable basketball hoop, which is mounted on a pole attached to a weighted base, overturns too easily. They therefore started making larger, heavier bases, but have surprisingly received just as many complaints about overturned hoops as before.

Which of the following, if true, would best explain why the change to the base did not have its intended effect?

(A) Frequently, buyers of the hoop with the newer base reported that they found installing the equipment more time-consuming than they expected.
(B) The increase in the cost of the hoop with the larger base has led to a 15% reduction in sales.
(C) Promotional materials that emphasized the hoop’s stability led buyers to locate the hoop on surfaces that were too steep.
(D) The new hoop has a backboard that breaks more easily than the one that came with the older hoop.
(E) Even with the larger base, wind and rain can overturn the hoop.



OA C

Source: EMPOWERgmat