71. Information technology can best be described as ____.

1. a relatively new industry populated by skilled computer workers
2. a field with limited investment opportunities
3. a new workforce for the twenty-first century
4. a developing method of propulsion to be used in future space travel

72. The computer industry is different from previous boom industries because ____.

1. computers did not exist in the time of other boom industries
2. computer jobs require significantly more education than those of previous boom industry
3. it has no immediately obvious outside constraints
4. it is a direct result of wide-scale devastation

73. The best assumption that can be made from the passage is that ____.

1. the market for IT workers will never collapse
2. "crunch time" is a new problem that is unique to the IT industry
3. information technology is usually chosen as a career because of the strong financial benefits
4. investment firms (such as Merrill-Lynch) believe that computers are a great investment opportunity

74. The overall tone of the passage is ____.

1. promotional
2. critical
3. informative
4. conciliatory

75. The purpose of the passage is to ____.

1. discuss the popularity and long-term potential of "computer occupations"
2. encourage university freshmen to major in computer science
3. weigh the financial benefits of information technology against other careers
4. point out the disparity between working in the computer field and investing in it

(Reference keys.)