Labels and Illusions

Which line best supports the inference that marketers have a negative impact on Americans' weight?

• Marketers have developed some fanciful food labeling strategies to make us think we are consuming less food, when in fact we are not.

• The research showed that our eyes can deceive us about the amount food we're actually eating.

• To make the problem worse, marketers working in the clothing industry have created strategies for making us think that we are thinner than we actually are.

• Remember the marketers who devise these labels are people who want you to buy their company's products.

Which sentence least supports the author's claim in this essay?

• Marketers have developed some fanciful food labeling strategies to make us think we are consuming less food, when in fact we are not.

• The labeling of these food and drink items seems whimsical, if not completely inaccurate.

• People served on smaller plates thought they had been served a large portion.

• 'vanity sizing' the practice of labeling clothes as smaller sizes than they are.. a dress that is really a size 8 may be labeled as a size 2

What is the author's purpose in the essay?

• to complain that marketing is a scheme

• to give facts and details about marketing

• to persuade the reader to choose a marketing job

• to suggest people should be careful when reading labels and choosing portions.

Which line from the essay best provides evidence that 'vanity sizing' is harmful?

• ...the practice of labeling clothes as smaller sizes than they are

• IN other words, a dress that is really a size 8 may be labeled a size 2

• By using vanity sizing, clothing manufacturers flatter people into thinking they are not as large as they may actually be.

• Apparently, this encourages people to purchase the item of clothing

The author included information on the Delboeuf effect in the essay ____________

• to show how even dots are confusing to today's Americans

• to explain how marketers can easily influence Americans

• to show circles and dots are effective marketing tools

• to explain how marketers are taught to deceive Americans

Re-read the final paragraph. Then answer the question: What is the tone of this paragraph:

• harsh

• informative

• nostalgic

• serious

Reread the final paragraph. Then, answer the question: Which phrase from the paragraph best supports this tone:

• avoid obesity

• buying a lot more than we need

• be skeptical of clothing labels

• trim and physically fit

Re-read the essay's last paragraph on page 86. What text structure is most evident in this paragraph

• description

• problem/solution

• compare/contrast

• chronological

Which of the following is the central idea of the essay?

• Americans can not trust the commercials they see nor hear because marketers are trying to promote bad health.

• Americans must use sound judgment when reading labels on food and clothes to make sure they stay healthy and avoid obesity.

• Labels on food and clothes are harmful to Americans who over rely on them for their portion sizes and as an indicator of their waist sizes.

• Marketers have many ways to slyly trick Americans which results in an increase in the number of obese Americans.

Which of the following is the best objective summary?

• In the essay, "Labels and Illusions," Lourdes Barranco explains how marketers contribute to the rising obesity rate in America. I agree with his thinking.

• In the essay "Labels and Illusions," Lourdes Barranco explains how marketers contribute to the rising obesity rate in America. Barranco uses examples and scientific explanations to show how marketers have changed labels on food and clothing to negatively impact the weight of Americans.

• In the essay "Labels and Illusions," Lourdes Barranco explains how marketers contribute to the rising obesity rate in America. Marketers have done this in two main ways. The first is by changing food labels so consumers order one size and receive a size larger. The second is using "vanity labels" in clothing. A shirt may be marked as a size two when it is really a size eight.