题库2  1---36

1   Factory workers in Beltania are guaranteed lifetime jobs, bonuses paid on the

basis of productivity and corporate profits, and a wage rate that is not attached

to a particular job.  Paradoxically, these guarantees do not discourage factory

owners from introducing labor-saving machinery.  Such innovations are to the

factory owners' advantage despite the fact that the owners must protect the

wages of their workers.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain why the introduction of labor-

saving machinery is advantageous to factory owners?

Before a Beltanian factory worker is hired, he or she must present a record

   of his or her previous productivity. 

Labor-saving machinery increases productivity, thus yielding profits that

   more than cover the cost of retraining workers for other jobs. 

The purchase and maintenance of new machinery adds significantly to the

    final cost of the goods produced. 

Factory workers demand a change of procedure in the routine tasks they perform. 

Limited competition exists among Beltanian factories for consumer markets.