Advertising Criticisms

Answer choices

1. A

   Out of Scope2% picked this

   Advertising has greater social value than Marcusians have supposed, because it is both an effective means of informing consumers and often an

   Out of Scope: effective means of informing This has the wrong emphasis. The author is saying, "Marcusians, advertising is not as pernicious a force as you suppose", not, "Marcusians, advertising has more social value than you suppose". There is an offhand remark about the intrinsic entertainment value of commercials to some consumers, but it's not a main reason for the author's critique. And then most importantly, the author never defends advertising on the grounds that it is an "effective means of informing consumers".

   2%
2. B

   Out of Scope: profit-motivated societies7% picked this

   Even if, as Marcusians have argued, there is a theoretical difference between real and false needs, that difference is obscured in practice by the

   The author never talks about different types of societies, and the focus of her critique is not, "Marcusians, you're wrong about advertising. In a profit-motivated society, the difference between real and false needs is obscured."

   7%
3. C

   Correct67% picked this

   Marcusian arguments regarding advertisers' creation of false needs are mistaken, because individuals are able to make autonomous decisions regarding their needs and are even

   Why this is right

   The main clause is our perfect Topic + Purpose combo: "Marcusian arguments regarding advertising are mistaken". The reasons given surprising leave out the complaint the author lodges in the 3rd paragraph (about the impossibility of extricating false needs from real ones). But the 4th paragraph supports both of the points being made in this answer: 1. Individuals are able to make autonomous decisions supported by the first sentence of the 4th paragraph, "Marcusians make a mistake in assuming consumers do not respond autonomously", which means that the author believes that consumers do respond autonomously. 2. Individuals can use elements of mass marketing for genuine fulfillment supported by the last three sentences of the passage, "Informed individuals may choose to obtain [emotional fulfillment] through the purchase of commodities or enjoyment of ads themselves ... just because ads make false promises, that doesn't mean that consumers aren't intentionally using products as a means to another sort of fulfillment, or that this genuine fulfillment of needs must be less than ads suggest." In other words, "Just because ads lie about what their product can do for you doesn't mean that consumers aren't able to derive genuine fulfillment from products." This answer is certainly not as perfect as what we might write for the Main Point, but it's the best available answer.

   Skill tested: Main Point · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

   67%
4. D

   Wrong Emphasis / Wrong Objection20% picked this

   Critics of advertising typically focus on the development of false needs in the consumer and do not fully consider the ability of people to

   This answer lacks our central topic, the Marcusian critique of advertising. Its subject is "typical critics of advertising". We don't know if Marcusian critiques are the typical critics of advertising. The passage opens by saying "some critics of advertising", not "most critics of advertising", which would justify "typically". Furthermore, the author doesn't object to the Marcusian critique by saying that "consumers are able to distinguish their own real needs from the false needs that ads induce". To the contrary, the author is saying in the 3rd paragraph that one problem with the Marcusian critique is that the concept of false needs is impossible to separate from true needs, if you assume (as they do) that we've already been brainwashed into thinking that false needs are true needs. The author agrees that Marcusian critics don't give enough credit to how people deal with advertising, but the author says this in regards to people's ability ... 1. to remain rational, informed adults who are not coerced or brainwashed into responding to ads the way advertisers intend 2. to see through the manipulative techniques and false promises of ads 3. to choose to purchase a product for their reasons, not in expectation of getting the false experiences promised to them by the ads

   20%
5. E

   Wrong Complaint Contradicted4% picked this

   The problematic distinction that Marcusians have drawn between real and false needs provides an inadequate basis for their attacks on advertising, because the distinction

   The first half of this answer is a good Challenge Position warm-up, but the backend doesn't cite a correct objection the author made. The Marcusian distinction between real and false needs does not overlook the physical and psychological needs. The first sentence of the 2nd paragraph even says, "Marcuse supposed that we all have certain real needs, both physical and psychological".

   4%