According to the passage, price-fixing is a phenomenon that is normal in which type of societies?

Introduction / Context:
This question asks you to recall a specific statement from the passage about price-fixing. The author argues that, contrary to the free market ideal, price-fixing is in fact a normal feature of certain types of societies.

Given Data / Assumptions:
• The passage explicitly states that price-fixing is normal in all industrialized societies.
• It explains that the industrial system provides the price-fixing it requires as an effortless consequence of its own development.
• The passage does not attribute this normality to agricultural or pre-industrial societies.
• The word globalised is not used in the passage at all.

Concept / Approach:
The concept here is careful reading and exact recall. You simply need to identify which type of society is directly associated with normal price-fixing in the text, and avoid adding your own assumptions based on outside knowledge.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Find the sentence that begins with In fact, price-fixing is normal. Step 2: Note the phrase normal in all industrialized societies. Step 3: Confirm that agricultural and pre-industrial societies are not given this description. Step 4: Observe that globalised societies is not mentioned at all. Step 5: Select industrialized societies as the correct option.

Verification / Alternative check:
Read the line again and see that the noun phrase industrialized societies directly follows the word normal. This is the strongest possible textual support and leaves no doubt about the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Agricultural societies: The passage does not discuss them in relation to price-fixing.
Pre-industrial societies: These are not mentioned, and the logic of the passage focuses on large industrial firms.
Globalised societies: This modern term does not appear in the passage and is therefore not supported as an answer.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners overgeneralise, thinking that globalisation implies price-fixing, but the exam question is based strictly on what the text says, not on external ideas or current debates.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is industrialized societies, because the passage clearly states that price-fixing is normal in all industrialized societies as a consequence of the structure of modern industry.