Critical Reasoning

In a study of more than 8000 people using ten beaches on two of the Great Lakes, ecologists from the University of Toronto determined that the rate of respiratory and gastrointestinal illness among people who had been swimming was 69.6 per 1000, whereas the respiratory and gastrointestinal illness rate among those who had not been swimming was only 29.5 per 1000.

Which of the following conclusions can be most properly drawn from the data above?

A) People tend to underestimate risks of swimming in these lakes.
B) Respiratory and gastrointestinal illness occur at a higher rate as a result of swimming in either of these lakes than they do as a result of swimming in any other lake.
C) Illness of kinds other than respiratory and gastrointestinal are not likely to be associated with swimming in either of these lakes,
D) The association between swimming in these lakes and respiratory and gastrointestinal illness is some evidence for a causal relationship between them.
E) A large percentage of people who swim in these lakes are immune to diseases that swimming may cause.

OA after discussion.

D

It is also the most conservative among the choices.

A) People tend to underestimate risks of swimming in these lakes.......Irrelevant
B) Respiratory and gastrointestinal illness occur at a higher rate as a result of swimming in either of these lakes than they do as a result of swimming in any other lake......comparison is made between lakes and not about illness, hence irrelevant
C) Illness of kinds other than respiratory and gastrointestinal are not likely to be associated with swimming in either of these lakes,.......other illnesses are out of scope
D) The association between swimming in these lakes and respiratory and gastrointestinal illness is some evidence for a causal relationship between them......brings out correct relationship
E) A large percentage of people who swim in these lakes are immune to diseases that swimming may cause........irrelevant

Hmmmm....
My bad, was thinking too much, chose A
OA is D

My intuition whispers that it is D