Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that…
20172021
Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow by selecting the most appropriate option.
Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. The general recognition of this fact is shown in the proverbial phrase, "It is the busiest man who has time to spare". Thus, an elderly lady at leisure can spend the entire day writing a postcard to her niece. An hour will be spent in finding the postcard, another hunting for spectacles, half an hour to search for the address, an hour and a quarter in composition and twenty minutes in deciding whether or not to take an umbrella when going to the pillar-box in the street. The total effort that would occupy a busy man for three minutes, all told, may in this fashion leave another person completely exhausted after a day of doubt, anxiety and toil.
Point out the most appropriate explanation of the sentence, “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”.
- A.
The more work there is to be done, the more the time needed.
- B.
Whatever time is available for a given amount of work, all of it will be used.
- C.
If you have more time, you can do more work.
- D.
If you have some important work to do, you should always have some additional time.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
The phrase "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion" means that the amount of time a task takes is not fixed but depends on how much time is given. If more time is available, people tend to use all of it, even if the task could be completed in less. This is illustrated in the passage where a simple act like writing a postcard takes an entire day due to delays and distractions. The key idea is that work fills the time allocated, not that more work is done. It reflects human behavior where efficiency decreases when time pressure is low, and tasks are prolonged by procrastination or unnecessary steps.