Why C is the correct answer ?

[Soniasa]

Hi,
Given the following paragraph which I got from "Big Book", I don't come to the point indicating that C is the right answer. Based on what line within the paragraph, it can be infered C is correct? Please help me understand it. Thanks

Reading:
Four legal approaches may be followed in attempting to channel technological development in socially useful direction: specific directives, market incentive modifications, criminal prohibitions, and changes in decision-making structures. Specific directives involve the government‟s identifying one or more factors controlling research, development, or implementation of a given technology. Directives affecting such factors may vary from administrative regulation of private activity to government ownership of a technological operation. Market incentive modifications are deliberate alterations of the market within which private decisions regarding the development and implementation of technology are made. Such modifications may consist of imposing taxes to cover the costs to society of a given technology, granting subsidies to pay for social benefits of a technology, creating the right to sue to prevent certain technological development, or easing procedural rules to enable the recovery of damages to compensate for harm caused by destructive technological activity. Criminal prohibitions may modify technological activity in areas impinging on fundamental social values, or they may modify human behavior likely to result from technological applications—for example, the deactivation automotive pollution control devices in order to improve vehicle performance. Alteration of decision-making structures includes all possible modifications in the authority, constitution, or responsibility of private and public entities deciding questions of technological development and implementation. Such alterations include the addition of public-interest members to corporate boards, the imposition by statute of duties on governmental decision-makers, and the extension of warranties in response to consumer action. Effective use of these methods to control technology depends on whether or not the goal of regulation is the optimal allocation of resources. When the object is optimal resource allocation, that combination of legal methods should be used that most nearly yields the allocation that would exist if there were no external costs resulting from allocating resources through market activity. There are external costs when the price set by buyers and sellers of goods fails to include some costs, to anyone, that result from the production and use of the goods. Such costs are internalized when buyers pay them. Air pollution from motor vehicles imposes external costs on all those exposed to it, in the form of soiling, materials damage, and disease: these externalities result from failure to place a price on air, thus making it a free good, common to all. Such externalities lead to no optimal resource allocation, because the private net product and the social net product of market activity are not often identical. If all externalities were internalized, transactions would occur until bargaining could no longer improve the situation, thus giving an optimal allocation of resources at a given time.


Question:
24. On the basis of the passage, it can be inferred that the author would agree with
which of the following statements concerning technological development?
(A) The government should own technological operations.
(B) The effect of technological development cannot be controlled.
(C) Some technological developments are beneficial.
(D) The current state of technological development results in a good allocation of
resources.
(E) Applications of technological developments are criminally destructive.

 

[Raymott]

The following sentence implies that the author would agree that "(C) Some technological developments are beneficial."
"Effective use of these methods to control technology depends on whether or not the goal of regulation is the optimal allocation of resources." Hence the author agrees that it's possible to impose effective use of methods of control on technology, and hence that at least some technology is useful (by implication).

But I think you could have picked C by ruling out all of the others. A, B, D, E seem a priori incorrect even before reading the article, just as C would be the default answer if you hadn't had time to read the article.
It's often effective to choose what seems to be the apparent right answer, and then read to see if that answer is contradicted in the passage. C isn't contradicted. The others are, mainly by implication.

PS: It's also immediately apparent that if the author didn't believe C, he'd hardly be writing such a long and detailed article on how to control and regulate technology.

 

[jutfrank]

To rule out (C) Some technological developments are beneficial, you're left with the claim that no technological developments are beneficial, which seems to me a close-to-impossible position to take.

I don't much like the questions from this book. Can you tell us the name of the author or publisher?

 

[Raymott]

To rule out (C) Some technological developments are beneficial, you're left with the claim that no technological developments are beneficial, which seems to me a close-to-impossible position to take.

That's what I was saying in a roundabout way, without wishing to claim that no passage could be written that held the view that no technological developments were beneficial.

 

[jutfrank]

It's not the book's fault. These things are (or were) typical of some of the reading and listening comprehensions in some Cambridge examinations that the writer(s) of the book want to prepare learners for. It's one of the reasons I gave up being a Cambridge examiner. I was more interested in people's ability in English than in their skill at seeing into a question-setter's mind.

But a well-written question does not require seeing into the question-setter's mind, nor require any previous subject knowledge. I've been teaching Cambridge exams for many years and I really can't agree that they do this. It's the unofficial exam preparation coursebooks who do. I'm not saying it's easy to write questions like this, by the way. On the contrary. Maybe I was a bit harsh.

 

[emsr2d2]

I don't think anyone's pointed this out before but the word order in your title is wrong. We don't say "Why C is ...?" We say "Why is C ...?"

 

[Soniasa]

To rule out (C) Some technological developments are beneficial, you're left with the claim that no technological developments are beneficial, which seems to me a close-to-impossible position to take.

I don't much like the questions from this book. Can you tell us the name of the author or publisher?

The book's author is "Educational Testing Service" and it's one of the main materials GRE test-takers consider.

 

[Soniasa]

The following sentence implies that the author would agree that "(C) Some technological developments are beneficial."
"Effective use of these methods to control technology depends on whether or not the goal of regulation is the optimal allocation of resources." Hence the author agrees that it's possible to impose effective use of methods of control on technology, and hence that at least some technology is useful (by implication).

But I think you could have picked C by ruling out all of the others. A, B, D, E seem a priori incorrect even before reading the article, just as C would be the default answer if you hadn't had time to read the article.
It's often effective to choose what seems to be the apparent right answer, and then read to see if that answer is contradicted in the passage. C isn't contradicted. The others are, mainly by implication.

PS: It's also immediately apparent that if the author didn't believe C, he'd hardly be writing such a long and detailed article on how to control and regulate technology.

First of all, thanks for your explanation. Considering your point that without reading the whole paragraph, it would have been easy to pick "c" based on our common knowledge. Well, I could have picked it but the test is not about our knowledge nor what we think is right. We need to look into the paragraphs to select the right answer.

 

[Soniasa]

Could you please tell me what the meanings of the bold sentences are?

"Such modifications may consist of imposing taxes to cover the costs to society of a given technology, granting subsidies to pay for social benefits of a technology, creating the right to sue to prevent certain technological development, or easing procedural rules to enable the recovery of damages to compensate for harm caused by destructive technological activity."

"Criminal prohibitions may modify technological activity in areasimpinging on fundamental social values, or they may modify human behavior likely to result from technological applications—for example, the deactivation of automotive pollution control devices in order to improve vehicle performance."

1- imposing taxes to .... Does it mean to impose taxes ON PEOPLE WHO UTILIZE THE GIVEN TECHNOLOGY in order to cover the costs?

2- creating the right to use .... Does it mean THEY WOULD SUE EVERYONE WHO WOULD DEVELOP THE GIVEN TECHNOLOGY?

3-Criminal prohibitions may modify .... I cannot related the example provided with the first part of the sentence( criminal prohibitions....). Can you please explain the meaning of the sentence regarding the example?


Thanks a lot

 

[Raymott]

We need to look into the paragraphs to select the right answer.

Of course you do. I'm suggesting that a paragraph like that is a lot easier to read if you're looking for something that's either in it or not in it.

 

[Soniasa]

Of course you do. I'm suggesting that a paragraph like that is a lot easier to read if you're looking for something that's either in it or not in it.

Sir, it may be easy for you.But, for someone like me who is struggling to learn a new language might not be. That's why I come to this forum to get some help.

 

[Raymott]

I was giving suggestions that might make these questions easier for you. Naturally, if you don't find the suggestions useful, you shouldn't use them.

 

[jutfrank]

Sir, it may be easy for you. But, for someone like me who is struggling to learn a new language might not be. That's why I come to this forum to get some help.

We are very much aware that these questions can be very hard, Soniasa. That's why Raymott was very helpfully showing you ways to deal with them. To make them as 'easy' as they can possibly be.