Question

The Society for Education in India (in short SEI) had been engaged in running primary schools in different parts of the country since the 1950s. While attending a conference on employee selection, Mr J. Mehta, a senior member of the society, learned that a leading school had recently employed a psychologist to perform employment functions, i.e., recruitment and selection of teachers. Within two months of his return, Mr J. Mehta contacted a reputed university and employed a graduating psychologist, Mr Bibek Gupta.

Mr Bibek Gupta was employed by SEI with the single directive that he was to contribute to the selection of teachers. This task had previously been the prerogative of the principals of each school. Mr Gupta immediately notified each principal that in future he was to be notified of the personnel needs, and in return he would recruit, screen, and select the teachers.

At the end of his first year with SEI, Mr Gupta realized that his efforts had resulted in failure. During his first few months he encountered much opposition from several principals who had been managing schools for ten or more years. They did not believe in newer psychological techniques and preferred selecting people based on their own assessment. Other principals frequently refused to accept the teachers selected by Mr Gupta. Finally, Mr Gupta began to notice fewer and fewer principals notifying him of vacancies in their schools. Realizing that he was not making any effective contribution, Mr Gupta submitted the suggestion to the society members that support and co-operation of the school principals should be a matter of executive order, or else his resignation should be considered.

Directions: For each question below, an answer (A) and a reason (R) are given. Base your analysis only on the information in the passage above. Mark your response using the code:
1. if both A and R are based on information given in the passage, and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. if both A and R are based on information given in the passage, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. if A is based on information given in the passage, but R is not based on the facts given.
4. if A is not based on information given in the passage, but R is based on the information given in the passage.
5. if both A and R are not based on information given in the passage.

Question: What responsibilities were shouldered by Mr Bibek in his first year of employment?
A: Mr Bibek had the responsibility of contributing his expertise to recruitment and selection of teachers.
R: The board members wanted to systematize the recruitment and selection of the entire organization.

• A. Both A and R are based on information given in the passage, and R is the correct explanation of A.
• B. Both A and R are based on information given in the passage, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
• C. A is based on information given in the passage, but R is not based on the facts given.
• D. A is not based on information given in the passage, but R is based on the information given in the passage.

Hint:

Check A and R separately against the passage before deciding if R explains A; watch for details R adds that the passage never states.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
We must judge two separate claims against the SEI passage: assertion A about Mr Bibek's job, and reason R about who wanted the change and why.

Step 2: Key Approach:
Test A on its own first. Then test R on its own. Only if both pass do we ask whether R actually explains A.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Testing A: the passage states plainly that Gupta "was employed by SEI with the single directive that he was to contribute to the selection of teachers." A says the same thing in different words, so A checks out against the passage.
Testing R: the passage credits one person, Mr J. Mehta, with hearing about a psychologist at another school and then arranging Gupta's hire himself. There is no mention of a board deciding anything, and Gupta's mandate was narrow, teacher selection only, not the entire organization. R brings in details the passage simply does not contain.
Since A passes the passage test and R fails it, we do not even need to ask whether R explains A, because R already fails on its own.

Step 4: Final Answer:
A is based on the passage, R is not. That is option 3.