Research concerning happiness and wealth reveals a paradox at any one

Question

Passage A

Research concerning happiness and wealth reveals
a paradox at any one time richer people report higher
levels of happiness than poorer people in the same
society report, and yet over time advanced societies
  (5)   have not grown happier as they have grown richer.
Apparently, people are comparing their income with
some norm, and that norm must be rising along with
actual income. Two phenomena—habituation and
rivalry—push up the norm.

(10)   When our living standards increase, we love it
initially but then we adjust and it makes little difference.
For example, if we ask people with different incomes
what income they consider sufficient, the “required
income” correlates strongly with their actual income
  (15)   a rise in actual income causes a roughly equivalent
rise in required income. We can also look at reported
happiness over time. Job satisfaction depends little
on the absolute level of wages but rises if wages
rapidly increase.

(20)   We do not have the same experience with other
aspects of our lives. We do not foresee how we adjust
to material possessions, so we overinvest in acquiring
them, at the expense of leisure.

Now consider the phenomenon of rivalry. In a
  (25)   study conducted by Solnick and Hemenway, people
were asked to choose between two options, with all
prices held constant
A. You earn $50,000 a year while everyone else
earns $25,000;
  (30)   B. You earn $100,000 a year while others
make $200,000.

The majority chose the first. They were happy to
be poorer, provided their relative position improved.

And indeed, how people compare to their “reference
  (35)   group”—those most like them—is crucial for happiness.
In East Germany, for example, living standards have
soared since 1990, but the level of happiness has
plummeted because people now compare themselves
with West Germans, rather than with people in other
  (40)   Soviet bloc countries.

Passage B

Does the Solnick and Hemenway study mean that
we care most about one-upmanship? Perhaps out of
our primeval past comes the urge to demonstrate our
superiority in order to help ensure mating prospects,
  (45)   keeping our genetic lines going. Still programmed like
this, we get unexplainable pleasure from having a
bigger house than our neighbors.

This theory may sound good and is commonly
heard, but it is not the explanation best supported by
  (50)   the evidence. Rather, the data show that earning more
makes people happier because relative prosperity
makes them feel that they are successful, that they
have created value.

If two people feel equally successful, they will be
  (55)   equally happy even if their incomes differ greatly.
Of course, people who earn more generally view
themselves as successful. But it is the success—not the
money per se—that provides the happiness. We use
material wealth to show not just that we are
  (60)   prosperous, but that we are prosperous because
we create value.

What scholars often portray as an ignoble
tendency—wanting to have more than others—
is really evidence of a desire to create value. Wanting
  (65)   to create value benefits society. It is a bonus that it
also brings happiness.   1 
 1. Both passages are primarily concerned with explaining which one of the following?

(A) the human desire to create value
(B) the relationship between income and happiness
(C) the biological basis of people’s attitudes toward wealth
(D) the human propensity to become habituated to wealth
(E) the concept of “required income”

2 
 2. The author of passage B would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) The desire to demonstrate that one is wealthier than others is a remnant of human beings’ primeval past.
(B) Very few people would be willing to accept a lower standard of living in return for greater relative wealth.
(C) Being wealthier than other people would not make one happier if one believed that one’s wealth was due merely to luck.
(D) Gradual increases in employees’ wages do not increase their job satisfaction.
(E) The overall level of happiness in a society usually increases as the society becomes wealthier.

3 
 3. The author of passage B would be most likely to regard the conclusion that the Solnick and Hemenway study points to the existence of a “phenomenon of rivalry” (line 24) as

(A) ungenerous in its view of human nature and mistaken in its interpretation of the evidence
(B) flattering in its implications about human nature but only weakly supported by the available evidence
(C) plausible in its account of human nature but based largely upon ambiguous evidence
(D) unflattering in its implications about human nature but more or less valid in the conclusions drawn from the evidence
(E) accurate concerning human nature and strongly supported by the evidence

4 
 4. Which one of the following pairs most accurately describes why the authors of passage A and passage B, respectively, mention the study by Solnick and Hemenway?

(A) to present a view that will be argued against to present a view for which additional evidence will be provided
(B) to present a view that will be argued against to provide evidence for one explanation of a phenomenon
(C) to provide evidence for one explanation of a phenomenon to present a view for which additional evidence will be provided
(D) to provide evidence for one explanation of a phenomenon to introduce the main topic to be discussed
(E) to introduce the main topic to be discussed to present a view that will be argued against

5 
 5. Which one of the following pairs of terms would most likely be used by the authors of passage A and passage B, respectively, to describe a person who wants to make more money than his or her neighbors?

(A) insular, cosmopolitan
(B) altruistic, egocentric
(C) happy, miserable
(D) misguided, admirable
(E) lucky, primitive

6 
 6. In arguing for their respective positions, the author of passage A and the author of passage B both do which one of the following?

(A) explain a phenomenon by pointing to its biological origins
(B) endorse a claim simply because it is widely believed
(C) accept a claim for the sake of argument
(D) attempt to resolve an apparent paradox
(E) assert that their positions are supported by data

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

3. The author of passage B would be most likely to regard the conclusion that the Solnick and Hemenway study points to the existence of a “phenomenon of rivalry” (line 24) as

Explanation

The question asks about passage B’s point of view about Solnick and Hemenway’s conclusion that people’s happiness depends on their relative position and not necessarily on their income. Passage B explicitly states that the idea that we care most about oneupmanship is not supported by the evidence, so the credited response will state that passage B disagrees with Solnick and Hemenway’s conclusion.

A.  Yes.   This accurately paraphrases passage B’s discussion in the second and third paragraphs.

B. No.  While the author of passage B might agree with the second half of the answer choice, the first half is not supported.

C. No.  The author of passage B claims that the conclusion is not supported by the evidence and not that the evidence is ambiguous.

D. No.  In the second paragraph, the author of passage B claims that the conclusion is not supported by the evidence.

E. No.  In the second paragraph, the author of passage B claims that the conclusion is not supported by the evidence.

Answer: A

rd1009 · Answer

Question 6  
 6. In arguing for their respective positions, the author of passage A and the author of passage B both do which one of the following?

(A) explain a phenomenon by pointing to its biological origins
 relates only to passage B (lines 42-45)

(B) endorse a claim simply because it is widely believed
 relates only to passage A (lines 11-15)
 
(C) accept a claim for the sake of argument
 not true for both passages

(D) attempt to resolve an apparent paradox
 right in the beginning of passage A; relates only to passage A (lines 5-9)

(E) assert that their positions are supported by data
  relates to passage A (lines 25-31)
relates to passage B (lines 50-55)

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. The author of passage B would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

Explanation

The credited response will be the statement that is best supported by evidence within the passage texts.

A. No.  Passage B states that this theory is not best supported by the evidence.

B. No.  This is not discussed in passage B and is, in fact, the opposite of what is supported by passage A.

C.  Yes.   Passage B attributes happiness to a desire to feel like one has created value with wealth as an indicator of that value, so wealth due to luck would not create value-inspired happiness.

D. No.  This is not discussed in passage B.

E. No.  Passage B attributes happiness to feelings of success from creating value, which would not necessarily increase as society becomes wealthier.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. Which one of the following pairs most accurately describes why the authors of passage A and passage B, respectively, mention the study by Solnick and Hemenway?

Explanation

The question asks about each passage’s purpose in mentioning the study by Solnick and Hemenway. Passage A mentions the study to support its claim about relative comparison. Passage B brings up the study in order to refute its conclusion.

A. No.  Passage A agrees with the conclusion of the study and passage B disagrees.

B. No.  Passage A agrees with the conclusion of the study and passage B disagrees.

C. No.  While this is an accurate description of what passage A does, passage B disagrees with the conclusion of the study.

D.  Yes.   This accurately describes how each passage uses the study.

E. No.  While this is an accurate description of passage B, the study is not the main topic of passage A, but rather it is used to support a larger point.

Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. Which one of the following pairs of terms would most likely be used by the authors of passage A and passage B, respectively, to describe a person who wants to make more money than his or her neighbors?

(A) insular, cosmopolitan
(B) altruistic, egocentric
(C) happy, miserable
(D) misguided, admirable
(E) lucky, primitive

Explanation

This question is asking how each author feels about the desire to have greater relative wealth. Passage A says that we overinvest in acquiring material things, so would view this negatively, while passage B says that material wealth is an indicator of value creation, so would view this positively.

A. No.  Passage A does not claim that a desire for greater wealth isolates people, and passage B does not claim that the desire makes people more worldly.

B. No.  Passage A would feel negatively, and passage B would feel positively.

C. No.  Passage A would feel negatively, and passage B would feel positively.

D.  Yes.   Passage A says that we overinvest in acquiring material things, so would view this negatively, while passage B says that material wealth is an indicator of value creation, so would view this positively.

E. No.  Passage A would feel negatively, and passage B would feel positively.

Answer: D

dibz101 · Answer

Wouldn't the answer to 6 be D?

Reasons:

1. (E) assert that their positions are supported by data, seems too strong for the passage. None of the authors "assert" that they are correct on the basis of data. Although, the tone of the passage is analytical there's less emphasis on data, more on the intuitive insights the authors are trying to convey.

2. Passage 1 author speaks about the paradox of being happier even if someone is earning less if that individual knows they've earned more than other people around them. Passage 2 builds on this paradox and addresses how there can be an alternative explanation for the paradox.
 Sajjad1994

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

6. In arguing for their respective positions, the author of passage A and the author of passage B both do which one of the following?

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

The credited response will be supported by the text of both passages.

A. No.  Passage A does not discuss biological origins.

B. No.  The authors of both passages claim to be supported by data.

C. No.  Passage A does not do this.

D. No.  Passage B does not do this.

E.  Yes.   Passage A mentions data in the second, fourth, and fifth paragraphs, and passage B mentions data in the second paragraph.

Answer: E

Sajjad1994 · Answer

I know  (D)  is very tempting. The first lines show that the author of passage A believes that the data represents a paradox. However, the author of passage B never mentions a paradox. They seem to think that the situation is perfectly clear: we’re motivated by success and value, end of story. This answer is tricky because the early mention of ‘paradox’ sets the tone for both passages. Remember not to carry ideas from passage A into passage B.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Research concerning happiness and wealth reveals a paradox at any one

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Research concerning happiness and wealth reveals a paradox at any one

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