GRE General TestAnalytical WritingMedium
A technology company is launching a new virtual reality (VR) headset, claiming it will revolutionize remote work by providing an immersive, distraction-free environment. A skeptical reviewer argues that the headset's high cost and technical requirements will severely limit its adoption by the average remote worker. Which of the following, if true, would most reinforce the limiting factors identified by the reviewer?
- AThe company has announced a partnership with major tech retailers to offer installment payment plans.
- BStudies show that remote workers who use VR report higher levels of job satisfaction.
- CA competitor's cheaper VR headset, designed for entertainment, has seen modest sales in the last year.
- DThe VR headset requires a high-end gaming PC for optimal performance, which most remote workers currently do not own.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. The VR headset requires a high-end gaming PC for optimal performance, which most remote workers currently do not own.
The reviewer's limiting factors are high cost and technical requirements. If the headset requires a high-end gaming PC that most remote workers lack, this directly reinforces the 'technical requirements' limitation, making adoption less likely.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This mitigates the 'high cost' factor by making it more accessible, thus weakening the reviewer's argument.
- B. This strengthens the company's claim about VR's benefits, not the reviewer's concerns about adoption barriers.
- C. Modest sales of a competitor's entertainment-focused headset doesn't directly reinforce the specific limiting factors (cost/tech requirements) for *this* productivity-focused VR headset.
Reinforcing Limiting Factors
To reinforce limiting factors means to introduce information that strengthens the evidence for, or the impact of, constraints, obstacles, or negative conditions that hinder a desired outcome or widespread adoption.
- Focus on the specific limitations identified in an argument.
- Provide additional evidence that highlights the severity or prevalence of these limitations.
- Show how these factors will indeed prevent the desired outcome or widespread success.
Memory trick: BARRIER: Block All Roads, Reinforce Impediments, Ensure Resistance, Resolve to Impede, Every Roadblock.