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PrepTest 73, Passage 3, Question 18

Transcript

Question 18 wants to know the main function of the first paragraph. So it's a purpose of a paragraph question. If we look back at our notes, we know that paragraph 1 is where the author brings up the critics and Marcuse. Lays out the beginnings of their views about advertisements, the views that ultimately the author is going to take issue with.

We're looking for something that captures that in the answers. So answer choice A summarize the political and economic context. That'd be clever to do, but that's not what's in the first paragraph. There isn't anything about the political and economic context of Marcuse's views. So A is not the answer. B, outline the mechanisms by which false needs originate in mass market culture.

Well, if you remember the last question, that's the main function of the second paragraph, not the first. The correct answer to that last question told us this. Answer choice C, evaluate the psychological processes by which the manipulative techniques of mass marketing advertising influences individuals.

That's the same thing again, that's the last paragraph we were just talking about. So right idea, wrong paragraph. Answer choice D, describe the prevailing views among contemporary critics. This is a trick we've also already seen. The first paragraph isn't about the prevailing views among critics. It's just some critics.

So this isn't the majority, it's just some. So that means the answer must be E, describe Marcusian views, yeah, we did that. The views about why ads are bad, the criticisms of advertising. This is exactly what the first paragraph does, and we knew it before we even looked at the answers.

So E is the answer.

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