Analyzing Arguments Q13

13.

Originating in the 1920s, the Pyramid scheme is one of the oldest con games going. Honest people are often pulled in, thinking the scheme is a legitimate investment enterprise. The first customer to "fall for" the Pyramid scheme will actually make big money and will therefore persuade friends and relatives to join also. The chain then continues with the con artist who originated the scheme pocketing, rather than investing, the money. Finally, the pyramid collapses, but by that time, the scam artist will usually have moved out of town, leaving no forwarding address. This paragraph best supports the statement that

A. it is fairly easy to spot a Pyramid scheme in the making. B. he first customer of a Pyramid scheme is the most gullible. C. the people who set up Pyramid schemes are able to fool honest people. D. the Pyramid scheme had its heyday in the 1920s, but it's making a comeback. E. the Pyramid scheme got its name from its structure.

Answer: Option C

Explanation:

The fact that the Pyramid scheme is set up by a con artist suggests that the honest people who invest have been fooled. Choices a and b are contradicted in the passage. The paragraph says that the Pyramid scheme originated in the 1920s, but does not say it had its heyday then; thus, choice d is incorrect. Choice e is a fact, but it is not mentioned in the passage.