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Reports that a popular brand of athletic shoe had been manufactured by

Sajjad1994

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Question 1

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Reports that a popular brand of athletic shoe had been manufactured by workers deprived of basic labor rights seemed to have a negligible effect on consumers. When surveyed, few consumers said that they planned to change their brand preferences in spite of the damning reports. However, a month after the reports had been broadcast, retail sales of the brand of athletic shoe had dropped sharply.

Which of the following, if true, best explains the apparent contradiction described in the passage?

A. Consumer advocates did not believe that the majority of the company’s workers were deprived of their rights.

B. The reports did not mention any other footwear manufacturers, many of which have been accused of exploiting workers.

C. The report aired on both television and public radio.

D. So many reports about worker exploitation had been recently aired that consumers had become desensitized to such reports.

E. Many retailers removed the brand from their shelves in response to the report.

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Sajjad1994

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Explanation

The apparent contradiction:

-Few consumers said they would change their brand preferences.
-Yet a month later, sales dropped sharply.
-We need something that explains why sales dropped even though consumers claimed they wouldn’t change their buying habits.

A. Consumer advocates’ beliefs don’t explain the drop in sales, especially since the consumers surveyed were not acting on those beliefs. Irrelevant.

B. The fact that reports didn’t mention other brands doesn’t explain why sales dropped despite consumers saying they wouldn’t change preferences.

C. Where the report aired doesn’t resolve the contradiction between stated intent and actual sales.

D. This would make consumers less likely to change behavior, so it doesn’t explain the drop in sales; it makes the contradiction worse.

E. If retailers removed the brand from shelves, then sales could drop even if consumers still wanted to buy the shoes. This explains why consumers’ stated intentions (no change in preference) could coexist with a sharp sales drop (lack of availability).

Answer: E