单选题 According to the passage, a Veblen model of conspicuous consumption has been used to _______.

A、 investigate the extent of the demand for luxury goods
B、 classify the kinds of luxury goods desired by eighteenth century consumers
C、 explain the motivation of eighteenth century consumers to buy luxury goods
D、 establish the extent to which the tastes of rich consumers were shaped by the middle classes in eighteenth century England

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[试题分析] 本题考查学生对作者意图的理解。
[详细解答] 文章第四段很清楚地说到“a Veblen model of conspicuous consumption stimulated by competition for status”这种炫耀的消费模式是用来互相攀比身份地位的，文章后面部分也谈到了有些“中层百姓的”消费是为了跟随当时富人们所设立的时尚标准。因此，这种炫耀的消费模式可用来解释十八世纪消费者购买奢侈品的动机。选项D的内容刚好与文章的观点相反，根据文章内容，中产阶级的消费口味是由富人塑造，因此D项是错误的。