In a modus tollens, the first premise is hypothetical.The second premise:

A) affirms the antecedent of the first premise
B) denies the antecedent of the first premise
C) affirms the consequent of the first premise
D) denies the consequent of the first premise
E) is also hypothetical

In modus tollens, the first premise is of the form "If p then q." The second premise then denies the consequent (q) of the first premise. This is because the argument follows the form "If p then q, not q, therefore not p." So, by denying the consequent, we can infer that the antecedent (p) is false. Therefore, the correct answer is D, which denies the consequent of the first premise.