Historians have only recently begun to note the increase in demand for

Question

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Passage # 146, Date: 12-Jun-2020
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Historians have only recently begun to note the increase in demand for luxury goods and services that took place in eighteenth-century England. McKendrick Line has explored the Wedgwood firm's remarkable success in marketing luxury pottery; Plumb has written about the proliferation of provincial theaters, musical festivals, and children's toys and books. While the fact of this consumer revolution is hardly in doubt, three key questions remain: Who were the consumers? What were their motives? And what were the effects of the new demand for luxuries?

An answer to the first of these has been difficult to obtain. Although it has been possible to infer from the goods and services actually produced what manufacturers and servicing trades thought their customers wanted, only a study of relevant personal  documents  written by actual consumers will provide a precise picture of who wanted what. We still need to know how large this consumer market was and how far down the social scale the consumer demand for luxury goods penetrated. With regard to this last question, we might note in passing that Thompson, while rightly restoring laboring people to the stage of eighteenth-century English history, has probably exaggerated the opposition of these people to the inroads of capitalist consumerism in general; for example, laboring people in eighteenth-century England readily shifted from home-brewed beer to standardized beer produced by huge, heavily capitalized urban breweries.

To answer the question of why consumers became so eager to buy, some historians have pointed to the ability of manufacturers to advertise in a relatively uncensored press. This, however, hardly seems a sufficient answer. McKendrick favors a Veblen model of conspicuous consumption stimulated by competition for status. The "middling sort" bought goods and services because they wanted to follow fashions set by the rich. Again, we may wonder whether this explanation is sufficient. Do not people enjoy buying things as a form of self-gratification? If so, consumerism could be seen as a product of the rise of new concepts of individualism and materialism, but not necessarily of the frenzy for conspicuous competition.

Finally, what were the consequences of this consumer demand for luxuries? McKendrick claims that it goes a long way toward explaining the coming of the Industrial Revolution. But does it? What, for example, does the production of high-quality pottery and toys have to do with the development of iron manufacture or textile mills? It is perfectly possible to have the psychology and reality of a consumer society without a heavy industrial sector.

That future exploration of these key questions is undoubtedly necessary should not, however, diminish the force of the conclusion of recent studies: the insatiable demand in eighteenth-century England for frivolous as well as useful goods and services foreshadows our own world.   1 
 1. In the first paragraph, the author mentions McKendrick and Plumb most probably in order to

(A) contrast their views on the subject of luxury consumerism in eighteenth-century England 
(B) indicate the inadequacy of historiographical approaches to eighteenth-century English history 
(C) give examples of historians who have helped to establish the fact of growing consumerism in eighteenth-century England 
(D) support the contention that key questions about eighteenth-century consumerism remain to be answered 
(E) compare one historian's interest in luxury goods such as pottery to another historian's interest in luxury services such as musical festivals

2 
 2. Which of the following items, if preserved from eighteenth-century England, would provide an example of the kind of  documents  mentioned?

(A) A written agreement between a supplier of raw materials and a supplier of luxury goods
(B) A diary that mentions luxury goods and services purchased by its author
(C) A theater ticket stamped with the date and name of a particular play
(D) A payroll record from a company that produced luxury goods such as pottery
(E) A newspaper advertisement describing luxury goods and services available at a seaside resort

3 
 3. According to the passage, Thompson attributes to laboring people in eighteenth-century England which of the following attitudes toward capitalist consumerism?

(A) Enthusiasm 
(B) Curiosity 
(C) Ambivalence 
(D) Stubbornness 
(E) Hostility

4 
 4. In the third paragraph, the author is primarily concerned with

(A) contrasting two theses and offering a compromise 
(B) questioning two explanations and proposing a possible alternative to them 
(C) paraphrasing the work of two historians and questioning their assumptions 
(D) examining two theories and endorsing one over the other 
(E) raising several questions but implying that they cannot be answered.

5 
 5. According to the passage, a Veblen model of conspicuous consumption has been used to

(A) investigate the extent of the demand for luxury goods among social classes in eighteenth-century England 
(B) classify the kinds of lUXUry goods desired by eighteenth-century consumers 
(C) explain the motivation of eighteenth-century consumers to buy luxury goods 
(D) establish the extent to which the tastes of rich consumers were shaped by the middle classes in eighteenth-century England 
(E) compare luxury consumerism in eighteenth-century England with such consumerism in the twentieth century

6 
 6. According to the passage, eighteenth-century England and the contemporary world of the passage's readers are

(A) dissimilar in the extent to which luxury consumerism could be said to be widespread among the social classes 
(B) dissimilar in their definitions of luxury goods and services 
(C) dissimilar in the extent to which lUXUry goods could be said to be a stimulant of industrial development 
(D) similar in their strong demand for a variety of goods and services 
(E) similar in the extent to which a middle class could be identified as imitating the habits of a wealthier class

7 
 7. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would most probably agree with which of the following statements about the relationship between the Industrial Revolution and the demand for lUXUry goods and services in eighteenth-century England?

(A) The growing demand for luxury goods and services was a major factor in the cQrning of the Industrial Revolution. 
(B) The Industrial Revolution exploited the already existing demand for luxury goods and services. 
(C) Although the demand for lUXUry goods may have helped bring about the Industrial Revolution, the demand for luxury services did not. 
(D) There is no reason to believe that the Industrial Revolution was directly driven by a growing demand for luxury goods and services. 
(E) The increasing demand for luxury goods and services was a cultural phenomenon that has been conclusively demonstrated to have been separate from the coming of the Industrial
Revolution.

Iceman2020 · Accepted Answer

Mind map:

Para1: Histo's recent observation --> ML & Plumb given as two examples of researchers --> 3Qs are presented
Para2: 1st and 3rd question answered
Para3: Answers why consumers became so eager to buy --> Challenges ML's hypothesis
Para4: Discusses consequences of this consumer demand for luxuries --> states the relation b/w industrial revo and demand
Para5: Future research must not contradict the existing one, as it forms the basis for current world spending trends

1. In the first paragraph, the author mentions McKendrick and Plumb most probably in order to

(A) contrast their views on the subject of luxury consumerism in eighteenth-century England There is not contradiction, just two separate views
(B) indicate the inadequacy of historiographical approaches to eighteenth-century English history inadequacy is not discussed
(C) give examples of historians who have helped to establish the fact of growing consumerism in eighteenth-century England Spot on. As discussed in the mind map
(D) support the contention that key questions about eighteenth-century consumerism remain to be answered Incorrect
(E) compare one historian's interest in luxury goods such as pottery to another historian's interest in luxury services such as musical festivals OOS

2. Which of the following items, if preserved from eighteenth-century England, would provide an example of the kind of documents mentioned?

The "document" is presented in the argument as something written by the consumer. Of all the option presented below "the diary" is the only thing written by the consumer

(A) A written agreement between a supplier of raw materials and a supplier of luxury goods
(B) A diary that mentions luxury goods and services purchased by its author
(C) A theater ticket stamped with the date and name of a particular play
(D) A payroll record from a company that produced luxury goods such as pottery
(E) A newspaper advertisement describing luxury goods and services available at a seaside resort

3. According to the passage, Thompson attributes to laboring people in eighteenth-century England which of the following attitudes toward capitalist consumerism?

Thompson has probably exaggerated the "opposition" of these people

(A) Enthusiasm
(B) Curiosity
(C) Ambivalence
(D) Stubbornness
(E) Hostility Only word that matches the tone of the quoted text

4. In the third paragraph, the author is primarily concerned with

The opening line of the para says " To answer the question of why consumers became so eager to buy" and then presents what "some historians"
and "McKendrick" say. But later presents a new view which seems to be the dominating one

(A) contrasting two theses and offering a compromise Compromise is not offered
(B) questioning two explanations and proposing a possible alternative to them Correct as discussed above
(C) paraphrasing the work of two historians and questioning their assumptions There's more to it by presenting the third view
(D) examining two theories and endorsing one over the other Incorrect.
(E) raising several questions but implying that they cannot be answered. OOS

5. According to the passage, a Veblen model of conspicuous consumption has been used to

The para opens by: "To answer the question of why consumers became so eager to buy" and everything written after that is basically explaining this

(A) investigate the extent of the demand for luxury goods among social classes in eighteenth-century England
(B) classify the kinds of lUXUry goods desired by eighteenth-century consumers
(C) explain the motivation of eighteenth-century consumers to buy luxury goods Correct
(D) establish the extent to which the tastes of rich consumers were shaped by the middle classes in eighteenth-century England
(E) compare luxury consumerism in eighteenth-century England with such consumerism in the twentieth century

6. According to the passage, eighteenth-century England and the contemporary world of the passage's readers are

"foreshadows our own world" means that there are some similarities in the spending patters and reasons. With that in mind eliminate A, B, and C

(A) dissimilar in the extent to which luxury consumerism could be said to be widespread among the social classes
(B) dissimilar in their definitions of luxury goods and services
(C) dissimilar in the extent to which lUXUry goods could be said to be a stimulant of industrial development
(D) similar in their strong demand for a variety of goods and services Spot on
(E) similar in the extent to which a middle class could be identified as imitating the habits of a wealthier class OOS

7. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would most probably agree with which of the following statements about the relationship between the Industrial Revolution and the demand for lUXUry goods and services in eighteenth-century England?

Author concludes: "It is perfectly possible to have the psychology and reality of a consumer society without a heavy industrial sector"

(A) The growing demand for luxury goods and services was a major factor in the cQrning of the Industrial Revolution. 180 degrees answer
(B) The Industrial Revolution exploited the already existing demand for luxury goods and services. OOS
(C) Although the demand for lUXUry goods may have helped bring about the Industrial Revolution, the demand for luxury services did not. Incorrect no distinction b/w good and service is drawn
(D) There is no reason to believe that the Industrial Revolution was directly driven by a growing demand for luxury goods and services. Spot on
(E) The increasing demand for luxury goods and services was a cultural phenomenon that has been conclusively demonstrated to have been separate from the coming of the Industrial Revolution. Seems partially correct, but no where in the passage is it mentioned that it was a "cultural phenomenon"

It took me ~20 mins to type this. Please hit the Kudos button if you liked the explanations!

Naman_Agrawal · Answer

Can someone please explain Q3 further ?

Fdambro294 · Answer

Spiddy I’ll try my best

The question is asking us to evaluate THOMPSON’s view about the laboring class’ feelings towards the growing consumerism in the 18th century. Does Thompson think the laboring class was against or for this growing consumerism?? Middle of the 1st paragraph is where you want to start reading: The author does admit that Thompson is right for putting the laboring class back in the context of English history. However, the author has this to say about Thompson’s view: “....Thompson, while.......(doing 1 thing author agrees with)......., probably has EXAGGERATED the opposition of THESE PEOPLE (referring to the laboring class) to the inroads of capitalist consumerism in general.” The paragraph is concerned with trying to answering the question of “WHO” were the people that bought so many luxury goods and services. Was it the rich people (Gentry class)? Was it the poor people? Was it the laboring class? The author thinks that Thompson went too far in saying that the laboring class was OPPOSED to this growing “capitalist consumerism”. We can infer from this that Thompson must have thought that the laboring people really didn’t like this movement. Otherwise, the author would not have written that Thompson went too far (“exaggerated”). Thus, out of the options available, what would Thompson say about the laboring class’ feelings towards this growing consumerism??? “Enthusiasm?” Thompson didn’t say that that the laboring class was “enthusiastic” about this new movement. Otherwise, the author wouldn’t have felt that Thompson went too far in belief that the labor class “opposed”. “Curiosity”? “Ambivalence”? Definitely not either. Thompson has a specific view about How the laboring class felt about this consumerist movement. And he thinks he laboring class was definitely “opposed”. “Stubbornness?” Nowhere is it mentions that the laboring class has a feeling of “stubbornness” towards the consumerism. “Hostility” is the only answer that conveys the “opposition” that Thompson believed the laboring class felt. (And since the author thinks he “exaggerated” this view, or went too far, it can be inferred that Thompson believed the laboring class’ views went past simple opposition....probably into the territory of hostility) Hope something I wrote helped. Long passage.... Posted from my mobile device

VerbalBot · Answer

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