June 2007 PrepTest, Section 2, Question 1
Economist: Every business strives to increase its productivity, for this increases profits for the owners and the likelihood that the business will survive. But not all efforts to increase productivity are beneficial to the business as a whole. Often, attempts to increase productivity decrease the number of employees, which clearly harms the dismissed employees as well as the sense of security of the retained employees.
Economist: Every business strives to increase its productivity, for this increases profits for the owners and the likelihood that the business will survive. But not all efforts to increase productivity are beneficial to the business as a whole. Often, attempts to increase productivity decrease the number of employees, which clearly harms the dismissed employees as well as the sense of security of the retained employees.
Economist: Every business strives to increase its productivity, for this increases profits for the owners and the likelihood that the business will survive. But not all efforts to increase productivity are beneficial to the business as a whole. Often, attempts to increase productivity decrease the number of employees, which clearly harms the dismissed employees as well as the sense of security of the retained employees.
Economist: Every business strives to increase its productivity, for this increases profits for the owners and the likelihood that the business will survive. But not all efforts to increase productivity are beneficial to the business as a whole. Often, attempts to increase productivity decrease the number of employees, which clearly harms the dismissed employees as well as the sense of security of the retained employees.
Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the economist's argument?
If an action taken to secure the survival of a business fails to enhance the welfare of the business's employees, that action cannot be good for the business as a whole.
Some measures taken by a business to increase productivity fail to be beneficial to the business as a whole.
Only if the employees of a business are also its owners will the interests of the employees and owners coincide, enabling measures that will be beneficial to the business as a whole.
There is no business that does not make efforts to increase its productivity.
Decreasing the number of employees in a business undermines the sense of security of retained employees.
Explanations
The first sentence is background information. The next sentence tips you off that it’s probably the conclusion with something like, “but that’s wrong. ”We can verify that it is the main conclusion by looking at the next sentence(if the other sentences all provide support for it (or are background information), then it’s the main conclusion). As it turns out, the next sentence does support the idea that not all productivity increases are good:Increasing productivity sometimes decreases the number of employees, which harms all employees (past and current).
Nope. This is an assumption of the argument, not its conclusion.
Yup! This is that second sentence rephrased.
No. Owners aren’t even mentioned.
Nope. This is background information.
No. This is a premise.
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