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Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best
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Updated on: 29 Jul 2013, 05:41
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Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best and most useful ideas only after doodling and jotting down what turn out to be outlandish ideas. Now that many engineers do their work with computers instead of on paper, however, doodling is becoming much less common, and some experts fear that the result will be fewer creative and useful engineering ideas. These experts argue that this undesirable consequence would be avoided if computer programs for engineering work included simulated notepads that would allow engineers to suspend their “serious” work on the computer, type up outlandish ideas, and then quickly return to their original work.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the experts’ reasoning depends?
(A) Most creative engineers who work with paper and pencil spend about as much time doodling as they spend on what they consider serious work.
(B) Simulated notepads would not be used by engineers for any purpose other than typing up outlandish ideas.
(C) No engineers who work with computers keep paper and pencil near their computers in order to doodle and jot down ideas.
(D) The physical act of working on paper is not essential in providing engineers with the benefits that can be gained by doodling.
(E) Most of the outlandish ideas engineers jot down while doodling are later incorporated into projects that have practical applications.
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29 Jul 2013, 13:18
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cesium4u wrote:
Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best and most useful ideas only after doodling and jotting down what turn out to be outlandish ideas. Now that many engineers do their work with computers instead of on paper, however, doodling is becoming much less common, and some experts fear that the result will be fewer creative and useful engineering ideas. These experts argue that this undesirable consequence would be avoided if computer programs for engineering work included simulated notepads that would allow engineers to suspend their “serious” work on the computer, type up outlandish ideas, and then quickly return to their original work.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the experts’ reasoning depends? (A) Most creative engineers who work with paper and pencil spend about as much time doodling as they spend on what they consider serious work. (B) Simulated notepads would not be used by engineers for any purpose other than typing up outlandish ideas. (C) No engineers who work with computers keep paper and pencil near their computers in order to doodle and jot down ideas. (D) The physical act of working on paper is not essential in providing engineers with the benefits that can be gained by doodling. (E) Most of the outlandish ideas engineers jot down while doodling are later incorporated into projects that have practical applications.
Why not C??
Hi cesium4u.
I'm glad to help.
First of all, I will generalize the stimulus as follows: X is good However, X is no longer available Y that is simulated X is necessary
Assumption: Y should be at least as good as X. Negation to confirm: If X is much better than Y, the conclusion fails.
APPLY TO THE QUESTION: Fact: Most creative engineers get their best and most useful ideas only after doodling and jotting down what turn out to be outlandish ideas. Fact: Now that many engineers do their work with computers instead of on paper, Fact: Doodling is becoming much less common, Conclusion: It’s necessary to create computer programs for engineering work included simulated notepads that would allow engineers to suspend their “serious” work on the computer, type up outlandish ideas, and then quickly return to their original work.
ANALYZE EACH ANSWER:
(A) Most creative engineers who work with paper and pencil spend about as much time doodling as they spend on what they consider serious work. Wrong. Out of scope. We do not compare “time” here.
(B) Simulated notepads would not be used by engineers for any purpose other than typing up outlandish ideas. Wrong. Out of scope. We just talk about the usefulness of simulated notepads for creating outlandish ideas. Nothing about “other purposes”. The fact that simulated notepads can be used for other purposes is not the assumption of the main conclusion “simulated notepads can help engineer to create outlandish ideas”.
(C) No engineers who work with computers keep paper and pencil near their computers in order to doodle and jot down ideas. Wrong. TEMPTING. But C has two problems: (1) The fact clearly says that: “Doodling is becoming much less common”. So even when the engineers have paper and pencil, they will not spend time to doodle on paper because they are doing their “serious” work on the computer. (2) Read the conclusion carefully: “…… computer programs would allow engineers to suspend their “serious” work on the computer, type up outlandish ideas, and then quickly return to their original work”. The conclusion emphasizes that simulate notepads can help engineers who are doing “serious work” on the computer, so they can type and return quickly to their original work. In fact, paper and pencil can help engineers to jot down ideas, but the engineers can't return quickly to their "serious works". Thus, focus on each word in the conclusion is really important.
(D) The physical act of working on paper is not essential in providing engineers with the benefits that can be gained by doodling. Correct. This assumption states that simulated notepads can definitely replace papers.
(E) Most of the outlandish ideas engineers jot down while doodling are later incorporated into projects that have practical applications. Wrong. Out of scope. Nothing about “practical applications”.
Hope it’s clear.
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"Designing cars consumes you; it has a hold on your spirit which is incredibly powerful. It's not something you can do part time, you have do it with all your heart and soul or you're going to get it wrong."
yes C is kind of extreme by saying NO engineers, however D is the answer, got this one wrong in an attempt to do it in less than 1 min, i thought C is the answer , but at closer look D is better than C
D is the answer, read on to learn a technique to solve this question type.
the main method used to answer ASSUMPTION questions, is called the negation method. in this question type the answer choices are all assumptions but you have to choose the one that renders the main conclusion of the stem correct from a logical perspective. from logical stand point, viewing this question type, the assumption is a necessery condition which will go with the main conclusion. so in a scense the main conclusion is the sufficiant condition and the assumption is the necessery condition. as every one knows diagraming logic: sufficiant condition ----> necessery condition / this statment is equal to: NO necessery condition---->NO sufficiant condition so if we negate the necessery condition the sufficiant condition will not happen. so in this question type if we negate the CORRECT assumption[the correct answer choice] it should lead to disqualification of the main conclusion.
in this question D says "The physical act of working on paper is not essential in providing engineers with the benefits that can be gained by doodling." so if we negat this we will get the statement:The physical act of working on paper is essential in providing engineers with the benefits that can be gained by doodling. so if the actual act of working on papper is essential then the expert's idea of using computer to type the ideas will be disquallified completely to remedy the problem they are facing. therefore for the main conclusion by the expert to stand valid the expert necesserly needs to assume that the "The physical act of working on paper is not essential in providing engineers with the benefits that can be gained by doodling.
but use the negation technique after you actually eliminated the obvious wrong choices and deciding b/w more tricky choices[to save time].
Studies show that the most creative engineers get their
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Updated on: 29 Jul 2013, 05:42
Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best and most useful ideas only after doodling and jotting down what turn out to be outlandish ideas. Now that many engineers do their work with computers instead of on paper, however, doodling is becoming much less common, and some experts fear that the result will be fewer creative and useful engineering ideas. These experts argue that this undesirable consequence would be avoided if computer programs for engineering work included simulated notepads that would allow engineers to suspend their “serious” work on the computer, type up outlandish ideas, and then quickly return to their original work.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the experts’ reasoning depends? (A) Most creative engineers who work with paper and pencil spend about as much time doodling as they spend on what they consider serious work. (B) Simulated notepads would not be used by engineers for any purpose other than typing up outlandish ideas. (C) No engineers who work with computers keep paper and pencil near their computers in order to doodle and jot down ideas. (D) The physical act of working on paper is not essential in providing engineers with the benefits that can be gained by doodling. (E) Most of the outlandish ideas engineers jot down while doodling are later incorporated into projects that have practical applications.
Why not C??
Originally posted by cesium4u on 29 Jul 2013, 04:06.
Last edited by Zarrolou on 29 Jul 2013, 05:42, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best
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30 Jul 2013, 19:38
Mishari wrote:
Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best and most useful ideas only after doodling and jotting down what turn out to be outlandish ideas. Now that many engineers do their work with computers instead of on paper, however, doodling is becoming much less common, and some experts fear that the result will be fewer creative and useful engineering ideas. These experts argue that this undesirable consequence would be avoided if computer programs for engineering work included simulated notepads that would allow engineers to suspend their “serious” work on the computer, type up outlandish ideas, and then quickly return to their original work.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the experts’ reasoning depends?
(A) Most creative engineers who work with paper and pencil spend about as much time doodling as they spend on what they consider serious work.
(B) Simulated notepads would not be used by engineers for any purpose other than typing up outlandish ideas.
(C) No engineers who work with computers keep paper and pencil near their computers in order to doodle and jot down ideas.
(D) The physical act of working on paper is not essential in providing engineers with the benefits that can be gained by doodling.
(E) Most of the outlandish ideas engineers jot down while doodling are later incorporated into projects that have practical applications.
its straight forward. the author proposes simulated notepads based on the premise that the physical act of working on paper is not essential in providing the engineers with the benefit that can be gained by doodling. so D is the best. A does not support the usage of simulated notepads. B seems to be relevant, but does not provide evidence of benefits of simulated notepads. C and E somewhat strengthen the conclusion, but also do not give the evidence of the benefit of simulated notepads.
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Re: Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best
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08 May 2015, 06:41
Mishari wrote:
Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best and most useful ideas only after doodling and jotting down what turn out to be outlandish ideas. Now that many engineers do their work with computers instead of on paper, however, doodling is becoming much less common, and some experts fear that the result will be fewer creative and useful engineering ideas. These experts argue that this undesirable consequence would be avoided if computer programs for engineering work included simulated notepads that would allow engineers to suspend their “serious” work on the computer, type up outlandish ideas, and then quickly return to their original work.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the experts’ reasoning depends?
(A) Most creative engineers who work with paper and pencil spend about as much time doodling as they spend on what they consider serious work.
(B) Simulated notepads would not be used by engineers for any purpose other than typing up outlandish ideas.
(C) No engineers who work with computers keep paper and pencil near their computers in order to doodle and jot down ideas.
(D) The physical act of working on paper is not essential in providing engineers with the benefits that can be gained by doodling.
(E) Most of the outlandish ideas engineers jot down while doodling are later incorporated into projects that have practical applications.
I was able to narrow down to B and D. I am not able to understand why we rule out B. B is hurting the purpose of stimulated notepads (for which they were used) and is within scope. The whole argument talks about purpose of stimulated notepads.
Re: Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best
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08 May 2015, 06:50
Mishari wrote:
Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best and most useful ideas only after doodling and jotting down what turn out to be outlandish ideas. Now that many engineers do their work with computers instead of on paper, however, doodling is becoming much less common, and some experts fear that the result will be fewer creative and useful engineering ideas. These experts argue that this undesirable consequence would be avoided if computer programs for engineering work included simulated notepads that would allow engineers to suspend their “serious” work on the computer, type up outlandish ideas, and then quickly return to their original work.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the experts’ reasoning depends?
(A) Most creative engineers who work with paper and pencil spend about as much time doodling as they spend on what they consider serious work.
(B) Simulated notepads would not be used by engineers for any purpose other than typing up outlandish ideas.
(C) No engineers who work with computers keep paper and pencil near their computers in order to doodle and jot down ideas.
(D) The physical act of working on paper is not essential in providing engineers with the benefits that can be gained by doodling.
(E) Most of the outlandish ideas engineers jot down while doodling are later incorporated into projects that have practical applications.
I am not able to understand why B is out. B is hurting the purpose of notepads for which they were made. The whole argument talks about purpose of notepads.
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08 May 2015, 06:54
Mishari wrote:
Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best and most useful ideas only after doodling and jotting down what turn out to be outlandish ideas. Now that many engineers do their work with computers instead of on paper, however, doodling is becoming much less common, and some experts fear that the result will be fewer creative and useful engineering ideas. These experts argue that this undesirable consequence would be avoided if computer programs for engineering work included simulated notepads that would allow engineers to suspend their “serious” work on the computer, type up outlandish ideas, and then quickly return to their original work.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the experts’ reasoning depends?
(A) Most creative engineers who work with paper and pencil spend about as much time doodling as they spend on what they consider serious work.
(B) Simulated notepads would not be used by engineers for any purpose other than typing up outlandish ideas.
(C) No engineers who work with computers keep paper and pencil near their computers in order to doodle and jot down ideas.
(D) The physical act of working on paper is not essential in providing engineers with the benefits that can be gained by doodling.
(E) Most of the outlandish ideas engineers jot down while doodling are later incorporated into projects that have practical applications.
I am not able to understand why B is out. B is hurting the purpose of notepads for which they were made. The whole argument talks about purpose of notepads.
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Re: Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best
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08 May 2015, 10:03
see the conclusion requires a balance between 2 types of notepad(real & virtual) B. Even if we know that engineers sometimes sketch the hot girl sitting next bay does that really helps in conlusion? D. says that both notepads are queal in some sense.
Re: Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best
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21 May 2015, 01:27
Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best and most useful ideas only after doodling and jotting down what turn out to be outlandish ideas. Now that many engineers do their work with computers instead of on paper, however, doodling is becoming much less common, and some experts fear that the result will be fewer creative and useful engineering ideas. These experts argue that this undesirable consequence would be avoided if computer programs for engineering work included simulated notepads that would allow engineers to suspend their “serious” work on the computer, type up outlandish ideas, and then quickly return to their original work. If engineers have simulated notepads that replace paper doodling the undesirable consequence (loss of creative thinking) can be avoided. Which one of the following is an assumption on which the experts’ reasoning depends?
(A) Most creative engineers who work with paper and pencil spend about as much time doodling as they spend on what they consider serious work. Out of scope - argument is about simulated notepads, and not about time
(B) Simulated notepads would not be used by engineers for any purpose other than typing up outlandish ideas. Whether or not the simulated notepads are used for purposes in addition to typing up outlandish ideas is out of scope (C) No engineers who work with computers keep paper and pencil near their computers in order to doodle and jot down ideas. The question is whether or not the simulated pad can be a substitute for paper and pencil. The presence or absence of paper and pencil near the computer is not relevant.
(D) The physical act of working on paper is not essential in providing engineers with the benefits that can be gained by doodling.
(E) Most of the outlandish ideas engineers jot down while doodling are later incorporated into projects that have practical applications.What becomes of the outlandish ideas is irrelevant
Re: Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best
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13 Oct 2016, 19:25
Mishari wrote:
Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best and most useful ideas only after doodling and jotting down what turn out to be outlandish ideas. Now that many engineers do their work with computers instead of on paper, however, doodling is becoming much less common, and some experts fear that the result will be fewer creative and useful engineering ideas. These experts argue that this undesirable consequence would be avoided if computer programs for engineering work included simulated notepads that would allow engineers to suspend their “serious” work on the computer, type up outlandish ideas, and then quickly return to their original work.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the experts’ reasoning depends?
(A) Most creative engineers who work with paper and pencil spend about as much time doodling as they spend on what they consider serious work.
(B) Simulated notepads would not be used by engineers for any purpose other than typing up outlandish ideas.
(C) No engineers who work with computers keep paper and pencil near their computers in order to doodle and jot down ideas.
(D) The physical act of working on paper is not essential in providing engineers with the benefits that can be gained by doodling.
(E) Most of the outlandish ideas engineers jot down while doodling are later incorporated into projects that have practical applications.
Can someone explain why using negation will not render C the right answer?
Negation of C: Engineers who work with computers keep paper and pencil near their computers in order to doodle and jot down ideas. This itself destroys the conclusion.
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Re: Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best
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15 Oct 2016, 02:51
D is the correct answer.
Conclusion: this undesirable consequence would be avoided if computer programs for engineering work included simulated notepads that would allow engineers to suspend their “serious” work on the computer, type up outlandish ideas, and then quickly return to their original work
Premise: some experts fear that the result will be fewer creative and useful engineering ideas
The premise is also an intermediate conclusion over her. This identification is crucial in the first step.
Now, simulated notepad can work in place of paper based notepads; this can be only true assuming, end result, which is getting useful engineering ideas, does involve same advantages or creativity boost for getting ideas. If, the mind works differently using 2 approaches, conclusion will not hold true. D bridges or covers this missing point.
Re: Studies show that the most creative engineers get their best
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07 Oct 2017, 19:42
Seems like there are still a few of us that doesn't get why C doesn't work. Let's try to rectify that.
(C) No engineers who work with computers keep paper and pencil near their computers in order to doodle and jot down ideas.
There are a couple of reasons why this doesn't work, as temping as (C) is. 1. First of all "doodling is becoming much less common" is a fact provided by the argument. So even if there are a lot of engineers that keep pencil and paper ready, they wouldn't be doodling simply because they are too used to be on the computer all the time. The facts of the argument supports this indirectly.
2. Extreme answer. "No engineers" does the argument need to assume absolutely 0 engineers in the world has pens and paper beside them? It's possible but doesn't seem likely or more importantly, REASONABLE. GMAT arguments make reasonable assumptions.
3. If you are still not convinced, let's pull out the oldest trick in the book - NEGATION. The negation of (C) is Some engineers who work with computers.... How many is some? 2? 200? 5 million? Let's also put in (1) here, we know not MANY people doodle. So some here is most likely a SMALL number which may in a very SMALL scale weakens the argument.
But (D) provides a much more powerful assumption and that's why it wins.
I almost picked (C). Remember..when you get to the last choices..you need to think critically and fiercely examine the DIFFERENCE between the contender and the right answer.
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52% (02:09) correct 
