Critical Reasoning

Drug use among teens concerns many
people in Ganaria. Advocates of the “Stop
Drugs Now” program, which was piloted in
public schools in five Ganaria states last
year, argue that the program should be used
throughout the country to decrease drug use
among teenagers.
Which of the following statements, if true,
would most strengthen the argument of the
advocates of “Stop Drugs Now” that the
program should be expanded countrywide?
A. School programs are far less important
than parental messages in influencing a
teenager’s decision to use drugs.
B. Drug use among teens in the five states
where the “Stop Drugs Now” program was
piloted has been dropping steadily for
over a decade.
C. Teenagers at the public schools where the
“Stop Drugs Now” program was piloted
reported higher average levels of drug use
than did teenagers at private schools in
the same states where the program
was not piloted.
D. There is evidence that teenagers who start
smoking at an early age are more likely to
experiment with illegal drugs than
teenagers who do not smoke.
E. The percentage of teenagers who
reported using drugs at the schools
where the “Stop Drugs Now” program was
piloted dropped more in the last year
than in any other year over the last
decade.