At a management meeting, the sales director proposes: "Any region where the market is growing rapidly should immediately expand its sales team. East China has grown quickly this year, so East China should immediately expand its team." Someone challenges the first principle itself. Which criticism most effectively shows that this major premise is unreliable?

Answer: A

• AGrowth does not necessarily mean a need for more staff; it might come from price increases for existing customers or staff not yet working at full capacity.✓ Correct. It directly undermines the universality of the major premise: if growth comes from price increases or unused capacity, it does not follow that immediate expansion is needed; if the rule is not true, the conclusion lacks support even if the form is valid.
• BEast China's growth data for last year has not yet been finally verified by finance, so it may be inflated.✗ Incorrect. This challenges the truth of the minor premise (that East China grew quickly), not the major premise itself; the misunderstanding is confusing the levels of premises.
• CImmediately expanding the team would significantly increase labor costs, and the finance department may not approve the budget.✗ Incorrect. This is merely an implementation-level cost concern and does not show why the rule 'rapid growth implies immediate expansion' is unreliable; the misunderstanding is treating feasibility as a matter of truth or falsity.
• DBefore expanding, the East China manager should be consulted to avoid a plan that is out of touch with frontline reality.✗ Incorrect. This is a suggestion about decision-making procedure and is unrelated to the reasoning chain; the misunderstanding is substituting procedural appropriateness for testing the principle itself.