Question

Kirmani's third study, as described in the passage, suggests which of the following conclusions about a black-and-white advertisement?

• A. It can be repeated more frequently than a comparable color advertisement could before consumers begin to suspect low manufacturer confidence in the quality of the advertised product
• B. It will have the greatest impact on consumers' perceptions of the quality of the advertised product if it appears during periods when a color version of the same advertisement is also being used
• C. It will attract more attention from readers of the print publication in which it appears if it is used only a few times
• D. It may be perceived by some consumers as more expensive than a comparable color advertisement
• E. It is likely to be perceived by consumers as a sign of higher manufacturer confidence in the quality of the advertised product than a comparable color advertisement would be

Answer 1

The correct option is A It can be repeated more frequently than a comparable color advertisement could before consumers begin to suspect low manufacturer confidence in the quality of the advertised product

Kirmani's third study is discussed in the final two sentences. Consumers suspect expensive advertising results from a manufacturer's lack of confidence in the quality of the product. Consumers reach the point at which they find advertising excessive more quickly with color advertising than with black-and-white advertising because they understand that the addition of color increases advertising expenses. It is reasonable to infer that the reverse is also true and thus that consumers will tolerate lengthier repetitions of black-and-white advertising without becoming suspicious of product quality.

A Correct. Consumers find color advertising excessive more quickly and thus can be expected to find black-and-white advertising excessive less quickly.

B The study does not discuss concurrent appearances of color and black-and-white advertisements for the same product.

C The sole conclusion about frequency is that consumers can tolerate a greater frequency of black-and-white advertisements than color advertisements.

D It is stated that consumers understand that color advertisements are more expensive.

E The research certainly does not report this finding.

The correct answer is A.