Question 9

The primary purpose of the passage is to describe a strategy marketers can use to help sell their goods or services.

The passage focuses on explaining how marketers can effectively encourage customers to make purchases by using strategies such as delayed payments and defaults. It highlights the psychological mechanisms behind these strategies, demonstrating how they can increase consumer willingness to spend.

A) compare the effectiveness of two different marketing strategies

While the passage discusses different strategies, such as delayed payments and the use of defaults, it does not primarily compare their effectiveness. Instead, it emphasizes how these strategies work to persuade customers to make purchases, making this option incorrect.

B) critique the prevailing views about a particular marketing strategy

The passage does not critique any marketing strategies; rather, it explains and supports the effectiveness of certain strategies in encouraging consumer purchases. Therefore, this option does not align with the primary purpose of the text.

C) describe a strategy marketers can use to help sell their goods or services

This option accurately reflects the main focus of the passage, which is to outline how certain marketing strategies, particularly the use of defaults and delayed payments, can effectively persuade customers to buy. The explanation provided in the extract clearly supports this purpose.

D) alert consumers to marketing strategies that exploit their aversion to loss

Although the passage mentions consumers' aversion to loss, it does not primarily aim to alert consumers about exploitation. Instead, it discusses how marketers can leverage this psychological trait to facilitate sales, making this option less relevant to the passage's main intent.

E) describe successful applications of a particular marketing strategy

The passage provides an example of a successful application of a marketing strategy but does not focus exclusively on this aspect. The primary intent is broader, aiming to describe the strategies themselves rather than just their applications, thus making this option insufficient as the main purpose.

Conclusion

The passage primarily serves to illustrate a marketing strategy that can enhance sales by leveraging consumer psychology, specifically through the use of defaults and the concept of delayed payments. Other options either misinterpret the focus or narrow down the content to specific aspects that do not capture the overall intent of the text. Hence, Option C is the most accurate reflection of the passage's primary purpose.