PT60.S3.Q11 - a mass of "black water"

cacrv567

https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-60-section-3-question-11/
I am having a hard time ruling out A. If black water comes into the bay ONLY once every two centuries, how can the conclusion be a comparative statement, saying that it did not reach the same intensity as last years?

I chose D under timed conditions, and because I couldn't really see how A related to the stimulus, but now that I have entertained the above thought, I'm having a hard time crossing off A.

Thanks!

daniel.noah.pearlberg

Here's one way to look at it: If black water comes into the bay only once every two centuries, the conclusion could still be true- when black water last struck two centuries ago, it did not reach last year's intensity.

blah170blah

^^ nailed it.

Another way I quickly eliminated (A) is that the stimulus isn't making a relationship between the frequency of the event and the damage created - it's making a relationship between the intensity of the event and the damage. When I went through the answer choices, I crossed out anything that didn't have to do with either intensity or damage, which eliminates (A).