Practice Test 10
•25 QuestionsRead the passage and answer the question.
In evaluating new technologies, policymakers often ask whether an innovation is “efficient,” typically meaning that it reduces costs or increases output. The passage argues that this narrow framing can obscure a different question: efficient for whom and under what constraints. A tool that lowers production costs might simultaneously shift risks onto workers, concentrate market power, or increase environmental damage. In such cases, aggregate efficiency gains may coexist with losses that are substantial for particular groups.
The passage does not deny that efficiency matters; rather, it claims that efficiency is an incomplete criterion for public decision-making. Because many technological effects are distributed unevenly, evaluation should incorporate considerations of resilience, fairness, and accountability. For example, a highly optimized supply chain may minimize inventory costs but become fragile when disruptions occur; similarly, automated decision systems may speed administrative processes while making errors harder to contest. The passage concludes that technology assessment should treat efficiency as one value among several, not as a substitute for broader judgments about social outcomes.
Which of the following best describes the main idea of the passage?
Read the passage and answer the question.
In evaluating new technologies, policymakers often ask whether an innovation is “efficient,” typically meaning that it reduces costs or increases output. The passage argues that this narrow framing can obscure a different question: efficient for whom and under what constraints. A tool that lowers production costs might simultaneously shift risks onto workers, concentrate market power, or increase environmental damage. In such cases, aggregate efficiency gains may coexist with losses that are substantial for particular groups.
The passage does not deny that efficiency matters; rather, it claims that efficiency is an incomplete criterion for public decision-making. Because many technological effects are distributed unevenly, evaluation should incorporate considerations of resilience, fairness, and accountability. For example, a highly optimized supply chain may minimize inventory costs but become fragile when disruptions occur; similarly, automated decision systems may speed administrative processes while making errors harder to contest. The passage concludes that technology assessment should treat efficiency as one value among several, not as a substitute for broader judgments about social outcomes.
Which of the following best describes the main idea of the passage?