Critical Reasoning

A furniture store's best-selling table is produced from the wood of a special type of pine tree that the store grows. To prevent termite damage in the pine trees that produce this wood, this store hired scientists to engineer a special type of chemical that can be injected into the seeds of these pine trees so that, as they grow, the trees produce a pesticide that kills a large percentage of attacking termites. For years, the pine trees, as they grow from these injected seeds, endured little termite damage. However, the most recent crop of trees growing from these seeds are being seriously damaged by termites. Termites are not necessarily developing any new resistance to protect themselves from the pesticide. However, termites do breed more rapidly when certain vibrational signals are present, such as those produced by carpenter ants. More carpenter ants than ever are populating the area in which the furniture store's pines are growing. So it is likely that the pines are simply being overwhelmed by the termites bred as a result of the carpenter ants' signals.

In evaluating the argument, which of the following would it be most useful to establish?

(A) Whether the seeds could be injected with a chemical that would also protect against carpenter ant damage

(B) Whether pines growing from seeds that are not injected with chemicals are suffering unusually extensive damage from termites

(C) Whether another type of tree growing from seeds that were injected with chemicals that enable the trees to produce their own pesticides as they grow can successfully repel the pests that typically cause damage

(D) Whether the pines growing from injected seeds are frequently damaged by other pests that typically cause damage to wood grown for making furniture

(E) Whether there are pesticides that can be used to ward off termites that have developed mechanisms or resistance to protect themselves from the pesticide produced by the pines grown from the injected seeds