Over the past couple of decades, professional and amateur photographer

Question

Project RC Butler 2020  -  Participate and win GMAT Club Tests.   
Passage # 81, Date: 11-May-2020
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Over the past couple of decades, professional and amateur photographers alike have been increasingly confronted with an unexpected problem, an issue that seldom arose with conventional film photography. In contrast to print film technology, the advent of digital photography allows a photographer to store a near-infinite number of images in a very small space, and to instantaneously share digital photos via an Internet connection or by sending the image from cell phone to cell phone. Since the digital image can be copied without loss of resolution, adopting digital photography in favor of film may seem to be the ideal solution for preserving photos indefinitely. But while traditional prints may fade over time, gradually losing resolution or parts of the image, digital images are far more vulnerable to wholesale eradication due to a hard drive crash or a malicious computer virus. Another consideration is that whole collections of images can become inaccessible due to the rapid evolution of the storage medium. Even when taking care to save photo files in the most popular format, photographers must contend with the fact that storage media become regularly superseded by newer technology.

To avoid image loss through accident or obsolescence, family archivists hoping to preserve their children''s photos for posterity should consider making backups the first line of defense in preserving digital information. Many universities and businesses regularly transfer all digital data into new formats as the technology becomes available, and individual consumers may simply have to resign themselves to doing the same. Labeling the archived file with the date and subject of the photo, just as generations have done with print media, is always advisable. And finally, producing archival print copies for storage may be the best security: a box full of photos can last up to 100 years under appropriate environmental conditions, far longer than platforms for data storage typically remain popular.   1 
 C 
 1. As a whole, the passage is primarily concerned with:

A. contrasting the advantages of film photography to the benefits of digital photograph
B. advocating a return to conventional film photography
C. recommending solutions to a problem inherent with the use of a newer technology
D. demonstrating that, because the digital images can be copied without loss of resolution, this format is superior to film prints
E. discussing the evolution of photographic methods over time

2 
 E 
 2. The passage mentions which of the following as a possible consequence of saving image files in only the most popular format?

A. An increase in the number of universities transferring their collections to newer media as technology changes
B. Decreased protection from fading over time or gradual loss of resolution of the digital image
C. Increased protection from wholesale eradication of a photo collection due to a malicious computer virus
D. An ability to send digital images between cell phones and to sharing sites via an Internet connection
E. Increased susceptibility to comprehensive data loss as standards of file storage change over time

3 
 A 
 3.Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?

A. Before the advent of digital photography, storage of film prints required more space to store and archive than did storage of digital photos.
B. Collections of film prints have never been vulnerable to wholesale eradication.
C. Before the advent of digital photography, most corporations regularly copied their image documents into new film formats as they became available.
D. Professional photographers used to store many more print images than did amateur photographers.
E. Photographers did not need to produce archival print copies of film photos for storage, since the originals were already in print format.

PR CAT #2

Gladiator59 · Answer

4 mins 29 secs... all correct. Good and easy passage but the questions had a few tricks up their sleeves.

Let me know if anyone struggled with questions and I will add my take on all the questions in another post or as an edit to this post.

Best,
Gladi

Skywalker18 · Answer

Para 1- an unexpected problem with the advent of digital photography, digital seems to be ideal but the risks associated
Para 2- How to avoid image loss?

Interesting passage. Took 6 mins and 30 seconds in total, including 3 mins to read. All correct.

1.  As a whole, the passage is primarily concerned with: 
A. contrasting the advantages of film photography to the benefits of digital photograph - Incorrect
B. advocating a return to conventional film photography - Incorrect
C. recommending solutions to a problem inherent with the use of a newer technology - Correct
D. demonstrating that, because the digital images can be copied without loss of resolution, this format is superior to film prints - Incorrect
E. discussing the evolution of photographic methods over time - Irrelevant

2.  The passage mentions which of the following as a possible consequence of saving image files in only the most popular format? 
Another consideration is that whole collections of images can become inaccessible due to the rapid evolution of the storage medium. Even when taking care to save photo files in the most popular format, photographers must contend with the fact that storage media become regularly superseded by newer technology.

E. Increased susceptibility to comprehensive data loss as standards of file storage change over time - Correct

3. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?

A. Before the advent of digital photography, storage of film prints required more space to store and archive than did storage of digital photos. - Correct

In contrast to print film technology,  the advent of digital photography allows a photographer to store a near-infinite number of images in a very small space , and to instantaneously share digital photos via an Internet connection or by sending the image from cell phone to cell phone.

B. Collections of film prints have never been vulnerable to wholesale eradication. - Incorrect - never seems to strong and the passage tells that digital is more vulnerable
C. Before the advent of digital photography, most corporations regularly copied their image documents into new film formats as they became available. - Incorrect - this happened after the advent of digital
D. Professional photographers used to store many more print images than did amateur photographers. - Out of scope
E. Photographers did not need to produce archival print copies of film photos for storage, since the originals were already in print format.- Incorrect

Answer A

sheldongeorge · Answer

I think C in Q.1 is vague due to use of the term "new technology" ; passage talks only abput digital photography and not ALL newer technologies. A appears more appropriate in contrast.
 GMATNinja  only can validate or refute my hypothesis.

AnirudhaS · Answer

"only" gmatninja can validate your hypothesis --> we generally do not like extreme words in the GMAT!

I'll answer till you wait for the master to reply. The primary purpose is not only to contrast the advantage of film photography to benefits of its digital counterpart, but it also talks about where digital prints may fall short of all its advantages. The following part in the passage confirms this - "But while traditional prints may fade over time, gradually losing resolution or parts of the image, digital images are far more vulnerable to wholesale eradication due to a hard drive crash or a malicious computer virus." Now coming to option C C. recommending solutions to a problem inherent with the use of a newer technology the key word is the article "a" a newer technology not "all" newer technologies as you read it. Hope this helps.

OJA · Answer

Could someone explain why not option E for Q3 ?

napolean92728 · Answer

1.   As a whole, the passage is primarily concerned with: 
 Correct Answer: C. recommending solutions to a problem inherent with the use of a newer technology

Explanation: 
The passage begins by introducing a  problem  related to  digital photography —namely, that while it's convenient and efficient, digital images are vulnerable to total loss due to crashes, viruses, or technological obsolescence. It then goes on to  recommend solutions , such as making backups, updating storage formats, and producing archival prints.

❌ Why the other options are wrong:
 
  A.  The passage does mention differences between film and digital, but the  main focus  is not a direct comparison—it's about  addressing digital image loss . 
  B.  There's  no advocacy  for returning to film photography. Film is discussed only for context and contrast. 
  D.  The passage  does not claim digital is superior ; it actually highlights serious drawbacks. 
  E.  The passage  isn’t about historical evolution  of methods, but rather about  preservation issues  in the digital age.

2. The passage mentions which of the following as a possible consequence of saving image files in only the most popular format? 
The correct answer is:
  E. Increased susceptibility to comprehensive data loss as standards of file storage change over time

Explanation  : 
The passage states:
 
This means that  even popular formats can become obsolete  as storage technologies evolve, potentially making photo collections  inaccessible,  hence, the  increased susceptibility to comprehensive data loss .

❌  Why the other options are incorrect: 
 A. An increase in the number of universities transferring their collections to newer media as technology changes 
 
 The passage mentions that universities already do this regularly. It's not a  consequence  of saving files in a popular format; rather, it's an  existing practice .  
 B. Decreased protection from fading over time or gradual loss of resolution of the digital image 
 
 The opposite is true. The passage says digital images don’t fade or lose resolution like physical prints; instead, their risk is  wholesale loss , not gradual degradation.  
 C. Increased protection from wholesale eradication of a photo collection due to a malicious computer virus 
 
 Again, the passage implies that digital images are  more vulnerable  to wholesale eradication from viruses or hardware failure, not less.  
 D. An ability to send digital images between cell phones and to sharing sites via an Internet connection 
 
 This is a general feature of digital photography, not a  consequence  of saving images in a specific format.

3.   Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage? 
 Correct Answer: A. Before the advent of digital photography, storage of film prints required more space to store and archive than did storage of digital photos.

Explanation: 
The passage contrasts the compactness of digital storage with film:
 
This implies that  film prints took up significantly more space , so this is a reasonable  inference .

❌ Why the other options are wrong:
 
  B.  The passage never says film collections were  never  vulnerable to wholesale loss—just that they were  less vulnerable  compared to digital. 
  C.  It mentions  universities and businesses  doing this now, but  not  that it was common before digital photography. 
  D.  No mention or comparison of how many prints pros vs. amateurs stored. 
  E.  While film photos are already printed, the passage does  not argue  archival copies were unnecessary—this statement assumes too much.

Over the past couple of decades, professional and amateur photographer

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Over the past couple of decades, professional and amateur photographer

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