PrepTest 108 · Section 3 · Question 13

Biscuit at the Lemonade Stand

Tommy and Lulu ran a lemonade stand every Saturday. Biscuit the dog always sat beside the table, wagging and sometimes barking. Tommy made an announcement. "Biscuit's barking makes some grown-ups nervous, so they hurry past without buying. Our goal is not to lose money. So Biscuit stays home from now on." Biscuit whimpered. Lulu tapped her clipboard. "I'm not saying the barking doesn't scare grown-ups. But look at this. Kids from the whole street come to pet Biscuit, and while they're here, they buy lemonade. Last week, kids bought almost half our cups." Tommy stared at the numbers. "So if Biscuit stays home, we might lose more than we save?" Lulu nodded. Biscuit barked once, which seemed to mean yes.

Tommy: Biscuit's barking makes some grown-ups walk past our stand without buying. Since our goal is to avoid losing sales, Biscuit should stay home. Lulu: But kids who come to pet Biscuit buy nearly half of all our lemonade.

Lulu responds to Tommy by

The Case of the Street Musician

The owner of a bookstore sued to stop a fiddler from playing outside her shop. Her lawyer, Mr. Whitfield, said, "Your Honor, the fiddling bothers some quiet readers, who now leave early. My client wants to protect her sales, so the fiddler must move." The fiddler's lawyer, Ms. Ruiz, did not argue about the readers. Instead she said, "Your Honor, the store's own receipts show that people who stop to hear the fiddle buy a large share of all the books sold." The judge set down her pen. "So removing the fiddler might cost the store more than it saves. Mr. Whitfield, your remedy may undercut your own goal." Mr. Whitfield fiddled with his suspenders, which nobody found amusing.