Question 21
ComprehensionJAMB 1990 Passage V: The bookseller's dilemma
This passage sums up the two problems peculiar to the book trade which make it different from any other trade — the problem of selection and the problem of stocking. How is the bookseller to tell what, in an enormous output, will prove saleable, before the full weight of unsold items affects the balance of his business, and how is he, at the same time, to hold a stock large enough to enable the public to choose freely? He may seek to escape from this dilemma by becoming the passive sales representative of large publishing houses or distribution networks, but he is then no longer a book seller. He may take refuge in the sale of safe items to a restricted circle of customers, but he thereby cuts himself off from all that is vital in his trade and dooms himself to mediocrity and stagnation. On the other hand, he may protect his business from the danger of idle stock by […] the public responsible for their success. […] to the fact that books are undefinable. The story is told of a […] when it was decided to present a rare and valuable edition of an old […]. The old soldier looked at the volume and remarked, 'A book? What's the point […]'
Books are different from other goods because
- A.customers for the book trade are much restricted
- B.books are not manufactured but printed
- C.one cannot tell so easily which books will prove saleable
- D.books can be kept in stock much longer than other goods
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: C (one cannot tell so easily which books will prove saleable)
Explanation
The passage says the bookseller's special problem is telling which books, out of an enormous output, will prove saleable.