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Privacy-challenged office workers may find it hard to believe, but open-plan offices and cubicles were invented by architects and designers who thought that to break down the social walls that divide people, you had to break down the real walls, too. Modernist architects saw walls and rooms as downright fascist. The spaciousness and flexibility of an open plan would liberate homeowners and office dwellers from the confines of boxes. But companies took up their idea less out of a democratic ideology than a desire to pack in as many workers as they could. The typical open-plan office of the first half of the 20th century was a white-collar assembly line.
Cubicles were interior designers’ attempt to put some soul back in.
  • a)
    Wall-free office spaces could have worked out the way their utopian inventors intended had companies cared for workers' satisfaction.
  • b)
    Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as desired and therefore cubicles came into being.
  • c)
    Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out the way their utopian inventors intended, as they became tools for exploitation of labor.
  • d)
    Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as companies don’t believe in democratic ideology.
Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?
Verified Answer
Privacy-challenged office workers may find it hard to believe, but op...
After reading the entire paragraph, it can be inferred that the main idea of the passage is that while the inventors of the open-plan offices had the liberation of office dwellers from boxes in mind, the companies used it to pack as much people as possible inside.
Option A is incorrect as the passage makes no mentions about workers satisfaction.
Option B is incorrect as it misrepresents the timeline given in the passage. Cubicles existed earlier and only later were wall free office spaces invented.
Option D is incorrect as it could not be inferred from the passage that the companies that did not believe in democratic ideology Option C correctly encapsulates the main idea of the passage and hence it is the correct answer.
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Most Upvoted Answer
Privacy-challenged office workers may find it hard to believe, but op...
Background of Open-Plan Offices and Cubicles:
- Modernist architects believed breaking down physical walls would break down social barriers.
- Open-plan offices were designed to promote a sense of openness, flexibility, and collaboration.
- However, companies adopted this design more for maximizing space and efficiency rather than for democratic ideals.

Reason for Cubicles:
- The original open-plan offices turned into white-collar assembly lines, lacking individuality and privacy.
- Cubicles were introduced as a way to restore some sense of personal space and identity for office workers.
- They aimed to provide employees with a balance between collaboration and privacy, addressing the shortcomings of open-plan layouts.

Outcome of Wall-Free Office Spaces:
- Wall-free office spaces did not fulfill the utopian vision of their inventors.
- Instead, they became tools for companies to exploit labor by maximizing the number of workers in a given space.
- The lack of privacy and personal space in open-plan offices led to a decline in employee satisfaction and well-being.
Therefore, the introduction of cubicles was a response to the failure of open-plan offices to create a conducive work environment. Cubicles aimed to strike a balance between collaboration and individuality, addressing the shortcomings of the open-plan layout.
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Privacy-challenged office workers may find it hard to believe, but open-plan offices and cubicles were invented by architects and designers who thought that to break down the social walls that divide people, you had to break down the real walls, too. Modernist architects saw walls and rooms as downright fascist. The spaciousness and flexibility of an open plan would liberate homeowners and office dwellers from the confines of boxes. But companies took up their idea less out of a democratic ideology than a desire to pack in as many workers as they could. The typical open-plan office of the first half of the 20th century was a white-collar assembly line.Cubicles were interior designers’ attempt to put some soul back in.a) Wall-free office spaces could have worked out the way their utopian inventors intended had companies cared for workers' satisfaction.b) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as desired and therefore cubicles came into being.c) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out the way their utopian inventors intended, as they became tools for exploitation of labor.d) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as companies don’t believe in democratic ideology.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?
Question Description
Privacy-challenged office workers may find it hard to believe, but open-plan offices and cubicles were invented by architects and designers who thought that to break down the social walls that divide people, you had to break down the real walls, too. Modernist architects saw walls and rooms as downright fascist. The spaciousness and flexibility of an open plan would liberate homeowners and office dwellers from the confines of boxes. But companies took up their idea less out of a democratic ideology than a desire to pack in as many workers as they could. The typical open-plan office of the first half of the 20th century was a white-collar assembly line.Cubicles were interior designers’ attempt to put some soul back in.a) Wall-free office spaces could have worked out the way their utopian inventors intended had companies cared for workers' satisfaction.b) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as desired and therefore cubicles came into being.c) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out the way their utopian inventors intended, as they became tools for exploitation of labor.d) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as companies don’t believe in democratic ideology.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? for CAT 2025 is part of CAT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the CAT exam syllabus. Information about Privacy-challenged office workers may find it hard to believe, but open-plan offices and cubicles were invented by architects and designers who thought that to break down the social walls that divide people, you had to break down the real walls, too. Modernist architects saw walls and rooms as downright fascist. The spaciousness and flexibility of an open plan would liberate homeowners and office dwellers from the confines of boxes. But companies took up their idea less out of a democratic ideology than a desire to pack in as many workers as they could. The typical open-plan office of the first half of the 20th century was a white-collar assembly line.Cubicles were interior designers’ attempt to put some soul back in.a) Wall-free office spaces could have worked out the way their utopian inventors intended had companies cared for workers' satisfaction.b) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as desired and therefore cubicles came into being.c) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out the way their utopian inventors intended, as they became tools for exploitation of labor.d) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as companies don’t believe in democratic ideology.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for CAT 2025 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for Privacy-challenged office workers may find it hard to believe, but open-plan offices and cubicles were invented by architects and designers who thought that to break down the social walls that divide people, you had to break down the real walls, too. Modernist architects saw walls and rooms as downright fascist. The spaciousness and flexibility of an open plan would liberate homeowners and office dwellers from the confines of boxes. But companies took up their idea less out of a democratic ideology than a desire to pack in as many workers as they could. The typical open-plan office of the first half of the 20th century was a white-collar assembly line.Cubicles were interior designers’ attempt to put some soul back in.a) Wall-free office spaces could have worked out the way their utopian inventors intended had companies cared for workers' satisfaction.b) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as desired and therefore cubicles came into being.c) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out the way their utopian inventors intended, as they became tools for exploitation of labor.d) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as companies don’t believe in democratic ideology.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?.
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The typical open-plan office of the first half of the 20th century was a white-collar assembly line.Cubicles were interior designers’ attempt to put some soul back in.a) Wall-free office spaces could have worked out the way their utopian inventors intended had companies cared for workers' satisfaction.b) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as desired and therefore cubicles came into being.c) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out the way their utopian inventors intended, as they became tools for exploitation of labor.d) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as companies don’t believe in democratic ideology.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?, a detailed solution for Privacy-challenged office workers may find it hard to believe, but open-plan offices and cubicles were invented by architects and designers who thought that to break down the social walls that divide people, you had to break down the real walls, too. Modernist architects saw walls and rooms as downright fascist. The spaciousness and flexibility of an open plan would liberate homeowners and office dwellers from the confines of boxes. But companies took up their idea less out of a democratic ideology than a desire to pack in as many workers as they could. The typical open-plan office of the first half of the 20th century was a white-collar assembly line.Cubicles were interior designers’ attempt to put some soul back in.a) Wall-free office spaces could have worked out the way their utopian inventors intended had companies cared for workers' satisfaction.b) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as desired and therefore cubicles came into being.c) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out the way their utopian inventors intended, as they became tools for exploitation of labor.d) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as companies don’t believe in democratic ideology.Correct answer is option 'C'. 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The typical open-plan office of the first half of the 20th century was a white-collar assembly line.Cubicles were interior designers’ attempt to put some soul back in.a) Wall-free office spaces could have worked out the way their utopian inventors intended had companies cared for workers' satisfaction.b) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as desired and therefore cubicles came into being.c) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out the way their utopian inventors intended, as they became tools for exploitation of labor.d) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as companies don’t believe in democratic ideology.Correct answer is option 'C'. 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The typical open-plan office of the first half of the 20th century was a white-collar assembly line.Cubicles were interior designers’ attempt to put some soul back in.a) Wall-free office spaces could have worked out the way their utopian inventors intended had companies cared for workers' satisfaction.b) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as desired and therefore cubicles came into being.c) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out the way their utopian inventors intended, as they became tools for exploitation of labor.d) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as companies don’t believe in democratic ideology.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice CAT tests.
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