PrepTest 120, Section 1, Question 15
Often, a product popularly believed to be the(53 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(11 more words not shown)
- AOften, choosing the(37 more words not shown)
- BMost people have(27 more words not shown)
- CThose beginning a(46 more words not shown)
- DPersonal charm is(33 more words not shown)
- EMany theatrical actors(39 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Are you buying a better product, or a name that looks impressive?
Imagine a shopper paying extra for Kleenex because the brand feels more prestigious. If those tissues are no better than the alternative, the extra money is buying the status of the brand, not better tissue. That's a hypothetical example of the distinction, not a claim about the quality of any actual brand.
The author isn't telling people they must stop buying prestige. Buy it if that's what you want. Just understand what you're getting. A reputation for quality can be confused with quality itself.
What we’re looking for
The parallel should make the same kind of distinction: people confuse one attractive feature with another, and the author says it's fine to choose the first as long as you don't assume you're getting the second. I'm looking for that warning, not just any conclusion saying people should know something.
Working the answers
- A
This is a tradeoff between a job's location and its hours. The desirable location really is a desirable location; the warning is that another feature may be bad. Our argument instead warns against mistaking one feature, prestige, for another, quality. A doesn't say that a job's apparent advantage is being confused with something it fails to provide.
- B
This questions the honesty of friends' positive reactions to boasting. It doesn't tell someone it's acceptable to choose one appealing feature while recognizing that it doesn't guarantee a different feature. The conclusion is a prediction about sincerity, not a warning about what a choice actually delivers.
- C
This recommends an approach that may help people learn a skill: enjoying the process instead of only trying to learn quickly. We aren't distinguishing two qualities that people confuse. We're changing how someone pursues a goal to increase the chance of reaching it.
- DCorrect
Charm takes the place of prestige, and virtue takes the place of quality. People confuse charm with being a good person, just as buyers can confuse a prestigious reputation with a superior product. The answer then allows the choice: there's nothing wrong with befriending a charming person. But it adds the matching warning that charm doesn't guarantee a good, loyal friend. Both arguments let you value the attractive feature while telling you not to mistake it for another one.
- E
This advises actors to suppress a desire because it interferes with enjoying a play. The original permits buying prestige and asks for an accurate understanding of it; it doesn't tell consumers to suppress their desire for prestige. E also lacks the confusion between two different qualities that drives the original warning.
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