medium · GMAT Verbal

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

1. Bee populations across many different parts of the world have been steadily declining for several decades, a worrying trend with many suspected causes.
2. Bees in the study routinely foraged at untreated wildflowers located several miles from the treated fields, rarely feeding on the treated crops.
3. The untreated control fields in the study had themselves been sprayed during prior growing seasons with a different, older class of agricultural pesticides.
4. The new pesticide breaks down completely into chemically harmless compounds within just a few short weeks of being applied to a field.
5. The study was funded entirely by the large agrochemical company that both manufactures and actively markets the new pesticide being tested.

Sign up free to see the explanation and track your rank →