PrepTest 151, Section 4, Question 2
A company decided to scan all of its(71 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(11 more words not shown)
- ASome of the(21 more words not shown)
- BMost of the(11 more words not shown)
- CThe papers that(24 more words not shown)
- DAll of the(29 more words not shown)
- EThe number of(25 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
A laptop sounds easier to carry than a stack of binders. But convenience won't help if the salespeople won't hand over the information.
My first question is whether paper might serve a purpose the computer doesn't. Perhaps showing a customer something on paper makes a presentation work better. That's only a guess, though. The passage gives us a more specific obstacle: the salespeople refused to submit many files for scanning, then continued relying on those files instead of the database.
Why keep them private? Imagine a salesperson who thinks a personal client list is what makes them valuable. Giving everyone access might feel like giving away that advantage. Or perhaps the salespeople simply prefer paper and dislike changing systems. Either possibility could make an apparently helpful project unattractive to the people meant to use it.
What we’re looking for
To explain the failure, I'd look for a reason for that resistance. The database's convenience isn't enough if the most useful material never makes it into the database.
Working the answers
- A
Different-sized submissions don't explain why important files were withheld. One salesperson might have more records than another, or might hand over a different share of them. A describes variation in what was submitted without telling us why the salespeople continued relying on paper.
- B
Owning a portable computer doesn't mean wanting this particular database. The salespeople could have suitable hardware and still prefer to keep important information out of a shared system. B makes lack of equipment less likely as an explanation, but doesn't supply a reason for the refusal.
- CCorrect
The most important files contained personal information about people at client companies, and the salespeople didn't want that information in a central database. That gives them a reason to withhold exactly the files they most needed. They would then have to keep using the paper copies, while the database lacked much of the material that would make it useful.
This fits the broader concern about guarding information, though the specific concern is personal information rather than the hypothetical client-list advantage.
- D
Unnecessary training might be annoying, but we're not told that the salespeople withheld their files because of it. Finding the software easy to use addresses ability, not willingness to share important information. D doesn't connect the training requirement to the particular behavior that caused this failure.
- E
Extra staff and overtime explain why building the system cost more than expected. They don't explain why salespeople withheld records or rarely used the result. A project could be expensive to build and still be useful and popular; the failure described here is about participation and use.
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