priyankagh wrote:
Can someone explain C vs E?
Hello,
priyankagh. I will go one better. Since I do not see any other Expert replies, I will offer a full analysis of the question for the benefit of the community.
Quote:
Commentator: In academic scholarship, sources are always cited, and methodology and theoretical assumptions are set out, so as to allow critical study, replication, and expansion of scholarship. In open-source software, the code in which the program is written can be viewed and modified by individual users for their purposes without getting permission from the producer or paying a fee. In contrast, the code of proprietary software is kept secret, and modifications can be made only by the producer, for a fee. This shows that open-source software better matches the values embodied in academic scholarship, and since scholarship is central to the mission of universities, universities should use only open-source software.
The commentator’s reasoning most closely conforms to which one of the following principles?
The passage discusses a similarity between
academic scholarship and
open-source software while also drawing a contrast between these two and
proprietary software. We should set the facts straight before we proceed:
Academic scholarship: 1) sources are always cited; 2) methodology and theoretical assumptions are set out; 3) the aim is to allow critical study, replication, and expansion of scholarship
Open-source software: 1) the code can be viewed and modified without permission or paying a fee
Proprietary software: 1) the code is kept secret and can be modified only by the producer by paying a fee
Central to the argument that
universities should use only open-source software is the shared value system of academic scholarship and open-source software, specifically open access and the encouragement to modify existing work.
Quote:
(A) Whatever software tools are most advanced and can achieve the goals of academic scholarship are the ones that should alone be used in universities.
The technological capabilities of software are not discussed in the passage, so the
most advanced software is not pertinent to matter at hand. In general, it is a good idea to watch for overreaching language, words that end in -st or outline absolute conditions: cannot, must, always, never, and so on.
Quote:
(B) Universities should use the type of software technology that is least expensive, as long as that type of software technology is adequate for the purposes of academic scholarship.
Did you catch the superlative—
least—this time? Yes, the passage does mention a
fee associated with proprietary software, but the comparison between academic scholarship and open-source software is not based on a fee structure. The relationship is built more on open access, and
least expensive here is unwarranted.
Quote:
(C) Universities should choose the type of software technology that best matches the values embodied in the activities that are central to the mission of universities.
This statement aligns almost word for word with the last line of the passage. Look at a rearranged version:
Universities should use only open-source software [because] open-source software better matches the values embodied in academic scholarship, [and] scholarship is central to the mission of universities.You might be wondering about the superlative
best in the answer choice. How did
better from the passage become
best in the answer choice? Notice, first, that the call for universities to use open-source software is extreme in itself:
universities should use only open-source software. And although the passage mentions only two types of software—hence, the comparative
better—it is reasonable to expect that in this line of thought, the argument could extend to other types of software technology that are not explicitly mentioned—i.e. the comparison does not need to touch on all types of software technology for the point to be made. In short, there is nothing out of line in this answer choice, so it is a safe bet.
Quote:
(D) The form of software technology that best matches the values embodied in the activities that are central to the mission of universities is the form of software technology that is most efficient for universities to use.
Efficiency is never mentioned in the passage. The answer choice starts out just fine, but once it takes a turn, the logic becomes ill-founded. This question of the
most efficient software technology is pure speculation.
Quote:
(E) A university should not pursue any activity that would block the achievement of the goals of academic scholarship at that university.
Remember, the question stem asks us to identify a principle that
most closely conforms to the commentator's reasoning. That line of reasoning is not based on negation, so
blocking the achievement of goals seems out of place, not to mention that
any activity is another extreme. The argument in question proposes the use of open-source software over proprietary software based on an alignment of values, but
any activity goes beyond the scope of the discussion.
Perhaps the question and the answer choices make more sense now. Good luck with your studies.
- Andrew
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Updated on: 30 Apr 2018, 06:00
35%
(medium)
24%
(02:34)
wrong 
