BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

most employees... - can you explain solution

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 164
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 5:26 am
Thanked: 49 times
Followed by:4 members
GMAT Score:710

most employees... - can you explain solution

by Maciek » Thu Aug 19, 2010 11:03 pm
Most employees in the computer industry move from company to company, changing jobs several times in their careers. However, Summit Computers is known throughout the industry for retaining its employees. Summit credits its success in retaining employees to its informal, nonhierarchical work environment.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports Summit's explanation of its success in retaining employees?
(A) Some people employed in the computer industry change jobs if they become bored with their current projects.
(B) A hierarchical work environment hinders the cooperative exchange of ideas that computer industry employees consider necessary for their work.
(C) Many of Summit's senior employees had previously worked at only one other computer company.
(D) In a nonhierarchical work environment, people avoid behavior that might threaten group harmony and thus avoid discussing with their colleagues any dissatisfaction they might have with their jobs.
(E) The cost of living near Summit is relatively low compared to areas in which some other computer companies are located

OA A

Source: 300 GMAT CR questions with Best Solutions posted by papgust https://www.beatthegmat.com/download-gma ... 59366.html

Can you explain the solution?
"There is no greater wealth in a nation than that of being made up of learned citizens." Pope John Paul II

if you have any questions, send me a private message!

should you find this post useful, please click on "thanks" button :)
Top
Source: — Critical Reasoning |
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 191
Joined: Sat Jun 26, 2010 9:27 am
Thanked: 6 times
Followed by:2 members

by ashish2104 » Fri Aug 20, 2010 3:09 am
Let me try to explain.

Summit credits in retaining its employees. It states 2 reasons: 1)informal work environment & 2)nonhierarchical work environment

We need to show that summit is indeed able to retain its employees.

A) shows that people bored with current projects change jobs...but if summit has informal work environment then these employees can discuss this issue and get it sorted. They would no longer be bored and hence, would stick to the company.

I hope this helps.
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 364
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 5:13 am
Thanked: 31 times
Followed by:3 members

by FightWithGMAT » Fri Aug 20, 2010 7:33 am
Maciek wrote:Most employees in the computer industry move from company to company, changing jobs several times in their careers. However, Summit Computers is known throughout the industry for retaining its employees. Summit credits its success in retaining employees to its informal, nonhierarchical work environment.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports Summit's explanation of its success in retaining employees?
(A) Some people employed in the computer industry change jobs if they become bored with their current projects.
(B) A hierarchical work environment hinders the cooperative exchange of ideas that computer industry employees consider necessary for their work.
(C) Many of Summit's senior employees had previously worked at only one other computer company.
(D) In a nonhierarchical work environment, people avoid behavior that might threaten group harmony and thus avoid discussing with their colleagues any dissatisfaction they might have with their jobs.
(E) The cost of living near Summit is relatively low compared to areas in which some other computer companies are located

OA A

Source: 300 GMAT CR questions with Best Solutions posted by papgust https://www.beatthegmat.com/download-gma ... 59366.html

Can you explain the solution?
Can you cite the source??
Because OA can not be A.

OA for this problem is B.
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:20 pm
Thanked: 74 times
Followed by:4 members

by uwhusky » Fri Aug 20, 2010 7:38 am
Agreed. A can't be correct.
Yep.
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 422
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2010 11:47 am
Thanked: 22 times
Followed by:1 members
GMAT Score:680

by beatthegmatinsept » Fri Aug 20, 2010 8:15 am
Has to be B. I remember attempting this question before, since I have only done OG12 and OG11 questions, this question has to be from either one of those two, and I remember OA was B. Maybe this question is included somewhere else as well where the OA is incorrectly given as A.
Being defeated is often only a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 164
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 5:26 am
Thanked: 49 times
Followed by:4 members
GMAT Score:710

by Maciek » Fri Aug 20, 2010 10:14 am
That is the given explanation:
this passage is arguing that a non-hierarchical environment is better than a hierarchical one.
You can strengthen such a claim in either of 2 ways:
* show something better about the NON-hierarchical environment, OR
* show something worse about the hierarchical environment.
The official answer does the latter of these.
Source: 300 GMAT CR questions with Best Solutions posted by papgust https://www.beatthegmat.com/download-gma ... 59366.html[/quote]
"There is no greater wealth in a nation than that of being made up of learned citizens." Pope John Paul II

if you have any questions, send me a private message!

should you find this post useful, please click on "thanks" button :)
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:20 pm
Thanked: 74 times
Followed by:4 members

by uwhusky » Fri Aug 20, 2010 10:25 am
A does neither in the explanation. I think you may have copied the wrong answer.
Yep.
Top
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 3225
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:40 pm
Location: Toronto
Thanked: 1710 times
Followed by:614 members
GMAT Score:800

by Stuart@KaplanGMAT » Sat Aug 21, 2010 8:20 am
B is definitely the correct answer - A is outside the scope, since it's unrelated to Summit's explanation, while B is right on point.
Image

Stuart Kovinsky | Kaplan GMAT Faculty | Toronto

Kaplan Exclusive: The Official Test Day Experience | Ready to Take a Free Practice Test? | Kaplan/Beat the GMAT Member Discount
BTG100 for $100 off a full course
Top
Legendary Member
Posts: 995
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:56 pm
Thanked: 31 times
Followed by:1 members

by paes » Sat Aug 21, 2010 5:20 pm
Stuart Kovinsky wrote:B is definitely the correct answer - A is outside the scope, since it's unrelated to Summit's explanation, while B is right on point.
Stuart,

I agree that OA is B.
But somehow I am not able to discard D.

B is talking about hier. environment
and D is talking about non-hier. environment.

So, in some way, it seems that B is out of the scope and only D is giving some +ve thing about the non-hier [ summmit's company] environment.

Please explain.
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 422
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2010 11:47 am
Thanked: 22 times
Followed by:1 members
GMAT Score:680

by beatthegmatinsept » Sat Aug 21, 2010 5:28 pm
paes wrote:
Stuart Kovinsky wrote:B is definitely the correct answer - A is outside the scope, since it's unrelated to Summit's explanation, while B is right on point.
Stuart,

I agree that OA is B.
But somehow I am not able to discard D.

B is talking about hier. environment
and D is talking about non-hier. environment.

So, in some way, it seems that B is out of the scope and only D is giving some +ve thing about the non-hier [ summmit's company] environment.

Please explain.
(D) In a nonhierarchical work environment, people avoid behavior that might threaten group harmony and thus avoid discussing with their colleagues any dissatisfaction they might have with their jobs.

Agreed. The first half of D talks about the positive impact of non-hierarchical work environment. This in turn leads to people avoiding discussing with their colleagues any dissatisfaction they might have with their jobs. The second half of D, somehow makes me think that it implies that even if employees were actually dissatisfied at Summit, they won't talk about it with their co-workers. BUT, the whole premise of above is that employee turnover at Summit is less, so that must mean that employees are satisfied. So, D to me brings a different angle.
Does that help at all?
Being defeated is often only a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Top
Legendary Member
Posts: 995
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:56 pm
Thanked: 31 times
Followed by:1 members

by paes » Sat Aug 21, 2010 6:25 pm
@Renaissance

I can discard D basedon your explanation,
but once I compare A and D, then I find that D is better than A

A : A hierarchical work environment hinders the cooperative exchange of ideas that computer industry employees consider necessary for their work.

It doesn't say that :

A non- hierarchical work environment does not hinder the cooperative exchange of ideas that computer industry employees consider necessary for their work.

I mean that A is not saying anything about non-hier ebvironment.
It is looking out of scope to me.
Top
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 3225
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:40 pm
Location: Toronto
Thanked: 1710 times
Followed by:614 members
GMAT Score:800

by Stuart@KaplanGMAT » Sat Aug 21, 2010 7:05 pm
paes wrote:
Stuart Kovinsky wrote:B is definitely the correct answer - A is outside the scope, since it's unrelated to Summit's explanation, while B is right on point.
Stuart,

I agree that OA is B.
But somehow I am not able to discard D.

B is talking about hier. environment
and D is talking about non-hier. environment.

So, in some way, it seems that B is out of the scope and only D is giving some +ve thing about the non-hier [ summmit's company] environment.

Please explain.
To get from D to something positive, you have to make assumptions.

D does not say that a non-hierarchical environment is preferred by workers. D also does not say that a non-hierarchical environment is good for the company. D certainly does not say that employees in a non-hierarchical environment are not dissatisfied.

What D does say is that in a non-hierarchical environment, employees keep their opinions (negative ones, anyway), to themselves. We're not supposed to be psychiatrists, so we have no clue what impact that has on the workplace. For all we know, if employees keep all their negative opinions bottled up, they're seething with rage on the inside and are 1 step away from a nervous breakdown. Have you ever been in a situation in which you couldn't tell anyone all the things that were bugging you? Just because you don't let your feelings out doesn't mean that you don't have those feelings.

So, since D requires us to make assumptions about the effect of not sharing your feelings, it's automatically outside the scope.

Here are two good rules of thumb (since you have two thumbs!) for evaluating choices in CR:

1) if you have to bring in outside knowledge to make an answer choice fit, it's the wrong answer; and

2) the more work you have to do to justify a choice, the less likely that it's the correct answer.

edited for typo!
Last edited by Stuart@KaplanGMAT on Sat Aug 21, 2010 9:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Image

Stuart Kovinsky | Kaplan GMAT Faculty | Toronto

Kaplan Exclusive: The Official Test Day Experience | Ready to Take a Free Practice Test? | Kaplan/Beat the GMAT Member Discount
BTG100 for $100 off a full course
Top
Legendary Member
Posts: 995
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:56 pm
Thanked: 31 times
Followed by:1 members

by paes » Sat Aug 21, 2010 7:57 pm
Thanks Stuart.
B makes more sense now.
Top
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 5:33 am

by ainiAnnie » Tue Jul 24, 2012 2:16 am
Stuart Kovinsky wrote:
paes wrote:
Stuart Kovinsky wrote:B is definitely the correct answer - A is outside the scope, since it's unrelated to Summit's explanation, while B is right on point.
Stuart,

I agree that OA is B.
But somehow I am not able to discard D.

B is talking about hier. environment
and D is talking about non-hier. environment.

So, in some way, it seems that B is out of the scope and only D is giving some +ve thing about the non-hier [ summmit's company] environment.

Please explain.
To get from D to something positive, you have to make assumptions.

D does not say that a non-hierarchical environment is preferred by workers. D also does not say that a non-hierarchical environment is good for the company. D certainly does not say that employees in a non-hierarchical environment are not dissatisfied.

What D does say is that in a non-hierarchical environment, employees keep their opinions (negative ones, anyway), to themselves. We're not supposed to be psychiatrists, so we have no clue what impact that has on the workplace. For all we know, if employees keep all their negative opinions bottled up, they're seething with rage on the inside and are 1 step away from a nervous breakdown. Have you ever been in a situation in which you couldn't tell anyone all the things that were bugging you? Just because you don't let your feelings out doesn't mean that you don't have those feelings.

So, since D requires us to make assumptions about the effect of not sharing your feelings, it's automatically outside the scope.

Here are two good rules of thumb (since you have two thumbs!) for evaluating choices in CR:

1) if you have to bring in outside knowledge to make an answer choice fit, it's the wrong answer; and

2) the more work you have to do to justify a choice, the less likely that it's the correct answer.

edited for typo!
thank U soooooo much~
Top
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1