PrepTest 130, Section 3, Question 16
In a study, shoppers who shopped in a(45 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(13 more words not shown)
- AOnly the shoppers(8 more words not shown)
- BThe shoppers who(8 more words not shown)
- CUsually, only the(9 more words not shown)
- DThe grocery store(13 more words not shown)
- EThe grocery store(9 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
How do the shoppers buying only heavily discounted items end up spending more? We can't simply say they bought more things on impulse: the two groups bought comparable numbers of items.
A discount is relative to the item's original price. What if only the premium products are on sale? A forty-dollar steak reduced to twenty dollars still costs more than a full-price loaf of bread. Shoppers who buy ten expensive items at half price could spend much more than shoppers whose lists contain ten inexpensive items at regular prices.
What we’re looking for
That's the sort of explanation I'd want for this paradox. The sale shoppers save compared with buying those same products at full price, but the list shoppers might be buying different, cheaper products. The distinction is between the size of a discount and the amount ultimately paid.
Working the answers
- A
A cart tells us how people carried the groceries, not why they paid more for a comparable number of items. Even if we speculated that a cart encourages extra purchases, the cart users are the list shoppers, who spent less. That speculation wouldn't explain the reported result.
- B
An unnecessary item could be cheap, and a necessary one could be expensive. Because the groups bought comparable numbers of items, merely calling the sale purchases unnecessary doesn't establish a larger bill. We need a difference in what those items cost, not just whether the buyers needed them.
- CCorrect
The sale items start out as the most expensive products. Even at half price or less, steak, lobster, or other premium items could cost more than the bread and other inexpensive goods on someone's list. That explains how comparable numbers of discounted products can produce a larger total bill than full-price products.
- D
Both groups shopped at this store. Its carrying expensive products unavailable elsewhere doesn't distinguish the two groups' purchases. We'd need to know why the sale shoppers selected more expensive products than the list shoppers, not why this store differs from other stores.
- E
Having few sale items limits the shoppers' selection, but it doesn't tell us the prices of those items. A small selection could consist of inexpensive or expensive goods. The number of products offered on sale doesn't explain the amount spent on the comparable number purchased.
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