The rise of factory production in 19th-century America brought unprecedented manufacturing efficiency but also created dangerous working conditions th...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The rise of factory production in 19th-century America brought unprecedented manufacturing efficiency but also created dangerous working conditions that led to frequent industrial accidents. Employers initially showed little interest in safety improvements, viewing them as costly interruptions to production schedules. However, the development of worker compensation insurance systems fundamentally changed this dynamic. Yet these insurance requirements often met resistance from established companies that viewed external oversight as interference with their operational autonomy, creating ongoing tensions between safety goals and business independence. By the 1890s, factories with comprehensive insurance coverage had achieved significantly lower accident rates than uninsured facilities.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
It chronicles the development of worker compensation insurance in American industry.
It demonstrates how insurance requirements created conflicts with business autonomy.
It explains why factory employers initially resisted implementing safety measures.
It traces the evolution of manufacturing efficiency during the industrial period.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| The rise of factory production in 19th-century America brought unprecedented manufacturing efficiency but also created dangerous working conditions that led to frequent industrial accidents. |
|
| Employers initially showed little interest in safety improvements, viewing them as costly interruptions to production schedules. |
|
| However, the development of worker compensation insurance systems fundamentally changed this dynamic. |
|
| Yet these insurance requirements often met resistance from established companies that viewed external oversight as interference with their operational autonomy, creating ongoing tensions between safety goals and business independence. |
|
| By the 1890s, factories with comprehensive insurance coverage had achieved significantly lower accident rates than uninsured facilities. |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Worker compensation insurance systems transformed industrial safety by creating financial incentives for employers to improve workplace conditions, despite initial resistance from companies concerned about losing operational control.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes the dangerous conditions in 19th-century factories and employers' initial resistance to safety improvements. It then introduces insurance systems as a transformative solution, acknowledges the pushback from companies worried about external control, and concludes with evidence that insurance ultimately succeeded in reducing accidents.
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
- Looking at our analysis, the underlined sentence introduces a complication to the insurance solution that was just presented
- It shows that even though insurance systems "fundamentally changed" the safety dynamic, there was pushback from companies who saw this as threatening their independence
- This creates tension in the argument - insurance was transformative, but it wasn't universally welcomed
- The right answer should capture how this sentence functions as a counterpoint or complication that shows the resistance to the insurance solution, specifically highlighting the conflict between safety oversight and business autonomy
It chronicles the development of worker compensation insurance in American industry.
✗ Incorrect
- This choice suggests the sentence chronicles the development of insurance systems
- The sentence doesn't trace the development or history of insurance - it focuses on the resistance and conflicts these systems created
It demonstrates how insurance requirements created conflicts with business autonomy.
✓ Correct
- This perfectly captures what the sentence does - it shows how insurance requirements created conflicts with business autonomy
- The phrase "created conflicts with business autonomy" directly reflects the sentence's focus on "interference with their operational autonomy" and "ongoing tensions"
It explains why factory employers initially resisted implementing safety measures.
✗ Incorrect
- This refers to explaining why employers initially resisted safety measures
- That explanation appears earlier in the passage
- The underlined sentence is about resistance to insurance requirements, not resistance to safety measures generally
It traces the evolution of manufacturing efficiency during the industrial period.
✗ Incorrect
- This suggests the sentence traces manufacturing efficiency evolution
- The sentence has nothing to do with manufacturing efficiency - it's entirely about conflicts over insurance requirements and autonomy