Statistics indicating a sudden increase in the incidence of a problem often merely reflect a heightened awareness of ...

Emil-Kunkin on October 26, 2023

The first sentence describes a phenomenon that, while worded in an unnecessarily confusing way, is actually quite common. A spike in recording something doesn't always mean that that thing had become more common, it could also just reflect greater awareness of the thing.

I think there are a few real examples of this, one being autism diagnoses- while it's possible that actual rates have increased in the last few decades, it's also likely that the rise in diagnoses have come in part from the fact that more parents and doctors know what to look for.

The author then tells us that we should be hesitant to act rashly on evidence that suggest a sudden ride, because that rise may be due entirely or in part to the phenomenon mentioned.

This is a good match for A, which says we shouldn't act radically merely because we have become aware of a problem.

D is incorrect because the stats are not being manipulated in any way.