Explain, with an example, how false advertising by large companies harms consumers. What makes it difficult for consumers to fight back?
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:25 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Large companies sometimes use misleading advertisements to attract consumers. For example, a company may claim its health drink makes children significantly taller, but the product may have no such proven benefit. This misleads consumers into spending money on ineffective products.
Fighting back is difficult because:
- Large companies have vast resources, legal teams, and money to drag cases for years.
- Individual consumers lack awareness of their rights and the legal process.
- The process of filing complaints and getting redressal takes time and effort.
Thus, ordinary consumers are often at a disadvantage against powerful companies.
Source: Consumer Movement, Chapter 5
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Explanation
- The question has two parts — give an example AND explain why it's hard to fight back. Address both.
- The textbook highlights unfair trade practices and consumer exploitation as key reasons the consumer movement arose. Examiners expect you to connect false advertising to exploitation of consumers.
- Mentioning the imbalance of power (resources, legal strength of companies vs. individual consumers) is key for the second part.
- Do not write a general essay — keep points crisp and relevant to the 3-mark weightage.