Of late, several waste management companies have reported that the percentage of plastic items in the waste they collect for disposal in landfills has been increasing. This fact, however, does not warrant the conclusion that the administration’s efforts to dissuade people from throwing plastic items in their garbage have failed. It’s just that, of late, more and more quantities of other waste products such as glass, paper and metal items are being recycled, leading to an overall decrease in the quantity of waste that needs to be disposed in landfills and thereby to an increase in the ‘percentage’ of plastic items that have to be disposed off in landfills.

In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

A. The first provides a conclusion that the argument disagrees with; the second provides evidence in support of the disagreement

B. The first is the primary conclusion of the argument and the second provides further support for this conclusion

C. The first is a claim that the argument goes on to dispute; the second provides support for the primary conclusion of the argument as a whole

D. The first provides evidence to support an explanation that the argument favors; the second is that explanation

E. The first provides evidence to support an explanation that the argument rejects; the second is a competing explanation that the argument favors

OA B