Preferences Across Time and Comparison

3 questions. Choose the meaning or usage that best fits each situation. Try answering before reopening the passage.

1What makes the tea-set purchases competitive consumption?A. They respond to comparisons with other members' possessions and displays.B. They replace broken essentials without any comparison to other people.C. They are all required by a shared rule that specifies one identical set.D. They occur privately, which makes comparison logically impossible.

2An emphasis on possessions and physical comfort as central life priorities is _____.A. austerityB. self-denialC. materialismD. indifference to possessions

3Which action is an indulgence in the described sense?A. Refuse a desired pleasure despite having the opportunity to enjoy it.B. Allow oneself the pleasure of an unhurried favorite cup of tea.C. Perform a disliked task solely because a rule requires it, without any pleasure or desire.D. Forget to drink the tea while attending to an unrelated obligation.

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