Single correct option
There is a sentence missing from the paragraph below. Choose the option that best indicates where (marked 1, 2, 3, 4) it should be inserted.
Apprenticeship-style training, once central to trades such as carpentry and plumbing, is being revived in software engineering through structured mentorship programmes. (1) Under these programmes, a junior engineer is paired with a senior one for an extended period, working on real production code rather than isolated training exercises. (2) Proponents argue this produces more well-rounded engineers than bootcamp-style courses, which tend to emphasise quickly testable skills over the slower judgement built through sustained mentorship. (3) The approach is not without costs, since it ties up a senior engineer's time that could otherwise go toward their own project work. (4) Companies that have adopted it regardless report that the resulting engineers require less onboarding correction in their first year.
Missing sentence: 'Critics of the traditional bootcamp model have long argued that its compressed timelines leave graduates skilled at narrow, testable tasks but underprepared for ambiguous, real-world problems.'
Apprenticeship-style training, once central to trades such as carpentry and plumbing, is being revived in software engineering through structured mentorship programmes. (1) Under these programmes, a junior engineer is paired with a senior one for an extended period, working on real production code rather than isolated training exercises. (2) Proponents argue this produces more well-rounded engineers than bootcamp-style courses, which tend to emphasise quickly testable skills over the slower judgement built through sustained mentorship. (3) The approach is not without costs, since it ties up a senior engineer's time that could otherwise go toward their own project work. (4) Companies that have adopted it regardless report that the resulting engineers require less onboarding correction in their first year.
Missing sentence: 'Critics of the traditional bootcamp model have long argued that its compressed timelines leave graduates skilled at narrow, testable tasks but underprepared for ambiguous, real-world problems.'
- A. 1
- B. 2
- C. 3
- D. 4
Show answer and solution
Answer: (B) 2
The missing sentence elaborates on the specific critique of bootcamps (narrow, testable skills vs. real-world ambiguity) that is first invoked in the sentence at position 2 ('bootcamp-style courses, which tend to emphasise quickly testable skills over...judgement'). It fits best right after that comparison is introduced, expanding on it, rather than before mentorship is even described (position 1) or after the paragraph has moved on to costs and outcomes (positions 3, 4).
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