A cause of fatal mining accidents was once the peculiar configuration

Question

Aristotle RC 99 - Passage 47     
   A cause of fatal mining accidents was once the peculiar configuration of the controls on the trams shuttling along mineshafts. Each tram had a steering wheel that rose straight up from the floor, with a brake pedal on one side and an accelerator pedal on the other. There was no room to turn the tram around, so to reverse direction the driver simply took a seat on the other side of the steering wheel, whereupon what had been the brake became the accelerator, and vice versa. While this may sound
ingenious, it proved disastrous.
 
Many people set an electric burner on high thinking that it will heat up faster that way: they have the mental model of a gas stove, whose knobs actually do increase the heat‘s intensity. On an electric stove, however, the knob is merely a switch that turns on the burner and then turns it off
when a certain temperature is reached.

Consider the humble wristwatch, which has been transformed into a kind of wrist-mounted personal computer, with a digital display and a calculator pad whose buttons are too small to be pressed by a human fingertip. By replacing the watch‘s conventional stem-winding mechanism with a mystifying arrangement of tiny buttons, the manufacturers created a watch that was hard to reset.

One leading manufacturer was distressed to discover that a line of its particularly advanced digitals was being returned as defective by the thousands, even though the watches actually worked perfectly well. Further investigation revealed that they were coming back soon after purchase and thereafter in two large batches—in the spring and the fall, when the time changed.

Charles Mauro, a consultant in New York City, is a prominent member of a branch of engineering generally known as ergonomics, or human- factors—the only field specifically addressing the question of product usability. Mauro was brought in to provide some help to the watch manufacturer, which was experiencing what Mauro calls the "complexity problem." With complexity defined as a fundamental mismatch between the demands of a technology and the capabilities of its user, the term nicely captures the essence of our current technological predicament.

A growing number of technologists speak of user-centred design as a means of scrupulously maintaining the user‘s perspective from start to finish, adding technology only where necessary. When confronted by some mystifying piece of high-tech gadgetry, consumers naturally feel that there is something wrong with them if they can‘t figure it out. In truth it is usually not their fault. Mauro attributes the confusion to the fact that most products are "technology-driven," their nature determined not by consumers and their needs and desires but by engineers who are too often entranced with the myriad capabilities of the microprocessors that lie at the devices‘ hearts   1 
 1. Based on the passage, an ergonomics expert would be likely to place high value on a product that:

A. required no instruction at all to use.
B. did not incorporate modern technology.
C. could be easily manipulated by hand.
D. solved complex problems for its user.
E. required elaborate instructions for proper usage

2 
 2. When consumers feel that there is something wrong with them if they can‘t figure a high-tech gadget out, which of the following assumptions are they making?

A. The gadget was designed for ready use by the average consumer.
B. Technology can only be understood by engineer-types.
C. The gadget designers were blind to the consumers‘ needs.
D. Everyone is equally capable of understanding new technology.
E. they are not as intelligent as the other person

3 
 3. According to one consumer survey, a third of all VCR owners have given up trying to program their machines for time-delayed viewing. How would the author probably explain this fact?

A. VCR owners have not yet found the correct mental model by which to interpret the VCR.
B. Those owners have concluded that the VCR was not well designed.
C. Those trying to program the machine are not as technologically savvy as they should be.
D. The VCR is the result of technology-driven rather than user-centred design.
E. The author would view this as an aberration

RC Butler 2021  -  Practice Two RC Questions Everyday.   
Passage # 62 Date: 12-Feb-2021
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2021 .  Click here for Details

vinhkhang20 · Accepted Answer

Hi IMO I'll put it this way :

"When confronted by some mystifying piece of high-tech gadgetry, consumers naturally feel that there is something wrong with  them  if they can‘t figure it out."

When we read this sentence, some of us misread "them" to refer to "consumers", thus we tend to pick the wrong answer as in D & E.
But previously as the para 4 mentioned : "advanced digitals was being returned as defective by the thousands, even though the watches actually worked perfectly well."
So the sentence should read : "When confronted by some mystifying piece of high-tech gadgetry, consumers naturally feel that there is something wrong with  the gadgetry  if  the consumers  can‘t figure it out."

Therefore, they assumes as in answer A explain.
This is why we need to really understand the meaning of the passage, not just use a trick of "No/not/negation" in assumption questions.

LordStark · Answer

shubham2312  
This is done intentionally.
As per official explanation 
 "With passages such as this where the link between paragraphs is not immediately apparent, determine each paragraph's purpose and then look for the overall passage topic. Here, each paragraph discusses problems caused by technological complexity"

Kelpie · Answer

Hi, why is the 2nd question is A an not E. The last paragraph mentions  "When confronted by some mystifying piece of high-tech gadgetry, consumers naturally feel that there is something wrong with them if they can‘t figure it out."  ?
Thank you in advance

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. When consumers feel that there is something wrong with them if they can‘t figure a high-tech gadget out, which of the following assumptions are they making?

Difficulty Level:   750

Explanation

The situation mentioned is identical to that described in  Paragraph 6 ; use the main ideas from it for reference. If a user can‘t operate a product and concludes that the fault is with them, what assumption are they making? That the fault doesn‘t lie with the product. In the context of the passage, products are at fault when they aren‘t designed with average users in mind.  Choice (A)  ties these ideas together. Using the denial test confirms the assumption: If the gadget wasn‘t designed for ready use by the average consumer, then the user would have no reason to believe that the fault lay with him.

(A): The correct answer

(B):  Distortion. Though the technology may have been designed by engineers, the user isn‘t necessarily assuming that no one but engineers can figure it out. As far as he knows, the problem lies only with him.

(C):  Opposite. If the user assumed this, then there would be no cause to believe that the fault was his own.

(D):  Opposite. As above, if this were assumed, there would be no reason for consumers to believe that something was wrong with them.

(E):  This doesn‘t have to be assumed by the consumers.

Answer: A

HASTOWINGMAT · Answer

Can anyone provide detailed explanation for rejecting Question 2 optionD.

D. Everyone is equally capable of understanding new technology.

IMO.
A user assumes that everyone is equally capable of understanding new technology. And given this understanding, if he is still not able to operate the latest gadgets or apps then he would think there is something wrong with them.
A user assumes that not everyone has equal capability to understand the new technology then maybe user doesn't think that way.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Read the official explanation in the link below https://gmatclub.com/forum/a-cause-of-f ... l#p2724643 Thank you

Kelpie · Answer

Thank you for explanation, this helped a lot!

shauryahanda · Answer

I have a doubt in Q1

between option A and C
option A uses a very extreme wording "No instructions  at all "
 -> How can we say that the passage referred to absolutely no instructions at all, The product may come with basic set of instructions

On the other hand
option C can form a kind of example that can be the answer

bM22 · Answer

Hi  shauryahanda ,

For Question 1,consider the lines: "When confronted by some mystifying piece of high-tech gadgetry, consumers naturally feel that there is something wrong with them if they can‘t figure it out. ", these lines imply that when the technology is too complicated for the consumers to understand, they usually end up returning that item. Thus, the direct inference that we can draw is that an ergonomics expert would be likely to place high value on a product that actually doesn't need any instructions.

"no instruction at all to use" might seem a little extreme but that is the most apt inference that one can draw. C is too vague an inference. In my opinion, it's an incorrect wording on option A. I mean if you think about it almost all the products mentioned in the passage can be manipulated by hand, why would an ergonomics expert place his bets on such a product, rather he's place high value on a product that can be easily used.

Hope This Helps.
Thanks.

ravigupta2912 · Answer

I'm not really able to understand option E in Ques 2. The official explanation doesn't sufficiently explain it.

I feel E is the effect of A and E can come into the picture ONLY if the consumers assume A. If they do not assume A, option E kinda becomes moot.

AnirudhaS · Answer

A. The gadget was designed for ready use by the average consumer.
E. they are not as intelligent as the other person

A is the assumption of the consumers. Consumers think the product is meant for mass-consumption. And when they think they cannot figure it out, they conclude the product to be faulty and return it.

E is not an assumption. Let us negate E - "they are as intelligent as the other person". This doesn't affect the argument, hence cannot be an assumption.

Hope this helps.

8824182855 · Answer

can anyone give explanation for question 3 answer D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. According to one consumer survey, a third of all VCR owners have given up trying to program their machines for time-delayed viewing. How would the author probably explain this fact?

Difficulty Level:   600

Explanation

How would the author explain a situation in which consumers give up on trying to master a certain technology? The author‘s main purpose is arguing that users do this because the technology isn‘t built around their needs and abilities. Searching for an answer choice that echoes this turns up  (D).

(A): Opposite.  The author argues that technology should be built around mental models, not the other way around.

(B): Out of Scope.  The author isn‘t concerned with what the consumers think about the product as much as with how easily they can use it.

(C): Opposite.  The author argues that consumers shouldn‘t have to be technologically savvy to use a common product.

(D): The correct answer

(E): "Aberration"  is not the correct explanation.

Samarth01 · Answer

In question 1, why can't we consider option D as it says... (solved complex problems for its user). If it were to be true can we infer from 5th para... 
(Charles Mauro, a consultant in New York City, is a prominent member of a branch of engineering generally known as ergonomics, or human- factors—the only field specifically addressing the question of product usability. Mauro was brought in to provide some help to the watch manufacturer, which was experiencing what Mauro calls the "complexity problem." With complexity defined as a fundamental mismatch between the demands of a technology and the capabilities of its user, the term nicely captures the essence of our current technological predicament.).

Can we say from this that (an ergonomics expert would be likely to place high value on a product that: solves such complex problems for its users?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. Based on the passage, an ergonomics expert would be likely to place high value on a product that:

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

What do ergonomics experts value? According to Para 5, ease of use. Looking for a product that fits this criterion turns up (A). The example of the watch is helpful in reinforcing this point: the watches weren‘t defective, and presumably had instructions, but they were too complicated for users to understand.

(A):  The correct answer

(B):  Distortion. Though an ergonomics expert would assert that technology should be easy to use, he wouldn‘t argue that technology should be eliminated altogether.

(C):  Out of Scope. Ease of use doesn‘t necessarily indicate manipulation by hand. What about an ergonomic bathroom scale?

(D):  Distortion. Though complex tasks should be made simpler, this doesn‘t mean that an ergonomic product has to solve complex tasks on behalf of its user.

(E):  Opposite, as described above

Answer: A

VerbalBot · Answer

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A cause of fatal mining accidents was once the peculiar configuration

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A cause of fatal mining accidents was once the peculiar configuration

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