In American Genesis, which covers the century of technological

Question

In  American Genesis , which covers the century of technological innovation in the United States beginning in 1876,Thomas Hughes assigns special prominence to Thomas Edison as archetype of the independent nineteenth-century inventor. However, Hughes virtually ignores Edison's famous contemporary and notorious adversary in the field of electric light and power, George Westinghouse. This comparative neglect of Westinghouse is consistent with other recent historians' works, although it marks an intriguing departure from the prevailing view during the inventors' lifetimes (and for decades afterward) of Edison and Westinghouse as the two "pioneer innovators" of the electrical industry.

My recent reevaluation of Westinghouse, facilitated by materials found in railroad archives, suggests that while Westinghouse and Edison shared important traits as inventors, they differed markedly in their approach to the business aspects of innovation. For Edison as an inventor, novelty was always paramount: the overriding goal of the business of innovation was simply to generate funding for new inventions. Edison therefore undertook just enough sales, product development, and manufacturing to accomplish this. Westinghouse, however, shared the attitudes of the railroads and other industries for whom he developed innovations: product development, standardization, system, and order were top priorities. Westinghouse thus better exemplifies the systematic approach to technological development that would become a hallmark of modern corporate research and development.    1 
 1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) reevaluate a controversial theory
(B) identify the flaws in a study
(C) propose a new method of historical research
(D) compare two contrasting analyses
(E) provide a fresh perspective

2 
 2. According to the passage, Edison’s chief concern as an inventor was the

(A) availability of a commercial market
(B) costs of developing a prototype
(C) originality of his inventions
(D) maintenance of high standards throughout production
(E) generation of enough profits to pay for continued marketing

3 
 3. The author of the passage implies that the shift away from the views of Westinghouse’s contemporaries should be regarded as

(A) a natural outgrowth of the recent revival of interest in Edison
(B) a result of scholarship based on previously unknown documents
(C) reflective of modern neglect of the views of previous generations
(D) inevitable, given the changing trends in historical interpretations
(E) surprising, given the stature that Westinghouse once had

JOURNAL ARTICLE
 From Novelty to Utility: George Westinghouse and the Business of Innovation during the Age of Edison
Steven W. Usselman 
 The Business History Review 
Vol. 66, No. 2 (Summer, 1992), pp. 251-304

Published by: The President and Fellows of Harvard College
DOI: 10.2307/3116939
Stable URL:  https://www.jstor.org/stable/3116939 
Page Count: 56

LPN · Accepted Answer

E, C, E for me.

The primary purpose of the passage is to
 
A. reevaluate a controversial theory
 no controversy is discussed in the passage 
B. identify the flaws in a study
 author provides his opinion as against opinion of the author of 'American Genesis' 
C. propose a new method of historical research
 no proposal is made 
D. compare two contrasting analyses
same as B. no comparisons being made.
E. provide a fresh perspective
yes. The author's opinion if novel  "This comparative neglect of Westinghouse is consistent with other recent historians’ works"

According to the passage, Edison’s chief concern as an inventor was the
 
A. availability of a commercial market
B. costs of developing a prototype 
C. originality of his inventions
 "yes. For Edison as an inventor, novelty was always paramount"  
D. maintenance of high standards throughout production
E. generation of enough profits to pay for continued marketing

The author of the passage implies that the shift away from the views of Westinghouse’s contemporaries should be regarded as

A. a natural outgrowth of the recent revival of interest in Edison
B. a result of scholarship based on previously unknown documents
C. reflective of modern neglect of the views of previous generations
 no. this option is too generic and broad to be correct answer. 
D. inevitable, given the changing trends in historical interpretations
E. surprising, given the stature that Westinghouse once had
 yes.  "it marks an intriguing departure from the prevailing view during the inventors’ lifetimes"

KarishmaB · Answer

Question 3.

From the passage:

This comparative neglect of Westinghouse is consistent with other recent historians' works, although it marks an intriguing departure from the prevailing view during the inventors' lifetimes (and for decades afterward) of Edison and Westinghouse as the two "pioneer innovators" of the electrical industry

The neglect of Westinghouse is consistent with other recent work but an "intriguing" departure from the view of Westinghouse's contemporaries (who considered him and Edison pioneer innovators)

3) The author of the passage implies that the shift away from the views of Westinghouse’s contemporaries should be regarded as

(C) reflective of modern neglect of the views of previous generations

The author does not imply that modern views neglect views of previous generations. He says that the shift is intriguing, it is surprising. Had the author implied that modern views neglect previous views, then the shift would not have been surprising.

(E) surprising, given the stature that Westinghouse once had

Correct. The author says that the shift is intriguing given that Westinghouse was considered a pioneer innovator in his time.

Answer (E)

LPN · Answer

E, C, E for me.

The primary purpose of the passage is to
 
A. reevaluate a controversial theory
 no controversy is discussed in the passage 
B. identify the flaws in a study
 author provides his opinion as against opinion of the author of 'American Genesis' 
C. propose a new method of historical research
 no proposal is made 
D. compare two contrasting analyses
 same as B. no comparisons being made. 
E. provide a fresh perspective
 yes. The author's opinion if novel  "This comparative neglect of Westinghouse is consistent with other recent historians’ works"

According to the passage, Edison’s chief concern as an inventor was the
 
A. availability of a commercial market
B. costs of developing a prototype 
C. originality of his inventions
  "yes. For Edison as an inventor, novelty was always paramount"  
D. maintenance of high standards throughout production
E. generation of enough profits to pay for continued marketing

The author of the passage implies that the shift away from the views of Westinghouse’s contemporaries should be regarded as

A. a natural outgrowth of the recent revival of interest in Edison
B. a result of scholarship based on previously unknown documents
C. reflective of modern neglect of the views of previous generations
 no. this option is too generic and broad to be correct answer. 
D. inevitable, given the changing trends in historical interpretations
E. surprising, given the stature that Westinghouse once had
 yes.  "it marks an intriguing departure from the prevailing view during the inventors’ lifetimes"

GGMU · Answer

According to the passage, Edison’s chief concern as an inventor was the
A. availability of a commercial market
B. costs of developing a prototype
C. originality of his inventions
D. maintenance of high standards throughout production
E. generation of enough profits to pay for continued marketing

Can someone explain why it's not B?
I think it should be B, as the passage says that "the overriding goal of the business of innovation was simply to generate funding for  new inventions "

Kurtosis · Answer

Refer: " For Edison as an inventor, novelty was always paramount: the overriding goal of the business of innovation was simply to generate funding for new inventions"

So novelty/originality was the priority.

B. costs of developing a prototype --> Does not speak about innovation. Also cost of developing a prototype is different from generating funds for innovation

Masterscorp · Answer

NandishSS Relevant part of passage to answer question 2: Paramount is a synonym for top priority. Answer choice C) fits like a glove. Relevant part of passage to answer question 3: This tells us that Edison and Westinghouse had a similar reputation during their lifetime. Hence, Westinhouse's contemporaries regarded him as one of the two pioneer innovators of their time. Therefore, it is surprising that historians later on didn't pay attention to Westinhouse anymore (they shifted away the existing view on Westinghouse). This is reflected in answer choice E), which tells us that this shift was surprising. Hope that helps

sssjav · Answer

For these kind of questions, I'd suggest using the process of elimination and trying to eliminate the wrong choices with the help of the words in an answer choice that are inconsistent with the passage

3) The author of the passage implies that the shift away from the views of Westinghouse’s contemporaries should be regarded as

(A) a natural outgrowth of the recent revival of interest in Edison
 The passage does not indicate that there was a REVIVAL of interest, merely a departure from the "interest" of BOTH the "pioneer innovators"

(B) a result of scholarship based on previously unknown documents
 The only documents that have been talked about in the passage (first line of second paragraph) are in no way suggested to be NEW/previously unknown evidence (because of the use of the word REEVALUATION).

(C) reflective of modern neglect of the views of previous generations
 The passage suggests a DEPARTURE from the views previous generations, the word "neglect" is too extreme and inconsistent with the passage. The scholars are neglecting prominence of Westinghouse, not the views of previous generations.

(D) inevitable, given the changing trends in historical interpretations
  "This comparative neglect of Westinghouse is  consistent  with other recent historians' works, although it marks an  intriguing  departure"  As the word "intriguing" has been used in the sentence, the author probably feels that it is a shocking change - consistent, but shocking. This choice could be a contendor, but option E fits the bill

(E) surprising, given the stature that Westinghouse once had
 The last and concluding sentence of the passage represents the author's opinion. (Focus on the use of "my" in the beginning of the second paragraph). This option is consistent with the main opinion of the authot, and thus,   correct  .

sayan640 · Answer

VeritasKarishma   GMATNinja   daagh  
Can you please explain why the answer for Question#3 is option E and not option C ?
I think the word "intriguing" is the key here. 
The departure/the shift is intriguing / surprising.
And that's why the answer is option E.
Refer to the sentence below :- 
"This comparative neglect of Westinghouse is consistent with other recent historians’ works, although it marks an intriguing departure from the prevailing view during the inventors’ lifetimes (and for decades afterward) of Edison and Westinghouse as the two “pioneer innovators” of the electrical industry."

I am still not convinced though as to why the answer is not C .
 VeritasKarishma

Sumi1010 · Answer

VeritasKarishma .
For the Qn 3 (The author of the passage implies that the shift away from the views of Westinghouse’s contemporaries should be regarded as...) I got it right, but want to confirm my approach.  Could you please help me if I am right?

From the passage : This comparative neglect of Westinghouse is  consistent with other recent historians' works ,  although  it marks an intriguing departure from the prevailing view during the inventors' lifetimes (and for decades afterward) of Edison and Westinghouse as the two "pioneer innovators" of the electrical industry.

My approach: 
This is an inference question. 
When we say :  Although X, Y happened  - The value of X is diminished by the occurrence of Y. 
So, reversing the sentence :  Although  it marks an intriguing departure from the prevailing view during the inventors' lifetimes of Edison and Westinghouse as the two "pioneer innovators",  this comparative neglect of Westinghouse is consistent with other recent historians' works .

So, the neglect is consistent with other historians' work ===>(C) reflective of  modern  neglect of the views of previous generations.
But, the problem here is 'modern neglect' . No modern neglect for previous generations' view.

Another problem is the question is about the views of  Westinghouse’s contemporarie s and NOT about the  other recent historians. 
Westinghouse’s contemporaries considered him pioneer, so it will be a ' surprise' if he is neglected.

If the question were - The author of the passage implies that the shift away from the  views of other historian  should be regarded as..
the answer could be :
reflective of views of previous generations.

KarishmaB · Answer

I don't think I will worry about 'although' very much. It just shows contrast.

"This comparative neglect of Westinghouse is consistent with other recent historians' works, although it marks an intriguing departure from the prevailing view during the inventors' lifetimes (and for decades afterward) of Edison and Westinghouse as the two "pioneer innovators" of the electrical industry."
 
It is consistent with other recent historians' work, but it is a surprising departure from view of people during inventors' lifetimes.

Also, as I said in my previous reply:
The author does not imply that modern views neglect views of previous generations. He says that the shift is intriguing, it is surprising. Had the author implied that modern views neglect previous views, then the shift would not have been surprising.

jabhatta2 · Answer

Hi - avigutman  - Just wanted your thoughts (no rush)

On q3, I eliminated "E" because of the word  surprising  and really liked C.

I did not think the word    intriguing    used in this context was was  "surprising"   for the author. 
Instead, The word    intriguing    was more synonymous to the word --  fascinating  OR  amazing .

Furthermore, I really liked C because option C (i think ?) is what is mentioned in the red per my understanding

Thoughts ?

avigutman · Answer

jabhatta2  good question. 
 "reflective of modern neglect of the views of previous generations"  is not something you can extract from  "This comparative neglect of Westinghouse is consistent with other recent historians' works" 
Here's why: the former is a  very general  statement about generational shifts in views, whereas the latter is a  very specific  statement about the consistency of a specific view on a particular subject matter in this particular recent generation.
Analogy:  The worldwide popularity of the show  Friends  is reflective of modern appreciation of situational comedy  vs  The success of the show  Friends  is consistent with the success of the show  Seinfeld  .
Note: I think you fell into a trap in answer choice C - they inserted the word "neglect", which appears in the passage. This is a very common trap in RC.

Now, why is E a good answer? Well, ask yourself why an author would use the word "intriguing". I agree with your synonyms  fascinating  OR  amazing .
But, why would something be intriguing, fascinating, or amazing??
Because it's surprising! The author's choice of the word "intriguing"  implies  that he or she finds this fact surprising.
The most important word in the question stem is the word  implied .

jabhatta2 · Answer

Thank you so much  avigutman  for responding. Yes, the word  neglect  really was a pull for option C.

If my understanding is correct
 
Refers to 
- Today’s Generation (Say Generation Z) neglect of the views of previous generations (say Generation X) 
- The neglect is on “ALL subjects”
  This could include views on things such as cinema / theatre / politics / role of the press/ as well neglect on ALL aspects of history

Refers to 
- Historians only (not to everyone in generation Z nor generation X) 
- The view is only on the specific topic of Westinghouse vs Edison (maybe on other historical topics say ww2 , there is no neglect on the views of generation X)

avigutman · Answer

Yes  jabhatta2 , your analysis is 95% accurate now.
I'll just make one clarifying note here, to cover the last 5%:
The word "neglect" in the passage is not about one generation of historians  neglecting the view of a previous generation  of historians.
Rather, it's referring to the historians' comparative  neglect of Westinghouse  (compared to Edison).
We have no reason to believe that any generation has  neglected  any view of any other generation.

anshul0130 · Answer

VeritasKarishma  - Can you please explain what contrast author is trying to convey in below sentence ?

This comparative neglect of Westinghouse is consistent with other recent historians’ works, although it marks an intriguing departure from the prevailing view during the inventors’ lifetimes (and for decades afterward) of Edison and Westinghouse as the two “pioneer 
innovators” of the electrical industry.

KarishmaB · Answer

The contrast is this: 
It is consistent with other recent historians' work, but (contrast) it is a surprising departure from view of people during inventors' lifetimes.

Consistent with this... but different from that...

KarishmaB · Answer

Responding to a pm:

Question 1.

1) The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) reevaluate a controversial theory
(B) identify the flaws in a study
(C) propose a new method of historical research
(D) compare two contrasting analyses
(E) provide a fresh perspective

Paragraph 1: Hughes  ignores Edison's famous contemporary George Westinghouse. The same is done by other recent historians'. But during the inventors' lifetimes (and for decades afterward) Edison and Westinghouse were called the two "pioneer innovators" of the electrical industry.

Paragraph 2: My recent reevaluation of Westinghouse suggests that while Westinghouse and Edison shared important traits as inventors, they differed markedly in their approach. For Edison as an inventor, novelty was always paramount. For Westinghouse, product development, standardization, system, and order were top priorities. Westinghouse thus better exemplifies the systematic approach to technological development that would become a hallmark of modern corporate research and development.

The author's objective is to give a fresh perspective on Westinghouse. He says that usually recent historians ignore him, but during their lifetimes, he was considered a contemporary and that his methods exemplify systematic approach to technological development. 
Hence option (E) makes sense.

(A) reevaluate a controversial theory

There is no controversy being discussed.

(B) identify the flaws in a study

No study has been introduced. He talks about a book and recent historians. He does not discuss the studies they conducted or methods etc.

(C) propose a new method of historical research

He doesn't propose any new method of historical research. He offers his perspective on a facet of history regarding an individual.

(D) compare two contrasting analyses

Again, he gives his own analysis only. He doesn't give a contrasting analysis. He says that historians ignore Westinghouse. He doesn't give their contrasting analysis on Westinghouse.

Answer (E)

VerbalBot · Answer

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In American Genesis, which covers the century of technological

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

In American Genesis, which covers the century of technological

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