Background Info
Vocab
Questions
Bonus Questions (Not Related)
100

What is the author's name?

James Bessen

100

What does redistribute mean?

To distribute again but differently.

100

What fear does computers taking over tasks performed by real human workers bring?


Fear of massive unemployment.

100

What gets wet while drying?

A towel

200

What is the genre of the text?

Argument


200

What does automation mean?

The automatic operation of equipment, a process, or a system.

200
What do the MIT professors believe automation is causing and helping?

It is causing a slow recovery from the Great Recession.

200

What can you keep after giving to someone?

Your word

300

What is the authors profession?

He is a economist and lecturer at Boston University.

300

What does blue-collar mean?

Relating to workers who's jobs are performed and work close and often involve manual labor.

300

What is the author trying to imply with the first sentence?

It makes it clear that the focus won't just be on blue-collar or low-skilled jobs.

300

There’s a one-story house in which everything is yellow. Yellow walls, yellow doors, yellow furniture. What color are the stairs?

There are none


400

What book did the author write?

Learning by Doing:The Real Conncetion Between Innovation, Wages, and Wealth

400

What does Great Recession mean?

A period of economic decline from December 2007 to June 2009.

400

What does the author also say that automation has caused?

"hollowing out of the middle class"

400

What can fill a room but takes up no space?

Light


500

What idea does the author seek to push?

To automate tasks with computer technology.


500

What does white-collar mean?

Relating to workers whose work does not involve manual labor and who are often expected to dress with a degree with formality.

500

Why does the author present enough two sides of the topics?


Doing so shows that he has carefully considered both sides. This helps him across as thoughtful and knowledgeable about this topic.

500

What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?

Silence