Escalating worldwide demand for corn is expected to c

[Meerak869]

Escalating worldwide demand for corn is expected to cause the market price of corn to rise sharply and remain high. Although corn is extensively used as feed for livestock, livestock feed accounts for only a small fraction of the retail price of meat. Therefore, the increase in corn prices is very unlikely to produce any comparable long-term increase in the retail price of meat.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

A) The cost of shipping and handling meat has also risen sharply.
B) Livestock producers who currently use corn to feed their livestock have the option of switching to other kinds of feed.
C) The rising cost of feed is leading some livestock producers to leave the business, thereby reducing the future supply of meat.
D) Worldwide demand for grains other than corn has also increased.
E) The price of corn affects the retail price of a variety of other food products more than it affects the price of meat.


kindly Explain! Can someone explain how C weakens?
Answer is c.

[RonPurewal]

what's your current understanding of the problem?
don't just ask for the equivalent of an answer key; that's not going to help us (or you) analyze and improve your thinking.

• what, in your understanding, is the goal of the problem? i.e., specifically what should a correct answer do?

• what don't you like / what don't you understand about choice c?

• which answer choice do you like better, and why?

[Meerak869]

escalating demand=>price rise but since livestock share of meat is less it is not going to happen

a) since corn can at most affect a part of meat it cannot become the reason behind the price rise of meat. this option does not address the issue.

b) if this is true then it does not affect meat price at all ......strenghtens

c)may weaken but only to some extent

d) we r not concerned about other grains

e) out of scope

can you explain how c most seriously weakens the argument since corn/livestock represents a small portion of meat.

[RonPurewal]

what's most important here is that, for you, there's no issue here at all.
look at what you wrote:
a/ irrelevant
b/ strengthens
c/ weakens
d/ irrelevant
e/ irrelevant

so, there are four obviously wrong answers, and one weakener. there is no issue.

[RonPurewal]

the answer to your question, by the way, is this:

the passage states that "livestock feed accounts for only a small fraction of the retail price of meat". i.e., in terms of the final price of meat at the grocery store or butcher shop, the price of feed is in there, but it's only a few cents on the dollar.

on the other hand, supply and demand are clearly large forces in controlling retail prices, and supply is adversely affected in choice c. that's going to have a significant effect.