Question 20

[bravozullu4764]

The question asks about the "increasing cost" . . .

The passage states, "Although many unscrupulous morticians . . ." In my mind, the word "Although" seems to cast less importance on the actions of the morticians. Also, the passage states that the morticians "exerted strong pressure to persuade", but does the act of persuasion necessarily mean "increasing cost"? Not so, the cost could've been cheap and the morticians still persuasive. So this logic lead me to strike I (and thus choices B and D).

Regarding III, "Guilt": In my mind, the passage implied that an individual's "guilt" encouraged him/her to pay high costs, but this willingness to pay is not necessarily the reason for the high costs. In other words, if the cost was cheap, the individual's guilt would encourage him/her to pay just the same. So I stuck this out, hence eliminating C,D) . .. and leaving only answer choice A.

your thoughts?

[jellywing_2058]

You are right about the word "although" making the quote seem like it is wrong. However the quote goes on, "they have not always needed to exert any pressure at all", so they still did contribute to the increase in the costs.

About the "guilt", the answer is not according to your opinion; it is according to the passage. The passage says "persons have willingly gone into debt for an elaborate funeral that has provided them with a means of atonement for their failures in family relationships" and "the chance to rid ourselves of feelings of guilt through a payoff", which shows that guilt does increase the amount of money spent on funerals.

[admin]

dnpgr16513

Joined: 31 Dec 1969
Posts: 49

PostPosted: 23 Jun 2010 05:36 pm Post subject:

[wmkamal4170]

I had the same problem here. Statement II was obviously the biggest factor for increasing funeral costs, but I thought that the morticians and guilt would have an insignificant effect on the increasing trend. I reasoned that they would make people in those situations more likely to pay a higher price, but that statement II was the only real force increasing the acceptable standard for pricing. But I can see why I was wrong.

[jeanne7524]

This question requires a comprehensive answer - not "the most important" only. Hence, you have to look for the answer choice that contains ALL factors that were mentioned in the passage. Statements I, II, and III are all well pointed out in the passage.

Hope this clarifies.