QUIZ AKHIR SEMESTER  
GENAP 2020/2021 
 
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Mata Kuliah : Critical Reading 

Prodi : Sastra Inggris 
Waktu : 60 menit 
Dosen Pengampu : Afriana, S.S., M.Pd.
Name : Imeldayanti Nehe
NPM : 201210020
 
Read the following text! 
 
The Advertising of a Product 
 
[A]  A consumer walks into a store. He stands in front of hundreds of boxes of laundry
detergent. He chooses one brand, pays for it, and leaves. Why does he pick that specific
kind of soap? Is it truly better than the others? Probably not. These days, many products
are nearly identical to one another in quality and price. If products are almost the same,
what makes consumers buy one brand instead of another? Although we might not like to
admit it, commercials on television and advertisements in magazines probably influence
us much more than we think they do. 
 
[B]  Advertising informs consumers about new products available on the market. It gives us
information about everything from shampoo to toothpaste to computers and cars. But
there is one serious problem with this. The “information” is actually very often
misinformation. It tells us the products benefits but hides their disadvantages. Advertising
not only leads us to buy things that we don’t need and can’t afford, but it also confuses
our sense of reality. ‘Zoom toothpaste prevents cavities and gives you white teeth!” the
advertisement tells us. But it doesn’t tell us the complete truth: that a healthy diet and a
good toothbrush will have the same effect. 
 
[C]  Advertisers use many methods to get us to buy their products. One of their most
successful methods is to make us feel dissatisfied with ourselves and our imperfect lives.
Advertisements show us who we aren’t and what we don’t have. Our teeth aren’t white
enough. Our hair isn’t shiny enough. Our clothes are not clean enough. Advertisements
make us afraid that people won’t like us if we don’t use the advertised products. “Why
don’t I have any dates/” an attractive young woman sadly asks in a commercial. “Here,”
replies her roommate. “Try Zoom toothpaste!” Of course she tries it, and immediately the
whole football team falls in love with her. “That’s a stupid commercial,” we might say. But
we still buy Zoom toothpaste out of fear of being unpopular and having no friends. If fear
is the negative motive for buying a product, then wanting a good self-image is the positive
reason for choosing it. Each of us has a mental picture of the kind of person we would like
to be. For example, a modern young woman might like to think that she looks like a
 beautiful movie star. A middle-aged man might want to see himself as a strong, attractive
athlete. Advertisers know this. They write specific ads to make certain group of people
choose their product. Two people may choose different brands of toothpaste with the
identical price, amount, and quality; each person believes that he or she is expressing his
personality by choosing that brand. 
   
[D]  Advertisers get psychologists to study the way consumers think and their reasons for
choosing one brand instead of another. These experts tell advertisers about the motives of
fear and self-image. They also inform them about recent studies with colors and words.
Psychologists have found that certain colors on the package of an attractive product will
cause people to reach out and take that package instead of buying an identical product
with different colors. Also, certain words attract our attention. For example, the word
“new,” “improved,” “natural,” and “giant size” are very popular and seem to draw our
eyes and hands toward the package. 
 
[E]  Many people believe that advertising does not affect them. They feel that they have
freedom of choice, and they like to think they make wise choices. Unfortunately, they
probably don’t realize the powerful effect of advertising. They may not clearly understand
that advertisers spend billions of dollars each year in aggressive competition for our
money, and they are extremely successful. Do you believe that ads don’t influence your
choice of products? Just look at the brands in your kitchen and bathroom. 
 
 
1. Answer these questions based on the reading. 
1. What influences us when we decide to buy one product instead of another? 
2. What kind of information do we get from advertising? 
3. What methods do advertisers use to sell products? 
4. Who is not affected by advertising? 
 
2. Write the main idea in statement form on the appropriate lines after the numbers and
capital letters. The words in parentheses tell the topics of those parts of the reading. Look back
at the reading if necessary.  
 
The Advertising of a Product 
 
I. (Introduction) Commercials and advertising influence consumers (A) 
A. (Choice of brands) ___________________________ 
B. (Sameness of brands) ____________________________ 
II. ______________________________________________________ (B) 
A. (Benefits of products) ____________________________ 
B. (Disadvantages) _________________________________ 
C. (Reality) _______________________________________ 
III. (Methods of advertisers) _________________________________ (C) 
A. (Fear) ____________________________________ 
 B. (Self-image( _______________________________ 
C. (Colors and words) __________________________ 
IV. (Conclusion) ___________________________________________ (D) 
 
 
On the lines, write the main idea of the whole reading text. 
____________________________________________________________________________ 
____________________________________________________________________________ 
 
3. For which of the following statements does the reading “The Advertising of a Product”
give or suggest information or views? On the lines before those items, write an X. Put an O
before those items not suggested. Change the O sentences to make them statements of the
information implied in the reading. 
 
1.  _____  Advertising influences us to buy one kind of product instead of another. 
2.  _____  Advertisements always provide us with important information about
products. 
3.  _____  Wanting a good self-image is a powerful reason for choosing products. 
4.  _____  If you use Zoom toothpaste, there will be no more problem in your life. 
5.  _____  “The Psychology of Selling” is an important course in many business colleges. 
 
4. For each of the following exaggerations, circle the letter of the best explanation of the
advertiser’s intended message. Explain your choice. 
 
1. Snowflake laundry detergent makes clothes whiter than white! 
a. This product is only for clothes that are white 
b. This product will get your laundry clean. 
c. This product will change the color of clothes. 
2. Wake up to Heart & Soul breakfast cereal. It will warm you from the inside out. 
a. Cold breakfast foods produce more energy than hot cooked foods. 
b. If you eat this cereal in the evening, it will feel like morning. 
c. This cooked cereal is good for your heart, your spirit, and your energy. 
3. When the pain is gone, life begins. Take Woebegone. 
a. Take this medication so you can forget about your pain and do other things. 
b. This pain reliever is good for growing plants and getting pregnant. 
c. The most important things in life come at the beginning. The pain comes later. 
4. Think different from the rest. Buy Apex computers. 
a. To look good, computers should come in various colors. The colors should be 
bright and happy. 
b. You can rest and think better if your working environment is up to date. 
c. Only special and intelligent people buy our computers. You can be one of them. 
5. Your mother wants you to fly on Comfort Airlines. 
a. Your mother owns stock in our company. Help her to make money. 
 b. Our airplanes are safe and comfortable. We will take care of you like your
mother does. 
c. A group of mothers owns our airlines. Therefore, we cook delicious meals for our
passengers. 
 

Answers 
 
1. 1.  in my opinion base on the reading, it makes us decide to choose that one product
instead of another first the quality of product, second the price of product, third the
way that product promoted for example advertisement of that product more
interesting than another. 

2.  Base on the reading the information that we can get from the advertisement  
First the advertisement tells us about the product they’re promoted, maybe like the
function of the product, the advantages of the product that will makes us thinking
it better than another. The second advertisement get psychologists to study which is
advertisement can makes the costumers interested to their product by managing
the color of product, the packaging of that product, the words and make the product
they are promoted look natural and by that psychologists make costumers believe to
the product. 
 
3.  the advertisement using the method by makes us feel unsatisfied to ourselves and
the feel offended if we don’t using the product they’re promoted. 
 
4.  in my opinion base on the reading, usually people who not believe to the
advertisement because they have used that one product for long time and classified
as a loyal costumer and they have prove the benefit of the product they’re using and
that’s a bit difficult to makes them move to another. 
 
 
2. The Advertising of a Product  
I. (Introduction) Commercials and advertising influence consumers (A)  
A. (Choice of brands)  A consumer walks into a store. He stands in front of
hundreds of boxes of laundry detergent. He chooses one brand pay for it
and leaves.  
B. (Sameness of brands) many products are nearly identical to one another in
quality and price.  

II. (The information) information about everything from the product (B)  

A. (Benefits of products) Zoom toothpaste prevents cavities and gives you
white teeth!” 
 B. (Disadvantages) It tells us the products benefits but hides their
disadvantages. 
C. (Reality) that a healthy diet and a good toothbrush will have the same
effect.  
III. (Methods of advertisers) makes us feel dissatisfied with ourselves and our
imperfect lives (C)  
A. (Fear) Our teeth aren’t white enough. Our hair isn’t shiny enough. Our
clothes are not clean enough. Advertisements make us afraid that people
won’t like us if we don’t use the advertised products. 
 
B. (Self-image) “Why don’t I have any dates/” an attractive young woman
sadly asks in a commercial. “Here,” replies her roommate. “Try Zoom
toothpaste!” Of course she tries it, and immediately the whole football
team falls in love with her.  

C. (Colors and words) Psychologists have found that certain colors on the

package of an attractive product will cause people to reach out and take
that package instead of buying an identical product with different colors. 
D.  (Conclusion) Many people believe that advertising does not affect them.
They feel that they have freedom of choice, and they like to think they
make wise choices. Unfortunately, they probably don’t realize the
powerful effect of advertising. They may not clearly understand that
advertisers spend billions of dollars each year in aggressive competition
for our money, and they are extremely successful. Do you believe that ads
don’t influence your choice of products? Just look at the brands in your
kitchen and bathroom (D)  
  
  
3. On the lines, write the main idea of the whole reading text.  
 
The power of advertisement in commercial 
 
3. On the lines before those items, write an X. Put an O before those items not suggested. 
1.   __O___  Advertising influences us to buy one kind of product instead of another.  
2.   __O___  Advertisements always provide us with important information about
products.  
3.   __O___  Wanting a good self-image is a powerful reason for choosing products.  
4.   __X___  If you use Zoom toothpaste, there will be no more problem in your life.  
5.   __O___  “The Psychology of Selling” is an important course in many business
colleges.  
     
 
 

4. circle the letter of the best explanation of the advertiser’s intended message 
1. Snowflake laundry detergent makes clothes whiter than white!  
a. This product is only for clothes that are white  
 b. This product will get your laundry clean.  
c. This product will change the color of clothes.  
2. Wake up to Heart & Soul breakfast cereal. It will warm you from the inside out.  
a. Cold breakfast foods produce more energy than hot cooked foods.  
b. If you eat this cereal in the evening, it will feel like morning.  
c. This cooked cereal is good for your heart, your spirit, and your energy.  
3. When the pain is gone, life begins. Take Woebegone.  
a. Take this medication so you can forget about your pain and do other
things.  
b. This pain reliever is good for growing plants and getting pregnant.  
c. The most important things in life come at the beginning. The pain comes
later.  
4. Think different from the rest. Buy Apex computers.  
a. To look good, computers should come in various colors. The colors should
be  bright and happy.  
b. You can rest and think better if your working environment is up to date.  
c. Only special and intelligent people buy our computers. You can be one of
them.  
5. Your mother wants you to fly on Comfort Airlines.  
a. Your mother owns stock in our company. Help her to make money.  
b. Our airplanes are safe and comfortable. We will take care of you like your
mother does.  
c. A group of mothers owns our airlines. Therefore, we cook delicious meals
for our passengers.