Critical Reasoning

Whenever a major airplane accident occurs, there is a dramatic increase in the number of airplane mishaps reported, a phenomenon that may last for as long as a few months after the accident. Airline officials assert that the publicity given the gruesomeness of major airplane accidents focuses media attention on the airline industry and the increase in the number of reported accidents is caused by an increase in the number of news sources covering airline accident, not by an increase in the number of accidents.

Which of the following, if true, would seriously weaken the assertions of the airline officials?

(A) The publicity surrounding airline accidents is largely limited to the country in which the crash occurred.

(B) Airline accidents tend to occur far more often during certain peak travel months.

(C) News organizations do not have any guidelines to help them decide how severe or how close an accident must be for it to receive coverage.

(D) Airplane accidents receive coverage by news sources only when the news sources find it advantageous to do so.

(E) Studies by government regulations show that the number of airplane flight miles remains relatively constant from month to month.

B wud b the only answer. Others are out of scope

Official says that media coverage is the only reason that covered accident in different manner, even there is less accident occur.

Only B option weaken argument by revealing that actual frequent accidents occurred in peak season when air traffic usually high.

Some of the options are highly illogical

Easy One !!!!

Yes, B looks OK.

aj5105 wrote:Whenever a major airplane accident occurs, there is a dramatic increase in the number of airplane mishaps reported, a phenomenon that may last for as long as a few months after the accident. Airline officials assert that the publicity given the gruesomeness of major airplane accidents focuses media attention on the airline industry and the increase in the number of reported accidents is caused by an increase in the number of news sources covering airline accident, not by an increase in the number of accidents.

Which of the following, if true, would seriously weaken the assertions of the airline officials?

(A) The publicity surrounding airline accidents is largely limited to the country in which the crash occurred.

(B) Airline accidents tend to occur far more often during certain peak travel months.

(C) News organizations do not have any guidelines to help them decide how severe or how close an accident must be for it to receive coverage.

(D) Airplane accidents receive coverage by news sources only when the news sources find it advantageous to do so.

(E) Studies by government regulations show that the number of airplane flight miles remains relatively constant from month to month.

REASON: Reporting on Airplane Mishaps is Happening Not Because the number of accidents has increased (Conclusion) but BECAUSE of AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF NEWS SOURCES COVERING AIRLINE.

B Weakens BUT Not because there are accidents during peak season, But because if there are, those accidents generate “AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF NEWS SOURCES COVERING AIRLINES,- an increase in the number of airplane mishaps reported.

Since 1 accident may lead to 4 mishaps reported, 20 will lead to will lead to 100 mishaps reported. So it is invalid to trash the increase of 96 when in fact that 96 correlates with an Increase of 16 accidents. But the conclusion says accidents have not increased, a contradiction.

OA - (B)

I ALSO THINK IT'S B