Critical Reasoning

Most consumers do not get much use out of the sports equipment they purchase. For example, seventeen percent of the adults in the United States own jogging shoes, but only forty-five percent of the owners jog more than once a year, and only seventeen percent jog more than once a week.
Which of the following, if true, casts most doubt on the claim that most consumers get little use out of the sports equipment they purchase?
(A) Joggers are most susceptible to sports injuries during the first six months in which they jog.
(B) Joggers often exaggerate the frequency with which they jog in surveys designed to elicit such information.
(C) Many consumers purchase jogging shoes for use in activities other than jogging.
(D) Consumers who take up jogging often purchase an athletic shoe that can be used in other sports.
(E) Joggers who jog more than once a week are often active participants in other sports as well.


OA is C

THe answer choice D talks about buying an athlete shoe, such shoe refers to jogging shoe or another type ? I assume that it refers to another type.

Choice D is wrong because

Main element of intrest in D : shoes
Main element of interst in C : customers purchasing shoes

Just because percentage of joggers is low does not mean that many customers purchasing shoes are lazy.
Jogging shoes can also be used may be in lawn tennis.

To answer your question...

Athletic shoe can mean "jogging shoe." Athletic shoe is a more general category. Although most people would say "running shoe" rather than "jogging shoe." So a tennis or basketball shoe would be an athletic shoe as would a running or jogging shoe.

@David@VeritasPrep: ok, thanks. Being a runner, I used the same interpretation while doing timed exercise, but was uncertain of my interpretation after realising that D is incorrect answer. Why ?

Conclusion is about inadequate use of sports equipment based on an example of a survey in which users didn't use their shoes enough.

C destroys the argument by refuting the validity of the survey by saying that those shoes owners didn't buy the jogging shoes for jogging but for other activities.

D: If the athletic shoes can be used in other sports than it is likely that the customers were using those shoes in other sports hence getting enough usage of them. Am i making assumption at my own ?