As the business world becomes ever more globalized and dynamic, freela

Question

As the business world becomes ever more globalized and dynamic, freelance knowledge workers have come into their own. Technology drives rapid change in products and markets, and to keep up, companies find value in an on-demand workforce, one that they can adjust at will as new skills are needed. At the same time, the Internet means that a worker across the country or on the other side of the world can be as connected to a project’s workflow as someone seated in the company’s headquarters. Reflecting this reality, the U.S. Census Bureau’s count of “nonemployer businesses” rose 29 percent from 2002 to 2012, and according to one study, 53 million Americans—more than one-third of the workforce—engage in freelance work. The growth of so-called contingent labor is forecast to continue unabated. Clearly, not all labor is equally empowered in the new paradigm. The barista placing the artistically styled froth on a customer’s latte must be in the coffee shop. However, the systems analyst upgrading the shop’s financial system that tracks the sales of lattes can be anywhere. Thus, workers with intellectual capital are in prime position to choose where they work and for whom.

The transition to a labor market of independent professionals has social and cultural implications. In much of the world, work is a major source of identity, so when work changes, identity changes. Instead of identifying as Widgets Incorporated employees who, whether they are an executive or a janitor, will someday earn a gold watch with the Widgets logo engraved on the back, workers identify as designers or social media gurus or software engineers. Rather than forging a common bond with coworkers in a mix of jobs around the proverbial water cooler, freelancers build geographically dispersed networks with other self-employed professionals with similar skill sets. Furthermore, in the twentyfirst century the workplace has become a primary site of social connections and thus an important thread in the fabric of social cohesion, but instead of going to an office for a large portion of the day where they assume their workday persona, the new entrepreneurs work at home—even in bed, where they tap out messages to clients on their smartphone while wearing pajamas. And instead of relying on company benefits packages when working or  government administered unemployment payments  when not working, these workers attempt to provide for themselves in defiance of the vicissitudes of life. Not partaking in any communal safety net, they argue that in an era when layoffs are commonplace, being self employed is little more precarious than working for an employer. The cumulative result of these changes may be, on the one hand, an integration of personal and work life not seen since the Industrial Revolution moved people from farms into factories and, on the other hand, the atomization of society as individual contributors of labor rent themselves out impermanently to companies around the globe without meeting their coworkers face-to-face. Contributing further to social disruption is the bifurcation of the labor market into the independent self-employed and those still dependent on traditional jobs. It remains to be seen whether this new generation of professionals will appreciate the degree of vulnerability that accompanies their freedom and reach out to find common cause with employees who still draw a steady paycheck, working together to address issues of security and dignity in the workplace.    1 
 1. The author is primarily concerned with

A. how working conditions differ for freelancers and traditionally employed individuals.
B. the growth of freelance employment and its ramifications for workers and society.
C. the economic implications of a shift in the labor market toward freelance workers.
D. why some professional knowledge workers choose to freelance.
E. recent and forecast statistical trends in freelance employment.

2 
 2. Based on the passage, one can infer that the author would likely agree with all of the following statements about self-employed freelancers EXCEPT

A. Unlike traditional employees, who are dependent on the local economy, freelancers can contract with companies anywhere in the world and so do not experience sudden changes in workload and income.
B. Freelancers who can use the globalized, technology-enhanced business environment to their advantage generally perform mental rather than physical labor.
C. Compared to workers in the traditional workforce, freelancers are likely to use the Internet to build relationships with people of different socioeconomic status from themselves.

3 
 3. The author mentions “ government-administered unemployment payments ” in paragraph 2 in order to

A. support the conclusion that freelance knowledge workers are financially insecure.
B. argue that the increase in the percentage of freelancers in the workforce is of benefit to society.
C. illustrate a way in which self-employed individuals impose a burden on the social safety net.
D. reject the notion that freelance professionals should be required to pay unemployment taxes.
E. provide evidence for the idea that freelancers are less integrated with society at large than are traditional employees.

4 
 4. Select the sentence that best summarizes the author’s conclusion about the historic impact of the growth of the independent workforce. 
  The cumulative result of these changes may be, on the one hand, an integration of personal and work life not seen since the Industrial Revolution moved people from farms into factories and, on the other hand, the atomization of society as individual contributors of labor rent themselves out impermanently to companies around the globe without meeting their coworkers face to face.

Rohit1988 · Answer

For question 2 why is the answer listed as A and C ? Those 2 points are something the author agrees to.

Bhatp · Answer

Anybody answered the 4th question about the 'historical impact of freelance workers'?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

2. Based on the passage, one can infer that the author would likely agree with all of the following statements about self-employed freelancers EXCEPT

The word  “infer”  signals an Inference question. Additionally, the phrase  “the author would likely agree”  implies that you are being asked to make an inference rather than find a detail explicitly stated in the passage. And because this is an EXCEPT question as well as an all-that-apply question, your task is to select all the choices that the author would not agree with.

Use your Passage Map to refresh your memory of ideas the author has stated and therefore would agree with. The question hasn’t given you any guidance about where in the passage to research, so save that effort until you have answer choices to evaluate.

You can’t formulate a specific prediction for a question like this one. After all, there are an infinite number of ideas the author would not agree with. However, you can compare the answer choices to ideas you know the author would agree with and eliminate them. On the cross-out list would be ideas like these (from the Passage Map): freelance workforce is growing; knowledge workers are in the best position to freelance; freelance workers identify with their job title, not a company, and they work at home alone and are self-reliant; growth of freelance workforce means society is becoming less cohesive; both freelance and traditional workers face insecurity.

In the first paragraph, the author says the demand for freelancers is increasing in part because companies want a workforce they can  “adjust at will.”  In the last sentence, the author concludes by saying that freelancers have a  “degree of vulnerability”  that gives them common ground with other workers. Therefore, freelancers are not always financially secure, and the author would disagree with choice (A), making it a correct answer to this EXCEPT question.

In the second paragraph, the author states that freelancers integrate different aspects of their own lives but are less connected to coworkers, resulting in
an  “atomization of society.”  They do build networks, but mostly with people similar to themselves. Therefore, the author would disagree with choice (C), making it another correct answer. In paragraph 1, the author contrasts knowledge workers with a coffee shop barista and indicates that professionals with  “intellectual capital are in prime position”  to succeed as freelancers. Therefore, the author would agree with choice (B), and this choice is incorrect.

Answer: A,C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

4. Select the sentence that best summarizes the author’s conclusion about the historic impact of the growth of the independent workforce.

This is a Detail question.

According to the Passage Map, the impact of freelance workers is discussed in paragraph 2, so you will look there for the answer. A number of sentences describe changes brought about by growing numbers of these workers, but only one—toward the end of the paragraph—sums up the author’s conclusion and puts the trend into historical perspective.

The correct answer will be the sentence that mentions a historical fact and includes a key word or phrase suggesting a wrap-up of the author’s ideas.

The cumulative result of these changes may be, on the one hand, an integration of personal and work life not seen since the Industrial Revolution moved people from farms into factories and, on the other hand, the atomization of society as individual contributors of labor rent themselves out impermanently to companies around the globe without meeting their coworkers face to face.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

1. The author is primarily concerned with

The  first paragraph  discusses the fact that freelance employment is becoming more common for knowledge workers, and the second paragraph argues that this trend will have  “social and cultural implications,”  resulting in shifts in personal identity and  “social disruption.” Choice (B)  is the correct answer to this Global question.

Although  paragraph 2  mentions a number of ways in which freelancers’ lifestyles differ from those of employees, the author mentions these details to support the larger point that an increase in freelancing is changing society. Therefore, choice  (A)  is incorrect.

The author mentions the economic vulnerability of freelancers but only to support the discussion of their different approach to security from traditional employees, so  choice (C)  is incorrect.

One can infer that freelancers enjoy the freedom of this mode of work and this may be why they choose self-employment, but explaining this is not the author’s primary goal.  Choice (D)  is not correct.

Choice (E)  only reflects the ideas in the first paragraph; the author is concerned with more than statistical trends.

Answer: B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

3. The author mentions “     government-administered unemployment payments     ” in paragraph 2 in order to

The phrase  “in order to”  tells you this is a Logic question. You are being asked why the author mentions this detail, not for further information about it.

According to your Passage Map,  paragraph 2  is about the social consequences of the growth in the freelance workforce, specifically how this trend is causing society to become less cohesive. Reading the target sentence, you find the contrast key words  “instead of”: “company benefits”  and  “unemployment benefits”  are being contrasted with freelance workers’  “attempt  to provide for themselves.”  The next sentence continues the contrast, starting with the word  “not”  and saying freelance workers reject  “communal benefits.”

Predict that the author mentions this detail to support the idea that in contrast to traditional employees, freelance workers depend on themselves rather than on society.

The purpose of  paragraph 2  is to argue that the increase in freelancers has profound social implications, namely that freelancers’ work and personal lives are more integrated but these workers are less integrated with society.  “Government-administered unemployment payments”  are mentioned in a sentence that contrasts programs organized to protect the well-being of a group with the self-reliance of freelancers. Therefore, this detail is mentioned to support the idea that self-employed people are less connected to the social safety net, and answer  choice (E)  is correct.

The detail in this question is mentioned to support the idea that freelancers provide for themselves, not that sometimes they cannot do so;  choice (A)  is incorrect. If anything, the author seems troubled by the effect of a larger contingent labor force on society, so  choice (B)  does not work. Freelancers are self-reliant, according to the author, so  (C)  does not make sense. Finally, although it might logically follow that people who do not receive unemployment benefits should not pay unemployment taxes, the passage never discusses taxes of any kind, and  choice (D)  is out of scope.

Answer: E

As the business world becomes ever more globalized and dynamic, freela

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