Critical Reasoning

In the early 1960's, laundry dryers became an increasingly popular means for drying clothes. This phenomenon results partly from the fact that technology had advanced to the point that dryers no longer consumed excessive energy. Other aspects of the dryer had also been greatly improved so that many consumers, during this time, began to favor using dryers over hanging garments on a clothesline.


Which of the following, if true, best helps explain the shift from clotheslines to dryers in the 1960's?
A. Up until that point, many consumers were hesitant to use dryers because all too often many of the clothes shrank or tore, rendering them useless.
B. The improved technology of dryers allowed them to become far more cost efficient than earlier dryers.
C. Dryers in the 1960's, while a major improvement over their predecessors, tended to break down often.
D. The time required for drying clothes in a dryer, while remaining unchanged from the 1950's to 1960's, is significantly less than the time required by a clothesline.
E. A clothesline will always be essential to certain kinds of clothes, which will otherwise shrink or become damaged when placed in a conventional dryer.

OA: B