The issue of the question is not whether these are good or bad ratings. We are trying to explain why the ratings are the same before and after the scandal. The answer A explains this phenomenon because the people that believe Walker is guilty already thought he was a bad mayor. Therefore, the percentage of people who responded that Walker is a bad mayor in the survey remains unchanged.

The stimulus tells you whether the answer needs to be word for word or not. In this question, the stimulus states, "Which one of the following most accurately states the conclusion?" "Most accurately" indicates that the answer does not necessarily have to be word for word. However, a word for word answer would be more accurate than an answer that says the same thing, but paraphrases it.