PrepTest 151, Section 4, Question 14
A new computer system will not significantly increase(41 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(5 more words not shown)
- Athe new computer(15 more words not shown)
- Bit is likely(14 more words not shown)
- Cthe leaders of(15 more words not shown)
- Dthe new computer(14 more words not shown)
- Eit will be(16 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
New computers don't necessarily mean new ways of working. The opening rule makes a substantial efficiency gain depend on employees adopting new, more productive methods. So I want to know what the system will actually require them to change.
What we’re looking for
The ministry is having it built to fit its existing methods. 'Fit' matters: the system accommodates the current workflow, rather than requiring the new way of working that the rule calls for. We're missing the stated requirement for a significant gain. To complete the argument, the conclusion should say that the new system won't appreciably increase efficiency. That leaves room for a small benefit; the rule concerns a significant improvement.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
'To any appreciable degree' captures the first sentence's 'significantly.' The rule says a substantial efficiency increase requires new, more productive ways of working. The ministry instead has the system fitted to its existing ways. Without the required change, the substantial gain doesn't follow; under the stated rule, it won't occur.
- B
A system can function exactly as designed while doing little to improve efficiency. Nothing says the ministry's software will be defective when installed. The issue is what its design asks employees to do, not whether it will work correctly.
- C
We don't know what the ministry's leaders care about. They might strongly value productivity but misunderstand how to improve it, or they might have additional reasons for this design. A choice that fails to produce a significant gain doesn't prove indifference to productivity.
- D
Whether the system is worthwhile requires more than the information given. Automating a manual process might have benefits, but we aren't told that these would justify the system or overcome its costs. The opening rule addresses significant efficiency gains; it doesn't provide a test of overall worth.
- E
Fitting existing work practices doesn't guarantee easy software training. Employees could still face unfamiliar controls or complicated procedures. The passage gives no rule connecting the design choice with how easy the system will be to learn.
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