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
Visual Structure Map:
[CONTEXT: Digital tech reduced book costs] → [SPECIFICATION: Biggest savings in manufacturing/distribution] → [CLARIFICATION: These stages come after authoring/editing/design] → [LOGICAL IMPLICATION: _____]
Main Point: Digital technologies reduced book production costs primarily in the later stages of production (manufacturing and distribution) rather than in the earlier creative stages.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes that digital technology reduced book costs overall, then specifies that the greatest savings occurred in manufacturing and distribution, and finally clarifies that these stages happen after the creative work is done, leading to a logical conclusion about which stages were most/least affected.
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 technology reduced costs most significantly in manufacturing and distribution, which happen AFTER the creative stages
- This logically suggests that the earlier stages (authoring, editing, design) experienced less cost reduction than the later stages
- The right answer should capture this comparison - showing that the creative/early stages were less affected by digital cost savings than the production/later stages
- The right answer should point out that writing, editing, and design costs were less impacted by digital technologies than manufacturing and distribution costs
digital technologies made it easier than it had been previously for authors to write very long works and get them published.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims digital tech made it easier for authors to publish very long works
- This isn't supported by the passage, which focuses on cost reductions, not ease of publishing or work length
- Trap: Students might think 'lower costs' automatically means 'easier publishing,' but the passage doesn't make this connection
customers generally expected the cost of books to decline relative to the cost of other consumer goods.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims customers expected book costs to decline relative to other goods
- The passage discusses actual cost reductions, not customer expectations
- No information provided about consumer expectations or comparisons to other goods
publishers increased the variety of their offerings by printing more unique titles but also printed fewer copies of each title.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims publishers increased variety but printed fewer copies per title
- This specific business strategy isn't mentioned or logically implied by the cost information
- The passage focuses on where costs decreased, not on 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
- States that writing/editing/design costs were less affected than manufacturing/distribution costs
- Directly follows from the passage logic: if manufacturing/distribution saw the 'most significant' cost decreases, then the earlier stages must have been less affected
- Perfectly matches our prethinking about the comparison between early and late production stages