Meteorite explosions in the Earth's atmosphere as large as the one that destroyed forests in Siberia, with approximately the force...
GMAT Critical Reasoning : (CR) Questions
Meteorite explosions in the Earth's atmosphere as large as the one that destroyed forests in Siberia, with approximately the force of a twelve-megaton nuclear blast, occur about once a century. The response of highly automated systems controlled by complex computer programs to unexpected circumstances is unpredictable.
Which of the following conclusions can most properly be drawn, if the statements above are true, about a highly automated nuclear-missile defense system controlled by a complex computer program?
Passage Visualization
| Passage Statement | Visualization and Linkage |
|---|---|
| Meteorite explosions in the Earth's atmosphere as large as the one that destroyed forests in Siberia, with approximately the force of a twelve-megaton nuclear blast, occur about once a century. | Establishes: Natural occurrence frequency and magnitude
|
| The response of highly automated systems controlled by complex computer programs to unexpected circumstances is unpredictable. | Establishes: Limitation of automated systems
|
| Overall Implication | Pattern Recognition: Predictable natural disasters + Unpredictable automated responses = Systematic vulnerability A highly automated nuclear defense system would face a known threat (meteorite explosions resembling nuclear attacks occur ~every 100 years) but have unpredictable responses to such unexpected circumstances. |
Valid Inferences
Inference: A highly automated nuclear-missile defense system would unpredictably respond to meteorite explosions that occur approximately once per century.
Supporting Logic: Since meteorite explosions with nuclear-blast-like force occur about once a century, and since highly automated systems controlled by complex computer programs respond unpredictably to unexpected circumstances, a nuclear defense system would encounter these meteorite events and respond to them in unpredictable ways. The system would likely interpret the 12-megaton explosive signature as a potential nuclear attack, triggering an unpredictable automated response.
Clarification Note: The passage supports that the system's response would be unpredictable, but does not specify whether this unpredictability would result in false alarms, system failures, or inappropriate defensive actions.