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14 Aug 2025, 06:58
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Flexible scheduling lets employees choose when to start and finish work and is often thought to improve individual productivity. Some consultants therefore recommend that companies seeking greater overall productivity offer flexible schedules whenever feasible. In some companies, however, work frequently passes from one employee to another. When their hours differ, employees may have to wait for colleagues, and the resulting delays can outweigh the productivity gains from choosing their own hours. For these companies, requiring employees to work the same fixed hours may be a better way to improve overall productivity.
In the argument above, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?
A. The first presents a recommendation the author challenges; the second is an intermediate conclusion used to support the author's main conclusion.
B. The first presents a recommendation the author challenges; the second is the author's main conclusion about an alternative way to achieve the same goal.
C. The first provides support for a recommendation the author challenges; the second is the author's main conclusion about that recommendation.
D. The first recommends a way to achieve a particular goal; the second is the author's main conclusion that the goal is not always appropriate.
E. The first presents a recommendation the author accepts; the second explains how that recommendation should be applied in a particular type of company.
In the argument above, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?
A. The first presents a recommendation the author challenges; the second is an intermediate conclusion used to support the author's main conclusion.
B. The first presents a recommendation the author challenges; the second is the author's main conclusion about an alternative way to achieve the same goal.
C. The first provides support for a recommendation the author challenges; the second is the author's main conclusion about that recommendation.
D. The first recommends a way to achieve a particular goal; the second is the author's main conclusion that the goal is not always appropriate.
E. The first presents a recommendation the author accepts; the second explains how that recommendation should be applied in a particular type of company.
14 Aug 2025, 06:58
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Official Solution:
Flexible scheduling lets employees choose when to start and finish work and is often thought to improve individual productivity. [b]Some consultants therefore recommend that companies seeking greater overall productivity offer flexible schedules whenever feasible. In some companies, however, work frequently passes from one employee to another. When their hours differ, employees may have to wait for colleagues, and the resulting delays can outweigh the productivity gains from choosing their own hours. For these companies, requiring employees to work the same fixed hours may be a better way to improve overall productivity.
In the argument above, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?
[/b]
A. The first presents a recommendation the author challenges; the second is an intermediate conclusion used to support the author's main conclusion.
B. The first presents a recommendation the author challenges; the second is the author's main conclusion about an alternative way to achieve the same goal.
C. The first provides support for a recommendation the author challenges; the second is the author's main conclusion about that recommendation.
D. The first recommends a way to achieve a particular goal; the second is the author's main conclusion that the goal is not always appropriate.
E. The first presents a recommendation the author accepts; the second explains how that recommendation should be applied in a particular type of company.
The argument distinguishes individual productivity from the productivity of the company as a whole. The consultants recommend flexible schedules because choosing one's hours is thought to help individual employees work more productively. The author points out that, in some companies, delays caused by differing hours can outweigh those gains. This supports the conclusion that a common, fixed schedule may be better for those companies. The first boldfaced portion presents the consultants' recommendation; the second presents the author's main conclusion.
A. Incorrect.
BF1: OK. The author challenges the recommendation to offer flexible schedules whenever feasible by identifying circumstances in which fixed schedules may work better.
BF2: NOT OK. An intermediate conclusion helps establish a further conclusion in the argument. Here, the judgment about fixed schedules is the point supported by the discussion of delays and lost productivity. It is not used to establish a separate main conclusion.
B. Correct.
BF1: OK. The first portion recommends flexible schedules as a way to improve productivity. The author questions whether that recommendation should apply whenever flexible schedules are feasible.
BF2: OK. The second portion draws the author's main conclusion from the coordination problems described earlier. Fixed schedules may better achieve the same goal of improving overall productivity. The author proposes a different method for some companies, not a different goal.
C. Incorrect.
BF1: NOT OK. The first portion states the recommendation itself, not a reason supporting it. The supporting belief, that flexible hours can improve individual productivity, appears before the first boldfaced portion.
BF2: OK. The second portion is the author's main conclusion. However, both descriptions must be accurate, so the incorrect description of the first portion eliminates this choice.
D. Incorrect.
BF1: OK. The first portion recommends flexible schedules as a means of achieving greater overall productivity.
BF2: NOT OK. The author does not question whether greater productivity is an appropriate goal. The author argues that some companies may achieve that goal more effectively through fixed schedules. The disagreement concerns the method, not the goal.
E. Incorrect.
BF1: NOT OK. The author does not accept the recommendation as stated. Even when flexible schedules are feasible, they may not be the better policy for a company whose employees depend closely on one another.
BF2: NOT OK. Requiring employees to work the same fixed hours is presented as an alternative to flexible scheduling, not as instructions for applying the consultants' recommendation.
Answer: B.
Answer: B
Flexible scheduling lets employees choose when to start and finish work and is often thought to improve individual productivity. [b]Some consultants therefore recommend that companies seeking greater overall productivity offer flexible schedules whenever feasible. In some companies, however, work frequently passes from one employee to another. When their hours differ, employees may have to wait for colleagues, and the resulting delays can outweigh the productivity gains from choosing their own hours. For these companies, requiring employees to work the same fixed hours may be a better way to improve overall productivity.
In the argument above, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?
[/b]
A. The first presents a recommendation the author challenges; the second is an intermediate conclusion used to support the author's main conclusion.
B. The first presents a recommendation the author challenges; the second is the author's main conclusion about an alternative way to achieve the same goal.
C. The first provides support for a recommendation the author challenges; the second is the author's main conclusion about that recommendation.
D. The first recommends a way to achieve a particular goal; the second is the author's main conclusion that the goal is not always appropriate.
E. The first presents a recommendation the author accepts; the second explains how that recommendation should be applied in a particular type of company.
The argument distinguishes individual productivity from the productivity of the company as a whole. The consultants recommend flexible schedules because choosing one's hours is thought to help individual employees work more productively. The author points out that, in some companies, delays caused by differing hours can outweigh those gains. This supports the conclusion that a common, fixed schedule may be better for those companies. The first boldfaced portion presents the consultants' recommendation; the second presents the author's main conclusion.
A. Incorrect.
BF1: OK. The author challenges the recommendation to offer flexible schedules whenever feasible by identifying circumstances in which fixed schedules may work better.
BF2: NOT OK. An intermediate conclusion helps establish a further conclusion in the argument. Here, the judgment about fixed schedules is the point supported by the discussion of delays and lost productivity. It is not used to establish a separate main conclusion.
B. Correct.
BF1: OK. The first portion recommends flexible schedules as a way to improve productivity. The author questions whether that recommendation should apply whenever flexible schedules are feasible.
BF2: OK. The second portion draws the author's main conclusion from the coordination problems described earlier. Fixed schedules may better achieve the same goal of improving overall productivity. The author proposes a different method for some companies, not a different goal.
C. Incorrect.
BF1: NOT OK. The first portion states the recommendation itself, not a reason supporting it. The supporting belief, that flexible hours can improve individual productivity, appears before the first boldfaced portion.
BF2: OK. The second portion is the author's main conclusion. However, both descriptions must be accurate, so the incorrect description of the first portion eliminates this choice.
D. Incorrect.
BF1: OK. The first portion recommends flexible schedules as a means of achieving greater overall productivity.
BF2: NOT OK. The author does not question whether greater productivity is an appropriate goal. The author argues that some companies may achieve that goal more effectively through fixed schedules. The disagreement concerns the method, not the goal.
E. Incorrect.
BF1: NOT OK. The author does not accept the recommendation as stated. Even when flexible schedules are feasible, they may not be the better policy for a company whose employees depend closely on one another.
BF2: NOT OK. Requiring employees to work the same fixed hours is presented as an alternative to flexible scheduling, not as instructions for applying the consultants' recommendation.
Answer: B.
Answer: B
16 Apr 2026, 06:48
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Isn't the main conclusion- " However, this recommendation may not always serve that goal."?
BF 2 --> " [color=#2a2a2a]Therefore, the very goal of maximizing productivity may, in some cases, best be served by maintaining fixed work schedules." seems to support the stmt: " However, this recommendation may not always serve that goal."[/color]
[color=#2a2a2a]D is a better choice than B[/color]
BF 2 --> " [color=#2a2a2a]Therefore, the very goal of maximizing productivity may, in some cases, best be served by maintaining fixed work schedules." seems to support the stmt: " However, this recommendation may not always serve that goal."[/color]
[color=#2a2a2a]D is a better choice than B[/color]
Bunuel
