PrepTest 114, Section 4, Question 10
Technological progress makes economic growth and widespread prosperity(36 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(5 more words not shown)
- Adecreases the quality(3 more words not shown)
- Bprovides benefits only(10 more words not shown)
- Cis generally opposed(11 more words not shown)
- Dcauses workers to(6 more words not shown)
- Eeliminates many workers'(1 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
A calculator can do work that once depended on someone's arithmetic skill. That makes it easier to understand how technology could reduce the importance of a particular human skill while helping production.
The next sentence adds a possible cost to the worker: satisfaction depends on believing the job is difficult and needs uncommon skills. If technology makes those skills less important, I can see where the author is heading. The worker may no longer feel as needed or take the same satisfaction in the work.
What we’re looking for
For the blank, I'd predict that technological progress can leave workers less satisfied. Keep the conclusion tied to the attitude the passage discusses.
Working the answers
- A
Less reliance on a worker's particular skill doesn't tell us that the products get worse. The technology might maintain or improve quality, for all we know. The argument is developing a point about workers' satisfaction, not the quality of most goods.
- B
A worker could benefit from technological progress and still lose some satisfaction in the job. The passage opens with possible economic growth and widespread prosperity; it doesn't reserve every benefit for people whose work is unaffected. B adds that restriction without support.
- C
Feeling less satisfied doesn't automatically mean opposing the technology. A worker might miss using a skill while still welcoming other benefits of the change. C adds a reaction beyond the loss of satisfaction the argument is setting up.
- DCorrect
This completes the intended connection. The author says technology makes specialized skills less crucial, while workers' satisfaction depends on seeing their work as difficult and dependent on uncommon skills. The resulting conclusion concerns reduced satisfaction.
That follows the thread about how workers view their work. We aren't being asked to add a separate prediction about layoffs, opposition or product quality. D stays with the outcome the final premise has introduced.
- E
A skill becoming less crucial doesn't mean its owner is dismissed. The worker might remain employed, take on different tasks or perform the same work with more technological help. E adds a claim about many jobs disappearing that the passage doesn't establish. Less satisfaction in a continuing job is enough for the conclusion in D.
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