PrepTest 130, Section 3, Question 20
The layouts of supermarkets are not accidental: they(55 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(7 more words not shown)
- ASupermarkets should focus(12 more words not shown)
- BAlienation of customers(5 more words not shown)
- CEven well-thought-out plans(2 more words not shown)
- DDistracting customers is(4 more words not shown)
- EManipulation of people(4 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Putting bread at the back gives shoppers more opportunities to see something else they want. You came in for a loaf, but on the way past the chips and cake you think, 'I'll take one of those too.' That makes the store's intention understandable.
The passage points to a cost of that arrangement: customers can find it inconvenient and become alienated. The store wants more exposure to its displays, but the extra walk can irritate the people it wants to attract.
I do have a question about the survey. When shoppers complain about inconvenience, do they mean the walk to the bread, or do they mean empty shelves, unsuitable opening hours, or too few open registers? The survey alone doesn't isolate the layout as their complaint.
What we’re looking for
But we're asked which proposition the passage illustrates, rather than to identify that evidentiary weakness. The broad pattern is an attempt to encourage purchases bringing an unwelcome reaction from customers. We shouldn't turn that reaction into a claim that the plan completely fails.
Working the answers
- A
The passage describes a layout strategy and one possible drawback; it doesn't recommend focusing on customers buying many items. We aren't given a comparison showing that this group should take priority over shoppers making smaller trips.
- B
Alienation might hurt business, but the passage doesn't establish that it does. A shopper could dislike the extra walk and still keep using the store. We have evidence of an unwelcome customer reaction, not a demonstrated net effect on the business.
- C
Annoying customers doesn't necessarily mean the plan fails. The displays could still induce extra purchases even from people who find the layout inconvenient. We also aren't told how thoroughly the plan was thought through. This answer makes a stronger claim about failure than the passage illustrates.
- D
Passing a display could distract someone into buying the cake, which would help the store's sales. The passage doesn't establish that distracting customers is bad for business overall. It identifies an unwelcome effect of the layout without settling the strategy's total commercial value.
- ECorrect
The deliberate layout tries to influence shoppers' behavior by making them pass tempting displays. That is the manipulation. Alienating customers through the resulting inconvenience is an unwelcome consequence. E captures both parts while allowing the strategy to increase purchases, irritate customers, or do both at the same time.
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