Read the passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/ phrases have been given in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
Organisational leaders often grapple with moving their members to changed conditions. They have to lead several battles of managing varied stakeholder expectations. This is not only to answer questions on change, but also to counter entrenched negative attitudes regarding leadership actions and organisation systems and processes.A change effort becomes extremely difficult in a culture of constant suspicion, bickering, second-guessing, rumour-mongering, and active and passive resistance towards change Such behaviours have been studied under the conceptual banner of organisational cynicism. It is defined as a negative attitude that members have towards their organisation, its management and its systems and processes. It exists at the levels of thoughts, emotions and actions. Cynicism is magnified in a country facing diversity on multiple dimensions: caste, regionalism, language, religion, gender, urban-rural division, differences in upbringing and variations in quality of education. These differences are often carried inside the organisations and affect their functioning. The cumulative effect is often a disengaged or cynical work force. Organisational processes and managerial actions over time shape employees' beliefs and trust in the system. Some individuals may be predisposed towards negativity. Conditions for spiralling negativity appear when managers fail to exhibit consistency and explain the rationale of their actions. Their inability to articulate and present their challenges results in perceptions of injustice attributed to the political environment of the organisation. Consequently, organisational members develop a general distrust of every action, believing that their organisations are not just. Such people have an ideal view of how organisations should work that is not grounded in operational and social realities. At times, organisations, in their hurry to implement changes, end up violating the psychological contract with employees. Roles get expanded and opportunities are assigned based on personal preferences of the leaders rather than on proper skill assessment. Underdeveloped appraisal and talent management systems result in disproportionate opportunities being given to a select group of people based on similarities of region, language, education, upbringing, religion or caste rather than on merit or criteria of equitable distribution across similarly qualified organisational members
Managers may not be conscious of their biases. This ends up reinforcing distrust, cynicism and feelings of injustice and organisational politics. Organisational cynicism has to be dealt with at the level of individuals, systems and processes while adhering to the principles of organisational justice Leaders need to model behaviours and promote a culture that values openness, participation, engagement and trust. They need to personally address issues that deal with violations of accepted psychological contract. Any changes required in psychological contracts should be openly and explicitly dealt with through a shared dialogue and fair processes that explain decisions. There should be a concerted action of aligning organisational priorities, individual goals, collective working and building trust of people in the organisation and its processes.
1. What is/are the conditions that lead to negative attitude among employees towards their organisation?
A) When managers become selfcentric
B) When managers fail to explain
the rationale of their actions.
C) When managers fail to exhibit
consistency of their actions.
1) Only (A) and (B)
2) Only (B) and (C)
3) Only (A) and (C)
4) All (A), (B) and (C)
5) Only (A)
2. Organisational cynicism is associated with the study of:
A) Constant suspicion and bickering
B) Active and passive resistancetowards change
C) Second guessing and rumour mongering
1) Only (A) and (B)
2) Only (B) and (C)
3) Only (A) and (C)
4) All (A), (B) and (C)
5) Only (A)
3. Organisational leaders have to do several things for the progress of the organisation. Which is not one of them?
1) They have to counter entrenched negative attitude fortheir leadership actions
2) They have to manage varied expectations of stakeholders
3) They are bound to please some non-workers also
4) All (1), (2) and (3)
5) Only (1) and (2)
4. What is/are the factor(s) that give rise to a disengaged workforce? Answer in the context of the passage.
A) Strong feeling of casteism, regionalism and gender discrimination
B) Colour, physique, and courtesy and manner
C) Variation in quality of education, difference in upbringingand rural-urban feelings
1) Only (A) 2) Only (B)
3) Only (C)
4) Only (A) and (B)
5) Only (A) and (C)
5. Find the statement which is not true in the context of the passage.
1) Underdeveloped appraisal system gives rise to different feelings for similar organisational members
2) Often, organisations in their hurry to implement changes end up violating the psychological
contract with employees
3) Organisational distrust should be reduced at the level of individuals, systems and processes
while adhering to the principles of organisational justice
4) Organisational processes and managerial actions over time build employees' beliefs and
trust in the system
5) Leaders need not personally address issues related to violations of accepted psychological
contract.
Choose the word which is MOST SIMILAR in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
6. Bickering
1) Altercation
2) Agreement
3) Concede
4) Discussion
5) Praise
7. Cumulative
1) Subtracting
2) Decreasing
3) Summative
4) Divisive
5) Invaluable
8. Reinforcing
1) Taking away
2) Undermining
3) Weakening
4) Augmenting
5) Diminishing
Choose the word or group of words which is MOST OPPOSITE in meaning of the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
9. Grapple
1) Battle
2) Confront
3) Deal with
4) Let go
5) Struggle
10. Exhibit
1) Conceal
2) View
3) Display
4) Show
5) Illustrate
Rearrange the following seven sentences (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), (F) and (G) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given below them.
A) It takes its recourse to progressive march towards perfection.
B) But, one may conclude, while science is inclined towards reason, spiritualism is the essence of religion.
C) In religion deviation from the set course is permissible, though some more rationalistic religious leaders also allow questioning and their satisfactory answers.
D) Many people believe that science and religion are contrary to each other.
E) The tools of religion, on the other hand, are faith, intuition, and the spoken word of the enlightened.
F) The method of science is observation, experiment and experience.
G) There is no doubt that the methods of science and religion are different.
11. Which of the following will be the SECOND sentence?
1) F
2) E
3) D
4) B
5) G
12. Which of the following will be the FOURTH sentence?
1) B
2) A
3) D
4) F
5) C
13. Which of the following will be the LAST sentence?
1) C
2) A
3) D
4) B
5) E
14. Which of the following will be the FIRST sentence?
1) C
2) B
3) D
4) F
5) A
15. Which of the following will be the SIXTH sentence?
1) C
2) F
3) A
4) G
5) D
Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical or idiomatic error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence, the number of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is (5). (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any).
16. As I reached the hospital (1)/ I had found a great rush of visitors (2)/ whose relatives had been
admitted there (3) / for one or the other ailment. (4) / No error (5).
17. One should study the history (1) / of his country because it alone can satisfy(2)/ one's natural curiosity to know (3) / what happened in the past. (4) / No error (5).
18. It is interesting to note (1) / that the greatest lines in poetry are simple (2)/and yet there is with
them some quality(3)/ which makes them outstandingly great. (4) / No error (5).
19. In order to make human life happy, (1) / man should live (2) / as far as possible (3) / in perfect
harmony with nature. (4) / No error (5).
20. You have heard (1) / of Socrates, I suppose. (2) / Undoubtedly he was one (3) / of the greatest man of the world. (4) / No error (5).
