Critical Reasoning

Recording Agent: Music industry representatives often advance the claim that "online file sharing," (which allows someone who purchased a music CD to share contents with others using their computers-at no additional cost), hurts their business.
Since the advent of file sharing, however, music CD sales have actually risen; therefore, file sharing does not hurt the music business. In fact, file sharing seems to have had a positive effect on the music industry.


The argument above is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it


A. is a circular argument, assuming what the argument sets out to prove

B. defies common sense, since people will not pay for music they can acquire for free

C. fails to specify how much music CD sales have risen since the advent of file sharing

D. assumes a causal relationship between variables with a high correlation without examining other potential factors

E. denies the legitimacy of a claim on the basis of the bias interest of those (music industry representatives) making the claim

OA D

Source: Magoosh