Critical Reasoning

Advertising Executive: More than 10 million American households now own digital video recorders which can fast-forward over television commercials; approximately 75% of these households fast-forward over at least one commercial per 30-minute program. Television commercials are now much less cost-effective as they are not as widely watched as they used to be.

Which of the following, if true, strengthens the claim made by the advertising executive?

(A) Product placement within television programs is a viable alternative to traditional television commercials
(B) The television programs preferred by consumers without digital video recorders are similar to those preferred by consumers with the devices
(C) In the past, television viewers did not switch channels, leave the room, or otherwise avoid watching some commercials
(D) The cost-effectiveness of television advertising is based less upon how many people watch a particular commercial and more upon the appropriateness of the demographic.
(E) Due to an imperfect sampling system used to measure the number of viewers, many companies find it difficult to determine the return on investment for television commercials

Doubt: I could solve this question only by POE and it took around 2.5 min to solve this ?
Is there a better logical way of solving this under 2 min ?

OA C

Now thats a ques.
Took 1:49 sec and that too after double checking because your questions were going overrr my head

OK, Now lets get back to ques.
(A) Product placement within television programs is a viable alternative to traditional television commercials - DOES NOT STRENTHEN, there can be other reasons
(B) The television programs preferred by consumers without digital video recorders are similar to those preferred by consumers with the devices - does not have any effect
(C) In the past, television viewers did not switch channels, leave the room, or otherwise avoid watching some commercials - means earlier people used to watch adv. and thus strenthening the conclusion.
(D) The cost-effectiveness of television advertising is based less upon how many people watch a particular commercial and more upon the appropriateness of the demographic. - WEAKENS, as it says cost effectiveness is not related to what argument suggests
(E) Due to an imperfect sampling system used to measure the number of viewers, many companies find it difficult to determine the return on investment for television commercials - irrelevant

Doesn't 'C' contradict the main statement itself which says "Television commercials are now much less cost-effective as they are not as widely watched as they used to be. ". It says Television commercials used to be widely watched earlier but option 'c' says earlier, people would avoid television commercials, how can this be true? I feel 'B' is better, it says now that people are fast forwarding the commercials and you can't even post the commercials to other types of programs as both type of people (with and without recorder) watch similar kind of commercials?

"Television commercials are now much less cost-effective as they are not as widely watched as they used to be. " is the author's conclusion, not the "main statement". It is what you need to strengthen.

(C) says people did not avoid commercials in the past.

Try the denial test. If you deny C, you get:

(C) In the past, television viewers did switch channels, leave the room, or otherwise avoid watching some commercials .

This tells us that they've ignored commercials all along. Fastforwarding is just another way to do what they have always done. That means the ads may not be any less effective than before.