After successfully completing the CAT 2016 sprint series and the SNAP 2016 sprint series, we are back with the XAT 2017 sprint preparation series – Decision making 7 to boost your prep. This series will consist of 10 sets of questions from past year XAT papers, leading to XAT 2017 and covered almost all the question types that you needed to know come the 8th of January.

XAT 2017 sprint preparation series – Decision making 7

Directions for question 1 to 3: Read the following caselet and choose the best alternative.

It was the end of the performance review cycle for the year 2012 when you asked your subordinates about any problems they were facing. Natrajan told you that an important member of his team, Vardarajan, who had also won the best performance award for the year 2011, was not taking interest in work. Despite Natrajan’s counseling, no change was noticed in Vardarajan, rather his attitude deteriorated. You had also received such information from other employees. You had not interfered hoping that Natrajan, an experienced hand, would be able to solve the problem. But now that Natrajan himself brought this to your notice, you decided to call Vardarajan and counsel him.

1. Which of the following could be the most unlikely reason for Vardarajan’s declining involvement in the workplace?

A. Vardarajan does not find the work challenging enough as he has already achieved the best performance award.

B. Others in the organization have been trying to pull him down, since he was declared best performer.

C. Vardarajan was not promoted after his superlative performance, while another colleague, Sundararajan, was promoted although he was not as good a performer as Vardarajan.

D. After putting in lots of effort for the superlative performance, Vardarajan felt burnt out.

E. Vardarajan was appreciated by his bosses for his achievement last year.

2. Vardarajan did not find his work challenging enough, given below are some steps that could be taken to motivate him:

1. Give Vardarajan a more challenging assignment

2. Transfer Vardarajan from Projects department to Training department

3. Ask him to take a vacation for two months

4. Send him for further training on decision making under stress

Which of the following combinations would be the most appropriate?

A. 1, 2, 3

B. 1, 3, 4

C. 1, 4

D. 2, 3, 4

E. 1, 2, 3, 4

3. You overheard a conversation between Vardarajan and his colleague over an official dinner. He expressed his unhappiness about the fact that good performers were not given their due credit while poor performers were promoted faster. If Vardarajan is right, which of the following steps would help in creating better organization?

A. Promote Vardarajan with immediate effect.

B. Ensure that performance is objectively and transparently assessed.

C. Give another assignment to Vardarajan.

D. Give higher salary to Vardarajan.

E. Fire Vardarajan.

Directions for questions 4 to 7: Read the following caselet and choose the best alternative.

Prof. Vijya, the chairperson of the Faculty Academic Committee (FAC), was trying to understand the implications of decisions taken by the Student Placement Committee (SPC) on placement issues. It was alleged that Biswajit, a final year student, inflated his grades in his bio-data that was sent to the recruiters. The President of SPC requested the FAC to debar Biswajit from the campus recruitment process. When the matter was brought up for discussion in FAC, one of the professors remarked that Biswajit too should be allowed to defend himself. When Biswajit arrived for the meeting the situation became even more challenging.

Biswajit raised the issue that many other students who had misrepresented grades to get coveted jobs had gone scot-free. He alleged that these students were close to the President of SPC and therefore, no action was taken against them. He stated that somebody has deliberately manipulated his grades in the bio-data.

This allegation confused the members and it was decided to adjourn’ the meeting. Vijya was to decide on the next course of action.

4. If you were Vijya what in your opinion would be the most appropriate action?

A. Debar Biswajit and the President of SPC from the placement process as they have failed to uphold the rules of the SPC.

B. Suspend Biswajit and the President of SPC.

C. Constitute a fact finding committee to investigate the matter and ask them to submit a report to you within a week’s time.

D. Apprise the corporate recruiters of the situation and assure them that corrective actions will be taken.

E. Both options C and D.

5. It was found that a large section of the students have been indulging in such practices. Unfortunately, the HR manager of a much coveted campus recruiter, who is an alumnus of the college came to know about this. Considering yourself in the position of that HR manager, what would be your reaction?

A. Express your displeasure and stop any further recruitment from the college.

B. Talk to your contact in the college and try to find out the truth.

C. Do not change anything and continue the process as if nothing has happened.

D. Ask the college to send a fresh set of bio-data as you wanted verified grades of the students.

E. Ask the SPC to resend the details of the shortlisted students including their verified grades.

6. As a potential entrant you are having an informal Facebook chat with one of the college seniors. You wanted to know about the pay packages of the graduating students. The senior replied that one will be able to understand this only after joining the college. He did not reveal any information but suggested that it is not very difficult to get a high salary job as you have already started networking. He also cautioned that you should not believe any rumors and you should directly contact the student body for any further information. What will be your most appropriate choice for seeking further information about placements?

A. This conversation will increase your interest and you will network more with the students of the college for increasing your chances of getting a high salary job.

B. You will contact the college authorities to get more insights about the placement process.

C. You will start networking with the HR managers to understand their requirements.

D. You will try to contact the President of SPC

E. You will contact your other Facebook friends to find out about the placement activities at the college.

7. Vijya found that there were many such cases of grade inflation. She was giving final touches to the report when her attentione nothing only result in bad publicity for the college. The caller identified himself as a well-wisher of the college before was diverted by a phone call on her personal cell phone. It was from an unlisted number. The caller conveyed to her that it will be in her interest as well as in the interest of the college if the report is not presented to the Director. The caller also told her these findings will change before hanging up. Consider yourself in Vijya’s position and choose an appropriate decision from the following choices.

A. Disregard the phone call and do not share its details with others.

B. Understand the implications of the phone call and apply for a leave.

C. Call up the Director, tell him about the phone call, and excuse yourself from the responsibility.

D. Talk to the Director and seek his opinion.

E. Constitute a different committee to investigate the “phone call” and carry on with your other activities.

8. A fourteen-year study of finches on the Galapagos islands concluded that there is a definite relationship between climate and the population size of finch species that thrive at various times. During droughts, more members of large finch species survive because their bills are large enough to crack large, hard seeds, giving them a food supply unavailable to smaller birds. In rainy years, fewer members of the large finch species survive because the additional moisture fosters the growth of plants that produce small seeds. The larger finch varieties have to consume enormous numbers of small seeds to meet their energy demands, and some just cannot eat them fast enough.

Which one of the following must be assumed in order to justify the conclusion that climatic variations cause a major difference in survival rates of small and large finches?

A. During drought conditions, the weather promotes the growth of plants that produce small, hard seeds.

B. A lengthy period of rainy weather results in fewer large, hard seeds being produced.

C. In rainy periods, the small finches gather enough food to grow much larger and heavier, but their ultimate size is limited by their inability to eat small seeds fast.

D. The Galapagos climate during this fourteen year period had about as much dry weather as it had wet weather.

E. Small seeds do not have to be cracked open in order to be digested by any of the finch varieties.

9. Mr. Blatt: Expert consultants are sought after by management because they help executives make better decisions. That is why they are worth the substantial fees they charge.

Ms. Fring: Nonsense. Expert consultants are hired in order to enable executives to avoid responsibility. The more the experts cost, the more they can be blamed when things go wrong.

Which one of the following, if it occurred, would be the strongest evidence favoring Ms. Fring’s position over Mr. Blatt’s position?

A. A company that is trying to decide whether to move its manufacturing plant hires an expensive expert to conduct a cost/benefit analysis.

B. Two competing companies faced with very similar problems adopt different solutions, one with the help of a consultant, one without.

C. A successful firm of expert consultants seeks to increase its volume of business by reducing its fees, but its volume of business drops.

D. An expert consultant builds up a successful business by charging clients a substantial percentage of the amount an independent assessor judges that the consultant saved the company.

E. A company follows a consultant’s advice to open two new stores, but both stores are only marginally profitable at first.

10. Although all contemporary advertising tries to persuade, only a small portion of contemporary advertising can be considered morally reprehensible. It nevertheless follows that some attempts at persuasion can be regarded as morally reprehensible.

Which one of the following, in its logical features, most closely parallels the reasoning used in the passage?

A. None of the chemicals used for cleaning the Sistine Chapel will affect the original dyes. Hence, the colors used by Michelangelo will be fully restored.

B. Not all operational tracking studies are conducted to illustrate exact corporate returns on investment. Hence, some of these studies are not reliable.

C. A good manager always makes important decisions on the basis of adequate data, although of course some managers fail to do this. It follows that some managers are not good managers.

D. There is a direct correlation between the number of times you repeat something and the degree to which you retain it. Therefore, repetition is always a critical factor in remembering.

E. Some short poems are thematically pluralistic, since some sonnets are characterized by such pluralism, and all sonnets are short poems.

Solutions:

1. Option e. Fairly obvious this one.

2. Option a. 1 is the best course of action, 2 is an extreme step and we are not sure of the nature of the job in the training department, 3 is not really a solution and 4 is out of context. But, there is no option which says only 1 and so, we go for the more probable option a.

3. Option b.

4. Option e.

5. Option d.

6. Option b.

7. Option d.

8. Option b.

9. Option c.

10. Option e.

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You can follow the entire sprint series here: XAT 2017 Sprint Preparation Series by Learningroots