Critical Reasoning

The town of Enderton is located in an area where forest fires are quite common. During dry periods and periods of persistent winds, when even a spark can result in a fire that spreads over many acres, the danger of fire there is particularly serious. To help prevent forest fires in the area, the town government plans to post a ban on outdoor fires when such conditions prevail.

Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest indication that the town's plan will have at most a minor effect on the annual number of forest fires in the Enderton area?

A.Most of the tourists who visit the forests surrounding Enderton also visit Enderton itself.
B.Although there are county fire fighters available to combat forest fires in the area, Enderton itself has no professional fire fighters.
C.Very few forest fires in the Enderton area result from fires deliberately set by arsonists.
D.Nearly all forest fires in the Enderton area are the result of lightning strikes.
E.The number of forest fires in the Enderton area has not increased significantly in the last several years.


i think C is relevant and reasonable although the answer is D

please explain

thanks in advance

This is a strengthen question and we need to find an answer that will support the conclusion .

Conclusion :To help prevent forest fires in the area, the town government plans to post a ban on outdoor fires when such conditions prevail.

Lets look at answer options .

A.Most of the tourists who visit the forests surrounding Enderton also visit Enderton itself.
[How is tourist visiting relevant to fire , eliminate]
B.Although there are county fire fighters available to combat forest fires in the area, Enderton itself has no professional fire fighters.
[Another out of scope option , eliminate]
C.Very few forest fires in the Enderton area result from fires deliberately set by arsonists.
[Could be a contender , but remember we need to find the strongest evidence that the plan will have onlyleast amount of effect on the number of forest fires , lets look at other options][/color}
D.Nearly all forest fires in the Enderton area are the result of lightning strikes.
[All forest fires are result of lightning , so governments plan will have little or no effect on number of forest fires , Correct ]
E.The number of forest fires in the Enderton area has not increased significantly in the last several years.
[We are not concerned if the numbers have increased or decreased , eliminate]

This is a flaw question; it asks you to find the answer that shows that the town's solution will not actually fix the forest fire problem. The problem with C is the word "arsonists." Arson (setting fires with the intention of causing damage) is already illegal pretty much everywhere, as far as I know, so an arsonist would already be breaking the law, and would be unlikely to care about further government regulation banning outdoor fires. If C had said "tourists" or "campers" or something like that, it would be a good choice, but as it stands, D is the correct answer because it shows that the forest fires aren't generally being caused by people.