WeakenDiff: Hard
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Because vegetable prices went up and seed sales also went up, the newspaper concludes that people are gardening to save money.
Conclusion: The recent spike in produce prices is the cause of the increase in people planting personal gardens.
Reasoning: The two largest seed companies saw a 19 percent increase in sales during the same year that produce prices rose significantly.
Analysis: This argument assumes that the increase in seed sales is directly caused by people trying to avoid high produce prices. To weaken this, we should look for an alternative explanation for why seed sales spiked. Perhaps there was a nationwide trend in hobby gardening unrelated to costs, or maybe the 'increase' in sales came from existing gardeners buying more expensive seeds rather than new people starting gardens. Any information that suggests the price of produce wasn't the primary motivator for the seed purchases will undermine the conclusion.
Conclusion: The recent spike in produce prices is the cause of the increase in people planting personal gardens.
Reasoning: The two largest seed companies saw a 19 percent increase in sales during the same year that produce prices rose significantly.
Analysis: This argument assumes that the increase in seed sales is directly caused by people trying to avoid high produce prices. To weaken this, we should look for an alternative explanation for why seed sales spiked. Perhaps there was a nationwide trend in hobby gardening unrelated to costs, or maybe the 'increase' in sales came from existing gardeners buying more expensive seeds rather than new people starting gardens. Any information that suggests the price of produce wasn't the primary motivator for the seed purchases will undermine the conclusion.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage22.Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the newspaper's argument?
Correct Answer
E
If a large competing seed company went out of business early last year, the two biggest firms could see higher sales simply from absorbing that company’s customers, not because more people planted gardens. This undermines the causal link from produce prices to increased planting.
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