Critical Reasoning

In 1986, the city of Los Diablos had 20 days on which air pollution reached unhealthful amounts and a smog alert was put into effect. In early 1987, new air pollution control measures were enacted, but the city had smog alerts on 31 days that year and on 39 days the following year. In 1989, however, the number of smog alerts in Los Diablos dropped to sixteen. The main air pollutants in Los Diablos are ozone and carbon monoxide, and since 1986 the levels of both have been monitored by gas spectrography.
Which of the following statements, assuming that each is true, would be LEAST helpful in explaining the air pollution levels in Los Diablos between 1986 and 1989?
(A) The 1987 air pollution control measures enacted in Los Diablos were put into effect in November of 1988.
(B) In December of 1988 a new and far more accurate gas spectrometer was invented.
(C) In February of 1989, the Pollution Control Board of Los Diablos revised the scale used to determine the amount of air pollution considered unhealthful.
(D) In 1988 the mayor of Los Diablos was found to have accepted large campaign donations from local industries and to have exempted those same industries from air pollution control measures.
(E) Excess ozone and carbon monoxide require a minimum of two years to break down naturally in the atmosphere above a given area.

Please expalin your answer as well

IMO D.

We need to find the explanation that least explains why the pollution levels came down in 1989.

(A) The 1987 air pollution control measures enacted in Los Diablos were put into effect in November of 1988.
A possible explanation. The pollution control measure put into effect in Nov 1988 has resulted in the reduction of pollution levels in 1989.
(B) In December of 1988 a new and far more accurate gas spectrometer was invented.
A possible explanation. The far more accurate gas spectrometer invented resulted in calculating the pollution levels properly in 1989. The inaccuracy in the reading for the previous years is a possible explanation.
(C) In February of 1989, the Pollution Control Board of Los Diablos revised the scale used to determine the amount of air pollution considered unhealthful.
A possible explanation. The revision might have been upward & so acceptable pollution levels were higher than previous years.
(D) In 1988 the mayor of Los Diablos was found to have accepted large campaign donations from local industries and to have exempted those same industries from air pollution control measures.
This cannot be a reason for the reduction in the pollution levels. The local industries were exempted from air pollution control measures. This does not explain the reason in the reduction of pollution. The exemption would actually encourage the industries to use the opportunity
(E) Excess ozone and carbon monoxide require a minimum of two years to break down naturally in the atmosphere above a given area.
This is a possible explanation.

Original Answer B

phelps wrote:Original Answer B

Aha...I understand. I made a mistake in reading B. It just says that a new and far more accurate gas spectrometer was invented. I read it as implemented. This surely is the least explainable answer choice.

Option D might explain why the pollution levels in 1988 actually went up.

phelps wrote:Original Answer B

I fell for D as well

go it...I fell for D as well

lol I made the same exact mistake and misread B. Chose D as well too

grrrrrrrrrr......I went for D too )

Looks like we all are riding in the same boat. Invented/Implemented

Even if it said implemented, would B have an impact?

One more person here that misread B and ignored it .......

Invented is not the same as implemented, so, if the gas spectrometer was invented, it wouldn't have had effect on the measurements.

yeah but guys how would D in anyway would have been helpful in explaining the pollution trends?

The official answer is D. But I don't understand why? Can anyone explain