Question

Editorial: The roof of Northtown's municipal equipment-storage building collapsed under the weight of last weeks heavy snowfall. The building was constructed recently and met local building-safety codes in every particular except that the nails used for attaching roof supports to the nails used for attaching roof supports to the buildings columns were of a smaller size than the codes specify for this purpose. Clearly this collapse exemplifies how even a single apparently insignificant departure from safety standards can have serve consequences.

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

• A. The only other buildings to suffer roof collapses from the weight of the snowfall were older buildings constructed according to less exacting standards than those in the codes.
• B. The amount of snow that accumulated on the roof of the equipment-storage building was greater than the predicted maximum that was used in drawing up the safety codes.
• C. Because the equipment storage building was not intended for human occupation some safety-code provisions that would have applied to an office building did not apply to it.
• D. The municipality of Northtown itself has the responsibility for ensuring that buildings constructed within its boundaries meet the provisions of the building safety codes.
• E. Because the equipment storage building was used for storing snow-removal equipment the building was almost completely empty when the roof collapsed.

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

The amount of snow that accumulated on the roof of the equipment-storage building was greater than the predicted maximum that was used in drawing up the safety codes.

Here, option A seems to be out of context, the only purpose it serves is to reinforce what the question states. C, D and E are irrelevant to the context given. Option B directly weakens the editorial's argument because it implies that the collapse was probably due to snow and not the nails. It takes the argument beyond the nails and weakens it. Thus, B is the answer