Last year, of the reported thefts that occurred in shopping malls in Texas, the percentage that took place in digital electronic stores increased by two percent from the year before. Because most thefts do not result in the return of stolen goods, this increase likely resulted in a negative economic impact on these digital electronic stores that was greater than the impact that had been accounted for by their yearly budgets, for stores make predictions about the loss of money due to theft based on the number of thefts they recorded in the previous year.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument given?

a)People who steal and are not caught and forced to return the merchandise are likely to steal again.

b)The percentage of reported thefts in shopping malls in Texas that were from jewelry stores last year also increased.

c)Last year, of the total number of thefts from shopping malls across the United States, the percentage of thefts from shopping malls in Texas was lower than it had been the year before.

d)Merchandise stolen from digital electronics stores is generally more expensive than that stolen from other stores.

e)The number of total thefts that were reported in shopping malls in Texas last year was significantly lower than it has been in a decade.



OA - E