IMAT 2014 Q19 [Flaw | Human Functioning]

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We constantly split our attention between the people we are with and what’s happening on our mobile phone screens. On­screen multi­tasking makes us less efficient as well as less emotionally engaged with others. It takes 64 seconds to recover our train of thought after interruption by a message (that’s 8.5 hours a week wasted if we check our screens every five minutes) and when we’ve sent an email or SMS text message, the brain goes through a series of semi­conscious calculations as we wonder when and how the recipient will reply. The result is that we’re not ‘present’ for several minutes afterwards. In order to function effectively in the workplace, we need to switch off our communication hardware.

Which one of the following is the best statement of the flaw in the above argument?

A. People may be unwilling to make less use of their mobile phones.

B. We may need to have some ‘down time’ in order to recharge our mental batteries.

C. In many work environments you may not be allowed to use personal mobile phones.

D. Without the means to send and receive information instantly, our effectiveness may be compromised.

E. It may only be the younger workers who use mobile phone technology to excess.

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Reminder:

  • Read the question first
  • Read the passage
  • Find the conclusion, highlight keywords
  • Find assumptions that the argument lies on
  • Attack these assumptions with the answer options
  • Discard any invalid options and you’ll have your answer

The text is talking about how communication hardware reduces our effectiveness in the workplace, so to find the flaw in the argument, we need to choose an answer that shows that this technology actually benefits us in this area.

A People may be unwilling to make less use of their mobile phones.

The author is trying to find a solution, it does not matter what happens during implementation. Even if people were unwilling to make less use of their phones, it does not change the conclusion of the author; we will be more efficient without this communication hardware. Therefore A is incorrect because it does not expose the flaw in the argument.

B We may need to have some ‘down time’ in order to recharge our mental batteries.

This is not the flaw in the argument, rather it supports it. The author is arguing that we need less communication hardware because of its effect on us, so saying that we may need some time away from it adds to the argument. Therefore B is not the flaw, but rather reinforcement.

C In many work environments you may not be allowed to use personal mobile phones.

Communication hardware is more inclusive, it could be work mobiles, emails, faxes, etc… Therefore C is incorrect because it is too narrow, it focuses on a narrow aspect instead of being more inclusive like the author.

D Without the means to send and receive information instantly, our effectiveness may be compromised.

This shows that we may be more ineffective without our technology. It says that this constant messaging and checking of devices is impacting our work but it does not consider that this could be required in the workplace. Working a job that requires constant communication could actually be beneficial to have your phone constantly on and being checked. Therefore D is the correct answer.

E It may only be the younger workers who use mobile phone technology to excess.

Just because there is only one group of people doing something wrong, does not mean that it is not a problem. In addition, we are talking about communication hardware in general, so this is similar to C because there could be other means of communication like computers (emails…). Therefore E is also incorrect.

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