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Can anyone please provide me with an explanation as to why E does not strengthen the argument. I know B is the better answer, but I think E would serve as a good answer too if B were not there. It matches what the conclusion says about pain and threats from ethical arguments/ethical inventiveness.

thanks

Since you understand B I won't waste your time explaining it. As for E, however, I see two problems:

1. It doesn't directly strengthen the fact that bad things happen to them. The fact that they fear retribution is not the same as saying they experience retribution. In fact, in this sense, E is a bit of a weakener. The argument says that those who HAVE ethical inventiveness suffer for it; E implies that only those who EXERCISE ethical inventiveness suffer.

2. The argument has two points: the benefit of technological inventiveness and the hazards of ethical inventiveness. A good strengthener will address both, ideally.

But finally, all this is a little irrelevant. LSAT wants the best answer. "If B weren't there" is a pointless hypothetical. If B were replaced by something completely idiotic, maybe E would be the credited response (and I would personally say that it's a crappy question, especially because of objection 1 above). In my experience, once you see the right answer it's better to try to learn from what LSAC actually does than what they might have done. There are enough questions with ambiguous or weak credited responses to agonize over