Critical Reasoning

Town Representative: The new advertisements protesting plans by the town to build a new pier for large cruise ships have been appearing daily. The advertisements claim that the new pier will bring in more cruise ships and ruin the quaint charm of the town. However, these claims can be dismissed. Most of these advertisements were paid for by a major developer who currently profits greatly from allowing cruise ships to offload passengers at his property when they anchor in the nearby bay.

Which of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the town representative's argument?

A It focuses on the motivations for the people making a particular claim without considering the motivations of other people making the same claim.
B It directly attacks the merits of the claims made in the advertisements but does not provide evidence to support the opposing view.
C It mischaracterizes the views put forth in the advertisements and then directly attacks these mischaracterized views.
D It rejects a claim by addressing the motivations for the people making it rather than by addressing its actual merits.
E It fails to consider the possibility that some of these advertisements were paid for by town advocates with legitimate concerns on the effects of cruise ships.

OA D

Source: Veritas Prep