(A) concludes that knowing a patient has a cold does not help you predict his future symptoms. The reasoning is that previously displaying symptoms of a cold is a necessary condition for being diagnosed with a cold in the first place.

This is the same kind of extreme conclusion, based on the same flawed reasoning, as the stimulus. Having symptoms of a cold may be a necessary condition for a diagnosis of a cold. But we have no reason to believe that’s their only significance. It’s possible that a history of cold symptoms also helps you predict future symptoms.

This is the wrong flaw. (B) fails to consider that other factors (e.g. location or preventive medicine) could explain why some people don’t catch colds. By contrast, the stimulus erroneously assumes that, if something is a necessary condition, it must have no other significance.

This does not have the same clear flaw as the stimulus. (C) contends that, because two categories (previously caught viruses and potential future viruses) are distinct, past results do not help you predict the future. By contrast, the stimulus erroneously assumes that, if something (a history of past great results) is a necessary condition, it must have no other significance.

(C) would be a better parallel if the stimulus had said: Every great work of art requires a unique stroke of inspiration. So it is not possible to predict whether an artist will produce great works in the future based on his past work.

This is the wrong flaw. (D) fails to consider that, although viruses may differ in their effects, doctors may be able to determine which virus is causing a particular cold. By contrast, the stimulus erroneously assumes that, if something is a necessary condition, it must have no other significance.

This is the wrong flaw. (E) fails to consider that, although other diseases may produce symptoms of colds, it’s possible no other disease produces all the symptoms of a cold at once. By contrast, the stimulus erroneously assumes that, if something is a necessary condition, it must have no other significance.