#7 - Waste management companies, which collect waste for

[Adam Tyson]

Answer E tells us that the total amount of plastic being manufactured is the same as it was before, and it tells us nothing about how much of that plastic is now being thrown away (rather than, say, recycled). We need to show that we might be throwing away less than we were before if we want to weaken the claim that we are not decreasing that amount, and this answer gives no information about what is being thrown away. That's why it's wrong, sunshine - it has no impact on the conclusion because it gives no information either way about what we are throwing away!

[berrysugar]

Hello.
I have a quick question about my reasoning for answer E.
Answer E tells us that the total amount of plastic being manufactured is the same as it was before while the percentage of products using plastic packaging is increasing.
I thought if the total amount of plastic being manufactured is the same while the amount of products using plastic packaging is increasing, that means more plastic is being recycled rather than thrown away, so it weakens the argument.
However, since it says 'percentage' instead of 'amount', E is wrong.
Am I correct?

[Dana D]

Hey Berry,

The percentage v. amount terminology in answer choice (E) is actually correct - in order for us to meaningfully compare numbers and percentages we do need to be told that the % of plastic is increasing but the total amount is constant. Comparing a % of plastic increase and total % manufactured tells us nothing, because we don't know what those two %s are of, so we can't compare them.

Answer choice (E) is incorrect because irrelevant to the argument. If the total amount of plastic manufactured is unchanged, but more products are using plastic, it indicates that perhaps more plastic is being recycled - otherwise how are more products being made of plastic without new plastic being produced? However, the premise of the argument states that disposable plastics are making up an increasing percentage of the waste in landfills, and that is the support used to draw the conclusion (that attempts to decrease plastic thrown away are failing). We need to weaken the premise of the argument and address how the percentage of plastic in landfills can be increasing while people are throwing less plastic away - answer choice (E) doesn't address this.

In comparison, answer choice (D) explains how the composition of landfills might be changing to be mostly plastic, because the other stuff usually thrown away (paper, glass, metal) is now absent and being recycled. So plastic is more represented, but that doesn't actually mean there's actually more being thrown away. Answer choice (D) attacks a premise, and therefore weakens the argument.

Hope that helps!