PrepTest 142, Section 4, Question 24
The makers of Activite, a natural dietary supplement,(44 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(6 more words not shown)
- AThe nutrients in(12 more words not shown)
- BThere are less(13 more words not shown)
- CA month is(14 more words not shown)
- DThe makers of(20 more words not shown)
- EThe mere fact(18 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
A free sample proves the company wants you to try the product. Does it prove the product works?
Maybe people keep taking it for some other reason. Perhaps it tastes good, perhaps they feel a benefit from expecting one, or perhaps it contains something habit-forming. Those are possibilities to investigate, not facts about Activite. Think of a hypothetical cigarette giveaway: repeat purchases could make that promotion worthwhile without establishing a health benefit.
What we’re looking for
The author assumes the offer would serve the company only if Activite improved energy and alertness. I'd weaken that by showing another reason the offer could benefit the business. We don't have to prove the supplement is ineffective; we need to show why the marketing decision doesn't establish effectiveness.
Working the answers
- A
A balanced diet providing the same nutrients wouldn't show that Activite fails to work. It might mean consumers have another way to obtain those nutrients. Whether a supplement is necessary and whether it is effective are different questions.
- B
A cheaper product could work equally well while Activite also worked. The argument isn't that Activite is the best bargain. Comparing prices doesn't undermine the inference about its effectiveness.
- C
This doesn't say Activite produces no benefit during the trial. It concerns most supplements becoming fully effective, and Activite needn't fit that general pattern. More fundamentally, the author isn't relying on customers' measured improvement after one month; the evidence is the company's decision to offer a trial. C doesn't give as direct an alternative business reason for that decision as D does.
- DCorrect
'Free' comes with a handling fee, and that fee substantially exceeds the cost of packing and shipping. Now the company can collect money from the offer itself, independently of whether the supplement delivers the advertised benefits.
Imagine a 'free' T-shirt with a $20 shipping charge when mailing it costs much less. The label 'free' doesn't tell us the company receives no revenue. Likewise, Activite's inflated fee gives another commercial reason for the offer. We don't know every production cost, so this doesn't guarantee a profit; it does undermine the claim that effectiveness is the only way the promotion could serve the company.
- E
A product can have harmful side effects and still produce its advertised main effects. The author claims increased energy and alertness, not complete safety. E cautions against a different conclusion about natural ingredients without showing why this offer fails to establish effectiveness.
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