Test Luv a quick one on why B is not correct. The argument said that number of people decreased by 3%. But B says that the existing smokers smoke less but this does not prove that the number of people changed.
Do you think my observation is correct?
Vineet
Yes, you are correct. Choice B does not exactly restate evidence. The evidence in the argument is that some quit smoking after the ad campaign while choice B tells us that some among those who continued smoking now smoke less.
The argument is about an explanation for the fact that smoking declined. To strengthen this argument, either you need to find a fact that shores up the explanation or else a fact that rules out alternative explanations.
Choice B does neither. Instead, it establishes alternative reasons for trusting that the phenomenon the author is attempting to explain is truly one that stands in need of an explanation.
In plainer English: smoking really really did go down.
We know from the argumen smoking went down. The author argues that that phenomenon is attributable to X. Again, to strengthen, we need to find a choice that says "yep, it sure was X" or else a choice that says "it wasn't Y".
Kaplan Teacher in Toronto
