Solved Examples of decision making questions with complete analysis

 Directions: The question below is in the form of a statement followed by two courses of action numbered I and II. A course of action is a step or an administrative decision to be taken for improvement, follow-up, or further action in regard to the problem, policy etc., on the basis of the information given in the statement. You have to assume everything in the statement to be true and then decide which of the two suggested courses of action logically follows for pursuing.

1. Statement: Financial inclusion is one of the cherished economic objectives of the ruling government

Course of action I: The government should act to set up bank branches in every village of the country

Course of action II: The government should act to set up mobile, mini and micro bank branches in every village of the country.

A)   If only I follows
B)   IAf only II follows
C)   If either I or II follows
D)   If neither I nor II follows, and
E)   If both I and II follow
Correct answer: B 
  

Solution :

This one sounds very much like an either-or type of choice, but it is not so. The statement tells us that financial inclusion is a prime economic objective of the government, and this implies that the right course of actions should tell us what should be done attain that objective. Course of action I is invalid because what it suggests is impracticable, i.e. it cannot be done, even though it would be the practical thing to do, i.e. it should be done. Outgoing RBI governor Raghuram Rajan has also said that setting up bank branches in every village is infeasible because the cost involved would be prohibitive And because of this course of action II is valid. Mini and micro branches would still offer the required banking services, and the cost of setting them up in every village would not be prohibitive, even if it would still be on the higher side. In other words, course of action II sets right the problem with course of action I. Note that the objective of comprehensive financial inclusion cannot be realized without unless every Indian is covered by banking services. Thus, if setting up bank branches is essential and prohibitively costly at the same time, the right course of action would not be to abandon the idea altogether; rather a cost-effective way of making banking services available to all Indians would have to be found, and this is precisely what is suggested by course of action II  Directions: In the question below is given a statement or passage followed by two assumptions numbered I and II. An assumption is something supposed or taken for granted. You have to consider the statement and the given assumptions and decide which of the assumptions is implicit in the statement. Passage: Eager to shake off its conservative image, the RSS is looking to attract youngsters into its fold, especially IT professionals and engineers, and has launched a host of measures, including an offer of online membership. Similarly, weekly programs are being conducted specifically to help inculcate “social consciousness” in them. A key RSS regional pracharak says that this is being done as they play a big role in the development of the nation. 2. Assumption I: IT professionals and engineers carry a liberal image Assumption II: Major contributors to nation building must possess “social consciousness.” A)   if only Assumption I is implicit B)   if only Assumption II is implicit C)   if either Assumption I or Assumption II is implicit D)   if neither Assumption I nor Assumption II is implicit E)   if both Assumption I and Assumption II are implicit Correct answer: B     Solution : It is clear from reading the passage that the assumptions will have to be decided from the RSS point of view The passage tells us by implication that weekly programs are being conducted by the RSS specifically to help inculcate “social consciousness” youngsters, especially IT professionals and engineers, given that these people play a big role in the development of the nation. It is implicit in this that the RSS believes that big role players in nation building must have social consciousness. Thus it is easy to make out that assumption II is implicit. But assumption I is not implicit. The very first words of the passage tell us that the RSS is eager to shed its conservative image. It is clear from this that they are looking to build a liberal image of themselves, and in this context they have been training IT professionals and engineers. It can be concluded from this that the RSS believes IT professionals and engineers enjoy a liberal image and that greater engagement and association with them will also give it a liberal image. By reference to the underlined clause above, assumption begins to sound valid. But the fact is that it is not invalid. Note that the word ‘liberal’ is not stated in the passage. Thus any assumption regarding its existence would be invalid. Refer to the Existence-Non-Existence Rule for assumptions to get the justification for ruling out Assumption I Note: Assumption I is in reality a definitely true inference drawn on the passage   Directions: Given below is a statement or passage followed by two possible inferences drawn on the facts given in the passage. You have to examine each inference separately in the context of the passage and decide their validity. 3. Statement: Women are important influencers when it comes to the purchase of a car. They are also 17% of our customer base: A car company Inference I: Women are important influencers when it comes to the purchase of a car because they constitute almost a sixth of the car company’s clientele Inference II: Women buy cars themselves and they also cause cars to be bought by others A)   if only inference I is valid B)   if only inference II is valid C)   if either inference I or inference II is valid D)   if neither inference I nor inference II is valid E)   if both inference I and inference II are valid Correct answer: B     Solution :  The statement tells us that not only do women make up 17% of those who buy the car company’s car, but also they are important influencers of decisions regarding car purchase. Thus women not only buy cars themselves, they also cause cars to be bought by others. Who could be these others? Looking at the world, it can be safely said that women influence their husbands and other family members in family decisions and that buying a car is more often a family decision than otherwise. Thus inference II is empirically valid. But, by reference to the sentences underlined above, inference I is invalid. Buying cars as individuals and influencing others to buy cars are two separate roles that women play. But inference I makes is it sound as if the two roles are linked in a cause-effect relationship, viz. women are influencers of car purchase because they buy almost a sixth (17%) of our cars. The correct inference, speaking from the car company’s point of view, would be that women are influencers of car purchase and they also buy almost a sixth (17%) of our cars. Note the crucial difference between the two conjunctions underlined above   Directions: In the question below is given a statement or passage followed by two assumptions numbered I and II. An assumption is something supposed or taken for granted. You have to consider the statement and the given assumptions and decide which of the assumptions is implicit in the statement. Passage: Big Data is a massive accumulation of information, siphoned off from multiple sources and domains, which can then be analysed for reading trends and making informed decisions. Consequently, Guiyang will host server storage farms, intertwined with an army of engineers, who can cull out useful information from the vast data reservoirs that are being established in the city. Several factors have gone Guiyang’s way to emerge as China’s Big Data core. The climate here is mild, power is plentiful and cost of establishing businesses lower than China’s more developed parts along the coast. Besides, the local government has been relentless in pushing for hi-tech industry, mindful that large- scale agriculture is unsustainable in the mountainous province. 4.  Assumption I: Big data centres cannot be established at those places in China where the climate is extreme, there is shortage of power and the cost of establishing business is higher than in the more developed parts of the country Assumption II: China wishes to establish high tech industries in only those parts of the country where agriculture is unsustainable A)   if only Assumption I is implicit B)   if only Assumption II is implicit C)   if either Assumption I or Assumption II is implicit D)   if neither Assumption I nor Assumption II is implicit E)   if both Assumption I and Assumption II are implicit Correct answer: D     Solution : Refer to the important rule that inversions of statements are restatements, not implicit assumptions or valid inferences. Both I and II are inversions of statements from the passage. I is an inversion of the following:  Several factors have gone Guiyang’s way to emerge as China’s Big Data core. The climate here is mild, power is plentiful and cost of establishing businesses lower than China’s more developed parts along the coast. And II is a contrived inversion of the last sentence of the passage. Note that the use of the word ‘only’ in II invalidates it even more   Directions: Given below is a pair of events A and B. You have to read both the events and decide the nature of their relationship. You have to assume that the information given in A and B is true, and you will not assume anything beyond the given information in deciding the answer. 5.  Event A: European nations discourage efforts to rescue vessels carrying Syrian refugees from across the Mediterranean Event B: Successful rescue missions of refugee vessels from across the Mediterranean encourage more refugees to undertake the dangerous sea crossing A)   If A is the effect and B is its immediate and principal cause B)   If A is the immediate and principal cause and B is its effect C)   If A is the effect but B is not its immediate and principal cause D)   If B is the effect but A is not its immediate and principal cause E)   None of these Correct answer: A     Solution : Both the events are in the simple present tense. We will thus have to look for other clues to find if there is a causal relationship between A and B Event A suggests that the issue at hand in the continuing migration of Syrians and other people from the Middle East into Europe in the wake of the civil war in the region. Event A tells us that European nations are against this influx of migrants. These migrants generally sail across the Mediterranean into Europe from the Asian side and the crossover is dangerous. Since rescuing sea vessels caught in danger implies that migrants successfully cross over into Europe, European nations discourage these successful rescues. The implication is that more refugees would be encouraged to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing into Europe if they knew that their ship or boat would be rescued in case it ran into trouble, the kind of trouble that causes the vessels to capsize and drowns the passengers, i.e. the refugees. It is clear from this that B is the principal cause A.   Directions:  The question given below is a statement or passage followed by assumptions marked I, II, III, IV and V. An assumption is something supposed or taken for granted. You have to consider the statement and the given assumptions and decide which of them is/are implicit in the statement Passage: Wait-listed passengers of Rajdhani trains will be provided with the option to fly by Air India by paying little extra. Air India and IRCTC have already entered into a pact for the proposed arrangement whereby people who have unconfirmed tickets across classes on Rajdhani trains would have the choice of boarding an Air India flight provided the airline has services in the particular train route chosen by the passenger. Air India tickets would be offered to such passengers through IRCTC. 6. Which of the following is not an assumption implicit in the passage above? A)   There are places in India that are accessible by both civilian airlines and Rajdhani Express B)   There would be some passengers with unconfirmed Rajdhani Express tickets who would be willing for an air journey in place of a train journey to their destination C)   Confirmed Rajdhani Express ticket holders cannot cancel their tickets and book an Air India ticket to their destination the same day D)   Air India domestic flights may not be as heavily booked as Rajdhani Express journeys E)   None of the above is the right choice Correct answer: C     Solution : It is easy to see that I is implicit. Waitlisted Rajdhani passengers have been offered air passage to their destination should it lie on the air route. It is implicit here that the offer would not have been made by Air India had at least some of its flight destinations not coincided Rajdhani express stoppages and ultimate destinations. II is equally easy to defend. Had no unconfirmed Rajdhani ticket holders been willing to travel to their destination, Air India would simply not have made the exchange offer, which is to say that there would certainly be some who would be willing to do so But III is not implicit. No mention is made of confirmed Rajdhani express ticket holders. Thus, going by the Existence-Non-existence rule of assumptions, their existence cannot be assumed either. And this in turn means that we can only draw inferences regarding these passengers, not assume their existence. Remember that an assumption is a fact, i.e. it is already known, but that an inference is a conclusion about the unknown based on the known. We can see here that III is a conclusion drawn about confirmed Rajdhani ticket holders (unknown) on the basis of what is said about unconfirmed Rajdhani ticket holders (known). But even as an inference, III is invalid, given that it is the data inadequate type of inference IV is also implicit. If Air India is willing to accommodate unconfirmed Rajdhani travellers, it is implicit that Air India is not as heavily booked as Rajdhani express trains, i.e. it has empty, i.e. un-booked, seats available, which it wants to fill up. The reference to flights within the country is necessary because Air India flies abroad and Rajdhani does not And V gets ruled out because we have seen how III is not implicit Note: The moment you realize that III is implicit, skip checking IV. This is because option V would have been “Both III and IV” if IV had not been implicit.  Directions: The question below is in the form of a statement followed by two courses of action numbered I and II. A course of action is a step or an administrative decision to be taken for improvement, follow-up, or further action in regard to the problem, policy etc., on the basis of the information given in the statement. You have to assume everything in the statement to be true and then decide which of the two suggested courses of action logically follows for pursuing. 7. Statement: All nations agree that the global humanitarian situation must be improved Course of action I: World leaders must have round table meetings to address the issue Course of action II: Nations must evolve their own mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution A)   if only I follows B)   if only II follows C)   if either I or II follows D)   if neither I nor II follows; and E)   if both I and II follow Correct answer: A     Solution : The statement implies that all nations agree that the global humanitarian situation is less than satisfactory and that there would be some gain if the problem is lessened or solved. The modifier ‘all’ and the adjective ‘global’ imply that this problem is common to all the nations of the world, and that, therefore, a solution to this problem would require a global effort involving all nations as equal collaborators. Course of action I is valid. A round table meeting regarding a problem signifies that all participants in the meeting are equal in importance, given their equidistance from the centre of the round table. Now, by reference to the sentence underlined above, we can see that course of action I is valid. But course of action II is invalid precisely because course of action I is valid. Since nations need to collaborate in the face of the given problem, it is obvious that they need to evolve a common, not their own, mechanism for the purpose!   Directions: Given below is a pair of events A and B. You have to read both the events and decide the nature of their relationship. You have to assume that the information given in A and B is true, and you will not assume anything beyond the given information in deciding the answer. 8. Event A: India, which has been for hundreds of years an unskilled labour surplus market, poses a special challenge to governments and non-government organizations engaged in formulation of labour empowerment policies and execution of labour empowerment projects. Event B: Poverty in India is long-standing, widespread and crippling, and it has a differentiated nature across regions, social structures and economic classes A)   If A is the cause and B its effect B)   If B is the cause and A its effect C)   If A and B are effects of a common cause D)   If A and B are both independent causes E)   If A and B are both effects of independent causes Correct answer: B     Solution : Both the events are in the simple present tense. So we will have to look elsewhere for clues. Event A tells us that India poses a special challenge as far as labour empowerment policy making and its execution, i.e. implementation, are concerned. As a sensitive and logically inclined reader, you would instantly note that this was a claim being made, and you would then ask yourself, or the speaker of this line, for that matter, why is it so, i.e. why does India pose the said challenge? Remember that a claim would logically be followed by a reference to either the basis (reason/cause) or the consequence (result/effect) of that claim. With this in mind, one would go event B to see if it could be a cause or an effect of the claim made in event A. B tells us that poverty has not only existed for very long, it is also widespread and of an extreme kind. Then it adds that the nature of poverty in India is not the same in all ways, i.e. that it varies across its regions, social structures and economic classes. Immediately it strikes us that this complex nature of India’s poverty (mentioned in event B) could very well be the reason why the country poses a special challenge to labour empowerment policy making and its implementation (suggested in event A). The key is to recognize the parallel between the words ‘complex nature, and ‘special challenge.’ The implication is that the challenge is special because the problem is complex. 2 is the right choice. Note: You will be in confusion if you don’t immediately recognize that the problem of poverty has a complex nature in India and that complex problems will pose more than an ordinary challenge, i.e. a special one!   Directions: In the question below is given a statement or passage followed by two assumptions numbered I and II. An assumption is something supposed or taken for granted. You have to consider the statement and the given assumptions and decide which of the assumptions is implicit in the statement. 9. Statement: Conflict prevention is both the founding reason for the United Nations and its biggest failure, the latter caused mainly by veto use in the UN Security Council. Assumption I: The United Nations has failed to deliver on its principal objective Assumption II: The founding reason for The United Nations was the misuse of veto in the UN Security Council A)   if only Assumption I is implicit B)   if only Assumption II is implicit C)   if either Assumption I or Assumption II is implicit D)   if neither Assumption I nor Assumption II is implicit E)   if both Assumption I and Assumption II are implicit Correct answer: A     Solution : The statement tells us that conflict resolution is not only the founding reason of the United Nations (UN) but also its biggest failure. This automatically implies that the UN has been unable to resolve conflicts, which is to say that it has failed to deliver on its principal objective (founding reason); thus assumption I is implicit But assumption II is not implicit. The statement suggests that the UN’s biggest failure, i.e. its inability to resolve conflicts, was mainly due to veto use in the Security Council. Assumption II tells us, on the other hand, that the principal reason for the establishment of the UN was veto use in the Security Council. Note: You will find even this simple question difficult to answer if you did not know that the Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations Organization. You will equally have to know that the expression ‘founding reason’ means ‘the reason for establishment,’ which in turn implies the ‘principal objective.’ And finally, unless you know that the infinitive phrase ‘to fail to deliver on something’ means to ‘to fail to achieve that thing,’ the question may yet escape your grasp  Source  oureducity.com                                              Direct  link are: http://ow.ly/fnQ3308PzJo