An online auction site conducted

Answer choices

1. A

   No Distinction1% picked this

   Most people are skeptical of the descriptions that accompany items when they are put up

   This doesn't explain the difference between the two groups of cars. If this is true, buyers would tend to be skeptical of the descriptions of cars in both groups. It doesn't explain why buyers would buy more cars from the second group or pay more for those cars.

   1%
2. B

   Opposite1% picked this

   People are likely to assume that a car with no reported defects has been maintained more attentively and is

   This should make buyers more likely to buy cars in the first group and possibly pay more for those cars. It doesn't explain why more cars in the second group sold or fetched higher prices.

   1%
3. C

   No Impact2% picked this

   Prospective buyers are likely to overlook mention of defects buried in a detailed description of the condition of an

   We haven't been told that the defects listed for the second group of cars were "buried in a detailed description of the condition." The listings for the first group included "brief descriptions." We aren't told how brief or detailed the descriptions were for cars in the second group. Without that information, this answer has no impact.

   2%
4. D

   Correct94% picked this

   Listing defects in a description of an item tends to lead people to assume that no major

   Why this is right

   This helps to explain why buyers were more comfortable buying cars that had defects listed in their descriptions. A common concern when buying a used car is that we'll discover a major problem after buying it. If buyers assumed that any major defects were listed, they would tend to be less worried about this kind of unpleasant surprise.

   Skill tested: Paradox · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   94%
5. E

   No Impact1% picked this

   With thousands of cars for sale, prospective buyers are unlikely to read detailed descriptions of more than a

   We aren't actually told that any of the descriptions were "detailed." Even if we accept that including a list of defects would make a description "detailed," all this answer does is tell us that prospective buyers were only likely to read the descriptions for a small number of cars in the second group. This doesn't explain why more of those cars sold or why they fetched higher prices.

   1%