Critical Reasoning

It is widely assumed that a museum is helped financially when a generous patron donates a potential exhibit. In truth, however, donated objects require storage space, which is not free, and routine conservation, which is rather expensive. Therefore, such gifts exacerbate rather than lighten the demands made on a museum's financial resources.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?


(A) To keep patrons well disposed, a museum will find it advisable to put at least some donated objects on exhibit rather than merely in storage.
(B) The people who are most likely to donate valuable objects to a museum are also the people who are most likely to make cash gifts to it.
(C) A museum cannot save money by resorting to cheap storage under less than adequate conditions, because so doing would drive up the cost of conservation.
(D) Patrons expect a museum to keep donated objects in its possession rather than to raise cash by selling them.
(E) Objects donated by a patron to a museum are often of such importance that the museum would be obliged to add them to its collection through purchase if necessary.

I think B is explicit.

Martha19990 wrote:It is widely assumed that a museum is helped financially when a generous patron donates a potential exhibit. In truth, however, donated objects require storage space, which is not free, and routine conservation, which is rather expensive. Therefore, such gifts exacerbate rather than lighten the demands made on a museum's financial resources.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?


(A) To keep patrons well disposed, a museum will find it advisable to put at least some donated objects on exhibit rather than merely in storage.
(B) The people who are most likely to donate valuable objects to a museum are also the people who are most likely to make cash gifts to it.
(C) A museum cannot save money by resorting to cheap storage under less than adequate conditions, because so doing would drive up the cost of conservation.
(D) Patrons expect a museum to keep donated objects in its possession rather than to raise cash by selling them.

(E) Objects donated by a patron to a museum are often of such importance that the museum would be obliged to add them to its collection through purchase if necessary.
This is correct,as it says that if required case museum will purchase those items,so storage space,routine conservation expenses will still be there but at least museum is not paying to purchase those items.So in a way donation of these items is financially helping the museum.

To weaken it,you need to show that the artifacts donated by some people are not a financial burden to the museum.

2.40sec and IMO E

B says people donate valuable objects and money to maintain them.. this is not weakening the stem

Stem says that their object maintainence cost is high and so objects are a burden to muesum.
--E says that museum generally buy such VALUBLE objects.. if someone is donating it for free.. it is no way a loss...

In general maintainace cost is no where near the purchase cost.. typically and dusting can be done with the ticket entry income...

Option B is so alluring that i was sure that this should not be the answer . Agree with HSPA for E . It weakens the argument by refuting the fact that the potential exhibit puts a add on baggage for museum and infact is a required for musuem to have such exhibits if not getting free then the museum is ready to buy such exhibits too.