PT31.S2.Q19 need help with this question

Gatsby96

I really think E is the answer. But B turned out to be the correct one. Can someone please elaborate on why B would be the correct one and not E? thanks in advance

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SSBM1000

Hello,

B is correct because it provides an alternative explanation to what happened. The argument says that based on the information, the florist must have made a mistake. B reveals that there is an alternative possibility, in that some people might want to send him the wrong flowers to annoy or antagonize him. By showing an alternative possibility, the argument is weakened because the conclusion it reached on the basis of the information doesn't look as concrete, since it's no longer the only possible explanation.

E is wrong because it doesn't actually weaken the argument. All it says is that some people who knew him well have also sent him a card with the flowers. This has no bearing on the argument that the florist made a mistake. While some people who knew him might have also sent him a card, that doesn't explain why he received the wrong flowers, since if the person knew him, they wouldn't have sent him roses, unless they didn't want to please him, which B picks up on.