Ordering the Chaos of the Contemporary World: An Introduction to Freakonomics

Question 1

This evidence suggests that wrestlers

Revolt · Accepted Answer

might make deals so one wins one match and the other wins the next.

Question 2

For what purpose do the authors use the bagel example within their argument?

Revolt · Accepted Answer

to extend the argument beyond sumo to a broader group of people.

Question 3

What final conclusion do the authors arrive at through the bagel example?

Revolt · Accepted Answer

The majority of people are honest.

Question 4

Summarize how Levitt and Dubner logically support their argument that cheating exists when there is high incentive, but that the majority of people are honest.

Revolt · Accepted Answer

In the introduction to Freakonomics, Levitt and Dubner claim that economics is primarily the study of incentives. They provide evidence from sumo wrestling to show how athletes may cheat when incentives for winning are high, and they use the anecdote of the bagel man to demonstrate that people are generally honest even without direct supervision. While addressing counterarguments about the predictability of human nature, they conclude that analyzing data and incentives reveals the hidden side of the contemporary world.

Question 5

Check the elements you included in your summary.

Revolt · Accepted Answer

Levitt and Dubner’s overall claim; a reason and evidence from the sumo section; a reason and evidence from the bagel story; a counterargument; the overall conclusion Levitt and Dubner reached

Ordering the Chaos of the Contemporary World: An Introduction to Freakonomics Answers

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