It has long been a tenet of business theory that the best decisions ar

Question

New Project RC Butler 2019  -  Practice 2 RC Passages Everyday   
Passage # 55, Date : 28-FEB-2019
 This post is a part of New Project RC Butler 2019 .  Click here for Details

It has long been a tenet of business theory
that the best decisions are made after careful
review and consideration. Only after weighing all
the options and studying projections, say most 
 (5)  professors of business, can a practical decision be
made.

Now, that model is being questioned by some
business thinkers in the light of the theories of
Malcolm Gladwell, who states that human beings
 (10)  often make better decisions in the blink of an eye.
It is, at first glance, a theory so counter-
intuitive as to seem almost ludicrous. Behind any
decision, Gladwell posits, there is a behind-the-
scenes subconscious process in which the brain
 (15)  analyzes; ranks in order of importance; compares
and contrasts vast amounts of information; and
dismisses extraneous factors, seemingly almost
instantaneously, often arriving at a conclusion
in less than two seconds. Citing a multitude of 
 (20)  studies and examples from life, Gladwell shows
how that split-second decision is often better 
informed than a drawn-out examination.

Evanston and Cramer were the first to apply
this theory to the business world. Evanston
 (25)  videotaped the job interviews of 400 applicants at
different firms. He then played only 10 seconds of
each videotape to independent human resources
specialists. The specialists were able to pick out
the applicants who were hired with an accuracy of
 (30)  over 90%.

Cramer took the experiment even further, using
only five seconds of videotape, without sound.
To his astonishment, the rate of accuracy with
which the HR specialists were able to predict the
 (35)  successful applicants fell only to 82%.

Critics argue that these results illustrate a
problem with stereotyping that impedes human
resources specialists from hiring the best
candidates even when they have the time to
 (40)  get below the surface: going for the candidate
who “looks the part.” Gladwell argues that, on
the contrary, the human mind is able to make
complicated decisions quickly and that intuition
often trumps an extended decision-making
 (45)  process.   1 
 1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

A. discuss reasons an accepted business theory is being reexamined
B. present evidence that resolves a contradiction in business theory
C. describe a tenet of business practices and how that tenet can be tested in today’s economic environment
D. argue that a counter-intuitive new business idea is, in the final analysis, incorrect
E. present evidence that invalidates a new business model

2 
 2. According to the passage, all of the following are examples of the subconscious processes by which the brain makes a decision EXCEPT

A. analysis of information
B. ranking of information
C. comparison and contrast of information
D. rejecting information that is not pertinent
E. consulting a multitude of studies and examples

3 
 3. The author’s attitude toward the long-held view that decisions should be made carefully over time expressed in lines 1–5 can best be described as

A. dismissive and scornful
B. respectful but questioning
C. admiring and deferential
D. uncertain but optimistic
E. condescending and impatient

4 
 4. The author most likely mentions the results of Cramer’s extension of Evanston’s experiment in order to

A. show that Cramer’s hypothesis was correct, while Evanston’s hypothesis turned out to be incorrect
B. show that Evanston’s hypothesis was correct, while Cramer’s hypothesis turned out to be incorrect
C. demonstrate that while both experiments were scientifically rigorous, neither ended up being scientifically valid
D. illustrate that the principle of subconscious decisions continues to work even when less information is available
E. demonstrate that Cramer’s experiment was 8% more accurate than Evanston’s, even though his subjects had less information to work with

5 
 5. It can be inferred that the critics referred to in line 36 believed the results of the two experiments had less to do with the innate decision-making of the subjects than with

A. the excellent decision-making of Evanston and Cramer
B. the expertise of Malcolm Gladwell, who originated the theory
C. not choosing candidates who “looked the part”
D. the use of videotape as a method of choosing candidates
E. their unconscious use of visual stereotypes in making their selections

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Sajjad1994 · Accepted Answer

Official Explanation

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

Explanation

In this passage, the accepted practice of making thoughtful business decisions based on careful review is being questioned in light of a new theory. Both (D) and (E) imply that the author has rejected this new model. Choice (C) uses a catchy word from the passage (tenet) and fails to indicate that there is a new idea that goes against that tenet. Choice (B) implies that the contradiction between the theory of making decisions based on careful review and the theory of making split-second decisions has in fact been resolved.

The correct answer is (A).

2. According to the passage, all of the following are examples of the subconscious processes by which the brain makes a decision EXCEPT

Explanation

Where do you find the key words subconscious process? In the third paragraph. Choices (A), (B), (C), and (D) are all paraphrases of examples of the processes cited in that paragraph. Only (E) is not. In fact, the multitude of studies and examples are cited in support of Gladwell’s hypothesis.

The correct answer is (E).

3. The author’s attitude toward the long-held view that decisions should be made carefully over time expressed in lines 1–5 can best be described as

Explanation

Both (A) and (E) are too extreme to be the correct answer on the GMAT. But clearly, the new theory being described is an attempt to go beyond the conventional wisdom.

The correct answer is (B).

4. The author most likely mentions the results of Cramer’s extension of Evanston’s experiment in order to

Explanation

The information about Cramer’s extension is in lines 31–35. Choices (A) and (B) are incorrect because the passage doesn’t mention what the researchers’ hypotheses were. Choice (C) is incorrect because the author doesn’t say their work was invalid. Choice (D) in supported by the passage because Cramer found that with even less information the specialists were still highly successful at predicting. Choice (E) is incorrect; in Cramer’s study the participants did somewhat worse with less information, not better.

The correct answer is (D).

5. It can be inferred that the critics referred to in line 36 believed the results of the two experiments had less to do with the innate decision-making of the subjects than with

Explanation

The passage states that the critics believe that HR specialists prefer someone who looks the part and that is the reason successful candidates can be predicted from brief observations. This supports (E) because [looking] the part is the same as visual stereotypes. Watch out for trap answer (C), which is a reversal.

The correct answer is (E).

Thank you Members

achand05 · Answer

Hi,

please is there someone who could explain Q5 better

Desertchampion · Answer

5. It can be inferred that the critics referred to in line 36 believed the results of the two experiments had less to do with the innate decision-making of the subjects than with

Question 5 asks about the critics mentioned in the final paragraph and the reason for their criticism.

The "innate decision-making of the subjects" is what Gladwell argues is the reason for the human resource specialists' ability to pick out the hired candidate from watching a clip from the interview with and without sound. So the answer needs to be the reason that the critics are skeptical of this point.

A. the excellent decision-making of Evanston and Cramer
While Evanston and Cramer conduct the experiments, they are not the ones who select any candidates who are interviewed.

B. the expertise of Malcolm Gladwell, who originated the theory
Gladwell did originate the theory, but it is not the reason that the critics are skeptical about it.

C. not choosing candidates who “looked the part”
This is a trap answer, in fact the critics are skeptical because they think that HR representatives picked individuals who did look the part.

D. the use of videotape as a method of choosing candidates
This is not cited as a reason that the critics are skeptical.
 
 E. their unconscious use of visual stereotypes in making their selections
This supports the skepticism of the critics and is cited in line(40): 'going for the candidate who “looks the part.”'

I hope this helps you make sense of the answer a little bit more.

Please give kudos if this was helpful in any way!

dabaobao · Answer

Took 7:42 min in total including 3 min to read the passage.

Passage Map: 
1) Old Theory
2) New Theory
3) Experiment supporting new theory
4) More Advanced experiment supporting the new theory
5) Critics View

RahulHGGmat · Answer

Hi  Sajjad1994

Greetings of the day.

Thank you for the explanation provided by you for all the questions.

However, I would request you to please elaborate on question no 3. I am unable to locate where does the author question the traditionally held view. I understand that he is respectful but unable to infer the questioning part.

Many Thanks in advance.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

This is not a tough question IMO, concentrate on the words used in start of the passage:

It has long been  a tenet of business theory
that the best decisions are made after careful
review and consideration. Only after weighing all
the options and studying projections, say most
(5) professors of business, can a practical decision be
made.

The language used in the first lines clearly suggests that the author didn't sure about or believe the theory (The author is doubtful). That is why his attitude is questioning. Alternatively you can compare the answer choices given no other option is suitable so the answer is B.

VerbalBot · Answer

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It has long been a tenet of business theory that the best decisions ar

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It has long been a tenet of business theory that the best decisions ar

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