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: "At the end of his first year with SEI, Mr Gupta realized that his efforts had resulted in failure." Was Mr Bibek's self-assessment justified?
A: Yes, since the selection of teachers continued to be done as it was being done earlier.
R: He was placed in a situation where the concerned persons refused to consult him regarding his expertise. Hence his impact was dependent on co-operation by others.

• 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:

Confirm A and R are each true per the passage, then check whether the lack of principal cooperation in R is the actual cause of the outcome in A.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
We are asked whether Gupta's own conclusion, that his first year was a failure, is backed by the passage (A), and whether the reason offered (R) genuinely explains that outcome.

Step 2: Key Approach:
First confirm A is true according to the passage. Then confirm R is true according to the passage. Only then check if R is the cause of A, not just an unrelated true fact.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
A states that teacher selection continued as before. The passage backs this up directly: principals "frequently refused to accept the teachers selected by Mr Gupta," and over time "fewer and fewer principals" even bothered to notify him of vacancies, meaning they went back to selecting teachers on their own, exactly as before his arrival.
R states that the outcome depended on cooperation Gupta never received. The passage backs this too: principals "did not believe in newer psychological techniques and preferred selecting people based on their own assessment," so they simply stopped engaging with him.
Now the causal link: Gupta could only contribute if principals notified him of vacancies and accepted his picks. Once they withdrew that cooperation, his expertise had nowhere to be applied, so the old process carried on. R is not just true alongside A, it is the actual reason A happened.

Step 4: Final Answer:
Both A and R are based on the passage, and R is the correct explanation of A. This is option 1.