OG 12-116 为什么选D 呢

zsy020584

116. Firms adopting “profit-related-pay” (PRP) contracts pay wages at levels that vary with the firm’s profits. In the
metalworking industry last year, firms with PRP contracts in place showed productivity per worker on average
13 percent higher than that of their competitors who used more traditional contracts.
If, on the basis of the evidence above, it is argued that PRP contracts increase worker productivity, which of the
following, if true, would most seriously weaken that argument?
(A) Results similar to those cited for the metalworking industry have been found in other industries where PRP
contracts are used.
(B) Under PRP contracts costs other than labor costs, such as plant, machinery, and energy, make up an
increased proportion of the total cost of each unit of output.
(C) Because introducing PRP contracts greatly changes individual workers’ relationships to the firm,
negotiating the introduction of PRP contracts is complex and time-consuming.
(D) Many firms in the metalworking industry have modernized production equipment in the last five years, and
most of these introduced PRP contracts at the same time.
(E) In firms in the metalworking industry where PRP contracts are in place, the average take-home pay is
15 percent higher than it is in those firms where workers have more traditional contracts.


这道题选D没有疑问。但是有个问题，D选项只是说了，他们采用PRP的同时现代化了生产设备。但是采用了设备就一定能提高劳工效率吗？按照OG常用的解释，需要更进一步的信息来确定是不是现代化设备提高了劳工效率， 而不是PRP提高了效率呢？所以我觉得很迷惑。谁能给个解释？

sdcar2010

D just shows that it is POSSIBLE that the productivity increase was caused by new machine. It does not need to prove that it is indeed the case.

zsy020584

但是不是也有可能是另一个条件确实提高了效率呢？

sdcar2010

但是不是也有可能是另一个条件确实提高了效率呢？

-- by 会员 zsy020584 (2011/3/27 3:30:58)

If so, would other possible conditions prevent the current choice D as a weakener?

In CR questions, never think about OTHER reasons to refute the argument except those stated in the stimulus and answer choices.

Nate00000

Realizing that "modernized " is a commendatory term, we know it is very much likely  that this modernized equipment progressed the productivity, which is exactly weakening the conclusion.