OG2020每日閱讀訓練練習D4

Pistachio_lin

Hi 大家好 閱讀訓練打卡第四天


Material/source:
    A key decision required of advertising managers is whether a “hard-sell” or “soft-sell” strategy is appropriate for a specific target market. The hard-sell approach involves the use of direct, forceful claims regarding the benefits of the advertised brand over competitors' offerings. In contrast, the soft-sell approach involves the use of advertising claims that imply superiority more subtly.

One positive aspect of the hard-sell approach is its use of very simple and straightforward product claims presented as explicit conclusions, with little room for confusion regarding the advertiser's message. However, some consumers may resent being told what to believe and some may distrust the message. Resentment and distrust often lead to counter argumentation and to boomerang effects where consumers come to believe conclusions diametrically opposed to conclusions endorsed in advertising claims. By contrast, the risk of boomerang erects is greatly reduced with soft-sell approaches. One way to implement the soft-sell approach is to provide information that implies the main conclusions the advertiser wants the consumer to draw, but leave the conclusions themselves unstated. Because consumers are invited to make up their own minds,implicit conclusions reduce the risk of resentment, distrust, and counter argumentation.

Recent research on consumer memory and judgement suggests another advantage of implicit conclusions. Beliefs or conclusions that are self-generated are more accessible from memory than beliefs from conclusions provided explicitly by other individuals, and thus have a greater impact on judgment and decision making. Moreover, self-generated beliefs are often perceived as more accurate and valid than the beliefs of others, because other individuals may be perceived as less knowledgeable, or may be perceived as manipulative or deliberately misleading.

Despite these advantages, implicit conclusions may not always be more effective than explicit conclusions. One risk is that some consumers may fail to draw their own conclusions and thus miss the point of the message. Inferential activity is likely only when consumers are motivated and able to engage in effortful cognitive processes. Another risk is that some consumers may draw conclusions other than the one intended. Even if inferential activity is likely, there is no guarantee that consumers will follow the path provided by the advertiser. Finally, a third risk is that consumers may infer the intended conclusion but question the validity of their inference.


簡化/思路
    A key decision required of advertising managers is whether a “hard-sell” or “soft-sell” strategy is appropriate for a specific target market . The hard-sell approach involves the use of direct, forceful claims regarding the benefits of the advertised brand over competitors' offerings. In contrast, the soft-sell approach involves the use of advertising claims that imply superiority more subtly. (開頭處就先破題，決定使用哪一種策略是key decision - 第一句話在帶入hard-sell and soft-sell，而後面兩句接著給hard-sell跟soft-sell的特色 - in contrast - 有對比)

    One positive aspect of the hard-sell approach is its use of very simple and straightforward product claims presented as explicit conclusions, with little room for confusion regarding the advertiser's message . However, some consumers may resent being told what to believe and some may distrust the message. Resentment and distrust often lead to counter argumentation and to boomerang effects where consumers come to believe conclusions diametrically opposed to conclusions endorsed in advertising claims. By contrast, the risk of boomerang erects is greatly reduced with soft-sell approaches. One way to implement the soft-sell approach is to provide information that implies the main conclusions the advertiser wants the consumer to draw, but leave the conclusions themselves unstated. Because consumers are invited to make up their own minds,implicit conclusions reduce the risk of resentment, distrust, and counter argumentation. (本段第一句話目的是解釋hard-sell. 後面那段話是說明他得缺點- advantage versus disadvantage. 下一句說明disadvantage會導致什麼樣的後過. 緊接著又有一個"contrast". - 說出hard-sell versus soft-sell的差異，後面加上soft-sell的解釋 - 更多是讓人明白 為什麼soft-sell可以跟hard-sell形成差異)

    Recent research on consumer memory and judgement suggests another advantage of implicit conclusions. Beliefs or conclusions that are self-generated are more accessible from memory than beliefs from conclusions provided explicitly by other individuals, and thus have a greater impact on judgment and decision making. Moreover, self-generated beliefs are often perceived as more accurate and valid than the beliefs of others, because other individuals may be perceived as less knowledgeable, or may be perceived as manipulative or deliberately misleading. (本段第一句點出soft-sell的另一個優勢，接下來立馬就說了implicit conclusion帶來的記憶在大腦中比explicit conclusion帶來的記憶更容易存取 - moreover, 緊接著寫更多details); (稍微總結了下，第一段給一個對比 - direct, forcefual claims, 第二段第二個對比 - explicit versus implicit -> boomerang effect, 第三段在一個對比: 兩者之中誰能留下更多印象)


    Despite these advantages, implicit conclusions may not always be more effective than explicit conclusions. One risk is that some consumers may fail to draw their own conclusions and thus miss the point of the message. Inferential activity is likely only when consumers are motivated and able to engage in effortful cognitive processes. Another risk is that some consumers may draw conclusions other than the one intended. Even if inferential activity is likely, there is no guarantee that consumers will follow the path provided by the advertiser. Finally, a third risk is that consumers may infer the intended conclusion but question the validity of their inference. (開始描寫soft-sell的劣勢，第一點: miss掉訊息, 第二點: 沒想到點上, 第三點: 會質疑自己想出來的結論是對的嗎)

總結:
第一段: 引入兩種strategies. 說明兩者的一第一種差異。
第二段: 說明兩者的一第二種差異。
第三段: 說明兩者的一第三種差異。
第四段: 平衡報導一下，說明其中一種strategy在某些情況下也不那麼優。

大意：evaluate two strategies.

1. It can be inferred from the passage that one reason an advertiser might prefer a hard-sell approach to a soft-sell approach is that

A) the risks of boomerang effects are minimized when the conclusions an advertiser wants the consumer to draw are themselves left unstated (soft-sell)

B) counter argumentation is likely from consumers who fail to draw their own conclusions regarding an advertising claims (沒提到)

C) inferential activity is likely to occur even if consumers perceive themselves to be more knowledgeable than the individuals presenting product claims (沒提到)

D) research on consumer memory suggests that the explicit conclusions provided by an advertiser using hard-sell approach have a significant impact on decision making (沒提到)

E) the information presented by an advertiser using the soft-sell approach may imply different conclusions to different consumers (提到了，在最後一段裡面的soft-sell的劣勢)

2. Each of the following is mentioned in the passage as a characteristic of the hard-sell approach EXCEPT

A) its overall message is readily grasped (第二段提到了)

B) it appeals to consumers' knowledge about the product

C) it makes to explicit claims that the advertised brand is superior to other brands (第二段提到了)

D) it uses statements that are expressed very clearly (第二段提到了)

E) it makes claims in the form of direct conclusions (第二段提到了)




3. It can be inferred from the passage that advertisers could reduce one of the risks discussed in the last paragraph if they were able to provide

A) motivation for consumers to think about the advertisement's message (定位details, 在最後一段提到inferential activity的部分)

B) information that implies the advertiser's intended conclusion but leaves that conclusion unstated

C) subtle evidence that the advertised product is superior to that of competitors

D) information comparing the advertised product with its competitors

E) opportunity for consumers to generate their own beliefs or conclusions


4. The primary purpose of the passage is to

A) point out the risks involved in the use of a particular advertising strategy (這是一個很強的干擾項目，確實提及了這些，但是還提到了advantages的部分，不單只是disadvantage/risk)

B) make a case or the superiority of one advertising strategy over another

C) illustrate the ways in which two advertising strategies may be implemented

D) present the advantages and disadvantages of two advertising strategies (同大意分析)

E) contrast the types of target markets for which two advertising strategies are appropriate


5. which of the following best describes the function of the sentence in lines 25-28 (Because consumers are invited to make up their) in the context of the passage as a whole?

A) it reiterates a distinction between two advertising strategies that is made in the first paragraph

B) it explains how a particular strategy avoids a drawback described earlier in the paragraph (定位第二段最後一句，那一句主要寫著為什麼soft-sell versus hard-sell會有差異，進而解釋soft-sell是透過什麼樣的process去avoid這個risk of boomerang effect)

C) it suggests that a risk described earlier in the paragraph is less serious than some researchers believe it to be

D) it outlines why the strategy described in the previous sentence involves certain risks for an advertiser

E) it introduces an argument that will be refuted in the following paragraph



6. It can be inferred from the passage that one situation in which the boomerang effect often occurs is when consumers

A) have been exposed to forceful claims that are diametrically opposed to those in an advertiser's message (強干擾項, 題目說的是where consumers come to believe conclusions diametrically opposed to conclusions endorsed in advertising claims; 並沒有說"been exposed")

B) have previous self-generated beliefs or conclusions that are readily accessible from memory (沒提到過)

C) are subjected to advertising messages that are targeted at specific markets to which those consumers do not belong (沒提到過)

D) are confused regarding the point of the advertiser's message (跟soft-sell有關)

E) come to view the advertiser's message with suspicion (這題我是推出來的, explicit conclusion -> consumer resent and distrust/suspect -> boomerang effect. 覺得這題滿難的)


7. It can be inferred from the passage that the research mentioned in line 29 (Recent research on consumer memory and judgment) supports which of the following statements?

A) implicit conclusions are more likely to capture accurately the point of the advertiser's message than are explicit conclusions. (沒提到)

B) Counterargument action is less likely to occur if an individual's beliefs or conclusions are readily accessible from memory. (沒提到)

C) The hard-sell approach results in conclusions that are more difficult for the consumer to recall than are conclusions resulting from the soft-sell approach. (剛好是第三個contrast強調的重點)

D) When the beliefs of others are presented as definite and forceful claims, they are perceived to be as accurate as self-generated beliefs. (沒提到)

E) Despite the advantages of implicit conclusions, the hard-sell approach involves fewer risks for the advertiser than does the soft-sell approach. (跟第三個contrast無關，且沒提到這件事情)



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