The Tyranny of Choice

C2 Proficiency · Open Cloze · Cambridge Ready original exercise

For questions 1–8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning.

Received wisdom has (0) ___ that choice is an unqualified good: the more options we are given, the (1) ___ off we must be. Yet anyone who has stood paralysed before a supermarket shelf lined with olive oils will know that abundance can be more of a curse (2) ___ a blessing. The more alternatives there are, the harder it becomes to decide, and the greater the likelihood that we will regret whichever one we eventually opt (3) ___ . For every choice we make, there are many we did not, any one of (4) ___ might have served us better. Psychologists distinguish between 'maximisers', who insist (5) ___ weighing up every possibility, and 'satisficers', who settle for the first option that meets their needs. Perhaps surprisingly, it is the satisficers who tend to be the more contented (6) ___ the two groups. None of this is to suggest that we would be better off with no choice (7) ___ all. It does suggest, though, that beyond a certain point additional options leave us (8) ___ the happier, and that knowing when to stop looking may be a skill well worth cultivating.

The Tyranny of Choice

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