Question

According to the passage, why do people in meetings routinely answer their cell phones to say, “I’m sorry, I can’t talk now, I’m in a meeting.”?

• A. Because, it is convenient for people to send a message.
• B. Because, it conveys that the receiver is a busy person.
• C. Because, people don’t mind if somebody takes a brief phone call.
• D. Because, in meetings, cell phones allow people to multitask.
• E. Because, if you carry a cell phone, you have to reply.
• A. Everybody wants to stay connected, using cell phones.
• B. The need to be connected is more pronounced now.
• C. Cell phones have become a bigger necessity.
• D. The usage of toilets is limited, while cell phones are used all the time.
• J. The number of cell phone users has increased over time.
• A. Multitasking helps you complete thousands of tasks, single-tasking makes you do one.
• B. Multitasking helps you move towards different goals, single-tasking helps you achieve the one.
• C. Multitasking gives you happiness, single-tasking gives you satisfaction.
• D. Multitasking gives you a feeling of achieving many things, single-tasking enables actually achieving something.
• O. Multitasking takes you all over, single-tasking helps you achieve some goals.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Identify the Core Issue 
Biswas resents teachers’ influence and is searching for an opportunity to justify reducing their salaries. However, the justification must not appear personal — it must be supported by strong external factors that would convince the trustees.

Step 2: Analyze the Options
- (A) Teachers’ demands → does not justify salary reduction, only refusal of increment. 
- (B) Enrollment fall → partially valid, but trustees will focus on how to improve admissions, not cut teachers’ salaries. 
- (C) Competing schools paying less → weak argument; trustees prefer retaining talent. 
- (D) Budget deficit → general reason, but not specific enough to justify a 20% reduction in salaries. 
- (E) Parent complaints about high fees → strong justification, as trustees would prioritize keeping parents satisfied and ensuring financial sustainability.

Step 3: Logical Justification
The strongest case Biswas can present is that parents are demanding cost-cutting. Trustees are directly accountable to parents (since they pay the fees). Thus, aligning salary reduction with parent concerns provides the most persuasive argument.

Step 4: Conclusion
The BEST enabling factor for Biswas’s proposal is option (E): parent complaints about high fees and the need to cut costs.

Final Answer:
\[ \boxed{\text{Parents have begun complaining about high fees and demand cost-cutting.}} \]

Answer 2

When the author mentions, "Now more people have cell phones than have toilets," he aims to illustrate the rapid increase in the number of cell phone users over time. This statement underscores the significant penetration of mobile technology in people's daily lives, even surpassing the basic necessity of having a toilet. The correct option, "The number of cell phone users has increased over time," best captures the essence of the author's intention by highlighting the transformation in modern connectivity and reachability expectations.

Answer 3

In the passage, the author discusses the adverse effects of multitasking on mental clarity and focus, describing it as an addiction that provides superficial gratification. Multitasking is portrayed as a source of mental overstimulation, leading to a scattered thought process rather than meaningful progress on tasks. On the other hand, single-tasking, which is not explicitly mentioned but inferred, is implied to offer deeper, more satisfying achievements through sustained, focused efforts.

From this analysis, the best inference is: Multitasking gives you a feeling of achieving many things, single-tasking enables actually achieving something. This option aligns with the passage's portrayal of multitasking as providing false rewards and single-tasking as enabling real accomplishments.