Question

The bagel data also reflect how much personal mood seems to affect honesty. Weather, for instance, is a major factor. Unseasonably pleasant weather inspires people to pay at a higher rate. Unseasonably cold weather, meanwhile, makes people cheat prolifically; so do heavy rain and wind. Worst are the holidays. The week of Christmas produces a 2 percent drop in payment rates—again, a 15 percent increase in theft, an effect on the same magnitude, in reverse, as that of 9/11. Thanksgiving is nearly as bad; the week of Valentine’s Day is also lousy, as is the week straddling April 15. There are, however, a few good holidays: the weeks that include the Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Columbus Day. The difference in the two sets of holidays? The low-cheating holidays represent little more than an extra day off from work. The high-cheating holidays are fraught with miscellaneous anxieties and the high expectations of loved ones.

Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of this paragraph?

A. Different emotional states affect people’s honesty.
B. Some holidays cause people to be less honest.
C. Cold weather causes an increase in dishonesty.
D. Holidays and cold weather may cause anxiety.

Answer 1

The paragraph discusses how personal mood, weather, and holidays can affect honesty, with pleasant conditions boosting honesty and stressful times leading to dishonesty.

Step-by-step explanation:

The main idea of the provided paragraph is that various factors such as weather, holidays, and personal mood can influence a person's level of honesty. For instance, pleasant weather can improve honesty rates while adverse weather conditions and stressful holidays tend to lead to increased levels of dishonesty. The paragraph suggests that these holidays, particularly the high-cheating ones, carry emotional stress and high expectations that may contribute to people's dishonest behavior.

Answer 2

The right answer for the question that is being asked and shown above is that: "A. Different emotional states affect people’s honesty." the statement that best summarizes the main idea of this paragraph is that different emotional states affect people’s honesty.