PrepTest 140, Section 2, Question 18
Psychologists have found that the implementation of policies(66 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- AImplementing flexible schedules(21 more words not shown)
- BFlexible-schedule policies should(19 more words not shown)
- CFlexible schedules should(15 more words not shown)
- DThere is little(14 more words not shown)
- EThe typical benefits(17 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
No improvement for managers doesn't mean no improvement for anyone. If managers already choose their hours, a new flexibility policy might make little difference to their working lives. Employees who previously had rigid schedules could experience a real change.
That distinction reminds me of two people arriving at the same salary from different starting points. Someone going from $20,000 to $50,000 might react very differently from someone going from $100,000 to $50,000. It's an illustration of why the change matters, not evidence about these workers. Here, the possible difference is between gaining control of a schedule and already having it.
What we’re looking for
The passage also puts limits on the benefits: they fade somewhat with time and shrink further when schedules become too elastic. My first takeaway would be that flexibility helps within limits. The supported answer needs to respect both the improvement among nonmanagers and these qualifications.
Working the answers
- A
Existing autonomy is offered as a possible explanation for the managers' lack of improvement, not an established explanation. We therefore can't confidently predict that managers without autonomy would gain both satisfaction and efficiency. That would be a reasonable hypothesis to investigate, but it goes beyond what the passage supports.
- B
The individual improvements don't establish that the workforce's overall morale remains unchanged. Some people benefiting while others experience little change could improve the overall result. The passage gives no basis for ruling that out.
- C
We aren't told how large the improvements are, and the benefits dissipate somewhat over time. That doesn't mean they disappear, but it also doesn't support this promise of substantial gains in the long run.
- D
A new policy producing little change doesn't show little relationship between satisfaction and control over one's schedule. Managers might already benefit from autonomy before the policy arrives. The study of a change in policy doesn't settle that broader relationship.
- ECorrect
Looking only at the effects on managers would miss the benefits among nonmanagerial employees. Managers typically show little improvement, while the other employees show increases in satisfaction, productivity, and attendance. The managerial results therefore aren't a reliable guide to the policy's typical benefits.
This is about which employees we observe, not whether managers are honest reporters. Their experience can be accurately described and still be unrepresentative of the people whose schedules actually change.
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