Levitt and Dubner support the claim with the reason: Sumo wrestlers who win eight or more matches earn a higher rank than those who do not. Which evidence supports this reason?
What counterclaim might be made against the statistical evidence in the previous question?
What logical evidence do Levitt and Dubner present in response to the counterclaim that a 7–7 wrestler might be more motivated to win and therefore perform better?
This evidence suggests that wrestlers
For what purpose do the authors use the bagel example within their argument?
What final conclusion do the authors arrive at through the bagel example?
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.
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.
Check the elements you included in your summary.
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