PTB.S1.Q16 - In a town containing a tourist attraction

friordan814

Can someone explain how D is the correct answer to PTB S1 Q16? Is it correct because it simply has no impact on the argument?

Clemens_

(D) does nothing to weaken; the other answer choices all have the desired weakening effect. That is, all other answers weaken the claim that the tourists illicitly sell or share passes with others:

(A) If more attractions open up, the tourists might go there, not to the established attraction. We have an alternative phenomenon hypothesis.
(B) The people who already have the passes use them to visit the same attraction more often. Again, an alternative phenomenon hypothesis.
(C) People are trying to save money and therefore spend less on the attraction. Alternative phenomenon hypothesis.
(E) This answer says just straight up falsifies the hypothesis by ruling out the possibility of pass sharing, though interestingly an alternative hypothesis is not provided.

(D) just says that the tourists spend the same amount of time visiting. At best, this does nothing, at worst, it sharpens the problem we are trying to solve: If even other parameters like the stay of the visit remain unchanged, then why is there this discrepancy in revenue increase?