Quote:
United States advertising agencies are increasingly using interviews at shopping malls, called "mall intercepts," to test for advertising effectiveness, product concept viability, and consumer buying habits. Critics of mall intercepts maintain that the shopping habits of mall shoppers are not representative of those of the larger population.
Which of the following, if true, would provide evidence that most supports the critics' claim about mall intercepts?
(A) Some mall shoppers patronize more than one store in any given shopping trip.
(B) Mall shoppers, on average, spend 50 percent more time shopping than shoppers at other locations do.
(C) In the course of any year, 95 percent of all households in the United States have at least one member who does some shopping at a mall.
(D) Mall shoppers who use public transportation to reach the mall tend to have lower incomes than mall shoppers who drive to the mall.
(E) Indoor malls often attract the customary numbers of shoppers even during inclement weather when outdoor malls are likely to lose business.
For logical reasoning style reading comprehension questions, first identify the question task, which in this case is to support the critics' claim.
Then, identify the conclusion of the argument, in this case that the shopping habits of "mall shoppers are not representative of the larger population".
Next, work through the choices looking for reasons to eliminate while considering the impact of the new information on the conclusion.
(A) The information that some mall shoppers patronize more than one store is too vague to have a definitive impact on the conclusion, so eliminate Choice A for having a vague impact.
(B) That mall shoppers spend 50 percent more time shopping than other shoppers strengthens the argument by further illustrating that the shoppers involved in mall intercepts are not representative of the broader population, so keep Choice B for supporting the argument.
(C) The information regarding at least one member of the family doing some mall shopping is too vague to have a definitive impact on the conclusion, so eliminate Choice C for having a vague impact.
(D) It is unknown whether the mall intercept participants do or do not use public transportation, so eliminate Choice D for requiring additional information to determine the impact on the conclusion.
(E) It is unknown whether the mall intercepts are being conducted at indoor or outdoor malls, so eliminate Choice D for requiring additional information to determine the impact on the conclusion.
Select Choice B for providing information that supports the conclusion that the shopping habits of "mall shoppers are not representative of the larger population".
Updated on: 25 Jan 2021, 09:15
56% (01:58) correct
