Answer B

And what is the definition of "widely held" in C, is C incorrect because it doesn't meet that criteria or because the author is arguing more than solely on that view?

@zgnewquist, The first sentence of the passage can be summarized as: Almost everyone in this country wants to be an artist. The second sentence of the passage can be summarized as: After all, almost everyone I know wants to be an artist. This reasoning is flawed because the speaker is basing an assumption about "almost everyone in this country" based only on the people the speaker knows. (D) is correct. The group of people that the speaker knows personally cannot be used to make an assumption about the whole country. (A) is incorrect because there is no premise assuming the conclusion here. This answer would be right if the conclusion were the same as one of the premises, but there was no evidence given to show the premise is correct. That is not the case here. (B) is incorrect. The passage does not deal with individual people, but rather the speaker's group of friends and the country as a whole. (C) is incorrect. Widely held here refers to a view that is shared by many. The speaker here is not defending a view that is widely held, but rather is defending his own personal view. (E) is incorrect. The passage does not require any such distinction, as it only focuses on the idea that everyone wants to be an artist.