- AFabric softeners are used by a very large number of people
- BThe maker is the party that gains from the claim, so nothing it says can be accepted
- CThat no study has found harm is not the same as a study finding that no harm occurs; the tests may simply never have been run
- DSome users may not read the instructions printed on the pack
Step-by-Step Solution
An empty search record is not a positive finding. If nobody has looked, or has looked only briefly and in small numbers, the absence of a report of harm tells us about the state of the research and not about the product. The second option overreaches by rejecting a party's word entirely on account of its interest, and the first and last introduce facts that do not touch the leap from 'not shown to be harmful' to 'proved harmless'.
Answer: C) That no study has found harm is not the same as a study finding that no harm occurs; the tests may simply never have been run