By the late 1920's advertising in the United States had acquired the

Question

By the late 1920's advertising in the United States had acquired the characteristics it has now and probably will retain for As long as there is a competitive market economy. This "highly organized and professional system of magical inducements and satisfactions," as eminent social critic Raymond Williams described it, has continued to have as its goal the selling of a panoply of goods among which there are most often few salient differences. Working  from the premise of the irrationality of the consumer , this vast fantasy machine employs every conceivable visual and rhetorical gimmick to turn the public's attention from the generic product to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand.

In retrospect, two aspects of the development of the advertising business are remarkable. The first is how quickly after the emergence of mass media it assumed its shape. The second, all the more remarkable when one considers that advertising's business is evanescent appearances, is how durable that shape has proven to be. To be sure, some changes have taken place since 1930, most notably the emergence and influence of the electronic media—radio and particularly television. But despite such surface changes, advertising remains bottom, what it was fifty or more years ago: the business of manufacturing illusions.

To some degree, advertising's means and ends remain basically unaltered because those who create ads have always experienced the same conflicts felt by other members of twentieth-century American society. These conflicts stem from a contradiction between our democratic ideology, with its emphasis on individual choice and freedom of expression, and an economy that encourages and indeed depends on conformity and predictability among both producers (employers as well as employees) and consumers.

Ours is also a society that has traditionally valued spontaneity, risk, and adventure; largely for that reason we cherish the  myth of the frontier,  where those qualities, we believe, once flourished. Yet in the United States today, most people inhabit an urban or suburban world that is overly regulated, hemmed in by routine, and presided over by scores of specialists and experts. "Adventure" itself has become a commodity: a packaged trip down the Colorado River, an organized trek across the Himalayas two weeks on a dude ranch. Room for real adventure is limited, if it exists at all.

Far from immune to these and other contradiction advertising people have recognized that their skills arc harnessed to large impersonal organizations and that the end of their efforts is to convince millions of consumers that they would be happier even better human beings if they used Brand X instead of Brand Y. Given the conditions of their work and of ordinary life, it is not really surprising that generations of advertising people have aimed to transform a prosaic world of commodities into a magical place of escape, illusion, and fantasy, to express imaginative freedom and creativity in the face of routine.     1 
 1. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following best describes the function of advertising in a competitive market economy?

(A) A competitive economy creates many choices for consumers; thus, a highly organized system that educates consumers about goods is essential. 
(B) In a competitive market, the company that sells more earns bigger profits thus advertising the most important element in successful competition.
(C) Advertising became a highly competitive business by the late 1920's, and the economy of the United States has encouraged the competition among advertisers. 
(D) Part of democratic ideology is freedom of choice, and advertising creates real consumer choices in a competitive market economy. 
(E) In a competitive market economy, there are many similar products competing for buyers; advertising maintains the competition by creating apparent differences among products.

2 
 2. The author's assertion that advertising works "from the premise of the irrationality of the consumer" ( Highlighted ) implies which of the following about advertising?

(A) Advertisers assume that consumers cannot understand the differences among products.
(B) Advertising works by convincing consumers that advertising agency employees feel the same pressures as consumers.
(C) Advertisers assume that consumers can be influenced by fantasy.
(D) Advertisers believe that consumers do not what products are on the market.
(E) Advertising is based on the-belief that consumers do not want to differentiate among products.

3 
 3. According to the passage, which of the following true of the people who work in advertising?

(A) They feel Superior to other consumers.
(B) They compete more successfully in the American economy than do other consumers.
(C) They are caught in the same conflicts as other Americans.
(D) They believe that the differences advertising creates among products are real.
(E) They believe that they are using their talents to improve other people's lives.

4 
 4. The author implies that the twentieth-century belief in the "myth of the frontier" ( Highlighted ) has

(A) made it difficult for Americans to adjust to an urbanized environment ,
(B) helped Americans to conform to the expectations and demands of a market economy
(C) increased the number of trips planned and taken by Americans
(D) encouraged Americans to resist the depersonalization and regulation of their daily Lim
(E) allowed Americans to continue to valve qualities that have largely disappeared from their daily lives

5 
 5. The author would most probably agree with which of the following statements about advertising ?

(A) Advertising is necessary because it helps to distribute the goods industry products.
(B) Advertising has too much power over the economic well-being of the American people.
(C) Advertising is crucial to the psychological well-being of most Americans because it allows them a richly imagined life outside their routines.
(D) Advertising reveals the conflicts of twentieth-century American society by creating images that are incompatible with the realities of everyday life.
(E) Advertising undermines the basis of American society because it is antidernocratic.

6 
 6. The author is primarily interested in

(A) criticizing the methods used by American advertising
(B) analyzing the means and ends of American advertising
(C) explaining the connections between the American economy and advertising
(D) warning readers of the dangers posed by advertising
(E) encouraging readers to become more skeptical consumers

7 
 7. According to the passage, it is surprising that the basis of-American advertising has changed so little since the late 1920's because

(A) American society has changed enormously since the 1920's
(B) the electronic mass media are so much a part of daily experience
(C) the business of advertising is the creation of temporary images
(D) the American public is much less adventurous than it was in the late 1920's
(E) advertising developed so rapidly after the emergence of the mass media

8 
 8. The author's attitude toward the people who work in advertising can be best described as one of

(A) tolerant understanding
(B) wholehearted admiration
(C) scornful superiority
(D) reluctant criticism
(E) amused contempt

9 
 9. According to the passage, the democratic ideology of the United States is at odds with a competitive market economy because

(A) individual freedom of choice and expression is inconsistent with group conformity and predictability
(B) individual freedoms are unimportant in a society where competition for economic gain exists
(C) the American democratic ideology is concerned with individual welfare, while the competitive market economy is concerned with group behavior
(D) most people believe that economic success is more important than individual freedom
(E) such an economic system fails if people believe in individual freedom of choice

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Oppenheimer1945 · Answer

1. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following best describes the function of advertising in a competitive market economy?

(A) A competitive economy creates many choices for consumers; thus, a highly organized system that educates consumers about goods is (educating the customers is not the main idea)
(B) In a competitive market, the company that sells more earns bigger profits thus advertising the most important element in successful competition. (profit is out of scope acc to passage)
(C) Advertising became a highly competitive business by the late 1920's, and the economy of the United States has encouraged the competition among advertisers.(competitiveness is not mentioned)
(D) Part of democratic ideology is freedom of choice, and advertising creates real consumer choices in a competitive market economy.(real consumer choices is not given)
 (E) In a competitive market economy, there are many similar products competing for buyers; advertising maintains the competition by creating apparent differences among products (True)

Eminent social critic Raymond Williams described it, has continued to have as its goal the selling of a panoply of goods among which there are most often few salient differences.

2. The author's assertion that advertising works "from the premise of the irrationality of the consumer" (Highlighted) implies which of the following about advertising?

(A) Advertisers assume that consumers cannot understand the differences among products. 
(B) Advertising works by convincing consumers that advertising agency employees feel the same pressures as consumers.
 (C) Advertisers assume that consumers can be influenced by fantasy.(True) 
(D) Advertisers believe that consumers do not what products are on the market.
(E) Advertising is based on the-belief that consumers do not want to differentiate among products.

Working from the premise of the irrationality of the consumer, this vast fantasy machine employs every conceivable visual and rhetorical gimmick to turn the public's attention from the generic product to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand.

3. According to the passage, which of the following true of the people who work in advertising?

(A) They feel Superior to other consumers.(superiority is not mentioned)
(B) They compete more successfully in the American economy than do other consumers.(This is not given)
(C) They are caught in the same conflicts as other Americans. (conflict is not mentioned)
(D) They believe that the differences advertising creates among products are real.(its fantasy as per passage)
 (E) They believe that they are using their talents to improve other people's lives. (True)

Advertising people have recognized that their skills are harnessed to large impersonal organizations and that the end of their efforts is to convince millions of consumers that they would be happier even better human beings if they used Brand X instead of Brand Y

4. The author implies that the twentieth-century belief in the "myth of the frontier" (Highlighted) has

(A) made it difficult for Americans to adjust to an urbanized environment (in the United States today, most people inhabit an urban or suburban world that is overly regulated)
(B) helped Americans to conform to the expectations and demands of a market economy 
(C) increased the number of trips planned and taken by Americans (increase in number of trips is not given)
(D) encouraged Americans to resist the depersonalization and regulation of their daily Lim (depersonlisation is not mentioned in passage)
 (E) allowed Americans to continue to valve qualities that have largely disappeared from their daily lives (True)

Ours is also a society that has traditionally valued spontaneity, risk, and adventure; largely for that reason we cherish the myth of the frontier, where those qualities, we believe, once flourished.

5. The author would most probably agree with which of the following statements about advertising?

(A) Advertising is necessary because it helps to distribute the goods industry products.
(B) Advertising has too much power over the economic well-being of the American people.
(C) Advertising is crucial to the psychological well-being of most Americans because it allows them a richly imagined life outside their routines.
 (D) Advertising reveals the conflicts of twentieth-century American society by creating images that are incompatible with the realities of everyday life. (True)
-This "highly organized and professional system of magical inducements and satisfactions," 
(E) Advertising undermines the basis of American society because it is antidernocratic.

6. The author is primarily interested in

(A) criticizing the methods used by American advertising (author is nowhere critque about the advertising)
 (B) analyzing the means and ends of American advertising (true)
-This is whole gist of the whole passage 
(C) explaining the connections between the American economy and advertising
-Connection b/w American economy and Adv is not the central idea
(D) warning readers of the dangers posed by advertising
- no warning or dangers of adv is discussed
(E) encouraging readers to become more skeptical consumers
-Nowhere author is urging readers to become skeptical consumers

7. According to the passage, it is surprising that the basis of-American advertising has changed so little since the late 1920's because

(A) American society has changed enormously since the 1920's
(B) the electronic mass media are so much a part of daily experience
 (C) the business of advertising is the creation of temporary images (True as per passage) 
(D) the American public is much less adventurous than it was in the late 1920's
(E) advertising developed so rapidly after the emergence of the mass media

But despite such surface changes, advertising remains bottom, what it was fifty or more years ago: the business of manufacturing illusions.

8. The author's attitude toward the people who work in advertising can be best described as one of

(A) tolerant understanding (tolerant is too harsh)
(B) wholehearted admiration (advertisers are not sincere)
(C) scornful superiority (nowhere advertisers are scornful)
 (D) reluctant criticism (True) -advertisers are reluctant to criticise their products 
(E) amused contempt(amuse is out of scope)

"highly organized and professional system of magical inducements and satisfactions," Advertisers know the reality but show the fantasy world to consumers.

9. According to the passage, the democratic ideology of the United States is at odds with a competitive market economy because

(A) individual freedom of choice and expression is inconsistent with group conformity and predictability (True) 
(B) individual freedoms are unimportant in a society where competition for economic gain exists
(C) the American democratic ideology is concerned with individual welfare, while the competitive market economy is concerned with group behavior
(D) most people believe that economic success is more important than individual freedom
(E) such an economic system fails if people believe in individual freedom of choice

These conflicts stem from a contradiction between our democratic ideology, with its emphasis on individual choice and freedom of expression, and an economy that encourages and indeed depends on conformity and predictability among both producers (employers as well as employees) and consumers.

$!vakumar.m · Answer

Para wise summary is as follows: 
 P1: Advertising in the US is a highly organized and professional system that employs visual and rhetorical gimmicks to turn public's attention from the generic product to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand.
P2: Two remarkable aspects of the advertising business are how quickly it assumed its shape and how durable that shape has proven to be. Despite changes in media and technology, the fundamental goal of advertising remains the same: to manufacture illusions that appeal to consumers.
P3: To some degree, its means and ends remain unchanged because advertising people face the same conflicts as other members of American society, stemming from a contradiction between democratic ideology and an economy that encourages and depends on conformity and predictability among the producers and consumers.
P4 - The United States' society values spontaneity, risk, and adventure, but the urban and suburban world is overly regulated, limiting real adventure opportunities.
P5 - Advertising people recognize that their skills are harnessed to large impersonal organizations and that the aim of their efforts is to convince consumers to choose one brand over another. They often seek to express imaginative freedom and creativity in a world dominated by routine and predictability.

1. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following best describes the function of advertising in a competitive market economy?

(A) A competitive economy creates many choices for consumers; thus, a highly organized system that educates consumers about goods is essential.   
The passage clearly suggests that the function of advertising is to create apparent differences among products to attract the public's attention from the generic product to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand. The passage does not mention that a highly organized system is essential to educate consumers about goods in a competitive market economy. Therefore, Option A is incorrect.

(B) In a competitive market, the company that sells more earns bigger profits thus advertising is the most important element in successful competition.  
Option B is incorrect because the passage does not suggest that advertising is the most important element in successful competition. In addition, it does not mention that the company that sells more earns bigger profits.

(C) Advertising became a highly competitive business by the late 1920's, and the economy of the United States has encouraged the competition among advertisers.  
Option C is incorrect because the passage does not suggest that the economy of the United States encourages competition among advertisers. It describes in the second paragraph that how advertising quickly assumed its shape after the emergence of mass media, and that it has remained durable despite changes in electronic media.

(D) Part of democratic ideology is freedom of choice, and advertising creates real consumer choices in a competitive market economy.  
Option D is incorrect because the passage mentions that USA’s democratic ideology emphasizes individual choice and freedom of expression, however, it does not suggest that advertising creates real consumer choices in a competitive market economy.

(E) In a competitive market economy, there are many similar products competing for buyers; advertising maintains the competition by creating apparent differences among products.  
From the first paragraph we can infer that the main function of advertising in a competitive market economy is to maintain the competition by creating apparent differences among products. The goal of advertising is to sell a variety of goods, many of which may have few significant differences. Therefore, Option E is correct.

2. The author's assertion that advertising works "from the premise of the irrationality of the consumer" implies which of the following about advertising?

(A) Advertisers assume that consumers cannot understand the differences among products.  
Option A is incorrect because the passage does not suggest that the advertisers assume that consumers cannot understand the differences among products. Rather, advertising aims to draw consumers’ attention from generic product features to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand.

(B) Advertising works by convincing consumers that advertising agency employees feel the same pressures as consumers.  
Option B is incorrect because 3rd paragraph suggests that advertising methods and goals remain unchanged because advertising people face the same conflicts as other members of American society. However, it does not suggest that advertising works by convincing consumers that advertising agency employees feel the same pressures as consumers.

(C) Advertisers assume that consumers can be influenced by fantasy.  
In the first paragraph it is mentioned that social critic RW describes advertising as a "system of magical inducements and satisfactions." Further, the author mentions that advertising “working from the premise of the irrationality of the consumer”, uses “visual and rhetorical gimmicks” to turn the public's attention from the generic product to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand. This implies that advertising aims to appeal to publics desires and fantasies. Therefore, option C is correct.

(D) Advertisers believe that consumers do not know what products are on the market.  
Option D is incorrect because the passage does not suggest that advertisers believe that consumers do not know what products are on the market. Advertising aims to influence consumers' preferences among products, not their awareness of the products' existence.

(E) Advertising is based on the-belief that consumers do not want to differentiate among products.  
Option E is incorrect because the author does not suggest that advertising is based on the belief that consumers do not want to differentiate among products. Rather, advertising aims to draw consumers’ attention from generic product features to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand.

3. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the people who work in advertising?

(A) They feel Superior to other consumers.  
Option A is incorrect because there is no evidence in the passage to suggest that advertising people feel superior to other consumers.

(B) They compete more successfully in the American economy than do other consumers.  
Option B is incorrect because there is no evidence in the passage to suggest that advertising people compete more successfully in the American economy than other consumers.

(C) They are caught in the same conflicts as other Americans.  
The 3rd paragraph suggests that advertising methods and goals remain unchanged because advertising people face the same conflicts as other members of American society, stemming from a contradiction between democratic ideology and an economy that encourages and depends on conformity and predictability among the producers and consumers. Therefore, advertising people are also caught in the same conflicts as other Americans. Option C is correct

(D) They believe that the differences advertising creates among products are real.  
Option D is incorrect because the passage suggests that the main function of advertising is to create “apparent/symbolic” differences among products rather than ‘real’ differences.

(E) They believe that they are using their talents to improve other people's lives.  
Option E is incorrect because there is no indication in the passage that advertising people believe they are using their talents to improve other people's lives. The last paragraph suggests that advertising people recognize that their skills are harnessed to large impersonal organizations and that the aim of their efforts is to convince consumers to choose one brand over another.

4. The author implies that the twentieth-century belief in the "myth of the frontier" has 
The author mentions in the 4th paragraph that “Ours is also a society that has traditionally valued spontaneity, risk, and adventure; largely for that reason we cherish the myth of the frontier, where those qualities, we believe, once flourished.” The author further explains that in today’s world, most people inhabit an urban or suburban environment that is overly regulated and hemmed in by routine, limiting the scope for real adventure. From this we can infer that the author implies that the twentieth-century belief in the "myth of the frontier" has allowed Americans to continue to value qualities that have largely disappeared from their daily lives.   Therefore, Option E is correct.

(A) made it difficult for Americans to adjust to an urbanized environment,

Option A is incorrect because the passage does not suggest that the belief in the "myth of the frontier" has made it difficult for Americans to adjust to an urbanized environment.

(B) helped Americans to conform to the expectations and demands of a market economy  
Option B is incorrect because the passage does not suggest that the belief in the "myth of the frontier" has helped Americans to conform to the expectations and demands of a market economy.

(C) increased the number of trips planned and taken by Americans

Option C is incorrect because the passage does not suggest that the belief in the "myth of the frontier" has increased the number of trips planned and taken by Americans.

(D) encouraged Americans to resist the depersonalization and regulation of their daily life  
Option D is incorrect because the passage does not suggest that the belief in the "myth of the frontier" has encouraged Americans to resist the depersonalization and regulation of their daily life.

5. The author would most probably agree with which of the following statements about advertising?

(A) Advertising is necessary because it helps to distribute the goods industry products.  
Option A is incorrect because the passage does not make any claims about the necessity of advertising for the distribution of goods.

(B) Advertising has too much power over the economic well-being of the American people.  
Option B is incorrect because the passage does not make any claims about the power of advertising over the economic well-being of the American people.

(C) Advertising is crucial to the psychological well-being of most Americans because it allows them a richly imagined life outside their routines.  
Option C is incorrect because though the author acknowledges that advertising allows people to imagine a life outside of their routines, but it is not presented as a crucial factor in their psychological well-being. The passage does not mention anything about the psychological well-being of Americans being dependent on advertising.

(D) Advertising reveals the conflicts of twentieth-century American society by creating images that are incompatible with the realities of everyday life.  
In the last two paragraphs the author discusses the contradictions between American society's democratic ideology and its economy's dependence on conformity and predictability. Further, the author mentions that the advertising people have aimed to transform a prosaic world of commodities into a magical place of escape, illusion, and fantasy, to express imaginative freedom and creativity in the face of routine. Therefore, the author would most likely agree with option D.

(E) Advertising undermines the basis of American society because it is antidemocratic.  
Option E is incorrect because the passage does not mention anything about advertising being antidemocratic. Rather, it discusses the contradictions between American society's democratic ideology and its economy's dependence on conformity and predictability.

6. The author is primarily interested in 
  (A) criticizing the methods used by American advertising  
Option A is incorrect because the author is primarily interested in analyzing the means and ends of American advertising and the focus of the passage is not on criticizing the methods of American advertising.

(B) analyzing the means and ends of American advertising  
The author discusses the development of advertising and notes the remarkable durability of advertising's shape despite changes in mass media. The author describes how advertising is a "highly organized and professional system of magical inducements and satisfactions" that aims to sell generic products by emphasizing the symbolic attributes of a particular brand. The author is primarily interested in analyzing the means and goals of advertising. The author explains that the people who create ads have always experienced the same conflicts felt by other members of American society. Further, the author mentions that the advertising people have aimed to transform a prosaic world of commodities into a magical place of escape, illusion, and fantasy, to express imaginative freedom and creativity in the face of routine. Therefore, option B is correct.

(C) explaining the connections between the American economy and advertising  
Option C is incorrect because though the passage does touch on the connections between the American economy and advertising, but this is not the primary focus of the passage.

(D) warning readers of the dangers posed by advertising.   
Option D is incorrect because there is no support in the passage to suggest that the author is primarily focused on warning readers of the dangers posed by advertising.

(E) encouraging readers to become more skeptical consumers  
Option E is incorrect because there is no support in the passage to suggest that the author is primarily focused on encouraging readers to become more skeptical consumers.

9. According to the passage, the democratic ideology of the United States is at odds with a competitive market economy because

(A) individual freedom of choice and expression is inconsistent with group conformity and predictability  
The author mentions (3rd paragraph) that people who create ads have always experienced the same conflicts felt by other members of twentieth-century American society. These conflicts stem from a contradiction between our democratic ideology, with its emphasis on individual choice and freedom of expression, and an economy that encourages conformity and predictability among both producers and consumers. Therefore, Option A is correct.

(B) individual freedoms are unimportant in a society where competition for economic gain exists  
Option B is incorrect because the passage does not mention this point. Rather, the passage points out the contradiction between the democratic ideology that emphasizes individual freedom and an economy that promotes conformity and predictability.

(C) the American democratic ideology is concerned with individual welfare, while the competitive market economy is concerned with group behavior  
Option C is incorrect because there is no support in the passage that suggest that the American democratic ideology is concerned only with individual welfare, while the competitive market economy is concerned only with group behavior.

(D) most people believe that economic success is more important than individual freedom  
Option D is incorrect because there is no support in the passage that suggest that most people believe that economic success is more important than individual freedom.

(E) such an economic system fails if people believe in individual freedom of choice  
Option E is incorrect because the passage does not suggest that such an economic system fails if people believe in individual freedom of choice.

pintukr · Answer

1. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following best describes the function of advertising in a competitive market economy?

(A) A competitive economy creates many choices for consumers; thus, a highly organized system that educates consumers about goods is essential.
 system that 'educates' consumers about goods is incorrect interpretation

(B) In a competitive market, the company that sells more earns bigger profits thus advertising the most important element in successful competition.
 can't be duced from the passage that the advertising is the 'most' important element in successful competition

(C) Advertising became a highly competitive business by the late 1920's, and the economy of the United States has encouraged the competition among advertisers.
 No such deduction --- that the economy of the US has encouraged the competition ---can be made

(D) Part of democratic ideology is freedom of choice, and advertising creates real consumer choices in a competitive market economy.
 there is no mention of advertising's role as furthering 'real' consumer choices in a competitive market economy

(E) In a competitive market economy, there are many similar products competing for buyers; advertising maintains the competition by creating apparent differences among products.
  Lines 6 to 8 of paragraph 1 highlighting 'have as its goal the selling of a panoply of goods among which there are most often few salient differences.' clearly allude to this fact...CORRECT answer

2. The author's assertion that advertising works "from the premise of the irrationality of the consumer" (Highlighted) implies which of the following about advertising?

(A) Advertisers assume that consumers cannot understand the differences among products.
 consumers' ability to understand the differences among products not highlighted through these lines 
 
(B) Advertising works by convincing consumers that advertising agency employees feel the same pressures as consumers.
 Out of context prompt

(C) Advertisers assume that consumers can be influenced by fantasy.
  the author conveys in lines 9-12 of paragraph 1 that 'every conceivable visual and rhetorical gimmick to turn the public's attention from the generic product to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand.' -- clearly highlighting the author's assumption that Advertisers assume that consumers can be influenced by fantasy>>CORRECT answer

(D) Advertisers believe that consumers do not what products are on the market.
 No such implication can be inferred

(E) Advertising is based on the-belief that consumers do not want to differentiate among products.
 In fact, opposite to this is true, as the advertising focusses on showcasing 'apparent' differences to consumers

3. According to the passage, which of the following true of the people who work in advertising?

(A) They feel Superior to other consumers.
 'Superior' feeling for the people who work in advertising -- not deliberated upon

(B) They compete more successfully in the American economy than do other consumers.
 No such inference can be drawn

(C) They are caught in the same conflicts as other Americans.
  this is true (as highlighted in pargraph 2 that 'advertising's means and ends remain basically unaltered because those who create ads have always experienced the same conflicts felt by other members of twentieth-century American society'...CORRECT answer

(D) They believe that the differences advertising creates among products are real.
 such a belief may not be true as the focus is on creating 'apparent' differences between goods among which there are most often few salient differences

(E) They believe that they are using their talents to improve other people's lives.
 can't be ascertained using the facts presented in the passage

4. The author implies that the twentieth-century belief in the "myth of the frontier" (Highlighted) has

(A) made it difficult for Americans to adjust to an urbanized environment ,
 Irrelevant, as no such deductions can be drawn

(B) helped Americans to conform to the expectations and demands of a market economy
 'market economy' is not the focus behind highlighting the twentieth-century belief in the "myth of the frontier"

(C) increased the number of trips planned and taken by Americans
 literal deduction ; in fact just an additional piece of information in the passage

(D) encouraged Americans to resist the depersonalization and regulation of their daily Lives
 Irrelevant, as such a conclusion that 'to resist the depersonalization' can't be made

(E) allowed Americans to continue to value qualities that have largely disappeared from their daily lives
  While highlighting in paragraph 4 that 'a society that has traditionally valued spontaneity, risk, and adventure', the author clearly implies that the ads have allowed the Americans to continue to value qualities that have largely disappeared from their daily lives..CORRECT answer

5. The author would most probably agree with which of the following statements about advertising?

(A) Advertising is necessary because it helps to distribute the goods industry products.
 Nowhere in the passage the 'necessity' of the advertising has been highlighted

(B) Advertising has too much power over the economic well-being of the American people.
 power of the advertising over the economic well-being of the people has not been commented upon

(C) Advertising is crucial to the psychological well-being of most Americans because it allows them a richly imagined life outside their routines.
  this is indeed implied as the author's focus while highlighting 'generations of advertising people have aimed to transform a prosaic world of commodities into a magical place of escape, illusion, and fantasy, to express imaginative freedom and creativity in the face of routine'. in paragrapgh 5.. CORRECT answer

(D) Advertising reveals the conflicts of twentieth-century American society by creating images that are incompatible with the realities of everyday life.
 ' incompatibity' with the realities of everyday life -- can't be inferred

(E) Advertising undermines the basis of American society because it is anti-dernocratic.
 Though undemocratic nature for advertising, it can't be inferred that the Advertising undermines the basis of American society..It' sjust that iot is at 'odds' with the American society

6. The author is primarily interested in

(A) criticizing the methods used by American advertising
 the author doesn't intend to criticize the methods; in fact he analyzes these methods

(B) analyzing the means and ends of American advertising
  The author highlights the means and ends of the phenomenon of advertising throughout the passage..CORRECT answe r

(C) explaining the connections between the American economy and advertising
 the author's focus is not on highlighting the connections

(D) warning readers of the dangers posed by advertising
 No intention to describe the dangers posed by advertising

(E) encouraging readers to become more skeptical consumers
 in fact, the author highlights that the advertisers assists meeting the American society's individuals' aspirations

7. According to the passage, it is surprising that the basis of-American advertising has changed so little since the late 1920's because

(A) American society has changed enormously since the 1920's
 no such conclusions can be drawn

(B) the electronic mass media are so much a part of daily experience
 just an additional premise..supporting argument here

(C) the business of advertising is the creation of temporary images
  the author's implication when he highlights that ' all the more remarkable when one considers that advertising's business is evanescent appearances' clearly allude to this fact... CORRECT answer

(D) the American public is much less adventurous than it was in the late 1920's
 Not true, as no such implication intended

(E) advertising developed so rapidly after the emergence of the mass media
 It's also a supporting premise

8. The author's attitude toward the people who work in advertising can be best described as one of

(A) tolerant understanding
  Paragraph 5 highlights the 'positive' role in respect of the people who work in advertising..CORRECT answer

(B) wholehearted admiration
 an extreme option..also, no such admiration can be inferred

(C) scornful superiority
 Out of scope prompt

(D) reluctant criticism
 the author never criticises the people who work in advertising

(E) amused contempt
 the author doesn't express contempt toward the people who work in advertising

9. According to the passage, the democratic ideology of the United States is at odds with a competitive market economy because

(A) individual freedom of choice and expression is inconsistent with group conformity and predictability
  the author highlights in passage 3 that contradiction between our democratic ideology, with its emphasis on individual choice and freedom of expression, and an economy that encourages and indeed depends on conformity and predictability among both producers (employers as well as employees) and consumers.' -- it clearly conveys that individual freedom of choice and expression is inconsistent with group conformity and predictability... CORRECT answer

(B) individual freedoms are unimportant in a society where competition for economic gain exists
 no such inference can be drawn using the facts presnted in paragrapgh 3

(C) the American democratic ideology is concerned with individual welfare, while the competitive market economy is concerned with group behavior
 such focus aspects can't be inferred

(D) most people believe that economic success is more important than individual freedom
 comparative interpretation is not the purpose

(E) such an economic system fails if people believe in individual freedom of choice
 too extreme a prompt..the author never implies that the economic system will fail

IMO, the correct answer sequence will be ECCEDBCAA for Q.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9

Elite097 · Answer

1. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following best describes the function of advertising in a competitive market economy?

(A) A competitive economy creates many choices for consumers; thus, a highly organized system that educates consumers about goods is essential.
We have no clue from the passage that the competitive economy intends to "educate" customers about goods becuase it just talks advertising with an intention of selling

(B) In a competitive market, the company that sells more earns bigger profits thus advertising the most important element in successful competition.
"Most" is too strong to be inferred because passage merely talks about the aspect of advertising and does not mention other aspects of competition to compare it to

(C) Advertising became a highly competitive business by the late 1920's, and the economy of the United States has encouraged the competition among advertisers.
There is no mention in the passage to create competition among advertisers but is just about how advertising came to be and how it has not changed over the years. ALso we only now market was competitive, not advertising

(D) Part of democratic ideology is freedom of choice, and advertising creates real consumer choices in a competitive market economy.
Advertising resulted from a conflict b/w democratic ideology and economy hence we cant say that it definitively creates one of them- consumer choices

(E) In a competitive market economy, there are many similar products competing for buyers; advertising maintains the competition by creating apparent differences among products.
"has continued to have as its goal the selling of a panoply of goods among which there are most often few salient differences" indicates that use of advertising in a competitive economy is to set apart such similar products

Ans E

2. The author's assertion that advertising works "from the premise of the irrationality of the consumer" (Highlighted) implies which of the following about advertising?

(A) Advertisers assume that consumers cannot understand the differences among products.
We cannot infer what consumers think about products.

(B) Advertising works by convincing consumers that advertising agency employees feel the same pressures as consumers.
There is no informtion in the passage about employees

(C) Advertisers assume that consumers can be influenced by fantasy.
"Working from the premise of the irrationality of the consumer, this vast fantasy machine employs every conceivable visual and rhetorical gimmick to turn the public's attention from the generic product to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand" indicates that advertisers assume C since their irrational thought will lead them to choose the product of fantasy

(D) Advertisers believe that consumers do not know what products are on the market.
Irrationality does not indicate anything about consumer's awareness

(E) Advertising is based on the-belief that consumers do not want to differentiate among products.
As per the quoted sentence in C, we can see the irrationality has to do with advertising pushing for fantasy and does not stand in to take advantage of consumers differentiating or not

Ans C

3. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the people who work in advertising?

(A) They feel Superior to other consumers.
We have no comparison for employees in advertising to consumers

(B) They compete more successfully in the American economy than do other consumers.
We have no basis for such a comparison

(C) They are caught in the same conflicts as other Americans.
"those who create ads have always experienced the same conflicts felt by other members of twentieth-century American society" indicates this

(D) They believe that the differences advertising creates among products are real.
These differences can definitely not be real since advertising is based on fantasy

(E) They believe that they are using their talents to improve other people's lives.
They are not improving other people's lives because they are literally advertising the fantasy

Ans C

4. The author implies that the twentieth-century belief in the "myth of the frontier" (Highlighted) has

(A) made it difficult for Americans to adjust to an urbanized environment,
"Room for real adventure is limited, if it exists at all" and "most people inhabit an urban or suburban world that is overly regulated, hemmed in by routine, and presided over by scores of specialists and experts" indicate this

(B) helped Americans to conform to the expectations and demands of a market economy
Myth of frontier was related to traditional beliefs so that would not have helped people get used to market economy

(C) increased the number of trips planned and taken by Americans
The author has used that phrase in the context of advertising not number of trips

(D) encouraged Americans to resist the depersonalization and regulation of their daily Lives
From the passage we have no idea how consumers have reacted to depersonalization and regulation of their daily Lives

(E) allowed Americans to continue to valve qualities that have largely disappeared from their daily lives
We cannot see this anwhere in the passage that the Americans continued to regulate the flow of qualities that disappeared since passage clearly says 'adventure became a commondity' and 'they had little room of adventure'.

Ans A

5. The author would most probably agree with which of the following statements about advertising?

(A) Advertising is necessary because it helps to distribute the goods industry products.
We cannot say for sure whether he thinks advertising is necessary. The passage is more about ow advertising came into being and has maintained its means and ends

(B) Advertising has too much power over the economic well-being of the American people.
We cannot conclude author's opinion on this topic

(C) Advertising is crucial to the psychological well-being of most Americans because it allows them a richly imagined life outside their routines.
" prosaic world of commodities into a magical place of escape, illusion, and fantasy, to express imaginative freedom and creativity in the face of routine" does not indicate psychological well-being just because advertising takes them to a world of fantasy

(D) Advertising reveals the conflicts of twentieth-century American society by creating images that are incompatible with the realities of everyday life.
"advertising's means and ends remain basically unaltered because those who create ads have always experienced the same conflicts felt by other members of twentieth-century American society" indicates this

(E) Advertising undermines the basis of American society because it is antidernocratic.
We cannot conclude from the passage that advertising undermines the basis of American society

Ans D

6. The author is primarily interested in

(A) criticizing the methods used by American advertising
We dont know methods used by advertising except one and also the whole passage is not giving criticism for the same

(B) analyzing the means and ends of American advertising
Yes third para is about means and ends of advertising and first two paras given context for advertising, fourth para talks about society and how contemporary society is different from traditional and its basis for means and ends and last is about how generations have used the same form of advertising

(C) explaining the connections between the American economy and advertising
Connections are not ddiscussed at length. Passage only says advertising was used in competitive economy

(D) warning readers of the dangers posed by advertising
Author is not warning readers anything

(E) encouraging readers to become more skeptical consumers
He is not encouraging consumers to behave in a specific way

Ans B

7. According to the passage, it is surprising that the basis of-American advertising has changed so little since the late 1920's because

(A) American society has changed enormously since the 1920's
We cannot conclude that this is the reason for surprise that advertising chnaged little

(B) the electronic mass media are so much a part of daily experience
"To be sure, some changes have taken place since 1930, most notably the emergence and influence of the electronic media—radio and particularly television" indicates this

(C) the business of advertising is the creation of temporary images
This is not a reason for surprise for a little change in advertising

(D) the American public is much less adventurous than it was in the late 1920's
This is not a reason for surprise for a little change in advertising

(E) advertising developed so rapidly after the emergence of the mass media
This is not a reason for surprise for a little change in advertising

Ans B

8. The author's attitude toward the people who work in advertising can be best described as one of

(A) tolerant understanding
"it is not really surprising that generations of advertising people have aimed to transform a prosaic world of commodities into a magical place of escape, illusion, and fantasy, to express imaginative freedom and creativity in the face of routine" indicates tolerant understanding

(B) wholehearted admiration
He is not admiring them at all

(C) scornful superiority
He is not considering himself superior and nor is he scornful

(D) reluctant criticism
He is not offering criticim in a reluctant way

(E) amused contempt
He is not amused by these people

Ans A

9. According to the passage, the democratic ideology of the United States is at odds with a competitive market economy because

(A) individual freedom of choice and expression is inconsistent with group conformity and predictability
"These conflicts stem from a contradiction between our democratic ideology, with its emphasis on individual choice and freedom of expression, and an economy that encourages and indeed depends on conformity and predictability among both producers (employers as well as employees) and consumers" indicates this

(B) individual freedoms are unimportant in a society where competition for economic gain exists
We cannot conclude about importance

(C) the American democratic ideology is concerned with individual welfare, while the competitive market economy is concerned with group behavior
Not true

(D) most people believe that economic success is more important than individual freedom
We cannot infer this comparison

(E) such an economic system fails if people believe in individual freedom of choice
Cannot be inferred that system will fail

Ans A

Catman · Answer

1. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following best describes the function of advertising in a competitive market economy?

(A) A competitive economy creates many choices for consumers; thus, a highly organized system that educates consumers about goods is essential.  ~ Incorrect, there is no mention that customer will become educated by this.

(B) In a competitive market, the company that sells more earns bigger profits thus advertising the most important element in successful competition.  ~ Incorrect, although this may be true but we cannot infer that only due to adverting companies are earning bigger profits.

(C) Advertising became a highly competitive business by the late 1920's, and the economy of the United States has encouraged the competition among advertisers.  ~ Incorrect, there is no mention that competition has increased by the economy of the United States.

(D) Part of democratic ideology is freedom of choice, and advertising creates real consumer choices in a competitive market economy.  ~ Incorrect, there is conflict between democratic ideology of freedom of choice and an economy that encourages and indeed depends on conformity and predictability.

(E) In a competitive market economy, there are many similar products competing for buyers; advertising maintains the competition by creating apparent differences among products. ~  Correct, refer to the line "that the end of their efforts is to convince millions of consumers that they would be happier even better human beings if they used Brand X instead of Brand Y." So every adverting company helps to create the competition among different brands and this is confirmed by the line "this vast fantasy machine employs every conceivable visual and rhetorical gimmick to turn the public's attention from the generic product to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand."

2. The author's assertion that advertising works "from the premise of the irrationality of the consumer" (Highlighted) implies which of the following about advertising?

(A) Advertisers assume that consumers cannot understand the differences among products.  ~ Correct, if customer are able to understand than they will know that both products are similar in nature and one is just advertised more than the other.
 
(B) Advertising works by convincing consumers that advertising agency employees feel the same pressures as consumers.  ~ Incorrect, the pressure on the advertising agency is not mentioned
 
(C) Advertisers assume that consumers can be influenced by fantasy.  ~Incorrect, although advertisers influence the customer by fantasy it does not show that they are irrational towards the products.

(D) Advertisers believe that consumers do not what products are on the market.  ~ Incorrect, there is no mention that customer are unaware about the products.

(E) Advertising is based on the-belief that consumers do not want to differentiate among products.  ~ Incorrect, customer want to understand but they are not able to because of conceivable visual and rhetorical gimmick presented by Advertisment.

3. According to the passage, which of the following true of the people who work in advertising?

(A) They feel Superior to other consumers.  ~ Incorrect, author mentions that they are immune to others.

(B) They compete more successfully in the American economy than do other consumers.  ~ Incorrect, there is not mention that advertisement will impact the american economy.

(C) They are caught in the same conflicts as other Americans.  ~ Incorrect, author mentions that they are Far from immune to general american conflicts and other contradiction, and just focus on their job.

(D) They believe that the differences advertising creates among products are real.  ~ Incorrect, the impact they create among products is not mentioned only over the people is mentioned. Their role is to convince customer to buy advertised products.
 
(E) They believe that they are using their talents to improve other people's lives.  ~ Correct , refer to the line "that the end of their efforts is to convince millions of consumers that they would be happier even better human beings if they used Brand X instead of Brand Y" They believe that using advertising they are able to provide a magical place of escape, illusion, and fantasy to their consumers.

4. The author implies that the twentieth-century belief in the "myth of the frontier" (Highlighted) has

(A) made it difficult for Americans to adjust to an urbanized environment ,  ~ Incorrect, it is mentioned that "Yet in the United States today, most people inhabit an urban or suburban world that is overly regulated," So Americans did not face any difficulty in adjusting to an urbanized environment

(B) helped Americans to conform to the expectations and demands of a market economy  ~ Incorrect, there is not relation between myth of the frontier and market economy

(C) increased the number of trips planned and taken by Americans  ~ Incorrect, myth of the frontier is mention to highlight about spontaneity, risk, and adventure and not planned trips.

(D) encouraged Americans to resist the depersonalization and regulation of their daily Life  ~ Incorrect, although modern american lives have become regularized and depersonalized, myth of the frontier is used to encourage american to value the qualities of spontaneity, risk, and adventure which have disappeared from their lives. 
 
(E) allowed Americans to continue to valve qualities that have largely disappeared from their daily lives  ~ Correct, myth of the frontier is used to encourage american to value the qualities of spontaneity, risk, and adventure which have disappeared from their lives.

5.  The author would most probably agree with which of the following statements about advertising?

(A) Advertising is necessary because it helps to distribute the goods industry products. ~ Incorrect, as per author advertising just turn public attention from the generic product to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand. No where it is mention that the product is good.

(B) Advertising has too much power over the economic well-being of the American people.  ~ Incorrect, it is not mentioned that how advertising will impact the economic well being of the American people in the passage.

(C) Advertising is crucial to the psychological well-being of most Americans because it allows them a richly imagined life outside their routines.  ~ Incorrect, we cannot infer that imagining a rich life outside the regular routine will help individuals in their psychological well-being. No such effect is mention in the passage.
 
(D) Advertising reveals the conflicts of twentieth-century American society by creating images that are incompatible with the realities of everyday life.  ~ Incorrect, it is mention that they are immune to these and other contradiction . Earlier also before the 20th century advertisement were manufacturing illusions now also they are doing the same in the 20th century.

(E) Advertising undermines the basis of American society because it is antidemocratic.  ~ Correct refer to the line "These conflicts stem from a contradiction between our democratic ideology, with its emphasis on individual choice and freedom of expression, and an economy that encourages and indeed depends on conformity and predictability among both producers (employers as well as employees) and consumers." Author mentions that there is contradiction between Democratic ideology and an economy that encourages and indeed depends on conformity and predictability ( of which advertising is a part of).

6. The author is primarily interested in

(A) criticizing the methods used by American advertising  ~ Incorrect, author does not criticize the methods of American advertising, he objectively analyze that what are the means and end of American advertising

(B) analyzing the means and ends of American advertising  ~ Correct, author analyze the means and ends of American advertising. He tries to highlight why advertising's means and ends remain basically unaltered.

(C) explaining the connections between the American economy and advertising  ~ Incorrect, author does not explain any relation between american economy and the advertising. He simply mentions as long as the competitive markets are there advertising will be there.
 
(D) warning readers of the dangers posed by advertising  ~ Incorrect, although author mentions that advertisement end effort is to convince the consumer to purchase certain products, it no where mention that consumers should be aware about it.

(E) encouraging readers to become more skeptical consumers ~ Incorrect, author does not caution readers that advertisement may influence their choices and they should be aware about it. He just mentions that role of advertisement is to convince them to buy a certain product.

7. According to the passage, it is surprising that the basis of-American advertising has changed so little since the late 1920's because

(A) American society has changed enormously since the 1920's  ~ Incorrect, author mentions that despite some surface changes, advertising remains bottom, what it was fifty or more years ago.

(B) the electronic mass media are so much a part of daily experience  ~ Incorrect, author agrees that the emergence and influence of the electronic media are some changes that have occurred. But despite such surface changes, advertising remains bottom, what it was fifty or more years ago: the business of manufacturing illusions.

(C) the business of advertising is the creation of temporary images  ~ Correct, refer to the line "But despite such surface changes, advertising remains bottom, what it was fifty or more years ago: the business of manufacturing illusions". Author mentions that although 2 surface changes occurs, but advertising is same which is to create manufacture illusion( temporary images) to turn the public's attention.
 
(D) the American public is much less adventurous than it was in the late 1920's  ~ Incorrect, although it is true but it is not the reason because of which there is little change in advertising.

(E) advertising developed so rapidly after the emergence of the mass media  ~ Incorrect, author agrees that the emergence and influence of the electronic media are some changes that have occurred. But despite such surface changes, advertising remains bottom, what it was fifty or more years ago: the business of manufacturing illusions.

8. The author's attitude toward the people who work in advertising can be best described as one of

Author's mentions that "Given the conditions of their work and of ordinary life, it is not really surprising that generations of advertising people have aimed to transform a prosaic world of commodities into a magical place of escape, illusion, and fantasy, to express imaginative freedom and creativity in the face of routine."

(A) tolerant understanding  ~ Correct,as eplained above

(B) wholehearted admiration ~  Incorrect, intially author mentions that

(C) scornful superiority ~  Incorrect, author is not showing contempt towards the people working in advertising 
 
(D) reluctant criticism ~  Incorrect, author does not criticize the people working in ad

(E) amused contempt ~  Author is not showing contempt towards them in the last line he admire their aim

9. According to the passage, the democratic ideology of the United States is at odds with a competitive market economy because

Refer to the line "These conflicts stem from a contradiction between our democratic ideology, with its emphasis on individual choice and freedom of expression, and an economy that encourages and indeed depends on conformity and predictability among both producers (employers as well as employees) and consumers."

(A) individual freedom of choice and expression is inconsistent with group conformity and predictability  ~ Correct, advertising always have a conflict between individual freedom of choice and economically their and their's company success depends on the confirm of their advertised product.

(B) individual freedoms are unimportant in a society where competition for economic gain exists  ~ Incorrect, we cannot infer from the passage that individual freedoms are unimportant,

(C) the American democratic ideology is concerned with individual welfare, while the competitive market economy is concerned with group behavior  ~ Incorrect, the competitive market economy is dependent on group conformity and predictability and not on group behaviour in general.

(D) most people believe that economic success is more important than individual freedom  ~ Incorrect, this is not mentioned in the passage. 
 
(E) such an economic system fails if people believe in individual freedom of choice  ~ Incorrect, this is not mention that the system will fail if people believe in individual freedom of choice.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following best describes the function of advertising in a competitive market economy?

Explanation

The passage describes advertising in the United States and its function in a competitive market economy. According to the passage, advertising's goal is to sell a panoply of goods among which there are most often few salient differences. Advertising employs every conceivable visual and rhetorical gimmick to turn the public's attention from the generic product to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand. Advertising aims to transform a prosaic world of commodities into a magical place of escape, illusion, and fantasy. The passage also describes a contradiction between democratic ideology and an economy that encourages conformity and predictability among both producers and consumers. Given these descriptions, it can be inferred that the function of advertising in a competitive market economy is to maintain the competition by creating apparent differences among similar products, as described in  option (E) .

Option (A)  suggests that a highly organized system that educates consumers about goods is essential in a competitive economy, but this is not explicitly stated in the passage.

Option (B)  suggests that advertising is the most important element in successful competition, which is not necessarily supported by the passage.

Option (C)  describes the competition among advertisers, but it does not directly address the function of advertising in a competitive market economy.

Option (D)  describes how advertising creates real consumer choices in a democratic society, but it does not explicitly describe the function of advertising in a competitive market economy. Therefore,  option (E)  is the best inference from the passage.

Answer: E

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. The author's assertion that advertising works "from the premise of the irrationality of the consumer" (Highlighted) implies which of the following about advertising?

Explanation

The author states that advertising works  "from the premise of the irrationality of the consumer"  and employs  "every conceivable visual and rhetorical gimmick to turn the public's attention from the generic product to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand."  This implies that advertisers assume that consumers can be influenced by fantasy, rather than rational decision-making based on the differences among products  (A) , the pressures felt by advertising agency employees  (B) , a lack of awareness of what products are on the market  (D) , or a lack of desire to differentiate among products  (E) . Therefore,  (C)  is the correct answer.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

3. According to the passage, which of the following true of the people who work in advertising?

Explanation

The passage discusses the history of advertising in the United States and its role in creating illusions and selling products. It also explores the conflicts that advertising people face, which stem from the contradictions between individual choice and conformity in American society.

The passage suggests that people who work in advertising are caught in the same conflicts as other Americans  (option C) . The author notes that advertising people "have recognized that their skills are harnessed to large impersonal organizations" and that their goal is to convince consumers to choose one brand over another. This suggests that they are not necessarily superior to other consumers  (option A)  or competing more successfully in the American economy  (option B) .

The passage also indicates that advertising people understand that the differences among products are often not real but rather created through advertising (contradicting option D). While the passage does describe advertising as a means of creating illusions and fantasies, it does not explicitly state that advertising people believe they are using their talents to improve other people's lives (option E).

Therefore, the correct answer is  (C)  They are caught in the same conflicts as other Americans.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. The author implies that the twentieth-century belief in the "myth of the frontier" (Highlighted) has

Explanation

The correct answer is  (E)  allowed Americans to continue to value qualities that have largely disappeared from their daily lives.

In the fourth paragraph, the author mentions that American society has traditionally valued spontaneity, risk, and adventure, and that the myth of the frontier embodies those values. However, in the present day, most Americans live in urban or suburban environments that are overly regulated and routine, which limits the opportunities for real adventure. The author implies that despite these changes, the belief in the myth of the frontier has allowed Americans to continue to value these qualities, even if they are largely absent from their daily lives.

None of the other answer choices are supported by the passage. Answer  choice (A)  is not mentioned in the passage.

Answer  choice (B)  is contradicted by the passage, which describes a contradiction between democratic ideology and an economy that encourages conformity and predictability.

Answer  choice (C)  is not supported by the passage, which does not provide any data on the number of trips planned and taken by Americans.

Answer  choice (D)  is not supported by the passage, which does not suggest that Americans have resisted depersonalization and regulation.

Answer: E

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. The author would most probably agree with which of the following statements about advertising?

Explanation

The author of the passage describes advertising as a  "highly organized and professional system of magical inducements and satisfactions"  that aims to sell a panoply of goods among which there are most often few salient differences. The author also notes that advertising employs every conceivable visual and rhetorical gimmick to turn the public's attention from the generic product to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand. Additionally, the author notes that advertising remains what it was fifty or more years ago: the business of manufacturing illusions. The author also describes conflicts within American society that are reflected in advertising.

Based on these descriptions, the author would most probably agree with the statement that:

(D)  Advertising reveals the conflicts of twentieth-century American society by creating images that are incompatible with the realities of everyday life.

Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

6. The author is primarily interested in

Explanation

The author of the passage is primarily interested in analyzing the means and ends of American advertising. The passage describes how advertising has developed into a highly organized and professional system of selling goods through the use of visual and rhetorical gimmicks that turn the public's attention from the generic product to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand. The author notes that advertising has remained largely unchanged since the emergence of mass media, despite some surface changes. The author suggests that advertising remains unchanged because it reflects the conflicts felt by members of American society, particularly the contradiction between democratic ideology and an economy that encourages conformity and predictability among both producers and consumers. The author also notes that advertising is an attempt to transform a prosaic world of commodities into a magical place of escape, illusion, and fantasy, expressing imaginative freedom and creativity in the face of routine. Therefore, the correct answer is  (B)  analyzing the means and ends of American advertising.

Answer: B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

7. According to the passage, it is surprising that the basis of-American advertising has changed so little since the late 1920's because

Explanation

The passage suggests that while some surface changes have occurred in advertising since the 1930s, the fundamental nature of the business has remained the same. The author notes that advertising is "the business of manufacturing illusions" and that it employs every conceivable visual and rhetorical gimmick to turn the public's attention from the generic product to the symbolic attributes of a particular brand. Advertising, according to the passage, aims to transform a prosaic world of commodities into a magical place of escape, illusion, and fantasy, to express imaginative freedom and creativity in the face of routine. Given this description, it is not surprising that the basis of American advertising has changed so little since the late 1920s because it is the creation of temporary images rather than enduring products or services.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

8. The author's attitude toward the people who work in advertising can be best described as one of

Explanation

The author's attitude toward the people who work in advertising can be inferred from the passage by examining the language and tone used throughout the text.

The author describes the advertising industry as a  "highly organized and professional system of magical inducements and satisfactions"  that manufactures illusions, which suggests that the author is critical of the industry's role in creating a consumer culture. However, the author also acknowledges that advertising professionals are not immune to the contradictions and conflicts of modern American society. The author recognizes that these professionals are working within a system that values conformity and predictability, while at the same time cherishing the myth of adventure and spontaneity.

This nuanced view of the advertising industry suggests that the author is not entirely critical of the people who work in the industry, but rather understands the challenges they face in reconciling their work with broader societal values. Therefore,  (A)  tolerant understanding is the correct answer.

The remaining answer options are all incorrect because they do not accurately reflect the author's attitude toward the people who work in advertising.

(B)  wholehearted admiration,  (C)  scornful superiority, and  (E)  amused contempt all imply a more extreme or one-sided perspective, which is not supported by the passage.  (D)  reluctant criticism comes closer to the mark, but still implies a more negative attitude than the author seems to have.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

9. According to the passage, the democratic ideology of the United States is at odds with a competitive market economy because

Explanation

The passage explains that the American democratic ideology values individual choice and freedom of expression. However, a competitive market economy encourages and depends on conformity and predictability among both producers and consumers. The conflict between these two ideals is the source of the contradiction discussed in the passage. The passage states, "These conflicts stem from a contradiction between our democratic ideology, with its emphasis on individual choice and freedom of expression, and an economy that encourages and indeed depends on conformity and predictability among both producers (employers as well as employees) and consumers."

The other answer choices are incorrect because they do not accurately reflect the main idea of the passage.

Choice (B)  suggests that individual freedoms are unimportant in a society where competition for economic gain exists, but the passage does not make this claim.

Choice (C)  is incorrect because the competitive market economy is not concerned with group behavior but rather with individual decisions that are influenced by advertising.

Choice (D)  is incorrect because the passage does not state that most people believe that economic success is more important than individual freedom.

Choice (E)  is incorrect because the passage does not suggest that the economic system fails if people believe in individual freedom of choice.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hello Everyone!

Hope you escaped fine from this quiz and the ten most driest days (I think) of your GMAT journey.

OAs to this passage has been revealed, OE is posted. Competition mode is off. sivakumarm786 did a job and tried their best to maximize the chances. Here is the result for this one.

sivakumarm786 = 82
Elite097 = 71
pintukr = 67
Catman = 62
samagra21 = 40

All of you are requested to go back on each passage you have attempted and posted explanations of, please delete your incorrect responses and format the rest. This is VERY necessary. If you do not do that It will keep inconveniences for the newbies. And I know I will be cleaning all the mess otherwise

nikitathegreat · Answer

2. The author's assertion that advertising works "from the premise of the irrationality of the consumer" (Highlighted) implies which of the following about advertising?

(A) Advertisers assume that consumers cannot understand the differences among products.
(B) Advertising works by convincing consumers that advertising agency employees feel the same pressures as consumers.
(C) Advertisers assume that consumers can be influenced by fantasy.
(D) Advertisers believe that consumers do not what products are on the market.
(E) Advertising is based on the-belief that consumers do not want to differentiate among products.

GMATNinja ,  karishma  - Can you please explain why option choice A is wrong?

nikitathegreat · Answer

3. According to the passage, which of the following true of the people who work in advertising?

(A) They feel Superior to other consumers.
(B) They compete more successfully in the American economy than do other consumers.
(C) They are caught in the same conflicts as other Americans >> Wasn't this statement generic? The below lines tells us about 20th C Amercian society and not Americans in general

To some degree, advertising's means and ends remain basically unaltered because those who create ads have always experienced the same conflicts felt by other members of twentieth-century American society.

(D) They believe that the differences advertising creates among products are real.
(E) They believe that they are using their talents to improve other people's lives.

"Far from immune to these and other contradiction advertising people have recognized that their skills arc harnessed to large impersonal organizations and that the end of their efforts is to convince millions of consumers that they would be happier even better human beings if they used Brand X instead of Brand Y." - Doesn't these lines show that they believe they are using talents to improve other people's lives by convincing millions of consumers that they will be happier if they use brand X than brand Y?

Q4 - D and E option choice - I am confused between the two. 
 GMATNinja   karishma  - Please help

nikitathegreat · Answer

Q6 - What do we mean by analysing the means and ends of advertising? - Can you help me explain the primary purpose of the paragraph?

GMATNinja ,  karishma

VerbalBot · Answer

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By the late 1920's advertising in the United States had acquired the

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