Workforce Past Questions and Answers pdf Download

Q1 Flexible working arrangements are conducive to better job satisfaction for employees.

True     False     Cannot say

Answer: True

This statement is essentially a summary of the third sentence: “Employees able to adopt flexible working are better able to balance work and family commitments and are therefore happier at work, experiencing greater job satisfaction”.

Q2 Employees are legally entitled to work flexible hours if they request to do so.

True     False     Cannot say

Answer: False

The passage states that “All employees have a statutory right to request flexible

working arrangements; the law extends no further than insisting employers consider and respond to these requests within a predefined timescale”. So the passage is telling us that the law requires the employer to consider the employee‟s request but that is as far as the law goes; i.e. it does es not go as far as saying they have to honor the request.

Q3 Employers may save on recruitment costs if they introduce flexible working hours.

True    False     Cannot say

Answer: True

The passage tells us that by adopting flexible working hours, the staffs are “more motivated and less likely to leave”. We are also told that “Staff recruitment costs are not insignificant to businesses.” So the passage says that by improving staff retention, businesses are more likely to save money on recruitment costs by adopting flexible working hours.

In a new study of 3,000 employed men in the 19-70 age range over a period of 10 years, researchers found that those working for inconsiderate bosses were more likely to suffer from stress and stress-related illness than those working for more considerate and enlightened bosses. Previous research had shown that employees with inconsiderate bosses suffered from high blood pressure, which is known to increase the risk of heart disease. In this latest survey, the researchers asked employees to assess the competence of their bosses as leaders. They found that those who had categorized their boss as incompetent were 25% more at risk of serious heart disease and that this level of risk increased the longer they continued to work for the same boss. The statistics took into account external factors such as social class, educational background, lifestyle, and any existing illness. The researchers recommended that should their findings be confirmed, managers should be given training to help them improve their working relationships.

Q4 People who think their boss is incompetent are twenty-five percent more likely to suffer stress.

True False     Cannot say

Answer: Cannot say

The passage tells us about research in which 3,000 men were studied, and these men were 25% more likely to suffer stress if they rated their boss as incompetent. However the passage tells us just about the study; it is not telling us anything about people outside the study group, so we cannot say without further information.

Q5 This latest study is the first to suggest a link between the behavior of bosses and the blood pressure of their employees.

True     False     Cannot say

Answer: False

The second sentence tells us that “Previous research had shown that employees with inconsiderate bosses suffered from high blood pressure”.

Q6 Managers should be given training to help them improve their working relationships.

True     False     Cannot say

Answer: Cannot say

The passage states that recommendations from the study are subject to confirmation. Even then, these would be just a recommendation from one viewpoint‟ the passage does not tell us explicitly that managers should or should not be given training.

A common difficulty faced by business managers is when the behavior of team-member conflicts with established desirable practices. How does a good leader handle such an issue? One effective angle is to lead by example: instead of waiting for a problem to develop, take a proactive approach in heading it off with reference to clearly laid out guidelines. If a problematic situation does develop, controlling it can be made simpler by invoking existing values from a mission statement which has been set out in advance. A good team will always put the needs of the organization first. Taking such an approach gives the team a sense of personal involvement which encourages them to feel part of the organization’s mission, internalizing the needs of the group rather than feeling a sense of externally imposed obligation. It provides team members with a greater sense of personal control, the sense that they have contributed individually, and by choice, to the well-being of their org organization. To achieve this, a manager must have a good understanding of the way individual people communicate – a flexible approach is essential, using real-life practical examples relevant to each team member’s particular experience.

Q7 Leading by example is an effective approach in dealing with problematic behaviour from employees.

True     False     Cannot say

Answer: True

This statement is correct, as the passage says: “when the behaviour of team-member conflicts with established desirable practice… one effective angle is to lead by example…”

Also See: Shell Aptitude Test Past Question

Q8 A manager who understands how people communicate is able to take a flexible approach in dealing with problems.

True     False     Cannot say

Answer: Cannot say

While the passage encourages both effective communication and a flexible approach (“a manager must have a good understanding of the way individual people communicate”, “a flexible approach is essential”) it does not explicitly state that individual communication leads to a flexible approach.

Q9 In a good team, the needs of the organization are secondary to the needs of the individual.

True     False     Cannot say

Answer: False

While the passage generally stresses the importance of understanding individual styles (“a manager must have a good understanding of the way individual people communicate”, “… relevant to each team member’s particular experience.”) it states explicitly that “A good team will always put the needs of the organisation first.”

The secret to success in business is entrepreneurial spirit at all levels of the company. Employees who are identified as entrepreneurs in their own right are more motivated –their own financial success becomes integrated with the company’s. Those who are oriented towards personal entrepreneurship will work long hours to develop their own tried-and-tested business practices and strategies, contributing as willing partners to the achievements of the company as a whole. Orientation and value-formation training can induce this kind of thinking in new staff recruits, inculcating the notion of how quickly it is possible to achieve financial security through hard work and innovative business approaches, combined with the impression that to miss out on opportunities for such rapid economic and social advancement would be at best unwise and at worst catastrophic.

Q10 Employees instilled with the idea of personal entrepreneurship will be less willing to contribute to the success of the company as a whole.

True     False     Cannot say

Answer: False

The passage states in fact that such employees will contribute “as willing partners to the achievements of the company.”

Q11 New staff members can be indoctrinated with the virtues of entrepreneurship.

True     False     Cannot say

Answer: True

The passage states that “this kind of thinking” – which refers directly to the personal entrepreneurship approach discussed in the first paragraph – can be induced through “Orientation and value-formation training”.

Q12 Employees encouraged to think of themselves as entrepreneurs work fewer hours than other staff members.

True       False     Cannot say

Answer: Cannot say

While the passage states, “Those who are oriented towards personal entrepreneurship will work long hours”, therefore implying that the answer to this question should be ‘false’, there is no explicit comparison with other staff in either direction, so no definite answer can be given.