Haffun wrote:
Marty Murray Please help us understand why option E can be eliminated. E seems to be a trap but not sure why.
Economist: Some critics of the media have contended that negative news reports on the state of the economy can actually harm the economy because such reports damage people’s confidence in it, and this lack of confidence in turn adversely affects people’s willingness to spend money. But studies show that spending trends correlate very closely with people’s confidence in their own immediate economic situations. Thus these media critics are mistaken.The economist's conclusion is the following:
these media critics are mistaken (in contending that "negative news reports on the state of the economy can actually harm the economy because such reports damage people’s confidence in it, and this lack of confidence in turn adversely affects people’s willingness to spend money."The support for the conclusion is the following:
studies show that spending trends correlate very closely with people’s confidence in their own immediate economic situationsWe see that the economist has reasoned basically that, since people's spending is closely tied to their confidence in their own economic situations, their willingness to spend money won't be affected by negative news reports on the state of the economy and, thus, that the media's negative news reports don't actually harm the economy.
Now, let's consider (E).
(E) an economic slowdown usually has a greater impact on the economic situations of individuals if it takes people by surprise than if people are forewarnedNotice that, in saying "these media critics are mistaken," the economist is saying that negative news reports do NOT harm the economy.
Now, what does choice (E) indicate?
(E) indicates that, "if people are forewarned," an economic slowdown will have a smaller impact on individuals than it will if they are surprised.
So, how would they be forewarned? They would be forewarned by the media's negative news reports on the state of the economy.
We see that choice (E) indicates that the media's negative new reports may be helpful in that they may help to reduce the impacts of an economic slowdown by forewarning people.
Of course, the idea that the reports may be helpful is in line with the economist's conclusion that critics of the media are mistaken in thinking the media's news reports harm the economy.
So, the economist's argument doesn't need to consider the possibilty presented by (E) because that possibility is in line with the argument.