Educators are pleased with the recent rise in median SAT scores, which occurred after a decade of decline. Unfortunately, this encouraging statistic actually reflects rather poorly on our educational system. The scores have gone up because fewer students take the tests. A lot of disadvantaged students have simply given up hope of going to college, so they don't bother to take the tests (which they would need to get accepted). In other words, students who have tended to get low scores in the past have dropped out of competition entirely. The higher median scores now are the result of having only privileged, college-bound students take the test.
The author argues primarily by
A. denying the accuracy of his opponents' figures
B. finding an alternative explanation for his opponents' evidence
C. refining and clarifying an existing argument
D. defending an argument against criticism by his opponents
E. suggesting that his opponents may be unfairly biased
