Gavin beat Jerry in a marathon wearing Dada shoes; Which fact weakens Dada's claim that the shoes caused the win?

• A. Jerry was unwell on the day of the marathon.
• B. Gavin has never beaten Jerry before.
• C. Jerry took steroids to increase his performance on the day of the marathon.
• D. Jerry has been considered the fastest marathon runner till now.

Answer: (A)

When judging whether a particular factor caused an outcome, you have to check for other plausible explanations for what happened. If Jerry was unwell on race day, that illness could be the real reason he lost, making it unlikely that the shoes were the cause. In other words, the win can be attributed to his poor condition rather than the footwear, which weakens the claim that the shoes caused the victory.

The other facts don’t directly challenge that claim. Gavin’s past results don’t rule out the shoes helping this time, being the fastest until now only shows Jerry’s general ability, and steroids would introduce another performance factor rather than specifically refute the shoes being the cause.