Quiz: W1 Discussion

For
MIS 310: Information Systems Architecture and Technology
By
Student Name: Matt Ginsberg
Date:
Section: MIS310-V3WW
Quiz: Pre-Course Knowledge Assessment
True or False: For each statement, circle True or False.

True

False

1. If a building is torn down, but the reason or purpose for which the building
was built still exists, systems theory says another structure will be built to fill
that purpose / reason.

True

False

2. The Declaration of Independence, as authored by Thomas Jefferson and his

compatriots in 1776, embodies a system of thought regarding human rights
and responsibilities within a society, a community of human beings.

True

False

3. Thinking about that which is existent things, people, modes of thought, etc.,
through the lens of systems theory and practice entails understanding the
relationship of the structure of a thing and the behavior of that thing. [Hint:
think slinky]

True

False

4. Nonlinear relationships within systems never exist, and so never become a

source of surprise when attempting to understand a problem a given system
is presenting to your user community

True

False

5. A nonlinear relationship between the source(s) of a particular behavior in the

system and the effect(s) being observed can be represented by a simple
straight line on a graph.

True

False

6. Very often we know where in the system a small change will yield large
results, however, we often make the change in the opposite direction of what
is actually needed.

True

False

7. A balancing feedback loop is evident in the problem of controlling illegal

drugs each set of actors, law enforcement, addicts, suppliers, the public act
in ways that pull against each other resulting in stasis in terms of the supply
of illegal street drugs.

True

False

8. Common resources become abused because there is weak feedback that

informs each user of the abuse that is occurring or put, differently, each
user feels too little pain from the abuse
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True

False

9. When we remove a part of a functioning system which appears to be

useless, such as the appendix in the human intestinal system there is a high
probability that the part actually has a function that keeps the system working
we just dont understand it.

True

False

10. Smart phone sales will eventually level out because there is a balancing loop
that constrains the sales growth the number of people without a smart
phone who desire one is shrinking, an example of growth in a constrained
environment.

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Multiple Choice: For each of the following questions, circle the letter of the answer that best answers the
question.
1. In the view of Russell Ackoff, an operations theorist, managers manage:
A. People
B. Independent Problems
C. Situations

D. Messes
2. When various actors try to pull a system state toward various goals, the result can be policy
resistance. Any new policy, especially if it is effective, just pulls the system state farther from the
goals of other actors and produces additional resistance, with a result that no one likes, but that
everyone expends considerable effort in maintaining. The way out is:
A Keep the current policy and just keep moving on as if there was no resistance to it
B Sit in your office and make changes to the policy that you believe should overcome the resistance
C Ask your best friends from college what they would do

D Let go bring in the stakeholders, the resisters to try to reach a

compromise position that satisfies all legitimate goals and
concerns
3. If we accept this observation by G. K. Chesterton as capturing something true about the real world:
The real trouble with this world of ours is not that it is an unreasonable world, nor even that it is a
reasonable one. The commonest kind of trouble is that it is nearly reasonable, but not quite. Life is
not an illogicality; yet it is a trap for logicians. It looks just a little more mathematical and regular than
it is. G. K. Chesterton, 20th century writer
we can expect that every problem we attempt to solve within a system to have:
A. A fuzzy component to nearly all problems, an aspect that does not quite fit any known logical or
mathematical model for representing such a problem
B. A straight-forward, precisely accurate representation in mathematical and/or logical terms
C. A solution only a genius with an weird sense of reality could possibly discover

D. Multiple perfect solutions, not just one.

4. The concept of feedback opens up the idea that a system can cause:
A. Growth

B. Its own behavior

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C. Another system to exist

D. Order to take control

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5. Given this quote from Poul Anderson:

I have yet to see any problem, however complicated, which, when looked at in the right way, did not
become still more complicated. Poul Anderson
It is reasonable to say that:
A. Problems in systems arise from the fact that a system is greater than the sum of its parts
B. Anderson was exaggerating greatly for comedic affect

C. Anderson did not realize that a system includes its elements

(parts), interconnections, and its function / purpose.
D. Andersons powers of observation were poor
6. Feedback loops
A. Are the means by which systems maintain their balance
B. Are the means by which systems grow
C. Are the means by which systems operate themselves independently of other systems

D. All of the above

7. Reinforcing feedback loops are:
A. Can cause run-away growth
B. Were at the heart of Balzacs conundrum
C. Always bad news

D. All of the above

8. The Dutch housing development where the meter was highly visible in some of the homes and not in
others is an example of a leverage point where:
A. The information flow structure was perfect in either case
B. The information flow structure had nothing to do with the effect seen in the house energy usage

C. Where a new feedback loop is created leading to a desirable

change in the behavior of the system
D. The information flow structure was functionally identical in the two approaches
9. The rules of a system

A. Dene its scope, its boundaries, its degrees of freedom

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B. Have no impact on the stakeholders of a system

C. Convey no power to the rule maker for a system
D. Are not part of the leverage point structure of a system
10. This is one key realization regarding paradigms that is the most powerful:
A. Paradigms are not leverage points for change
B. Paradigms can be changed
C. Paradigms cannot be changed

D. There is no one true paradigm

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