Complete the statements that follow each of the paragraphs below by choosing the letter of the correct response.

Question

(1) When asked on a survey “How much special consideration should black students receive in college admissions?” more than 70 percent of the UCLA freshmen in the sample said that at least some special consideration should be given. (2) However, when asked, “Should affirmative action be abolished?” 50 percent said yes. (3) Asked about government spending “on assistance to the poor,” only 23 percent of respondents in a 1994 Time magazine survey said that too much was being spent. (4) Asked about “welfare,” however, 53 percent said that too much was being spent. (5) In one study, 88 percent of participants indicated that they thought condoms were effective in stopping AIDS when condoms were said to have a “95 percent success rate.” (6) However, when condoms were said to have a “5 percent failure rate,” only 42 percent indicated that they thought condoms were effective. (7) When German adults were asked how many hours a day they watched TV, their answers differed dramatically as a function of the response scale they were given.

The implied main idea of this paragraph is
a. surveys are inaccurate and unreliable.
b. the way questions are asked affects how people respond.
c. many surveys focus on controversial issues.
d. people are confused by the wording of survey questions.

Answer 1

b. the way questions are asked affects how people respond.