Read the passage and answer the questions that follow on the basis of the…
20242025
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow on the basis of the information provided in the passage.
What needs to be set right is our approach to work. It is a common sight in our country for employees to report for duty on time and at the same time do little work. If an assessment is made of time they spend in gossiping, drinking tea, eating "pan" and smoking cigarettes, it will be shocking to know that the time devoted to actual work is negligible. The problem is the standard which the leadership in administration sets for the staff. Forget the ministers because they mix politics and administration. What do top bureaucrats do? What do the officials down below do? The administration set up remains weak mainly because the employees do not have the right example to follow and they are more concerned about being in the good books of the bosses than doing work.
According to the writer, the administration in India
- A.
is by and large effective
- B.
is very strict and firm
- C.
is affected by red tape
- D.
is more or less ineffective
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
A question that asks for the writer's assessment of a subject is answered by locating the sentence in the passage that most directly evaluates that subject, and then choosing the option that paraphrases that evaluation most closely -- not an option that merely echoes an idea mentioned elsewhere without being the writer's actual verdict.
The passage's concluding sentence states that the administration set up remains weak mainly because employees do not have the right example to follow from their leaders and are more concerned about pleasing their superiors than about doing actual work. A system explicitly called weak, whose staff spend most of their time on activities other than work, is best described as performing poorly overall -- that is, more or less ineffective.
Each of the other readings is ruled out by the passage's own words:
"is by and large effective" is directly contradicted: the passage's second sentence details the time wasted in gossiping, drinking tea, and smoking rather than working, which is the opposite of an effective setup.
"is very strict and firm" does not fit: a strict, firm administration would not permit the widespread laxity the passage describes, where employees report on time but do little actual work.
"is affected by red tape" is never supported: red tape refers to excessive bureaucratic procedure and paperwork delay, an idea the passage never raises -- its complaint is about poor personal work ethic and the absence of a proper leadership example, not about procedure.
So the reading that the passage's own words support is that the administration is more or less ineffective.