Question 93·Hard·Command of Evidence
A sociologist argues that the rapid adoption of employee time-tracking software in large firms after 2010 was motivated primarily by managers’ desire to monitor workers rather than by a wish to increase overall productivity.
Which research finding, if true, would most strongly support the sociologist’s claim?
For SAT Reading & Writing questions that ask which finding "most strongly supports" a claim, first restate the claim in your own words, focusing on what relationship or idea it asserts (here, managers’ motivation: monitoring vs. productivity). Then decide what ideal evidence would look like—for motives, look for surveys, interviews, or direct statements from the people whose motives are in question. Quickly eliminate choices that talk only about side effects, background facts, or related topics (like technical issues or marketing) but do not address the specific claim. Finally, choose the option that directly and clearly connects to the exact point being argued.
Hints
Clarify what the sociologist is claiming
Underline the words that show what the sociologist thinks motivated managers: are they talking about how effective the software was, or about what managers wanted to use it for?
Think about the kind of evidence you need
Because the claim is about managers’ motives, ask yourself: what kind of research would directly reveal why managers chose to adopt the software?
Sort answer choices by topic
As you read each option, label it in your head: is it about outcomes (like productivity results), software quality, vendor behavior, or managers’ stated reasons? The one that best supports the claim should clearly involve managers’ reasons.
Step-by-step Explanation
Restate the claim in simple terms
The sociologist’s argument is about motivation: after 2010, managers adopted time-tracking software primarily to monitor employees, rather than to increase productivity. So we need evidence that managers’ main reason was monitoring, not productivity.
Decide what strong supporting evidence would look like
To strongly support a claim about why managers adopted the software, the best evidence will:
- Directly describe managers’ reasons or stated motivations.
- Show that monitoring is more important to them than improving productivity. Evidence about side effects, technical flaws, or marketing strategies is weaker because it doesn’t show what managers wanted.
Evaluate how each choice relates to managers’ motivations
Go through the options and ask, "Does this tell me what managers’ main reason was?"
- Choice A compares productivity outcomes between adopters and non-adopters. That’s about results, not why managers chose the software.
- Choice B describes bugs and data loss in early software versions. That’s a technical problem, not evidence of managers’ motives.
- Choice C explains where vendors marketed most aggressively. That’s about vendors’ strategies, not managers’ reasons.
- One choice gives information from managers themselves about which purpose (monitoring vs. productivity) they selected as their primary reason for adoption.
Select the option that directly matches the claim
The research finding that best supports the sociologist’s claim is: “In surveys, managers who implemented time-tracking software selected ‘monitoring employee activity’ more often than ‘improving productivity metrics’ as their primary reason for adoption.” This directly reports managers’ stated motivations and shows monitoring outranking productivity, so choice D is correct.