During the earliest period of industrialization in Britain, steam engines were more expensive to build and operate than either windmills or water mills, the other practicable sources of power for factories. Yet despite their significant cost disadvantage, steam-powered factories were built in large numbers well before technical improvements brought their cost down. Furthermore, they were built even in regions where geographical conditions permitted the construction of wind-and water-powered factories close to major markets.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the proliferation of steam-powered factories during the earliest period of industrialization in Britain?


In many areas of Britain, there were fewer steam-powered factories than wind- or water-powered factories in the earliest period of industrialization.

Unlike wind- or water-powered factories, steam-powered factories were fueled with coal, which sometimes had to be transported significant distances from the mine to the site of the factory.

It was both difficult and expensive to convert a factory from wind power or water power to steam power.

In the early period of industrialization, many goods sold in towns and cities could not be mass-produced in factories.

In Britain, the number of sites where a wind-or water-powered factory could be built was insufficient to provide for all of the demand for factory-produced goods at the time.

考题讲解

情景:在工业革命早期,蒸汽发动机比其它的都要贵,而且难以操作。但是,尽管有这么多的不好,还是有很多蒸汽工作落成。

推理:本题是一个“现象解释型考题”。按照正常逻辑来说,如果蒸汽发动机成本高且难以操作,那么以蒸汽发动机为主营的工厂应该很少。因此,前提为因,结论为果,推理结构为:
顺序的因果逻辑:因为蒸汽发动机成本高且难以操作,所以蒸汽发动机为主营的工厂应该很少
(因)前提:蒸汽发动机成本高且难以操作。
(果)结论:蒸汽发动机为主营的工厂应该很少

因此,本题是因果推理

选题方式:因果推理只有一个评估方向,简而言之,即,反驳推理文段中的结论

选项分析:

A选项:在大不列颠的很多地方,蒸汽动力工厂在工业革命最早期比风能或水能工厂更少。推理文段的结论讨论的是在工业革命早期的时候蒸汽动力工厂的情况,不用考虑“最”早期的情况,和结论无关。

B选项:不像风能或水能工厂,蒸汽动力工厂是用煤来驱动的,有些时候这些煤可能需要很远才能运来。如果本选项成立,那么蒸汽发动机为主营的工厂应该更少了。

C选项:把一个工厂从风能或水能变为蒸汽动力是非常昂贵且困难的。我们可以完全不用蒸汽动力工厂嘛,毕竟当时的成本很高。因此,无论转换成本如何,均不会影响本题的结论。

D选项:
在工业革命早期,很多城市和城镇里卖的东西是不能被工厂量产的。本选项和工厂的种类没有关系。

E选项:
Correct. 在大不列颠,风能或水能能建造的工厂的数量所生产的产品是不足以满足当时的需求的。如果风能或水能工厂的数量不够,那么为了能多赚点钱,自然资本家们也就可以去开设蒸汽动力工厂了,纵然这些工厂的成本较高。

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