We are told that that computer experts are asked to allocate funds for new hardware and software for the company, but the issue is that they choose the technologies that excite them, which are actually very expensive, full of unknown bugs and are, therefore, not the most profitable.
So our principle illustrates a group of people with power who make a decision because it pleases them/excites them/is beneficial for them and it ends up being bad for the whole.
Answer choice (A) states: "When senior executives choose to promote junior executives, they tend to favor those who share their professional interests, not those who have had the most education."
Answer choice (A) does not clearly point out that this is bad for the company. Though the junior executives are not those who have the MOST education, they might still have a lot of education. However, in the passage we know that cutting-edge technology is not only not the most profitable investment, but it is highly expensive and full of undiscovered "bugs." See how the passage illustrates that this selfish decision is bad for the whole whereas answer choice (A) doesn't?
Answer choice (C) states: "When librarians choose books for the library, they choose the kinds that they enjoy reading, not the kinds of books that serve the interests of the community."
Answer choice (C) follows the same principle in the passage. There is a group of people with power, i.e. librarians, who are making a decision because it excites them, i.e. they choose the kind of books that THEY enjoy reading, and this is not good for the overall whole because books that serve the librarians interests are prioritized over books that serve the community's interests in general.
Hope that clears things up! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
MattJanuary 28, 2015
Great explanation, thank you!
jbartonNovember 25, 2017
I get why a isn't the answer. But why isn't D the answer? The students are in power of their own course selection. Is it simply because the classes are only not good for them and not some 'whole'? Otherwise I don't really see why C is a better answer than D.
MehranNovember 27, 2017
Hey there, thanks for your post.
As explained in our previous post, the stimulus here presents us with a principles that illustrates a group of people with power who make a decision because it pleases them/excites them/is beneficial for them, but that decision ends up being bad for the whole.
Answer choice (C) follows the same principle: Librarians are making a decision based on what they themselves like, and this is not good for the overall whole because these are not necessarily the books that serve the community's interests in general.
Answer choice (D) is different, because the only people who might be negatively affected by the students' choices are those students themselves. By contrast, the group negatively affected by the computer experts in the stimulus are other members of the company, and the group negatively affected by the librarians in answer choice (C) are other members of the community.
Hope this helps!
Samantha-AlexisMay 22, 2019
I was able to narrow down my answers to answer choice (b) and (c). I now understand why C is correct, but why is answer choice B incorrect?
RaviMay 23, 2019
@Samantha-Alexis,
Happy to help. Let's take a look at (B).
(B) says, "When supermarkets choose foods, they choose the kinds that can be sold for the most profit, not the kinds of foods that are the most healthful for consumers."
(B) is basically saying that supermarkets sell things that make them the most money, not things that are the most healthy. This is a tempting answer choice because the broader group of consumers is not being served. However, supermarkets are expected to really care about their profits, whereas the computer experts described in the stimulus are given the responsibility to select technology and are expected to care about the larger group. Thus, we can get rid of (B).
Does this make sense? Let us know if you have any other questions!
