PrepTest 119, Section 4, Question 18
Bookstore owner: Consumers should buy books only from(51 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(11 more words not shown)
- AChain bookstores should(19 more words not shown)
- BConsumers should buy(19 more words not shown)
- CThe best interest(25 more words not shown)
- DConsumers should not(13 more words not shown)
- EIf consumers have(20 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Why is preserving the variety of books my responsibility as a shopper?
The bookstore owner starts with a recommendation to buy only from independent bookstores. I can imagine practical objections: what if the independent shop costs much more, or I have to wait weeks for the book I want? A wider selection isn't automatically an advantage to me if it consists of books I'm not looking for.
The owner argues that chains threaten independent stores and therefore reduce the variety available to consumers. I might wonder whether some unusual titles could still be ordered elsewhere, perhaps online. But even accepting the claimed reduction, we still need a connection to what consumers ought to do. Why must protecting variety take priority in my purchasing decision?
What we’re looking for
The question asks for a principle supporting the argument. I'd look for a rule making that connection: consumers should avoid buying from stores whose existence tends to reduce the available variety. That would turn the owner's concern about the market into a reason for the recommendation to individual shoppers.
Working the answers
- A
This tells chain bookstores what they should do. The conclusion tells consumers where to spend their money. A rule against chains forcing independent stores out doesn't establish that shoppers must stop buying from chains.
- BCorrect
Consumers should buy only from bookstores whose existence doesn't tend to reduce the variety available. The argument says chains tend to reduce that variety, so B gives consumers a reason to exclude chains from their purchases. It connects the stated harm to the purchasing recommendation.
We might personally care about price, convenience, or some other consideration too. But we're asked what principle would support this owner's reasoning. B gives variety the role the owner needs it to play.
- C
What serves the bookselling business isn't automatically what consumers should do. Even if buying from chains were bad for the industry's interests, we would still need a reason consumers ought to act for those interests. This leaves a gap between the consequence and the recommendation.
- D
Deliberately matters. The owner says chains threaten independent stores, not that chains intend to force their competitors out. A store could threaten another simply by offering products people prefer. D's rule applies to deliberate conduct that the argument hasn't established.
- E
This addresses shoppers with no access to an independent store and recommends a chain in that situation. It doesn't support the owner's general recommendation to buy only from independent stores. If anything, it introduces an exception rather than supplying the missing reason for the original advice.
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