Read the passage and answer the questions that follow on the basis of the…
2023
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.
The leadership in administration
- A.
sets a fine example to the employees
- B.
is of a reasonably high standard
- C.
is composed of idealists
- D.
is of a very poor standard
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Literal reading comprehension requires choosing the option that is directly and explicitly supported by statements made in the passage, without adding meaning beyond what the passage states.
The passage states that 'the problem is the standard which the leadership in administration sets for the staff', explicitly framing the leadership's standard as the problem.
It further states that 'the administration set up remains weak mainly because the employees do not have the right example to follow', showing that the leadership's low standard leaves employees without a proper example.
Together, these statements directly describe the leadership in administration as maintaining a very poor standard.
'Sets a fine example to the employees' contradicts the passage's statement that employees do not have the right example to follow.
'Is of a reasonably high standard' contradicts the passage calling the leadership's standard 'the problem' and the administration set up 'weak'.
'Is composed of idealists' is unsupported — the passage shows employees, not leadership, being concerned with pleasing their bosses, and gives no evidence of idealism in leadership.
Therefore, the passage directly supports that the leadership in administration is of a very poor standard.