Critical Reasoning

There are far fewer children available for adoption than there are people who want to adopt. Two million couples are currently waiting to adopt, but in 1982, the last year for which figures exist, there were only some 50,000 adoptions.

Which of the following statements, if true, most strengthens the author’s claim that there are far fewer children available for adoption than there are people who want to adopt?

A. The number of couples waiting to adopt has increased significantly in the last decade.
B. The number of adoptions in the current year is greater than the number of adoptions in any preceding year.
C. The number of adoptions in a year is approximately equal to the number of children available for adoption in that period.
D. People who seek to adopt children often go through a long process of interviews and investigation by adoption agencies.
E. People who seek to adopt children generally make very good parents.

What answer do you prefer? I have the answer in my mind, but... I need your consultation.

ranell wrote:There are far fewer children available for adoption than there are people who want to adopt. Two million couples are currently waiting to adopt, but in 1982, the last year for which figures exist, there were only some 50,000 adoptions.

Which of the following statements, if true, most strengthens the author’s claim that there are far fewer children available for adoption than there are people who want to adopt?

A. The number of couples waiting to adopt has increased significantly in the last decade.
B. The number of adoptions in the current year is greater than the number of adoptions in any preceding year.
C. The number of adoptions in a year is approximately equal to the number of children available for adoption in that period.
D. People who seek to adopt children often go through a long process of interviews and investigation by adoption agencies.
E. People who seek to adopt children generally make very good parents.

What answer do you prefer? I have the answer in my mind, but... I need your consultation.

Nice Question.
I liminated C, D and E by POE. I had to chose between A and B.

I choose B since if number of adopted children is higher than ever then the number of children available for adoption will fall sharply. I did not choose A because it states what the passage says already that the waiting list has increased. Moreover it says last decade and I am not sure what is the time span included . was 1982 a part of the decade??

Please let me know if my method of reasoning is correct

ranell wrote:There are far fewer children available for adoption than there are people who want to adopt. Two million couples are currently waiting to adopt, but in 1982, the last year for which figures exist, there were only some 50,000 adoptions.

Which of the following statements, if true, most strengthens the author’s claim that there are far fewer children available for adoption than there are people who want to adopt?

A. The number of couples waiting to adopt has increased significantly in the last decade.
B. The number of adoptions in the current year is greater than the number of adoptions in any preceding year.
C. The number of adoptions in a year is approximately equal to the number of children available for adoption in that period.
D. People who seek to adopt children often go through a long process of interviews and investigation by adoption agencies.
E. People who seek to adopt children generally make very good parents.

What answer do you prefer? I have the answer in my mind, but... I need your consultation.

My choice A)

I would go For A

The reason being that it states that in 1982 50000 children were adopted however couples waiting for adoption was 2Mln. If this number has increased in last decade.... obv number of couples has further increased.

Thus A strengthens authors claim.

IMO A for reason explained above

I would also go for A, but OA is C

Good question ...

IMO A .... same reason ... waiting time increase 'significantly' means fewer children available for adoption than there are people who want to adopt...

OA Pls ...

Excerpt from a poster called Spiderman: Guru-in-Training

''
(C)

(A) The number of couples waiting to adopt has increased significantly in the last decade.

so what ? the number of children to be adopted too might have increased.

(B) The number of adoptions in the current year is greater than the number of adoptions in any preceding year.

so what ? there might still be many children who are out there to be adopted.

(C) The number of adoptions in a year is approximately equal to the number of children available for adoption in that period.

correctly says that number of adoptions = number of children => no child is left unadopted any year. so the demand is greater than supply because the demand is always abosrbing the supply.

D) and E are irrelevant

''

The answer cannot be A.. what if the number of orphaned children increase as well? Choice C shows that, irrespective of what happens, almost always, all the children will be given parents.

I am leaning more towards A, but I'm not sure about it.