PrepTest 146, Section 3, Question 18
For consumers, the most enjoyable emotional experience garnered(46 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(10 more words not shown)
- AFeeling lucky is(8 more words not shown)
- BRetailers take advantage(8 more words not shown)
- CAdvertised price cuts(9 more words not shown)
- DUsing advertised price(12 more words not shown)
- EMaking consumers feel(10 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
A discount can make someone feel lucky. A store could also try a raffle or a spin-the-wheel promotion. So I can see why retailers would want to create that feeling, but price cuts are only one way to do it.
What happens when the store is always having a sale? The discount can start to feel like the ordinary price. A shopper might question the advertised full price instead of feeling that a special opportunity has appeared. And lowering prices also cuts into the margin on what the store sells. The author gives those costs as reasons to criticize how often retailers use advertised discounts.
What we’re looking for
The question asks for the overall conclusion. The point is that these price cuts are overused. The remarks about consumers enjoying luck explain the attraction, and the final sentence explains the downside. Both help us understand the author's complaint about relying too heavily on this particular sales tactic.
Working the answers
- A
This is the starting fact about shoppers' feelings. The author uses it to explain why retailers try to make customers feel lucky, then evaluates one technique for doing that. A leaves out the judgment about overusing price cuts.
- B
Retailers using this feeling to their advantage is background to the criticism. The author goes on to say they too often use advertised price cuts for that purpose. B doesn't capture the complaint about how they pursue the advantage.
- CCorrect
“Overused” restates “too often.” The author concludes that retailers rely too much on advertised price cuts to gain sales. The lost profit margin and weaker loyalty supply the reasons for that judgment.
- D
This is the evidence for the conclusion. Why does the author think discounts are used too often? Because they reduce margins and undermine loyalty. D answers that why question instead of stating the judgment those reasons support. The fact that it appears last doesn't make it the overall point.
- E
The author criticizes using advertised price cuts too often, not the entire idea of making customers feel lucky. Other ways of creating that feeling might work well. Even the discussion of discounts allows that some shoppers enjoy them; the complaint is about the costs and excessive use of this technique. E expands the conclusion beyond the stated target.
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