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

Answer: A. Different emotional states affect people’s honesty.

This excerpt states that when people experience different emotional states, their levels of honesty fluctuate too. When people are anxious, stressed out due to the expectations of others, or angry, they are more likely to be dishonest. Therefore, theft and other similar behaviours increase around holidays that rely on these feelings, such as Christmas and Valentine's Day. However, when people are more cheerful and relaxed, dishonest behaviour becomes less common.

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.