#8 - Technology is radically improving the quality of life

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Main Point. The correct answer choice is (A).

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[asid178]

I couldn't seem to find an affirmative conclusion in the stimulus. Is it that tech is improving life or that companies are creating jobs?

But mostly, what I don't understand is how choice A is a conclusion. It reads like a fragment of a sentence and says "direct application is not the only way...tech is improving life"- that is a restatement of the stimulations but doesn't establish anything, as if there is a part of the sentence or argument missing.

Could you please clarify this?


thank you!

[katehos]

Hi asid178!

The conclusion in this stimulus is the first sentence beginning with "Technology is radically improving...". In order to help demonstrate why that is the case, let's apply the Conclusion Identification Method! First, we will take the statements in the stimulus and place them in such a way that forces one to be a conclusion and the others to be the premises (using indicators). Next, we will analyze whether or not this arrangement makes logical sense!

Let's start by trying to place the last sentence as the conclusion. It should look something like this: Because the design, production, testing, and marketing of new technology has itself become a growing industry that is turning around the fortunes of once-ailing communities and because technology is radically improving the quality of life in some communities not only by direct application of innovations, we can conclude that the companies involved create jobs, add to the tax base, and contribute to an upbeat spirit of renewal.

That doesn't seem right, does it? The conclusion doesn't really follow from those premises! So, let's switch them.

Because the design, production, testing, and marketing of new technology has itself become a growing industry that is turning around the fortunes of once-ailing communities and the companies involved create jobs, add to the tax base, and contribute to an upbeat spirit of renewal, we can conclude that technology is radically improving the quality of life in some communities, and not only by direct application of innovations.

This makes a lot more sense! The conclusion that technology is improving the quality of life follows, as well as the rest of the conclusion regarding how these improvements do not only come in the form of direct application of innovations.

With this in mind, answer choice (A) might already make a lot more sense! As we can see, (A) is basically just a restatement of the conclusion sentence (that being the first one in the stimulus) which is exactly what we're looking for! Since this is a Main Point question, we're looking for the answer choice that best encapsulates the conclusion, so it doesn't need to establish anything new!

I hope this helps
Kate