ManSab wrote:Smoking in bed has long been the main cause of home fires. Over the past two decades, there has been a significant decline in the sale and consumption of cigarettes. However, there has been no comparable decline in the number of people k!IIed in home fires.

Each one of the following statements, if true, helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy above EXCEPT:


(A) Compared to other types of home fires, home fires caused by smoking in bed usually cause relatively little damage before they are extinguished.

(B) Home fires caused by smoking in bed often break out after the home's occupants have fallen asleep.

(C) Smokers who smoke in bed tend to be heavy smokers who are less likely to quit smoking than are smokers who do not smoke in bed.

(D) An increasing number of people have been k!IIed in home fires that started in the kitchen.

(E) Population densities have increased, with the result that one home fire can cause more deaths than in previous decades


OA - B

B is the correct answer.
We need to select the answer that is NOT explaining the apparent discrepancy because it is a EXCEPT question.
in these questions try to find the answer that are not at all helping us to resolve the discrepancy.
A) there may be other sources that cause heavy damages like home fires but not the smoke as it cause little damage. hence if decline in sales of cigr.. occurs then there is little effect on the home fires by smoking coz it has little damage already. hence explains the discrepancy

B)there is nothing mentioned about the occurrence home fire after or before the home's occupants have fallen asleep. also argument is not bout this rather it is about the cause of home fires whether smoking..
out of scope.

C)here if the smokers are heavy smokers and they are not willing to qit then whether there is decline in overall sales of cigarettes or not these people will tend to smoke and hence result in home fires by these guys and hence there is no comparable decrease in such fires as the reason behind the fires before the decline in sales of cig........ are the heavy smokers.. hence explains the discrepancy

D) it clearly tells us that the reason for the home fires is fire in the kitchen and hence if the number of people smoking in the bed decreases then it doesn't result in decreasing the home fires as the reason is kitchen fires.hence explains the discrepancy

E)if population density increases and the number of people and due to this reason number of people killed in home fires increases then even if the sales in cig..... decreases it does not affect the deaths due to smoking in bed. hence explains the discrepancy.

hope this helps

Answer is clearly B here