dips wrote:
Lark Manufacturing Company initiated a voluntary Quality Circles program for machine operators. Independent surveys of employee attitudes indicated that the machine operators participating in the program were less satisfied with their work situations after two years of the program’s existence than they were at the program’s start. Obviously, any workers who participate in a Quality Circles program will, as a result, become less satisfied with their jobs.
Each of the following, if true, would weaken the conclusion drawn above EXCEPT:
(A) The second survey occurred during a period of recession when rumors of cutbacks and layoffs at Lark Manufacturing were plentiful.
(B) The surveys also showed that those Lark machine operators who neither participated in Quality Circles nor knew anyone who did so reported the same degree of lessened satisfaction with their work situations as did the Lark machine operators who participated in Quality Circles.
(C) While participating in Quality Circles at Lark Manufacturing, machine operators exhibited two of the primary indicators of improved job satisfaction: increased productivity and decreased absenteeism.
(D) Several workers at Lark Manufacturing who had participated in Quality Circles while employed at other companies reported that, while participating in Quality Circles in their previous companies, their work satisfaction had increased.
(E) The machine operators who participated in Quality Circles reported that, when the program started, they felt that participation might improve their work situations.
Say at the beginning of 2020, a survey was conducted to find out work satisfaction levels among operators.
After that quality circles program was initiated.
In the beginning of 2022, another survey found that program participants were less happy now than in 2020.
Conclusion: Any workers who participate in a Quality Circles program will, as a result, become less satisfied with their jobs.Our conclusion is that the program is responsible for lowering satisfaction. It is a weaken except question so we need four options that weaken the claim. That tell us that the program may not be responsible for the lower satisfaction.
(A) The second survey occurred during a period of recession when rumors of cutbacks and layoffs at Lark Manufacturing were plentiful.
Weakens. In recession, people would be feeling down irrespective of the program.
(B) The surveys also showed that those Lark machine operators who neither participated in Quality Circles nor knew anyone who did so reported the same degree of lessened satisfaction with their work situations as did the Lark machine operators who participated in Quality Circles.
Weakens. Those who did not participate also reported less satisfaction. This means, the program may have had nothing to do with decreasing satisfaction levels.
(C) While participating in Quality Circles at Lark Manufacturing, machine operators exhibited two of the primary indicators of improved job satisfaction: increased productivity and decreased absenteeism.
Weakens. While they were participating, the operators showed increase productivity and decreased absenteeism, indicators of better satisfaction. So the program may not have led to the decreased satisfaction of 2022.
(D) Several workers at Lark Manufacturing who had participated in Quality Circles while employed at other companies reported that, while participating in Quality Circles in their previous companies, their work satisfaction had increased.
Weakens. Looks like the programs usually causes increased satisfaction. So it may not be responsible for this decrease.
(E) The machine operators who participated in Quality Circles reported that, when the program started, they felt that participation might improve their work situations.
Our first survey happened before the initiation of the program. When the program got initiated, operators thought that their participation might improve their work situation and hence, perhaps many of them participated. But this has no impact on the 2020 survey.
We are not given what the operators felt in 2022. Did they think that the program led to an improvement in work situation or worsening of it, we do not know.
Note that the survey found that operators were less satisfied in 2022. It does not discuss why the operators thought they were less satisfied. It may have had nothing to do with the program. For example, the covid situation may have led to decrease in satisfaction over the two years. Perhaps the operators felt that the program enabled them to handle the unfortunate circumstances, we don't know. So they may be better off than what they would have been without the program.
The point here is that their expectation at the time of the start of the program does not tell us whether the program was actually responsible for the worsening of the situation or not.
Hence, answer (E)