Question

This year, the number of applications at College X increased by nearly 5%, while the size of the entering class and the structure of the admissions process remained the same. However, the admissions director of College X claims that this year a greater proportion of its applicants received offers of admission from the college than in years past.

Which of the following statements best reconciles the claim of the admissions director with other evidence presented in the argument?
A. This year College X moved up in all major rankings of undergraduate programs.
B. This year, the number of high school graduates who applied to colleges increased by 5%.
C. This year, nearly twice as many accepted applicants at College X decided to attend other colleges.
D. The admissions process at College X is substantially more competitive, as compared to other colleges of similar academic profile.
E. College X is located in a major metropolitan area with a high concentration of potential college applicants.

Answer 1

C. This year, nearly twice as many accepted applicants at College X decided to attend other colleges

Step-by-step explanation:

Option C from the question explains the apparent paradox in the increase in candidates accepted in the University and the unchanged number or size of the entering class. It further reconciles the admission director's opinion about the increase in accepted candidates in the current year which had initially contradicted the first statement that the entering class has not increased proportionately.