Critical Reasoning

SpringField Fire Commissioner: The vast majority of false fire alarms are prank calls made anonymously from fire alarm boxes on street corners. Since virtually everyone has access to a private telephone, these alarm boxes have outlived their usefulness. Therefore, we propose to remove the boxes. Removing the boxes will reduce the number of prank calls without hampering people's ability to report a fire.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the claim that the proposal, if carried out, will have the announced effect?

(A) The fire department traces all alarm calls made from private telephones and records where they came from

(C) A telephone call can provide the fire department with more information about the nature and size of a fire than can an alarm placed from an alarm box.

The answer is A. However, I think choice C should also be correct. Can someone please explain?

The main claim/conclusion is:

"Removing the boxes will reduce the number of prank calls without hampering people's ability to report a fire."

C provides non-relevant comparison between a phone call and the box itself. The comparison does not bring any support to the main claim above, and thus it isn't the correct answer.

patrick1034 wrote:SpringField Fire Commissioner: The vast majority of false fire alarms are prank calls made anonymously from fire alarm boxes on street corners. Since virtually everyone has access to a private telephone, these alarm boxes have outlived their usefulness. Therefore, we propose to remove the boxes. Removing the boxes will reduce the number of prank calls without hampering people's ability to report a fire.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the claim that the proposal, if carried out, will have the announced effect?

(A) The fire department traces all alarm calls made from private telephones and records where they came from

(C) A telephone call can provide the fire department with more information about the nature and size of a fire than can an alarm placed from an alarm box.

The answer is A. However, I think choice C should also be correct. Can someone please explain?

Choice C uses information to compare the alarm boxes, which in the proposal are to be removed.
The comparison in C does not cite difference between prank calls. Whereas A states that the fire department can trace private calls and also the location, if the call comes from a private box, by a anonymous user ( C does not provide these details, which the premise provides, it only says about the nature of fire etc) or whether from street corner, it can be determined if it's a prank call.

If A is true, then the fire department can trace all calls made from a private telephone. If the alarm boxes are removed, then people will have to make calls from private telephones. If people make prank calls from private telephones, then they can be traced.

C does not mention anything about a reduction in the number of prank calls and hence out of scope.

Hope this helps

Kushal