Paragraph Completion - Imposing Rules vs Research

CAT 2006 Slot 1 · VARC · Easy · Verbal Ability

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I am sometimes attacked for imposing 'rules'. Nothing could be further from the truth. I hate rules. All I do is report on how consumers react to different stimuli. I may say to a copywriter, "Research shows that commercials with celebrities are below average in persuading people to buy products. Are you sure you want to use a celebrity?" Call that a rule? Or I may say to an art director, "Research suggests that if you set the copy in black type on a white background, more people will read it than if you set it in white type on a black background."

  1. A.

    Guidance based on applied research can hardly qualify as 'rules'.

  2. B.

    Thus, all my so called 'rules' are rooted in applied research.

  3. C.

    A suggestion perhaps, but scarcely a rule.

  4. D.

    Such principles are unavoidable if one wants to be systematic about consumer behaviour.

  5. E.

    Fundamentally it is about consumer behaviour — not about celebrities or type settings.

Answer

A suggestion perhaps, but scarcely a rule.

Explanation

Following the second example about black type on white background, the rhetorical ending "A suggestion perhaps, but scarcely a rule" perfectly mirrors the earlier "Call that a rule?".

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