Question

New technologies often begin by BLANK what has gone before, and they change the world later. Think how long it took power-using companies to recognize that with electricity they did not need to cluster their machinery around the power source, as in the days of steam. Instead, power could be BLANK their processes. In that sense, many of today's computer networks are still in the steam age. Their full potential remains unrealized.
BLANK 1 Options: (A) uprooting, (B) dismissing, (C) mimicking
BLANK 2 Options: (D) transmitted to, (E) consolidated around, (F) incorporated into

Hint:

When a text completion question uses a historical example, make sure you understand the core logic of the example. The key difference between steam power and electric power in a factory setting is decentralization. Steam is central, while electricity can be distributed. This understanding helps select the correct words.

Answer 1

Correct Answer: (C) mimicking, (D) transmitted to
Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This text completion question describes the typical evolution of new technologies. The sentence structure contrasts the initial phase of a technology with its later, more transformative phase, using the steam-to-electricity transition as a key example.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Blank 1: The passage argues that it took a long time for companies to understand the true potential of electricity. Initially, they used it as a direct replacement for steam, "cluster[ing] their machinery around the power source." This shows that new technologies often start by imitating the old systems they are replacing. Therefore, (C) mimicking is the most suitable word. The technology did not initially "uproot" or "dismiss" the old ways; it copied them.
Blank 2: The passage contrasts the old way (clustering around a central steam engine) with the new possibility offered by electricity. Electricity's advantage is that it can be sent over wires. Thus, power could be delivered from a distance to various points in a factory. The phrase that best describes this is (D) transmitted to. Power could be transmitted to the processes, allowing for a more flexible and efficient factory layout. "Consolidated around" describes the old steam-age method. "Incorporated into" is too general and doesn't capture the specific technological change.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The sentence logically states that new technologies begin by mimicking the old, and that the breakthrough with electricity was that power could be transmitted to processes instead of being centralized.