While studies indicate that university professors spend

Question

While studies indicate that university professors spend much of their time engaged in personal research not clearly related to teaching, it is unlikely that additional financial compensation for, say, a larger course load or longer office hours would be the most effective of various possible means of shifting the focus of their activities; this would be the best means only if their motivation to educate were no more than a mechanical response to the prospect of more money, which surely is not the case.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the argument?

(A) Most professors now feel an obligation to educate that is at least somewhat unrelated to their desire for money.

(B) Increased financial compensation would be a somewhat effective way to motivate professors to focus their activities on teaching.

(C) The research conducted by most professors should be clearly related to their teaching activities.

(D) Effective incentives to encourage larger course loads or longer office hours would shift the focus of professors toward teaching.

(E) Monetary incentives would probably be less effective than some other ways that professors might be induced to focus more on teaching activities.

Dooperman · Answer

B is opposite to what the passage says.
For other options, Insert a “therefore” before each option and check.

Abhishek009 · Answer

Break it into 2 parts - Univ Prf. spend time in unrelated personal research,  it is not possible that additional financial compensation will result in shifting the focus of their activities.  Focus shifting is not necessary to happen unless their motivation to educate is > their motivation for more money.

(A) obligation to educate that is at least somewhat unrelated to their desire for money - not relevant,as 
(B) financial compensation would be a somewhat effective way to motivate professors to focus their activities on teaching. - Stimulus talks the opposite.
(C) Questions the research of the prof. but stimulus talks about shifting focus to educate 
(D) HIghlighted part is questioned in the last sentence of the Stimulus

(E) Monetary incentives would probably be less effective - True ; some other ways that professors might be induced to focus more on teaching activities - Also true as per last sentence of the stimulus (Conclusion, stating the auhors opinion), Hence (E) must be the correct answer

AbhishekDhanraJ72 · Answer

(A) Most professors now feel an obligation to educate that is at least somewhat unrelated to their desire for money.
This option does not accurately express the main conclusion of the argument. While the passage implies that professors' motivation to educate is not solely based on money, it does not specifically state that they feel an obligation to educate unrelated to their desire for money.

(B) Increased financial compensation would be a somewhat effective way to motivate professors to focus their activities on teaching.
This option contradicts the argument presented in the passage, which suggests that increased financial compensation would not be the most effective means of shifting professors' focus to teaching.

(C) The research conducted by most professors should be clearly related to their teaching activities.
This option does not directly address the main conclusion of the argument. The passage does not make a specific claim about the relationship between professors' research and their teaching activities.

(D) Effective incentives to encourage larger course loads or longer office hours would shift the focus of professors toward teaching. This option does not accurately express the main conclusion of the argument either.

(E) Monetary incentives would probably be less effective than some other ways that professors might be induced to focus more on teaching activities.
This option accurately expresses the main conclusion of the argument. The passage argues against the effectiveness of monetary incentives and suggests that there are likely alternative ways to motivate professors to focus more on teaching activities that would be more effective than financial compensation

VerbalBot · Answer

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While studies indicate that university professors spend

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While studies indicate that university professors spend

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