Many GMAT candidates who struggle with Reading Comprehension are most challenged by passages belonging to the social science/humanities category. In these passages, the subject matter is the least familiar. But the real challenge for these passages is the fact that the subject matter usually takes a backseat to the views of the author and the subjects.
The good news is that you can use this fact to your advantage. In your reading of the passage, devote less attention to the technicalities of the social science/humanities topic under discussion, and devote more attention to identifying the point of disagreement or criticism.
What is the author’s stance on the topic? Does this stance agree or disagree with the stance of any subjects mentioned in the passage? On social science/humanities passages, your track 3 attention should be primary.
what the passage says | what the author is doing | what the author/subjects think
GMAT Reading Comprehension: Social Science and Humanities Passage
Now that you have these three tracks of attention in mind, here’s an exemplary social science/humanities passage from the Official Guide:
(1) Jon Clark’s study of the effect of the modernization
of a telephone exchange on exchange maintenance
work and workers is a solid contribution to a debate
that encompasses two lively issues in the history and
(5) sociology of technology: technological determinism
and social constructivism.
Clark makes the point that the characteristics of a
technology have a decisive influence on job skills and
work organization. Put more strongly, technology can
(10) be a primary determinant of social and managerial
organization. Clark believes this possibility has
been obscured by the recent sociological fashion,
exemplified by Braverman’s analysis, that emphasizes
the way machinery reflects social choices. For
(15) Braverman, the shape of a technological system is
subordinate to the manager’s desire to wrest control
of the labor process from the workers. Technological
change is construed as the outcome of negotiations
among interested parties who seek to incorporate
(20) their own interests into the design and configuration
of the machinery. This position represents the new
mainstream called social constructivism.
The constructivists gain acceptance by
misrepresenting technological determinism:
(25) technological determinists are supposed to believe,
for example, that machinery imposes appropriate
forms of order on society. The alternative to
constructivism, in other words, is to view technology
as existing outside society, capable of directly
(30) influencing skills and work organization.
Clark refutes the extremes of the constructivist
by both theoretical and empirical arguments.
Theoretically he defines “technology” in terms of
relationships between social and technical variables.
(35) Attempts to reduce the meaning of technology to
cold, hard metal are bound to fail, for machinery is
just scrap unless it is organized functionally and
supported by appropriate systems of operation and
maintenance. At the empirical level Clark shows how
(40) a change at the telephone exchange from
maintenance-intensive electromechanical switches
to semielectronic switching systems altered work
tasks, skills, training opportunities, administration,
and organization of workers. Some changes Clark
(45) attributes to the particular way management and
labor unions negotiated the introduction of the
technology, whereas others are seen as arising from
the capabilities and nature of the technology itself.
Thus Clark helps answer the question: “When is
(50) social choice decisive and when are the concrete
characteristics of technology more important?”
Let’s get the big picture here. In this passage, the author is not so much presenting his own view as endorsing Jon Clark’s study. When an author weighs in on a subject’s study, theory, or work of art, you should always note whether the author’s opinion is completely positive, completely negative, or somewhere in between.
Usually, it is somewhere in between. Even a critical review usually comes with a few points of praise, and a positive review usually comes with a few points of criticism. But in this passage, the author offers no criticism of Clark’s methods or conclusions. The passage is all about the positive contributions of Clark’s study to the debate between technological determinists and social constructivists.
Your next task as a reader of this passage is to get your head around the two sides of this debate. Thankfully, the author offers plenty of help. In this passage, we have not only Clark, a technological determinist, but also Braverman, a social constructivist. Don’t worry about writing detailed definitions of technological determinism and social constructivism. The difference between the views can be boiled down to the flow of causality between technology and work social structures.
Technological determinism: technology influences work social structures
Social constructivism: work social structures influence technology
That’s it in a nutshell. Remember that you can always get more specific if the questions force you to. Start with big picture understanding and work towards details as necessary.
So far, we have discussed general track 3 information. Let’s switch to track 2 and think about what this author is doing as the passage progresses. The first paragraph is only one sentence and introduces Clark’s study.
At the beginning of the second paragraph, the author summarizes the conclusion of Clark’s study, and by extension the technological determinist viewpoint. The rest of the second paragraph overviews Braverman’s analysis in contrast to Clark’s study and links Braverman to the social constructivist side of the debate. Thus, the full definitions of technological determinism and social constructivism, if we need them, are located in the second paragraph.
The short third paragraph is the author’s summary of how social constructivists have “misrepresented technological determinism.” This actually helps us understand technological determinism more accurately; we can learn more about what it is by seeing what it is not.
The fourth paragraph sets up Clark’s study as a refutation of the social constructivist straw man of technological determinism. The author begins the paragraph by mentioning “both theoretical and empirical arguments” in Clark’s study. We should expect him to speak specifically about each, and he fulfills this expectation in the paragraph. Let’s view a key section from the very end of the passage:
Some changes Clark attributes to the particular way management and labor unions negotiated the introduction of the technology, whereas others are seen as arising from the capabilities and nature of the technology itself. Thus Clark helps answer the question: “When is social choice decisive and when are the concrete characteristics of technology more important?”
From this we can see that Clark, whom the author views as a champion of technological determinism, actually has room in his view for “social constructivism.” According to Clark (and the author), sometimes social choice is decisive (social constructivism), and sometimes the “concrete characteristics of technology” change the game in a way that overpowers the social factors.
Clark and the author are not “pure” technological determinists. According to the author, “pure” technological determinism is actually a straw man set up by social constructivists and refuted by Clark’s study. Both Clark and the author would identify as technological determinists who admit that the flow of causality between technology and work social structures is bidirectional, not unidirectional.
GMAT Reading Comprehension Strategy: Three-track Strategy
Before we get to the questions about this passage, let’s talk a bit about the three tracks reading strategy we’ve been employing in this series. Perhaps it feels less structured than you expected. That’s actually what we’re aiming for. The more skilled you get with this tool, the more flexible it becomes. Passages are complex, and information rarely fits neatly into just one of the three tracks. The more you develop the habit of giving attention not only to what the passage says but also to what the author is doing and what everyone thinks, the less you have to rely on a structure to force this attention.
Let’s get into the questions for this social science/humanities passage:
GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Question
The primary purpose of the passage is to
(A) advocate a more positive attitude toward technological change
(B) discuss the implications for employees of the modernization of a telephone exchange
(C) consider a successful challenge to the constructivist view of technological change
(D) challenge the position of advocates of technological determinism
(E) suggest that the social causes of technological change should be studied in real situations
Whenever a passage is actually a review or a presentation of the work of another scientist or scholar, the correct answer choice on a main idea question must reflect that reality. The only answer choice that does this is C. The “successful challenge” is Clark’s study. No other answer choice would tell you that the passage was a review or a presentation, so they can all be dismissed.
GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Question
Which of the following statements about the modernization of the telephone exchange is supported by information in the passage?
(A) The new technology reduced the role of managers in labor negotiations.
(B) The modernization was implemented without the consent of the employees directly affected by it.
(C) The modernization had an impact that went significantly beyond maintenance routines.
(D) Some of the maintenance workers felt victimized by the new technology.
(E) The modernization gave credence to the view of advocates of social constructivism.
In this answer choice set, E is the trap. According to the author, parts of Clark’s study did speak to the role of manager/laborer negotiations in the implementation of technology (social constructivism), but the author does not present Clark’s study as giving credence to the view of social constructivists. Instead, Clark’s study, by admitting bidirectional causality between technology and work social structures, “refutes the extremes of the constructivists” (line 31).
Answer choices A, B, and D should be eliminated as insufficiently supported by the passage. We simply can’t prove any of those statements. However, we can prove answer choice C with this sentence from the passage:
At the empirical level Clark shows how a change at the telephone exchange from maintenance-intensive electromechanical switches to semielectronic switching systems altered work tasks, skills, training opportunities, administration, and organization of workers.
Indeed, the impact of the change to semielectronic switching systems “ went significantly beyond maintenance routines.” Choice C is the correct answer.
GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Question
Which of the following most accurately describes Clark’s opinion of Braverman’s position?
(A) He respects its wide-ranging popularity.
(B) He disapproves of its misplaced emphasis on the influence of managers.
(C) He admires the consideration it gives to the attitudes of the workers affected.
(D) He is concerned about its potential to impede the implementation of new technologies.
(E) He is sympathetic to its concern about the impact of modern technology on workers.
Again, E is the trap. Don’t stop at the word “sympathetic”! It is true that Clark is sympathetic to an element of Braverman’s analysis: he understands that manager/laborer negotiations are a factor. But this is not the same as having “concern about the impact of modern technology on workers.” Actually, neither Braverman nor Clark is concerned about how technology itself will impact workers. Instead, they are interested in the causal relationship between technology and work social structures, viewing this relationship differently.
Always remember to pay close attention to what an answer choice actually says, rather than stopping when you recognize a generality you agree with, like some level of “sympathy” between Clark and Braverman.
The key to answering this question correctly is in the second paragraph of the passage, where Clark and Braverman are set up as the representatives of technological determinism and social constructivism, respectively. Here are the key sentences:
Put more strongly, technology can be a primary determinant of social and managerial organization. Clark believes this possibility has been obscured by the recent sociological fashion, exemplified by Braverman’s analysis, that emphasizes the way machinery reflects social choices. For Braverman, the shape of a technological system is subordinate to the manager’s desire to wrest control of the labor process from the workers.
This excerpt should cause answer choice B to leap off the page.
GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Question
The information in the passage suggests that which of the following statements from hypothetical sociological studies of change in industry most clearly exemplifies the social constructivists’ view of technological determinism?
(A) It is the available technology that determines workers’ skills, rather than workers’ skills influencing the application of technology.
(B) All progress in industrial technology grows out of a continuing negotiation between technological possibility and human need.
(C) Some organizational change is caused by people; some is caused by computer chips.
(D) Most major technological advances in industry have been generated through research and development.
(E) Some industrial technology eliminates jobs, but educated workers can create whole new skills areas by the adaptation of the technology.
Let’s get this straight: these statements are supposed to exemplify neither social constructivism nor real technological determinism, but “the social constructivists’ view of technological determinism.” We are looking for the straw man technological determinism set up by the social constructivists, the one-sided extreme that attributes all causality to technology and leaves no room for social influence on technology.
Understanding that this is what the question asks for is the real difficulty here. Once you untangle the question itself and get to this point, identifying the correct answer choice is relatively easy. The answer choice that conforms to “pure” technological determinism is A. Choices B, C, and E speak about the influence potential of people/workers. Choice D is simply too narrow and off-topic. Choice A is the correct answer.
GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Question
The information in the passage suggests that Clark believes that which of the following would be true if social constructivism had not gained widespread acceptance?
(A) Businesses would be more likely to modernize without considering the social consequences of their actions.
(B) There would be greater understanding of the role played by technology in producing social change.
(C) Businesses would be less likely to understand the attitudes of employees affected by modernization.
(D) Modernization would have occurred at a slower rate.
(E) Technology would have played a greater part in determining the role of business in society.
This is a subject views question about Clark, but the information on which it is based is explicit in the passage. We just used it to answer the last question.
Put more strongly, technology can be a primary determinant of social and managerial organization. Clark believes this possibility has been obscured by the recent sociological fashion . . .
In other words, the widespread acceptance of the social constructivist view has obscured the possibility for technology to determine social organization. Answer choice B in this question is more or less a restatement of this excerpt.
GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Question
According to the passage, constructivists employed which of the following to promote their argument?
(A) Empirical studies of business situations involving technological change
(B) Citation of managers supportive of their position
(C) Construction of hypothetical situations that support their view
(D) Contrasts of their view with a misstatement of an opposing view
(E) Descriptions of the breadth of impact of technological change
You can answer this question quickly by remembering the beginning of the third paragraph:
The constructivists gain acceptance by misrepresenting technological determinism . . .
Answer choice D uses the word “misstatement” instead of “misrepresentation,” but it is exactly the right idea. If you gave attention to track 3 and the interplay of the viewpoints presented in the passage, you were ready for this question.
GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Question
The author of the passage uses the expression “are supposed to” in line 25 primarily in order to
(A) suggest that a contention made by constructivists regarding determinists is inaccurate
(B) define the generally accepted position of determinists regarding the implementation of technology
(C) engage in speculation about the motivation of determinists
(D) lend support to a critical comment of the position of determinists
(E) contrast the historical position of determinists with their position regarding the exchange modernization
This is a function/plan question built around the versatile meaning of the word “supposed.” One meaning of “supposed” is similar to the meaning of “intended.” A dryer is supposed to dry a load of clothes in an hour or less. Another meaning of “supposed” is similar to the meaning of “believed.” When used this way, the implication is that what is supposed (believed) to be true is not actually true.
This leads us to correct answer choice A. It is supposed by people who listen to social constructivists that the view of technological determinists is extreme and one-sided, but this supposition is inaccurate as the actual view of technological determinists is more nuanced and balanced.
GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Question
Which of the following statements about Clark’s study of the telephone exchange can be inferred from information in the passage?
(A) Clark’s reason for undertaking the study was to undermine Braverman’s analysis of the function of technology.
(B) Clark’s study suggests that the implementation of technology should be discussed in the context of conflict between labor and management.
(C) Clark examined the impact of changes in the technology of switching at the exchange in terms of overall operations and organization.
(D) Clark concluded that the implementation of new switching technology was equally beneficial to management and labor.
(E) Clark’s analysis of the change in switching systems applies only narrowly to the situation at the particular exchange that he studied.
Let’s apply an elimination approach to this question.
I am really amused by answer choice A’s implication of a “sociologist beef” between Clark and Braverman, but we just can’t support this from the passage. We don’t know whether Clark undertook his study specifically with Braverman in mind.
Choice B is pure social constructivism, not at all what Clark’s study indicated.
Choice D simply isn’t mentioned by the passage, and choice E is a point of criticism against Clark’s study, which the passage views only positively.
The correct answer is choice C. Here’s the key sentence from the passage, one we already used to answer another question:
At the empirical level Clark shows how a change at the telephone exchange from maintenance-intensive electromechanical switches to semielectronic switching systems altered work tasks, skills, training opportunities, administration, and organization of workers.
So yes, Clark did examine the impact of this change in terms of overall operations and organization. Answer choice C is correct.
This concludes our study of GMAT Reading Comprehension passages. We have seen how the three tracks reading strategy applies to passages of each category. Understand the key points about the topic itself. Process the passage in terms of what the author is doing. And give special attention to the views of the author and the subjects. This strategy yields the comprehension you need and saves time by keeping you out of the weeds of less important details.
Naturally, this whole process can be much easier if you have someone who can guide you along the way, like a one-on-one GMAT tutor. Here at Apex, we give every potential client the opportunity of a 30-minute complimentary consultation call with a 770+ scoring instructor.
Contributor: Elijah Mize (Apex GMAT Instructor)