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This question involves an increase in 65+ year olds over the last decade, using as evidence the fact that the average age of people living in the mentioned region increased from 52-57. So my initial thinking was, "okay cool so the younger people must have moved out, this region is more old people friendly, or some kind of Z factor that increases old people or decreases young people."

So...I go along the answer choices and select B..if the birth rate declined, less younger people are being born, the current people living there are getting older over the years, hooray answer!....Not so much. The answer is A, which I MISERABLY FAIL TO UNDERSTAND, TO THE POINT OF PUNCHING MY ROOMMATES. Anyways, I fail to understand how an INCREASE of younger people into the population of the region would strengthen this argument. Am I over thinking? What did I miss?

The things you are considering aren't overthinking, but you are only thinking about the increase in avg age when you mention things like young people moving out and birth rate declining. You need to show how that could strenghten the idea that the NUMBER of 65+ year olds increased. Sure an increase could just be that over the last 10 years people have gotten 10 years older but they said there was a DRASTIC increase in the NUMBER of 65+ year olds.

Also remember that you are looking for an answer that strengthens even a little bit, doesn't have to justify it.

A makes sense because if # of young people increased recently, but avg age still went up then the # of people over 52/57 (which includes those 65+) must have gone up.

A is the correct response because it strengthens the argument that the number of older people in the region has increased. If more people under the age of 18 are moving in to the region, then that must mean that there has been a larger (i.e. "dramatic") increase in the number of older people in order to increase the average age from 52 to 57.

B is incorrect because it actually weakens the argument. If the birthrate is lower and there are fewer younger people being born in the region, then it is not necessarily true that the number of 65+ people in the region has increased.

Ahhhhhhh, I see now, I didn't think about total numbers. Thanks a lot.