1. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
A. Because they have a reputation for excellent service, the older trains are preferred by many train travelers.
B. The cross-country train route includes hills that prevent any train from traveling at its maximum speed.
C. The new trains are designed to require regularly scheduled maintenance between trips less frequently than the old trains. Correct
D. Most people who want to travel across the country in less time than it currently takes by train will travel by airplane.
E. The railroad's new schedules call for longer stops at each station on the cross-country route.
Explanation
The argument assumes total trip time is determined solely by on-track running time at 80 mph. If the new trains need less frequent (or shorter) maintenance stops than the old trains, overall door-to-door trip time could decrease even though moving speed remains capped at 80 mph. This alternative way to reduce total travel time directly weakens the conclusion.
2. A new drug has been developed that, when administered to stroke victims within three hours after the onset of a stroke, increases their chances of making a complete recovery by 50 percent. Yet even though the drug is likely to be approved for widespread use for stroke victims by next year, a dramatic increase in the stroke recovery rate is unlikely for some time, for the simple reason that __________Which of the following most logically completes the argument?
A. government and private insurance policies will not reimburse patients for drugs that have not been approved for widespread use among its intended beneficiaries
B. the drug has been approved already for use on people who have suffered heart attacks
C. in coming years growing numbers of people will be of an age at which the likelihood of suffering a stroke is greatest
D. another drug being tested for treatment of strokes appears to be effective when given as late as twenty-four hours after the stroke's onset
E. the symptoms of stroke are typically so subtle that they are rarely recognized as signs of a medical emergency Correct
Explanation
The drug is only effective if given within three hours of symptom onset. If most stroke victims and bystanders fail to recognize subtle symptoms quickly enough to seek emergency care in time, few patients will receive the drug within the narrow therapeutic window. Approval alone will therefore not translate into widespread benefit.
3. Based on the passage, it is most reasonable to infer that the author would agree with which of the following?
A. It is not desirable to use the marketing strategy of default options with consumers who are influenced by nonrational factors.
B. Presenting customers with a default option is an alternative to the strategy of allowing delayed payments and is best not used in conjunction with it.
C. Consumers who are presented with so many choices that they experience confusion are unlikely to reach a decision.
D. Steering customers toward choices that they would ultimately find unsatisfactory is an imprudent marketing practice. Correct
E. Allowing customers to delay payment is not a strategy that marketers should widely encourage.
Explanation
The author presents defaults and delayed payments positively as effective tools but ends with the explicit warning that defaults must be a good choice for customers and that misleading them breeds distrust. This implies that deliberately steering customers into ultimately unsatisfactory options is poor long-term practice.
4. The primary purpose of the passage is to
A. compare the effectiveness of two different marketing strategies
B. critique the prevailing views about a particular marketing strategy
C. describe a strategy marketers can use to help sell their goods or services Correct
D. alert consumers to marketing strategies that exploit their aversion to loss
E. describe successful applications of a particular marketing strategy
Explanation
The passage explains the psychological principles behind defaults and delayed payments, provides concrete examples of their successful use, and offers guidance on ethical application. The overall tone is instructional toward marketers on how to leverage loss aversion effectively.
5. The passage indicates that default options can be attractive to customers because they sometimes
A. relieve customers of a burdensome decision-making process Correct
B. are less likely than other available marketing strategies to undermine customers' trust
C. make transactions faster and less complex than they would otherwise be
D. allow customers to delay their payments for an agreed period of time
E. offer a greater benefit to the customers than to the seller
Explanation
The passage explicitly states that defaults are especially powerful when consumers are indifferent, confused, or conflicted and that a default eliminates the need to make a decision. This removal of decision burden is presented as a core reason defaults increase choice uptake.