The correct answer is (A).
(A) Assumption (Sufficient)
Step 1: Identify the Question Type
The question asks for something that, if assumed, allows the conclusion to be drawn. That makes this a Sufficient Assumption question.
Step 2: Untangle the Stimulus
The journalist concludes ([s]o) that the critics are mistaken. They claim entertainment decreases the caliber of news reporting, which means the journalist is arguing that entertainment does not decrease the caliber. The evidence is that the greatest journalists have been the most entertaining.
Step 3: Make a Prediction
The evidence is about the "greatest journalists," but the conclusion is about the "caliber of the reporting" itself. The journalist simply assumes that the greatest journalists provided high-caliber reporting.
Step 4: Evaluate the Answer Choices
(A) is correct, making the connection between the greatest journalists and the caliber of their reporting itself.
(B) is not good enough. Even if the greatest journalists have been entertainers, that still does not speak to the caliber of the reporting itself.
(C) is not good enough. This just connects greatness to value "in some sense." If that sense does not involve the caliber of the reporting, then it's irrelevant to the argument at hand.
(D) is something the journalist might agree with, but it offers no support for the conclusion about the caliber of the reporting.
(E) is a 180 at worst. This suggests that entertainment can be bad for news reporting, which contradicts the journalist's reasoning.
