Question

Over 30% of the stores in Smithtown Mall went out of business in the last two years. During this time period, major road construction resulted in significant delays along the main access roads to the mall. While some have attributed the closings to the nationwide recession, the more likely cause is the road construction, which made it difficult for customers to reach the mall.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?


A. Traffic delays from the construction were most severe on weekday mornings.

B. A large percentage of mall visitors live in surrounding apartment buildings and can walk to the mall.

C. Many of the stores that remained in business make a large percentage of their sales online.

D. Most stores in Smithtown Mall reported relatively low profit margins in a survey taken four years ago.

E. Several stores in a competing mall located across town have closed within the last two years.

Answer 1

Option B, stating that a large percentage of mall visitors can walk to Smithtown Mall, most strongly supports the argument that road construction is the more likely cause for the business closures, as it indicates the road issues affected those who relied on driving to the mall.

Step-by-step explanation:

The argument that road construction, rather than a nationwide recession, is the more likely cause of business closures in Smithtown Mall is addressed in the question. To strengthen this argument, we must look for information that specifically links the accessibility issues caused by the road construction to the decline in customer visits and store revenues.

Out of the options provided, the following option most strengthens the argument: B. A large percentage of mall visitors live in surrounding apartment buildings and can walk to the mall. This statement suggests that a significant number of the mall's customers were not as affected by the road construction as they could reach the mall on foot. This implies that the businesses that depended largely on foot traffic may have been less impacted, whereas the stores that went out of business likely relied more on customers who needed to drive to the mall, thus reinforcing the claim that the road construction was detrimental to those businesses.

Other options such as severe traffic on weekday mornings, low profit margins from the past, growth of online sales, or closures in competing malls do not directly support the argument related to the effects of the road construction on Smithtown Mall's businesses.