OG12 essay22 123

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Jon Clark’s study of the effect of
the modernization of a telephone
exchange on exchange maintenance
work and workers is a solid contribution
(5) to a debate that encompasses two
lively issues in the history and sociol16
ogy of technology: technological
determinism and social constructivism.
Clark makes the point that the char-
(10) acteristics of a technology have a
decisive influence on job skills and
work organization. Put more strongly,
technology can be a primary determinant
of social and managerial organ-
(15) ization. Clark believes this possibility
has been obscured by the recent sociological
fashion, exemplified by
Braverman’s analysis, that emphasizes
the way machinery reflects social
(20) 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. Technological change is
(25) construed as the outcome of negotiations
among interested parties who
seek to incorporate their own interests
into the design and configuration of the
machinery. This position represents
(30) the new mainstream called social constructivism.
The constructivists gain acceptance
by misrepresenting technological determinism:
technological determinists are
(35) 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
(40) society, capable of directly influencing
skills and work organization.
Clark refutes the extremes of the
constructivists by both theoretical and
empirical arguments. Theoretically he
(45) defines “technology” in terms of relationships
between social and technical
variables. Attempts to reduce the
meaning of technology to cold, hard
metal are bound to fail, for machinery
(50) is just scrap unless it is organized
functionally and supported by appropriate
systems of operation and main17
tenance. At the empirical level Clark
shows how a change at the telephone
(55) exchange from maintenance-intensive
electromechanical switches to semielectronic
switching systems altered
work tasks, skills, training opportunities,
administration, and organization of
(60) workers. 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
(65) 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?”


123. 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’ version 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.

Ans:A


Application

Th is question requires understanding diff erent

points of view discussed in the passage. In the

fi rst paragraph, the passage mentions the debate

involving technological determinism and social

constructivism. In the second and third

paragraphs, the passage uses Braverman’s analysis

to illustrate the social constructivists’ position and

in the third paragraph suggests that the

constructivists are misrepresenting technological

determinism
(lines 25–26). In lines 31–32, the
constructivists are reported to hold that

technological determinism views technology as

existing outside society, capable of directly infl uencing

skills and work organization.

A Correct. Th is statement is consistent with

the constructivists’ view that technological

determinism sees technology as outside of

society, infl uencing workers’ skills.




请教各位前辈，这题用对照的找到正确答案(A)没有问题，且对og解释也没有问题。

不过，我文章套色出来的两句话，我实在看不出来BC学派哪里误解了，科技都可以影响

skills&organization阿！到底是我哪里误解了句子意思，第三段真是苦手。

从前的帖子都是在og12官方解释出来前，有些已经不太适用了，请各位帮帮忙吧！！谢谢！

dandanapple

楼主再说明一下你的不懂之处吧，我没明白你不懂的地方~

sunniers

Clark的观点: Clark makes the point that the char-
(10) acteristics of a technology have a
decisive influence on job skills and
work organization.
--> 科技会影响job skills and work organization


CS用来误解TD的观点：The alternative to
constructivism, in other words, is to
view technology as existing outside
(40) society, capable of directly influencing
skills and work organization(逻辑主语：technology).
--> 科技的确会影响job skills and work organization，何来误解之说


不知道是不是我误会了这两句的意思了，不知道我的疑问大家清楚没。
谢谢各位！

dandanapple

前头后尾翻译一下：
C认为这种可能性被近期的社会学流派模糊了，例如B的分析强调机器反映社会选择的能力。对B来说，一个技术系统的形态隶a属于经理从工人那攫取控制劳动过程的愿望。科技改变被解释成相关团体协商的结果，这些团体寻求把自身利益结合到机器的设计与配置中。该立场表现了称为”社会构成派”的新主流。构成主义者通过讹传科技决定论而获得接纳例如假定科技决定论者相信机器对社会施加正确的秩序形式。换句话说，构成派另一选择是认为科技存在于社会之外，能直接影响工作技能和工作机构。

这个是简单的翻译了一下，
作者是从正反两个方向进行的论述，首先肯定科技的地位，有说了一个理论，他有讹传的地方，但是从另一个角度还是证明了科技的地位，他自身是有讹传的地方的，但是与文章说的中心科学的地位没啥太大关系的，他的细节部分就是我们经常说的范读的地方~

besttys

呃，同样是这道题 我在也迷糊。。

msufcufou

根据下面一句Clark  refutes  the  extreme of  的extreme以及“is to  view technology as  exsiting outside society”推出实际不赞同的是 太极端了的呢？

templars

这里我认为clark说科技不能直接影响，是因为科技的发展，是人们觉得以前的组织形式不符合需要，所以跟着发展。也就是说科技发展被人发现不符合需要，然后随之改进。当然不是科技主动发起影响人的组织形式。

大家做gmat文章做了就做了，别太死扣，关键题目做对拿到分数。clark认为科技不能直接影响，你别去注意他的观点是否符合逻辑。每人写出来的立论驳论文，都可以找到不合理的地方，都可以去反驳。

比如地球是园的。我都可以反驳一下。因为人在地球上观测的所以是园的，没准在其他空间或者星球观测，就不是园的了。