It is frequently assumed that the mechanization of work has a revoluti

Question

It is frequently assumed that the mechanization of work has a revolutionary effect on the lives of the people who operate the new machines and on the society into which the machines have been introduced. For example, it has been suggested that the employment of women in industry took them out of the household, their traditional sphere, and fundamentally altered their position in society. In the nineteenth century, when women began to enter factories, Jules Simon, a French politician, warned that by doing so, women would give up their femininity. Friedrich Engels, however, predicted that women would be liberated from the social, legal, and economic subordination of the family by technological developments that made possible the recruitment of "the whole female sex. . . into public industry." Observers thus differed concerning the social desirability of mechanization's effects, but they agreed that it would transform women's lives.

Historians, particularly those investigating the history of women, now seriously question this assumption of transforming power. They conclude that such dramatic technological innovations as the spinning jenny, the sewing machine, the typewriter, and the vacuum cleaner have not resulted in equally dramatic social changes in women's economic position or in the prevailing evaluation of women's work. The employment of young women in textile mills during the Industrial Revolution was largely an extension of an older pattern of employment of young, single women as domestics. It was not the change in office technology, but rather the separation of secretarial work, previously seen as an apprenticeship for beginning managers, from administrative work that in the 1880's created a new class of "dead-end" jobs, thenceforth considered "women's work." The increase in the numbers of married women emp- loyed outside the home in the twentieth century had less to do with the mechanization of housework and an increase in leisure time for these women than it did with their own economic necessity and with high marriage rates that shrank the available pool of single women workers, previously, in many cases, the only women employers would hire.

Women's work has changed conside-rably in the past 200 years, moving from the household to the office or the factory, and later becoming mostly white-collar instead of blue-collar work. Fundamentally, however, the conditions under which women work have changed little since before the Industrial Revolution: the segregation of occupations by gender, lower pay for women as a group, jobs that require relatively low levels of skill and offer women little opportunity for advancement all persist, while women's household labor remains demanding. Recent historical investigation has led to a major revision of the notion that technology is always inherently revolutionary in its effects on society. Mechanization may even have slowed any change in the traditional position of women both in the labor market and in the home.   1 
 A 
 1. Which of the following statements best summarizes the main idea of the passage?

A The effects of the mechanization of women’s work have not borne out the frequently held assumption that new technology is inherently revolutionary.
B Recent studies have shown that mechanization revolutionizes a society’s traditional values and the customary roles of its members.
C Mechanization has caused the nature of women’s work to change since the Industrial Revolution.
D The mechanization of work creates whole new classes of jobs that did not previously exist.
E The mechanization of women’s work, while extremely revolutionary it its effects, has not, on the whole, had the deleterious effects that some critics had feared.

2 
 D 
 2. The author mentions all of the following inventions as examples of dramatic technological innovations EXCEPT the

A sewing machine
B vacuum cleaner
C typewriter
D telephone
E spinning jenny

3 
 B 
 3. It can be inferred from the passage that, before the Industrial Revolution, the majority of women`s work was done in which of the following settings?

A Textile mills
B Private households
C Offices
D Factories
E Small shops

4 
 D 
 4. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would consider which of the following to be an indication of a fundamental alteration in the conditions of women`s work?

A Statistics showing that the majority of women now occupy white-collar positions
B Interviews with married men indicating that they are now doing some household tasks
C Surveys of the labor market documenting the recent creation of a new class of jobs in electronics in which women workers outnumber men four to one
D Census results showing that working women’s wages and salaries are, on the average, as high as those of working men
E Enrollment figures from universities demonstrating that increasing numbers of young women are choosing to continue their education beyond the undergraduate level

5 
 B 
 5. The passage states that, before the twentieth century, which of the following was true of many employers?

A They did not employ women in factories.
B They tended to employ single rather than married women.
C They employed women in only those jobs that were related to women’s traditional household work.
D They resisted technological innovations that would radically change women’s roles in the family.
E They hired women only when qualified men were not available to fill the open positions.

6 
 A 
 6. It can be inferred from the passage that the author most probably believes which of the following to be true concerning those historians who study the history of women?

A Their work provides insights important to those examining social phenomena affecting the lives of both sexes.
B Their work can only be used cautiously by scholars in other disciplines.
C Because they concentrate only on the role of women in the workplace, they draw more reliable conclusions than do other historians.
D While highly interesting, their work has not had an impact on most historians’ current assumptions concerning the revolutionary effect of technology in the workplace.
E They oppose the further mechanization of work, which, according to their findings, tends to perpetuate existing inequalities in society.

7 
 B 
 7. Which of the following best describes the function of the concluding sentence of the passage?

(A) It sums up the general points concerning the mechanization of work made in the passage as a whole. 
(B) It draws a conclusion concerning the effects of the mechanization of work which goes beyond the evidence presented in the passage as a whole. 
(C) It restates the point concerning technology made in the sentence immediately preceding it. 
(D) It qualifies the author's agreement with scholars who argue for a major revision in the assess-ment of the impact of mechanization on soci-ety. 
(E) It suggests a compromise between two seem-ingly contradictory views concerning the effects of mechanization on society.

LaveenaPanchal · Accepted Answer

1. Which of the following statements best summarizes the main idea of the passage?

A The effects of the mechanization of women’s work have not borne out the frequently held assumption that new technology is inherently revolutionary.   Correct. 1st Para - Author introduces the idea with two different opinions. 2nd Para. The author explains the reasons for the message that why the effects of mechanization of women's work have not borne out frequently held assumption that new technology is revolutionary. 3rd Para. Author further affirms this statement by introducing new reasons. Hence this is the main idea of the passage.  
B Recent studies have shown that mechanization revolutionizes a society’s traditional values and the customary roles of its members.  Incorrect. The passage talks about women and not the society traditional values or roles of all of its members. 
C Mechanization has caused the nature of women’s work to change since the Industrial Revolution..  Incorrect The author asserts that the nature of women's work has changed a little since the Industrial Revolutions. 
D The mechanization of work creates whole new classes of jobs that did not previously exist.  Incorrect. This is just a part of an explanation and not the main idea of the passage. 
E The mechanization of women’s work, while extremely revolutionary it its effects, has not, on the whole, had the deleterious effects that some critics had feared.  Incorrect. The deleterious effects are not discussed in the passage. It is merely mentioned in the last sentence of the passage.

2. The author mentions all of the following inventions as examples of dramatic technological innovations EXCEPT the

A sewing machine 
B vacuum cleaner
C typewriter
D telephone   Correct. This is not mentioned in the examples.  
E spinning jenny

3. It can be inferred from the passage that, before the Industrial Revolution, the majority of women`s work was done in which of the following settings?

A Textile mills
B Private households -   Correct. It is suggested by the following statement The employment of young women in textile mills during the Industrial Revolution was largely an extension of an older pattern of employment of young, single women as  domestics.   
C Offices
D Factories
E Small shops

4. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would consider which of the following to be an indication of a fundamental alteration in the conditions of women`s work?

A Statistics showing that the majority of women now occupy white-collar positions.  Incorrect. According to author women now occupy white collar position but there is not fundamental alternation in the conditions of women's work. 
B Interviews with married men indicating that they are now doing some household tasks.  Incorrect This is not discussed in the passage. 
C Surveys of the labor market documenting the recent creation of a new class of jobs in electronics in which women workers outnumber men four to one.  Incorrect. the class of job is not explained. Hence this does not indicate a fundamental alteration in the condition of women's work. 
D Census results showing that working women’s wages and salaries are, on the average, as high as those of working men.   Correct. In the last paragraph, it is mentioned that women as a group get a lower pay. Hence the statement indicates a fundamental alteration in the conditions of women's work.  
E Enrollment figures from universities demonstrating that increasing numbers of young women are choosing to continue their education beyond the undergraduate level.  Incorrect the education of women is not discussed in the passage.

5. The passage states that, before the twentieth century, which of the following was true of many employers?

A They did not employ women in factories.  Incorrect. Women were employed in factories. 
B They tended to employ single rather than married women.   Correct it is suggested by the statement "The employment of young women in textile mills during the Industrial Revolution was largely an extension of an older pattern of employment of young,   single   women as domestics.  
C They employed women in only those jobs that were related to women’s traditional household work.  Incorrect Women were employed in different types of jobs and traditional household work is not discussed in the passage. 
D They resisted technological innovations that would radically change women’s roles in the family.  Incorrect It is not mentioned in the passage. 
E They hired women only when qualified men were not available to fill the open positions.  Incorrect not stated in the passage.

6. It can be inferred from the passage that the author most probably believes which of the following to be true concerning those historians who study the history of women?

A Their work provides insights important to those examining social phenomena affecting the lives of both sexes.   Correct. This is suggested by the following sentence. "Historians, particularly those investigating the history of women, now seriously question this assumption of transforming power."  
B Their work can only be used cautiously by scholars in other disciplines.  Incorrect Other disciplines are not mentioned in the passage. 
C Because they concentrate only on the role of women in the workplace, they draw more reliable conclusions than do other historians.  Incorrect This is not mentioned in the passage. 
D While highly interesting, their work has not had an impact on most historians’ current assumptions concerning the revolutionary effect of technology in the workplace.  Incorrect the impact of historians who study the history of women on the other historians is not discussed in the passage. 
E They oppose the further mechanization of work, which, according to their findings, tends to perpetuate existing inequalities in society.  Incorrect. the opposition of the mechanization of work is not discussed in the passage.

7. Which of the following best describes the function of the concluding sentence of the passage?

(A) It sums up the general points concerning the mechanization of work made in the passage as a whole.  Incorrect. The last sentence does not summarize the passage. 
(B) It draws a conclusion concerning the effects of the mechanization of work which goes beyond the evidence presented in the passage as a whole.   Correct. The last sentence further adds to the conclusion concerning the effects of mechanization of work by adding a new perspective of its effects.  
(C) It restates the point concerning technology made in the sentence immediately preceding it.  Incorrect It does restates the point but adds a new dimension of the effects of mechanization of work. 
(D) It qualifies the author's agreement with scholars who argue for a major revision in the assess-ment of the impact of mechanization on soci-ety.  Incorrect. It does not qualify author's opinion. 
(E) It suggests a compromise between two seem-ingly contradictory views concerning the effects of mechanization on society.  Incorrect. No compromise suggested in the last sentence of the passage.

AdityaHongunti · Answer

Lovely and an easy passage. The questions were straight and forward.
Q1. A and E contenders. The first line of second paragraph " ...question the assumption" gives us a clear answer choice A. This is the first time ever i have seen a 100% correct answer. Each and every person who answered was right. 
My wish- If this were an official GMAT RC passage. Is this truly a 700+ level passage?

Doer01 · Answer

It can be inferred from the passage that the author would consider which of the following to be an indication of a fundamental alteration in the conditions of women`s work?

A Statistics showing that the majority of women now occupy white-collar positions
B Interviews with married men indicating that they are now doing some household tasks
C Surveys of the labor market documenting the recent creation of a new class of jobs in electronics in which women workers outnumber men four to one
D Census results showing that working women’s wages and salaries are, on the average, as high as those of working men
E Enrollment figures from universities demonstrating that increasing numbers of young women are choosing to continue their education beyond the undergraduate level

Why is A incorrect? 
A is clearly stated in the passage where as D is not. 
What did I miss guys?

Carcass · Answer

It depends also on your skills. What for you is simple for others are tough. yes, it is an official passage but not from GMAT but GRE. Actually, they are the same.

Regards

tulikasaxena01 · Answer

Which of the following best describes the function of the concluding sentence of the passage?

(A) It sums up the general points concerning the mechanization of work made in the passage as a whole. 
(B) It draws a conclusion concerning the effects of the mechanization of work which goes beyond the evidence presented in the passage as a whole. 
(C) It restates the point concerning technology made in the sentence immediately preceding it. 
(D) It qualifies the author's agreement with scholars who argue for a major revision in the assess-ment of the impact of mechanization on soci-ety. 
(E) It suggests a compromise between two seem-ingly contradictory views concerning the effects of mechanization on society.

Please explain why B is the answer.

Carcass · Answer

If you read almost the entire last paragraph

hope now is more evident to you.

Ask for further assistance.

Regards

shrupk · Answer

It can be inferred from the passage that the author most probably believes which of the following to be true concerning those historians who study the history of women?

A Their work provides insights important to those examining social phenomena affecting the lives of both sexes.
B Their work can only be used cautiously by scholars in other disciplines.
C Because they concentrate only on the role of women in the workplace, they draw more reliable conclusions than do other historians.
D While highly interesting, their work has not had an impact on most historians’ current assumptions concerning the revolutionary effect of technology in the workplace.
E They oppose the further mechanization of work, which, according to their findings, tends to perpetuate existing inequalities in society.

I marked D as the answer. Could someone explain why A is the answer?

Thanks.

srinjoy1990 · Answer

Very good passage ! Surprisingly got all correct in 12-13 minutes (3:50 to read). Generally get 1 odd inference questions wrong.

I must admit, I got this question correct by fluke : It can be inferred from the passage that the author most probably believes which of the following to be true concerning those historians who study the history of women? A Their work provides insights important to those examining social phenomena affecting the lives of both sexes. --> Contender B Their work can only be used cautiously by scholars in other disciplines. --> Other disciplines we dont know C Because they concentrate only on the role of women in the workplace, they draw more reliable conclusions than do other historians. --> Contender D While highly interesting, their work has not had an impact on most historians’ current assumptions concerning the revolutionary effect of technology in the workplace. --> Did have an impact, last 2 lines. If it didnt have an impact, the author wouldnt have written the essay in the first place. :D E They oppose the further mechanization of work, which, according to their findings, tends to perpetuate existing inequalities in society. --> No basis. They just said it aint good enough in transforming social roles. Was confused between A and C, Eliminated C as we didnt have any indication of reliability. B, D, E were anyways out. I was not sure about this answer. Happy!

clpandey12 · Answer

Hi, I tried to explain Q4. It may help you

It can be inferred from the passage that the author would consider which of the following to be an indication of a fundamental alteration in the conditions of women`s work?

A Statistics showing that the majority of women now occupy white-collar positions -( White collar position doesn't mean that Women will pay higher or equal to Men's pay for the same level of Job) ( In passage it mentioned that 
{white-collar instead of blue-collar work. Fundamentally, however, the conditions under which women work have changed little since before the Industrial Revolution: the segregation of occupations by gender,  lower pay for women as a group, jobs that require relatively low levels of skill and offer women little opportunity for advancement all persist }

B Interviews with married men indicating that they are now doing some household tasks. Out of Scope ( there is nothing mentioned this).
C Surveys of the labor market documenting the recent creation of a new class of jobs in electronics in which women workers outnumber men four to one -( narrow to the only electronic area- doesn't tell about other areas)
D Census results showing that working women’s wages and salaries are, on the average, as high as those of working men ( This line shows that actually women are hiring for their capabilities and pays also higher than men )-Correct
E Enrollment figures from universities demonstrating that increasing numbers of young women are choosing to continue their education beyond the undergraduate level - Out of scope

Sajal089 · Answer

can someone explain q6 please, I eliminated all the options except A and E.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

In the first paragraph Jules Simon, a French politician warned that by providing employment in the industry will be end in some negative social transformation, here is the lines:

by doing so, women would give up their femininity. Friedrich Engels, however, predicted that women would be liberated from the social, legal, and economic subordination of the family by technological developments that made possible the recruitment of "the whole female sex. . . into public industry."

The historians who study the history of women basically refuting the Jules Simon prediction in the second paragraph, read these lines from the passage:

Historians, particularly those investigating the history of women, now seriously question this assumption of transforming power. They conclude that such dramatic technological innovations as the spinning jenny, the sewing machine, the typewriter, and the vacuum cleaner have not resulted in  equally  dramatic social changes.

Historian said these technologically advancement will transform women and men life equally not just the women. So  option A is correct  and E is incorrect.

abhinav261289 · Answer

Can someone please explain how (D) can be eliminated ?

7. Which of the following best describes the function of the concluding sentence of the passage?

(A) It sums up the general points concerning the mechanization of work made in the passage as a whole.
(B) It draws a conclusion concerning the effects of the mechanization of work which goes beyond the evidence presented in the passage as a whole.
(C) It restates the point concerning technology made in the sentence immediately preceding it.
(D) It qualifies the author's agreement with scholars who argue for a major revision in the assess-ment of the impact of mechanization on soci-ety.
(E) It suggests a compromise between two seem-ingly contradictory views concerning the effects of mechanization on society.

adstudy · Answer

Hi abhinav261289 , I will try to explain how I came to the correct answer, B, and eliminated D. Hope this is helpful for you. So here it goes - As the last sentence may not be just enough, we will take the last two sentences of the passage. These are - Recent historical investigation has led to a major revision of the notion that technology is always inherently revolutionary in its effects on society. Mechanization may even have slowed any change in the traditional position of women both in the labor market and in the home. Okay, so if you have understood the passage, the main idea, which we get till now from the passage, is that mechanization of work can sometimes help in transformation of certain aspects in a postive way and sometimes it may not help at all. The case in which it does not help is being majorily discussed here, wherein the historians say that while assessing impact of mechanization of work on transformation of power for women, historians have realized that mechanization, even though has a positive impact, has not really helped in this situation for women. Now coming to the second last line of the passage. Here we see that the author, while summarizing, agrees with the historians by saying that their is a revision of thought for mechanization ,or technology, impacting society. In the very next line, the author also adds to the previous line a thought of his own, in which he says that mechanization may even have slowed the change, that is, it may even have had a negative impact on the situtation of women. I hope the above helps you understand why 'B' is clearly the correct answer. Also for 'D' - (D) It qualifies the author's agreement with scholars who argue for a major revision in the assess-ment of the impact of mechanization on soci-ety. Here the options says that 'It qualifies' the author's agreement. Here 'qualify' may mean that it has proven the authors conclusion as an example. But if you have understood the previous explanation by me, it can help you deduce that the last line is not an example but clearly a supplementary deduced thought post his conclusion, an add-on, if I may. Hope this will help you resolve your confusion

Sand1995 · Answer

Can someone explain 1Q, 5Q, 6Q in detail ?

VerbalBot · Answer

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It is frequently assumed that the mechanization of work has a revoluti

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It is frequently assumed that the mechanization of work has a revoluti

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