Critical Reasoning

Researchers have concluded from a survey of people aged 65 that emotional well-being in adulthood is closely related to intimacy with siblings earlier in life. Those surveyed who had never had any siblings or who said that at college age they were emotionally distant from their siblings were emotionally less well adjusted at 65 than were those who had been close to at least one brother or sister.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the researchers’ argument?
(A) As they get older, many people think more about their mortality and thus must confront feelings of loneliness and isolation.
(B) People suffering from the emotional distress of maladjustment usually remember being less intimate with other people than they actually were.
(C) Memory of one’s past plays a greater role in the emotional well-being of older people than it does in that of younger people.
(D) Few people can correctly identify the true sources of their emotional well-being or of their emotional difficulties.
(E) Siblings are more likely to have major arguments and deep differences of opinion at college age than at any other time of their lives.

OA IS B PLS CAN SOMEBODY EXPLAIN IN DETAIL

This questions asks us to weaken the argument

The conclusion of the researcher is that
Emotional well-being in adulthood is closely related to intimacy with siblings earlier in life.

The Premise on which the reseacher base his conclusion is on a survey,
in which emotionally less well people said they were distant from their sibling.


Now to weaken the conclusion we have to either provide a counter premise or prove any assumption made as wrong.

Let us now scan the answer choice:
A) It is a view point and does not provide anything much to our argument
B) This sounds good , as it says that people who are emotionally less well remember being less intimate with other people than they actually were.

This is a counter premise as mentioned above, it attacks the argument by stating that these emotionally less well people made also have had closeness with siblings in childhood, but because of their state of mind they cant remember being so.

C) This does not attack the argument itstead provide some level of strength.

D) This sounds tempting, BUT, remember that the people were not told to identify the source of their emotional difficulties, they were just asked about their childhood sibling intimicy. This is totally wrong and actually is a Bait.

E) Again this does not ahve much releavence to our conclusion.

Therefore we can safely select answer B as it MOST seriously weakens the argument.

I kindly request all of you not to post answers immediately...

Please let the people scratch their brains...

in the paragraph expresses that.
less adjustable of 65 age people derives from less intimate with their siblings in the childhood.
in B, it states different point of view that the present intimacy causes less adjusted in 65 age people.

It seems to me that the right answer is B