The increased integration of digital technologies throughout the process of book creation in the late 20th and early 21st centuries...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
The increased integration of digital technologies throughout the process of book creation in the late 20th and early 21st centuries lowered the costs of book production, but those decreased costs have been most significant in the manufacturing and distribution process, which occurs after the authoring, editing, and design of the book are complete. This suggests that in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
digital technologies made it easier than it had been previously for authors to write very long works and get them published.
customers generally expected the cost of books to decline relative to the cost of other consumer goods.
publishers increased the variety of their offerings by printing more unique titles but also printed fewer copies of each title.
the costs of writing, editing, and designing a book were less affected by the technologies used than were the costs of manufacturing and distributing a book.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'The increased integration of digital technologies throughout the process of book creation in the late 20th and early 21st centuries lowered the costs of book production,' |
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| 'but those decreased costs have been most significant in the manufacturing and distribution process,' |
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| 'which occurs after the authoring, editing, and design of the book are complete.' |
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| 'This suggests that in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, ______' |
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Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Digital technologies reduced book production costs most significantly in the later stages (manufacturing and distribution) rather than in the earlier creative stages.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes that digital technology lowered book costs overall, then specifies that these savings were concentrated in manufacturing and distribution, which happen after the creative work is done. This sets up a logical inference about the relative impact on different phases of book creation.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The passage tells us that digital tech reduced costs most in manufacturing and distribution, which happen after the creative work
- If the cost reductions were most significant in the later phase, then logically the earlier phase must have been less affected by these technologies
- So the right answer should indicate that the costs of the earlier phases (writing, editing, designing) were less affected by digital technologies compared to the later phases
digital technologies made it easier than it had been previously for authors to write very long works and get them published.
✗ Incorrect
- This focuses on making it easier for authors to write longer works
- The passage discusses cost reduction in different phases, not work length or ease of writing
customers generally expected the cost of books to decline relative to the cost of other consumer goods.
✗ Incorrect
- This is about customer expectations for book prices
- The passage discusses actual cost reductions in production, not customer expectations
publishers increased the variety of their offerings by printing more unique titles but also printed fewer copies of each title.
✗ Incorrect
- This discusses variety of offerings and print quantities
- The passage is about cost reduction locations, not about publishing strategies
the costs of writing, editing, and designing a book were less affected by the technologies used than were the costs of manufacturing and distributing a book.
✓ Correct
- This directly addresses the comparison the passage sets up between different phases of book creation
- It matches our prethinking: if manufacturing/distribution costs were most significantly reduced, then writing/editing/design costs were less affected