Complete Question:
Market Analyst: Recent research confirms that the main cause of bad breath is bacteria build-up on the tongue. The research also concludes that tongue scrapers, when used properly, can eliminate up to 40% of the bacteria from the tongue. As the effectiveness of tongue scrapers becomes more widely known, the market for less effective breath freshening products, such as mints, gums, and sprays, will decline significantly.
Which of the following provides the best evidence that the analyst’s argument is flawed?
(A) Some breath freshening products are advertised to eliminate up to 30% of the bacteria from the tongue.
(B) Tongue scrapers have already been on the market for a number of years.
(C) Many dentists recommend regular flossing, and not the use of the tongue scraper, to combat bad breath.
(D) A recent survey shows that 94% of those who regularly purchase breath freshening products are aware of the effectiveness of the tongue scraper.
(E) Some people buy breath freshening products for reasons other than to fight bad breath.
Answer:
Option D, A recent survey shows that 94% of those who regularly purchase breath freshening products are aware of the effectiveness of the tongue scraper.
Step-by-step explanation:
The market analyst believes that as the efficacy of the tongue scraper becomes more commonly known, the demand for breath refreshers will decline.
To demonstrate that this reasoning is flawed, one of two hypotheses must be that customers are primarily interested in products which combat bad breath or do not know how effective a language scraper really is.
This argument weakens the claims by challenging one of the key premises in the argument: the efficacy of the tongue scraper is not known to people who use breathing soothing items. When 94% of those who eat Breath-Fresheners use the tongue scraper, and those customers continue to buy Breath-Fresheners items, only 6% of those who eat Breath-Fresheners will vote for a stop buying such goods after discovering the efficacy of the Tongue Scraper in reducing Breathlessness. Even though all six percent stopped shopping for the goods, the demand would hardly be shrinking dramatically.