PrepTest 141, Section 1, Question 21
Some critics of advertising have assumed that the(423 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(7 more words not shown)
- ATherefore, while in(21 more words not shown)
- BTherefore, although Marcusian(24 more words not shown)
- CTherefore, any shift(24 more words not shown)
- DTherefore, while emphasizing(21 more words not shown)
- ETherefore, the Marcusian(29 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
What should follow the point illustrated by our truck example? A product might miss the advertised emotional promise and still provide fulfillment the consumer freely chose. That supports the author's response to Marcusians: their argument does not establish that consumers are passive or that purchases cannot genuinely benefit them.
What we’re looking for
A concluding sentence should draw together that response. It need not defend every advertisement or announce a new policy; defeating this criticism is enough.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
This keeps the conclusion within the argument's scope. The author has given reasons to reject the Marcusian critique while allowing that products often miss the precise payoff suggested by ads. Other criticisms might exist; this particular critique has not established the case against advertising.
- B
The author argues that Marcusian claims contain a major mistake, not that they are rationally justified. Political gain by recent critics is also a new topic. This cannot conclude the rebuttal we just read.
- C
Nothing proposes changing corporate leaders' views of human nature. The point is that the critics underestimate consumers, not that companies require a program of reeducation before abuses can be corrected.
- D
The author challenges the critics' account of the alleged harm. There is no calculation showing that numerous social benefits clearly outweigh accepted harms. Genuine consumer fulfillment is part of the rebuttal, not the result of a cost-benefit comparison.
- E
This introduces a special group of people over whom the critique supposedly remains correct. The author does not establish that exception or make the stated claim about advertisers' economic power over it.
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