XAT 2013 Question Paper

The case does not give any reason to fire or demote Kale. The immediate course of action should be to investigate the accusations against Kale. If the charges are proved correct, Kale should be transferred as he can work effectively when working alone. In order to help Kale better, Marathe can suggest family counselling as a long term solution. Family problems may be affecting Kales work as well but there is nothing in the passage to suggest that. Hence the correct sequence is 2,1,5.

The only solution that pertains to family problem (since it deals with family issues) is mentioned in statement 5 of the previous question - " Marathe should suggest Kale to visit a family counsellor." Therefore if Marathe has to agree with Lakhote's opinion of not addressing the personal problems of employees then this solution (statement 5) becomes invalid. Hence the correct answer is option E.

Option A is negated because the major concern was Kale’s inability to work competently in a team and not his conflicting responsibilities at home and office. Kale was facing personal problems at home and option B states that employees’ problems at home affect their performance at work. This strengthens the argument rather than weakening it by citing one more reason to sack Kale. Option D is incorrect because if it holds true than it wipes out the possibility of sending Kale to some other location for work and does leave the management with the only option of sacking him. Option E is eliminated because it again strengthens the argument as the caselet clearly says that Kale was emotionally unstable. Option C is the correct choice as the report in the journal indicates that most managers find it difficult to work in a group. Even if Kale is sacked and a new manager is hired in his place, it is likely that the new manager may face the same problem (of not being able to work in a group). And hence it will not be a good business decision to sack Kale. Therefore, option C weakens the argument and is the correct answer.

Appreciation by boss can never be demotivating for an employee. It will rather boost the morale of an employee and motivate him to work to hard. Hence, Vardarajan’s declining involvement cannot be attributed to the fact that his bosses appreciated him. Thus, option E is the most unlikely reason for his declining involvement in work. Options A, B, C and D, if true, could be considered as likely reasons for Vardarajan’s disinterest in work and hence are incorrect.

The most appropriate combination would be 1, 2, 3. Giving Vardarajan a more challenging assignment would address his lack of interest in work. Transferring him from the Projects department to the Training department could provide him with new opportunities and a change of environment. Asking him to take a vacation for two months would give him a break and a chance to recharge. These steps together would help to motivate Vardarajan and address his lack of interest in work.

Option A is incorrect because promoting Vardarajan will not address the issue at hand. The problem can only be addressed by keeping the performance assessment system transparent and by ensuring impartiality in reviewing performance of each employee. Thus, the correct answer is given by option B. Options C, D and E are negated for the same reason as A i.e. the issue cannot be resolved by addressing Vardarajan’s case alone but by fairly judging the performance of all the employees in the organization.

Loss of retail customers does not necessarily mean loss of revenue. It is important to understand that this reduction in retail customers may be by design and an organizational objective. The organization may have been trying to shift its customer base from retail to commercial and their success in doing so can account for the increase in revenue. Hence answer choice C is correct.

The reason why doctors have not embraced the surgery has to be linked to its potential side effects. Answer choice A tells us that the surgery can result in serious complications including death and this is a reason enough for the doctors to not recommend its use. Options B and C tell us the prevalence and effects of obesity which do not explain why doctors are wary of the discussed mode of treatment. Option D talks about how other methods like dieting are not very effective. Option E is irrelevant as it talks about cost and financing, something which the doctor may not be concerned with.

Shambu's initial success was due to the latent anger in the people and Shambu's moral courage to stand up against corruption. Raising income level was not the reason for Shambu's initial success. Also, Shambu became the darling of the media once he was successful. It has not been given that media aided in furthering Shambu's struggle against corruption. 

Points 1 and 2 played a pivotal role in Shambu's initial success. Therefore, points 3 and 4 are unlikely to be the reasons for Shambu's initial success and hence, option B is the right answer. 

Option B is false as state of Sambhu cannot be decided according to the paragraph.

In the last line of the second paragraph it is mentioned that "  He used this opportunity as a platform to spread the message that only citizens with an unblemished character should be allowed to hold a public office." Thus Sambhu was not directly involved in the politics, he just uses the stage to garner support, which might be the reason for decline.

Option D and E are trivial.

Option C is correct