Reading Passage: The Rise of Algorithmic Decision-Making

A C1-level reading passage to test your comprehension of complex, formally written text.

Notice

  • Read the passage below, then answer the comprehension questions.
  • “Notwithstanding the considerable efficiency gains attributed to algorithmic decision-making, its rapid adoption across sectors as varied as finance, healthcare, and criminal justice has prompted growing unease. Proponents argue that, given the sheer volume of data involved, human judgement alone is no longer adequate to the task; algorithms, they contend, offer consistency that human decision-makers, prone to fatigue and bias, cannot match. Critics counter that this very consistency can entrench existing inequalities, since an algorithm trained on biased historical data will, in all likelihood, perpetuate that bias — merely cloaked in a veneer of mathematical objectivity. Whereas early debates centred on technical accuracy, the conversation has since shifted toward questions of accountability: when an algorithm errs, who, precisely, bears responsibility? It is this question, rather than any purely technical one, that is likely to shape regulation in the years ahead.”

Rule

This is a C1-level reading passage: a long, complex text on a specialised topic, using formal register, nominalisation, advanced linking (notwithstanding, given that, whereas), and an implicit authorial stance — similar to what you’ll meet in serious journalism, academic writing, or policy analysis.

Practice

  1. According to the passage, what argument do proponents of algorithmic decision-making make?
    Answer: That algorithms offer consistency that human decision-makers, prone to fatigue and bias, cannot match.
  2. What is the critics’ main concern?
    Answer: That algorithms trained on biased historical data will perpetuate that bias, cloaked in an appearance of objectivity.
  3. How has the debate shifted over time, according to the passage?
    Answer: From technical accuracy toward questions of accountability — who is responsible when an algorithm errs.
  4. What does ‘a veneer of mathematical objectivity’ suggest about the author’s view?
    Answer: It suggests scepticism — the appearance of objectivity may be superficial, masking underlying bias.

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CEFR: Reading — understand long and complex factual texts, appreciating distinctions of style.

Azizul Hakim
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