Vanessa: All computer code must be written by a pair of programmers working at a single workstation. This is needed t...

Katherine on February 11, 2019

Hi @alymathieu,

The question asks you to find the assignment of computer programmers that is NOT consistent with the principles expressed by Vanessa and Jo.

First, let’s look closely at each principle. Vanessa says that all computer code must be written by a pair of programmers. Jo says the best programmers must be allowed to work by themselves. At first glance, these two principles seem to be inconsistent. How can the best programmers work by themselves if they must be paired in a team? However you can reconcile these two principles once you realize that the most productive programmers can be paired with one another.

Next, we have to look at each answer and see whether it contradicts the principles described above.

Answer A says Olga and Kensuke are average programmers who believe they are more productive working along, but have been assigned to work together at a single workstation. This is following the guidance of Vanessa’s principle. Jo’s principle does not apply because these are not the most productive programmers. This answer is not inconsistent with the principles and therefore is not the correct choice.

Answer B says John and Tyrone are both not the most programmers on the team and are paired together. Similar to Answer A, this does not violate either principle. Therefore it is not the correct choice.

Answer C says Chris and Jennifer are assigned to work together on a team. It is not relevant that Chris is more productive than Jennifer. Neither principle says teams need to be comprised of programmers that are the same level of productivity, except in the cases of the best programmers. Because this answer does not violate either principle, it is not the correct choice.

Answer D says Yolanda is the most productive programmer on the team and has been paired with Mike, who is also very productive. This violates Jo’s principle which says that the most productive programmers must be allowed to work by themselves. Even though Mike is very productive, he is not described as one of the best programmers. Because this assignment would violate Jo’s principle is it the correct answer.

Answer E says Kevin and Amy, neither of whom is unusually productive, are assigned to the same team. As with the other incorrect answers, this does not violate either principle and is therefore not the correct choice.

I hope this helps. Please let us know if you have other questions!

NickJFall on March 21, 2021

There is a useful diagramming technique for this, which simplifies the process enough for even my level. (CC --/--> PPWSS) ----> MPP. Simplified from there, CC ----> PPWSS or MPP (original). And, noPPWSS and noMPP ----> noCC (contrapositive).

Believe me, I'm nothings special and this helped me answer (d) in less than 40 seconds.