Certain upgrades need to be made on

Certain upgrades need to be made on each of the computers owned by Bosco Insurance.  The work of upgrading their 20 computers is mentally taxing. Employees are using the computers during the day, making it difficult for the computer technician to coordinate the block of time needed to work on each computer.  Therefore, the most efficient time to upgrade the computers is between ten o’clock p.m. and eight o’clock a.m. when the computers are free.

Which of the following, if true, argues most strongly against the view that upgrades could be done more efficiently by scheduling them at night?

(A) Energy costs in businesses are greatly lower at night than they are during the day.

(B) More blackouts occur between midnight and eight o’clock in the morning than at any other time.

(C) Over the course of a year, the company’s computers will require periodical checks and upkeep

(D) Computer technicians are generally paid the same when they work during the night than when they work during the day

(E) Mental alertness is lower in the late night than during the day, especially in people not accustomed to working at night.


The best answer is E.  The conclusion is that night is the most efficient time for the computer technician to work.  However, if the technician’s mental alertness will be lower, this cast serious doubt that this task could be done most efficiently at night.