A common piece of advice is to pay off the smallest debt first, regardless of its interest rate, so that the borrower sees a balance disappear early and stays motivated. Mathematically this is not the cheapest route: paying the highest interest rate first always costs less over the life of the debts. But financial counselors point out that budgets are kept by people, not spreadsheets, and a plan abandoned in month three saves nothing at all. The best plan, on this view, is not the one that minimizes interest but the one the borrower will actually finish.
Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
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Correct!
Not quite. The correct answer is highlighted.
Correct answer to question 8 (Paragraph Comprehension): The Cheapest Plan Is Not Always the Best One
Method
The whole passage turns on the gap between the mathematically cheapest plan and the one a person will finish, which the first title captures. The passage never explains how debt arises or argues against counselors, whose view it in fact reports.
Updated: November 2026
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