PrepTest 125, Section 2, Question 8
A clear advantage of digital technology over traditional(48 more words not shown)
The statements above best illustrate(6 more words not shown)
- AA property of(16 more words not shown)
- BWhat at first(15 more words not shown)
- CIt is more(16 more words not shown)
- DInnovations in document(12 more words not shown)
- EAdvances in technology(10 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Digital documents save paper. They can also be easy to lose. Both can be true. Think about taking practice tests on a computer instead of printing a stack of them. The document is stored as electronic signals rather than ink on paper, so it doesn't leave the paper waste the passage is concerned with. That's the benefit.
But those signals are also temporary: 'ephemeral' means short-lived. If the electronic record is destroyed, the document can disappear with it. The very feature that lets us avoid a physical paper copy also creates a vulnerability. The author hasn't said which effect matters more or whether digital documents are better overall.
What we’re looking for
We're asked which generalization this illustrates. My prediction is that the same property of a technology can be an advantage in one respect and a disadvantage in another. Keep both sides. An answer about only the benefit, or one that weighs the benefit against the harm, would change the point.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
The property is being stored as electronic signals rather than marks on paper. That is advantageous for avoiding paper waste, but disadvantageous when the signals can be destroyed and the information lost. A preserves both effects without pretending the passage has chosen an overall winner.
- B
'More problems than it solves' is a comparison the author never makes. We have one benefit and one vulnerability, but we haven't been told that the vulnerability outweighs the benefit. Nor does discovering a downside mean the paper-saving advantage was merely an appearance.
- C
The passage doesn't rank preserving information above making it accessible. In fact, ease of access isn't one of the two features discussed. The comparison concerns paper waste and the possibility of permanent loss.
- D
We aren't told that an innovation decreases the risk of destruction. The warning is that digital documents can be easily destroyed. D also makes a broad claim that innovations never eliminate that risk, which this example doesn't establish.
- E
Reduced waste gives us an environmental benefit within the passage's comparison. Where is the increase in convenience? The other point is a danger of losing information. E changes a benefit-and-drawback example into an example of two benefits.
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