Question

Read the excerpt from Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner’s Freakonomics.

Answer 1

The sixty-six highest-ranked wrestlers in Japan, comprising the makuuchi and juryo divisions, make up the sumo elite.

Answer 2

Read the excerpt from Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner’s Freakonomics.      

The incentive scheme that rules sumo is intricate and extraordinarily powerful. Each wrestler maintains a ranking that affects every slice of his life; how much money he makes, how large an entourage he carries, how much he gets to eat, sleep, and otherwise take advantage of his success. The sixty-six highest-ranked wrestlers in Japan, comprising the makuuchi and juryo divisions, make up the sumo elite. A wrestler near the top of this elite pyramid may earn millions and is treated like royalty. Any wrestler in the top forty earns at least $170,000 a year. The seventieth-ranked wrestler in Japan, meanwhile, earns only $15,000 a year. Life isn’t very sweet outside the elite. Low-ranked wrestlers must tend to their superiors, preparing their meals and cleaning their quarters, and even soaping up their hardest-to-reach body parts. So ranking is everything.

Question: Which sentence from the excerpt best supports the idea that the high-ranking sumo wrestlers enjoy many luxuries?

Options:

• The incentive scheme that rules sumo is intricate and extraordinarily powerful.
• The sixty-six highest-ranked wrestlers in Japan, comprising the makuuchi and juryo divisions, make up the sumo elite.
• A wrestler near the top of this elite pyramid may earn millions and is treated like royalty.
• The seventieth-ranked wrestler in Japan, meanwhile, earns only $15,000 a year.

Answer: The correct answer is: A wrestler near the top of this elite pyramid may earn millions and is treated like royalty.

Explanation: The excerpt mentions that only the wrestlers in the elite have a sweet life because it says the following: ''Life isn’t very sweet outside the elite.''

A wrestler near the top of this elite pyramid may earn millions (any wrestler in the top forty earns at least $170,000 a year) and is treated like royalty, unlike ''Low-ranked wrestlers'' who must serve their superiors, preparing their meals and cleaning their rooms, as well as soaping up their hardest-to-reach body parts.