State researchers have found that since the oil price increases of the 1970s, there has been a decline in home energy...

shunhe on June 27, 2020

Hi @Maria-Marin,

Thanks for the question! So to recap the stimulus, we’re told that state researchers have found that home energy consumption has gone down since oil price increases. The researchers then conclude that the decline happened because people spend their time in different ways and standards of living have decreased.

Now we’re asked for an answer choice that DOESN’T support the conclusion (since this is an except question). Let’s take a look at (B), which says that during the winter months, more people go to libraries and community centers and other public places, and spend longer than they used to. Well, that would strengthen the conclusion, since the conclusion talks about people changing how they spend their time, and (B) describes a difference in the way people spend their time. So (B) can’t be the right answer.

Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any other questions that you might have.