Mariah Has Had a Hard Semester, and Her Grades Have

question 137

Multiple Choice

Mariah has had a hard semester, and her grades have suffered. She really needs a good grade in psychology to get off academic probation and stay in school. On the next psychology exam, Mariah is sorely tempted to cheat, but she decides not to. Which of the following pairs of cognitions best reflects the source of any dissonance Mariah might experience while deciding not to cheat?

• A) "My school life could be over"; "I just gave up a chance to help myself."
• B) "I'm basically a decent, honest person"; "These exam questions are ambiguous and tricky."
• C) "I'm a basically an honest person"; "I've never seen any of my friends cheat."
• D) "So much is riding on this exam"; "I just know that if I try it, I'll get caught."

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Definitions:

Present Value

The present value of a future amount of money or a series of cash flows, calculated using a given interest rate.

Annuity

A finance-related product designed to issue a predetermined series of payouts to an individual, typically aimed at serving as an income source for retirement.

Net Present Value

A calculation that compares the present value of cash inflows to the present value of cash outflows over a period of time, used in capital budgeting to assess profitability of investments.

Return on Investment

A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency or profitability of an investment or to compare the efficiency of several different investments.