CEX–6855/20 Reasoning - 12 IPM

Answers and Explanations

Class Exercise
1 b 2 d 3 a 4 b 5 a 6 a 7 c 8 b 9 c 10 a
11 a 12 a 13 b 14 a 15 a 16 a 17 c 18 a 19 d 20 a
21 a 22 b 23 a 24 d 25 b 26 c 27 a 28 b 29 b 30 a

Home Exercise

1 a 2 c 3 d 4 d 5 b 6 b 7 a 8 a 9 b 10 e

Class Exercise 5. a Course of action I definitely follows. The concerned

1. b Statement II is a good course of action. To improve the
sales, the company should undertake a thorough
research on the rival company’s product and strategy.
However, statement I does not follow since improving
quality and reducing price will not necessarily boost
the sales of model Y. Also, we do not know if these
two actions are feasible for the company to undertake.
Hence, option (b) is the answer.
2. d Import duty is imposed by the government to keep a
check on the quantity imported. We do not know by
how much the demand has increased and whether
the government needs to discourage it by imposing a
duty. The fruit vendors cannot be prohibited from selling
imported fruits since the given sentence does not
suggest that the sale of imported fruits is harming the
sale of local fruits. Hence, option (d) is the correct
answer.
3. a It is advisable to take precautions since the infection
may spread. However, the second cause of action
does not follow as the given sentence does not indicate
that the situation is so grave so as to call for such an
extreme measure. Hence, option (a) is the correct
answer.
4. b The act has been repeated despite the warnings given
by the teacher. Course of action I will only act as
another warning and the child might repeat such a
behaviour in the future. The correct course of action
is to punish the child, so that he realizes his mistake
and does not repeat it. Hence, option (b) is the correct
answer.
authorities should raise concerns about the toxic
material used in paints, so that people become aware
of their health hazards. Course of action II does not
follow since it is too extreme an action to take. From
the given statement we cannot say if it is feasible or
not. Hence, option (a) is the answer.
6. a The statement talks about the security and privacy
issues of Facebook users. As Facebook has provided
its users with various options to control their privacy
and maintain information security, the user should
regularly monitor the information that he/she shares
with others. Action II suggests that no information
should be put on the Facebook account. This would
undermine the very purpose of using Facebook -
sharing posts, thoughts, pictures etc. - and hence, is
not a correct course of action. So, the correct answer
is option (a).
7. c The problem is that a large number of southern right
whale calves are dying, but the reason behind the
same is not known. Action I suggests that the relevant
authorities must single out the changes in their situation
due to which the whale calves are being affected.
Action II suggests that the officials should study the
effectiveness of the monitoring system in order to find
out the reason behind the high mortality rate. The
officials will be able to deal with the increasing mortality
only after the reasons behind the same are found out.
Hence, both the courses of action are feasible and
the correct answer is option (c).

Reasoning - 12 Page 1
8. b The stated problem is that the advent of e-books has
impinged upon the revenues of the publishing industry.
Action I suggests that since hardcovers have a
substantial impact on the prices of the published
bestsellers, its prices should be reduced. However,
the given action does not consider the costs involved
in the production of the hardcovers and hence, it might
not be feasible for the industry to decrease its prices.
Action II states that e-books should be priced in a way
that the overall profits are optimized. This is an
appropriate action for the industry as it would be
feasible for the industry to focus on ways to optimize
the new revenue stream rather than focusing their
efforts on reviving the historical way of making profits
(through hardcovers), which is on its way to
redundancy. Hence, the correct answer is option (b).
9. c The problem is that a new species of termite has
attacked the South Florida region. Since the termite
has been described ‘dangerous’, it can affect the area
adversely. The possible courses of action for the
administration would be to identify the few major
infestations and treat them. The incidents of major
infestations can be expected to be less in number as
it has recently been spotted. Secondly, the number of
termites in the area has increased significantly. So, a
campaign can be organized in the area to educate
people about the possible means of avoiding or dealing
with the particular termite infestations. This would also
help the public to report other infested sites to the
administration. So, the correct answer is option (c).
10. a Course of Action I follows because if the state is in a
dire situation, it should first be rescued from the
situation. Course of Action II need not necessarily follow
owing to the word immediately because knowing the
cause for the floods is not urgent, it can be deferred
till the time Gujarat is rescued. Therefore, option (a) is
correct.
11. a Course of Action I follows because if the company’s
work environment improves, it will improve the
company’s image. Course of action II does not follow
because it is impractical and the company has a lot to
lose if its recruitment is only limited to men. Therefore,
option (a) is correct.
12. a Course of action I follows because the company
suffered a loss due to this supplier. So, by suing this
supplier, the company will be able to recover its losses.
Course of action II is not right since there is no
information indicating whether the entire Quality Control
department is at fault. Thus, option (a) is correct.
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13. b Course of action I does not follow since it may be
possible (and more profitable/less costly) to modify Y
and make it more competitive. Course of action II
follows because only if company B realizes the
reasons for this preference will it be able to work on
those. Hence, option (b) is correct.
14. a Course of action I follows because the directives will
make employees improve their posture and this will
save them from spinal injuries. Course of action II
does not follow because spinal injuries can happen to
anyone if he/she does not work with the right posture.
Hence, option (a) is correct.
15. a The statement says that all organizations are facing
problems of attrition. Since employees switch jobs in
anticipation of better benefits, if organizations offered
comparable benefits the employees would not go out
in search of greener pastures leading to a fall in the
attrition rate. So (I) logically follows. Offering decent
salaries is not an ideal solution since there is no clarity
on what is a ‘decent’ salary. Moreover, getting a decent
salary does not foreclose the possibility that an
employee will not seek for a still higher salary outside.
Thus, (II) does not follow. Therefore, the correct
answer is option (a).
16. a Course I is a logical step that can be implemented to
minimize losses and maximize profits. Option (II) can
be a short term step but it cannot be a permanent
solution.
17. c Both the courses of action sound logical.
18. a Only course of action I sounds logical.
19. d Neither of the two courses of action sound logical.
20. a Course of action I follows. It can be an appropriate
course of action in the light of the aforementioned
problem. Course of action II is not feasible in a
democratic set up like India.
21. a The problem outlined in the statement is the threat
faced by smaller outfits from larger organizations due
to globalization and rapid technological advances. The
only sensible way to tackle this threat is outlined in (I).
Continual investment in the development of smaller
outfits can help these units to effectively weather the
competition posed by the larger organizations. (II) does
not help the smaller industries to grow. Thus, option
(a) is the correct answer.
Reasoning - 12
22. b (I) does not address the problem of global warming
and is therefore not a logical course of action. (II) talks
about a possible way to reduce global warming and
thus lead to improvement in the seasonal patterns and
mitigate the drastic economic impact. Thus, only (II)
follows and option (b) is the correct answer.
23. a Since SARS is a contagious disease, all precautions
should be taken by the health workers in Asia to contain
the spread. (I) logically follows because it serves a
note of caution to the health workers to take necessary
restraining steps. II has no bearing on the cause and
is practically infeasible.
24. d The problem is the abysmal condition of the museums
of Vienna. (I) focuses on ‘beautiful museums’ of Vienna
and does not help to improve the state of dilapidated
museums. So (I) does not follow. (II) is also illogical
because it does not target the problem but gives a
suggestion that does not address the issue of the
dilapidated state of the museums.
25. b Confronting the errant employee and issuing a warning
is not an appropriate action since the supervisor only
has a suspicion about one of his team members. He
should first ascertain the facts before taking action
and not merely on a suspicion. Thus, II is more
appropriate and the correct answer is option (b).
26. c Both the actions contribute in controlling the problem
of drunk driving. Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.
27. a I is appropriate as counseling is a preliminary step to
get to the root of the problem. Debarring him from
exams is an extreme stance to take at the very outset
of trying to solve the problem. Thus, II is inappropriate.
Option (a) is the correct answer.
28. b The neighborhood is inhabited by old and retired
people who may not be in a position to patrol the
streets. Thus, I is not an appropriate course of action.
In such a scenario, burglar alarms are an effective
way of dealing with the situation. Thus, option (b) is
the correct answer.
29. b I is an unrealistic response that does not deal with the
root of the problem. II talks about a proposed national
mission for teacher training that may not provide an
immediate solution but prevents the problem from
recurring by providing a long term solution. Thus, only
II is an appropriate course of action. Option (b) is the
correct answer.
30. a The problem is the quality of care being offered to
patients in government hospitals. I tackles this issue
Reasoning - 12
head on and is an appropriate response. Opening
more hospitals does not deal with the problem of
understaffing and may in fact aggravate it if more
hospitals have to be run with minimal staffing. Thus II
is ruled out and option (a) is the correct answer.
Home Exercise
1. a The problem talks about the shortage of 'experienced'
civil servants. I tackles this problem by extending the
service period of those civil servants who are
experienced but on the verge of retirement. Increasing
the retirement age of such officials would give the
government a pool of experienced civil servants to
choose from. II is not suitable as it talks about the
recruitment of candidates at the 'entry level' who would
be lacking the necessary experience to be deputed
as senior diplomats. While II may denote a long term
solution, it does nothing to solve the problem of the
current shortage of experienced civil servants. Thus,
only I is a feasible course of action and option (a) is
the correct answer.
2. c Both the statements are appropriate courses of action.
While I caters to curb the rise in the number of vehicles,
II talks of measures that would help in dealing with the
current situation. Hence, option (c) is correct.
3. d Neither of the two courses of action follow. Both
banning the medicine and disregarding the findings of
the study without verifying them would be extreme
reactions. The correct course of action could be to
validate the findings before taking any action and, in
the meantime, regulate the sale of the medicine till the
time there is greater clarity on the issue. Option (d) is
the correct answer.
4. d The first course of action doesn’t follow as scrapping
something just because it couldn’t do well is not
intelligent. Probably the system is not at fault but the
implementation of it is. Further, just because something
has worked for someone doesn’t necessarily mean
that it is bound to work for you as well. Neither of the
two courses of action follow. Option (d) is correct.
5. b Only the second course of action follows. Since the
companies are operating in a free market, they have
the right to decide the pricing of their products without
external interference. If indeed the products have been
overpriced, it would adversely affect sales and
profitability and market forces would bring down the
prices. Thus, the second course of action follows.
Option (b) is correct.
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6. b The other course of action is not feasible. 8. a Option (b) is farfetched.

7. a Option (b) is not feasible because it won't show results 9. b Course of action I is too draconian.
immediately. Option (a) is an immediate response.
10. e Both the courses of action are invalid.

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