Critical Reasoning

The tobacco industry is still profitable and projections are that it will remain so. In the United States this year, the total amount of tobacco sold by tobacco-farmers has increased, even though the number of adults who smoke has decreased.
Each of the following, if true, could explain the simultaneous increase in tobacco sales and decrease in the number of adults who smoke EXCEPT.
(A) During this year, the number of women who have begun to smoke is greater than the number of men who have quit smoking.
(B) The number of teen-age children who have begun to smoke this year is greater than the number of adults who have quit smoking during the same period.
(C) During this year, the number of nonsmokers who have begun to use chewing tobacco or snuff is greater than the number of people who have quit smoking.
(D) The people who have continued to smoke consume more tobacco per person than they did in the past.
(E) More of the cigarettes made in the United States this year were exported to other countries than was the case last year.

OA is A

I agre with the OA , but how D can be justified ? It does not support part of the mystery that there are less number of adult smokers only that there is more tobacco consumption.

The stimulus itself says that number of smokers have decreased. So there is no need for D to prove that smokers have reduced. The answer only needs to support the fact that sale increased even after reduced number of smokers.

By saying that consumption per person has increased, it offers a possible explanation. So D is ruled out.

The question is asking for INCREASE in tobacco sales + DECREASE in number of adults , so there are two conditions to be satisfied not just one . Also keep the EXCEPT condition in mind .

A fits the bill . It says the adults smoking have increased .

D says the number of adults smoking is the same but the consumption is increased .

Someone can explain this one please ?? I can't grasp the meaning

Carcass wrote:Someone can explain this one please ?? I can't grasp the meaning

D is pretty straight forward see it goes like this

Suppose 5 ppl smoke 1 cigarette each. Two of them quit smoking but remaining 3 started smoking 2 cigarettes each. So now total consumption went up but number of smoker decreased.

This is what D meant.

I hope this will help.

A fails to state that there is decrease in the number of adults. The number of women has increased but the number of men decreased. Adults consist of men and women. So it is not clear whether total number of adults have decreased. IMO A

@Calvin123 + @ abhi

Thanks a lot now is crystal clear............