In the decade from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, large corporations

Question

In the decade from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, large corporations were rocked by mergers, reengineering, and downsizing. These events significantly undermined employees' job security. Surprisingly, however, employees' perception of their own job security hardly changed over that period. Fifty-eight percent of employees surveyed in 1984 and 55 percent surveyed in 1994 stated that their own jobs were very secure.

Each of the following contributes to an explanation of the surprising survey results described above EXCEPT:

A. A large number of the people in both surveys work in small companies that were not affected by mergers, reengineering, and downsizing.
B. Employees who feel secure in their jobs tend to think that the jobs of others are secure.
C. The corporate downsizing that took place during this period had been widely anticipated for several years before the mid-1980s.
D. Most of the major downsizing during this period was completed within a year after the first survey.
E. In the mid-1990s, people were generally more optimistic about their lives, even in the face of hardship, than they were a decade before.

GMATNinja · Accepted Answer

The author says that it's SURPRISING that employees' perception of their own job security hardly changed from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Given what was going on, why didn't the percentage drop significantly between 1984 and 1994?

In other words, the author sees a cause (an increase in mergers, reengineering, and downsizing) but no effect (no decrease in employees' feelings about their job security). How do we explain that?

One more thing to keep in mind while going through the answer choices: we need to eliminate anything that "CONTRIBUTES to an explanation of the surprising survey results". So even if a choice HELPS to explain the results, it should be eliminated, even if it doesn't necessarily offer a FULL explanation of the results.

This one is pretty simple. The people in both surveys weren't really affected by the "cause" mentioned in the passage, and that could certainly explain why the downsizing stuff didn't really impact their feelings about job security. Eliminate (A).

The surveys were only concerned with how employees felt about THEIR OWN job security, not the job security of others. This shouldn't impact or explain the results, so keep it for now.

Perhaps in the early 1980s (for example), employees knew that the changes were coming. So the percentage drop that the author expected probably already happened BEFORE the 1984 survey -- maybe the percentage was around, say, 70% in 1980 but then dropped to the upper-50s once everyone found out that downsizing was on the horizon.

Since the main cause and effect happened before 1984, there's no reason to expect ANOTHER significant drop after the 1984 survey. This would indeed contribute to an explanation of the surprising survey results, so we can eliminate (C).

This means that the major downsizing was done by 1985. So maybe there WAS a drop in the percentage around that time, but then nine more years go by before the next survey. That's nine more years WITHOUT major downsizing. That's plenty of time for the percentage to recover from the 1984 downsizing and go back to approximately what it was before the 1984 survey.

This explains the survey results, so (D) can be eliminated as well.

This basically introduces a second "cause". The first "cause" is an increase in mergers/reengineering/downsizing, and we expect that to DECREASE the percentage. But the second "cause" -- people becoming more optimistic -- would, all else equal, tend to INCREASE the percentage.

It's possible that the effect predicted by the author was counterbalanced by the effect of this second cause. (E) helps explain why the percentage did not change, so it can be eliminated.

(B) is the only one that does not contribute to an explanation of the survey results, so that's our answer.

vinayparkash · Answer

B. Employees who feel secure in their jobs tend to think that the jobs of others are secure.

infowarf · Answer

All of the answer choices somehow explain the paradox despite the option B which says that the people are optimistic not only about their own security but also for that of others. However, the people interviewed were asked only about their own position.

Vibhatu · Answer

A. A large number of the people in both surveys work in small companies that were not affected by mergers, reengineering, and downsizing.
 B. Employees who feel secure in their jobs tend to think that the jobs of others are secure. 
C. The corporate downsizing that took place during this period had been widely anticipated for several years before the mid-1980s.
D. Most of the major downsizing during this period was completed within a year after the first survey.
E. In the mid-1990s, people were generally more optimistic about their lives, even in the face of hardship, than they were a decade before

Swayanjeet · Answer

Why not option A? It clearly explains the paradox that survey included only the small company employees.

unraveled · Answer

You are missing the basic element of these type of questions; it is asking for the answer which does not explain or does opposite to the survey results. Also, you need to ask yourself question as to why there are other choices too that seem good candidate as an answer. This so when we know that there can only be one correct answer.

All in all, you missed the EXCEPT part of the question stem.

In B, what employees think of others' thoughts is hardly giving any idea as to why the survey results are as they are. Other choices give a reasoning one way or the other that make sense, wherein B does not.

In the decade from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, large corporations were rocked by mergers, reengineering, and downsizing. These events significantly undermined employees' job security. Surprisingly, however, employees' perception of their own job security hardly changed over that period. Fifty-eight percent of employees surveyed in 1984 and 55 percent surveyed in 1994 stated that their own jobs were very secure.

Each of the following contributes to an explanation of the surprising survey results described above EXCEPT:

A. A large number of the people in both surveys work in small companies that were not affected by mergers, reengineering, and downsizing. 
 B. Employees who feel secure in their jobs   tend to think   that the jobs of others are secure. 
 C. The corporate downsizing that took place during this period had been widely anticipated for several years before the mid-1980s. 
 D. Most of the major downsizing during this period was completed within a year after the first survey. 
 E. In the mid-1990s, people were generally more optimistic about their lives, even in the face of hardship, than they were a decade before.

HTHs.

Answer B.

Feb2024 · Answer

unraveled   GMATNinja   Bunuel   KarishmaB   CrackverbalGMAT   MartyMurray

Hello Experts,

Can you please break down options D & E? I find them equally appropriate answers.

Thanks in advance!

nishant8780 · Answer

logic behind option B is understandable. But can anyone tell me how option C can't be exception ?

VerbalBot · Answer

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In the decade from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, large corporations

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In the decade from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, large corporations

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