What is the main idea of the passage?

Large choice sets can raise comparison costs, but clear preferences and useful organization can preserve variety while easing decisions. (The passage explains possible overload, its conditions, and organization as an alternative to simply reducing options.)

Why may forty paint colors be easier for a designer?

A target shade and relevant expertise help the designer evaluate the differences. (The example contrasts a chooser with a specific target and expertise against one facing indistinguishable options.)

What does “overload” mean in the second paragraph?

a burden greater than a chooser can handle easily (The surrounding effects (effort, delay, and uncertainty) show a decision process burdened by too much comparison.)

What organizational tool does the passage suggest for meals?

grouping them by size or ingredients (The final paragraph gives size and ingredient groups as ways to structure variety.)

When Too Many Choices Slow Us Down: Level 3 Reading Comprehension Questions

A café offers four lunch combinations on one board and forty separate items on another. The larger menu gives customers more ways to match their tastes. It also requires more comparisons: price against size, one topping against another, and today's curiosity against a familiar favorite.

Researchers sometimes describe this burden as choice overload. A larger set can increase effort, delay decisions, or leave a chooser less certain about the option not selected. The effect is not automatic. More choice may help when preferences are clear, options are organized, or the decision matters enough to justify comparison.

Choice becomes especially demanding when differences are hard to evaluate. Forty labeled paint colors may be manageable for a designer with a target shade but exhausting for someone who sees nearly identical samples. Expertise and useful categories change the task.

Reducing a set is one response, but structure can preserve variety. A menu can group meals by size or ingredients, offer a few common combinations, and still allow customization. The aim is not always fewer choices. It is a choice environment that helps people notice the differences relevant to their goal.

Comprehension questions