List of top Questions asked in XAT- 2007

Sayan, a recent MBA graduate with a specialization in sales and marketing, applied for the position of sales manager in a firm producing industrial fabrication tools. The management of the company took pride in its non-discriminatory recruitment policy. In offering Sayan the position, the management made it clear that an indispensable feature of the job involved entertaining purchasing agents, and that a certain amount of social drinking was necessary. Sayan assured them that he was a moderate drinker with no moral or religious prejudices against drinking.

During the following two years Sayan became a successful manager and, on two occasions, received awards for achieving the highest sales for the quarter. However, he found that he was encountering a problem resulting from the necessity of entertaining customers at least two or three times a week. He felt that he was becoming an alcoholic, since he had recently been overindulging even when not entertaining customers. The problem became progressively worse until he found himself in a constantly inebriated condition, unable to work without resorting to drinking at work.

On reporting his problem to the management, Sayan was sent, at company expense, to an alcoholic rehabilitation centre, from which he was discharged after six weeks of rest and recuperation. However, within two months of resuming duties, Sayan was arrested in a local pub and charged with drunkenness and assault. The victim of his assault was a customer whom he had taken to the pub to discuss a sale.

The management viewed the incident extremely negatively and fired Sayan. Shortly thereafter, a lawyer representing Sayan informed the management that Sayan intended to bring legal action against the company. Sayan felt the company was liable since his alcoholism was a result of his employment. He argued that drinking was a requirement of his job, and therefore alcoholism represented an occupational hazard. The management decided to form a committee to discuss the matter and recommend a course of action, one that would prevent a recurrence of such a situation.

Question: From Sayan's perspective, which option allows him to salvage his career prospects?

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: How were the changes in the recruitment and selection process received by the principals?
A: The principals rejected the new process in its entirety from the day it was introduced.
R: The principals were cynical of the abilities of the psychologist as far as recruitment and selection of teachers were concerned.

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.

Sayan, a recent MBA graduate with a specialization in sales and marketing, applied for the position of sales manager in a firm producing industrial fabrication tools. The management of the company took pride in its non-discriminatory recruitment policy. In offering Sayan the position, the management made it clear that an indispensable feature of the job involved entertaining purchasing agents, and that a certain amount of social drinking was necessary. Sayan assured them that he was a moderate drinker with no moral or religious prejudices against drinking.

During the following two years Sayan became a successful manager and, on two occasions, received awards for achieving the highest sales for the quarter. However, he found that he was encountering a problem resulting from the necessity of entertaining customers at least two or three times a week. He felt that he was becoming an alcoholic, since he had recently been overindulging even when not entertaining customers. The problem became progressively worse until he found himself in a constantly inebriated condition, unable to work without resorting to drinking at work.

On reporting his problem to the management, Sayan was sent, at company expense, to an alcoholic rehabilitation centre, from which he was discharged after six weeks of rest and recuperation. However, within two months of resuming duties, Sayan was arrested in a local pub and charged with drunkenness and assault. The victim of his assault was a customer whom he had taken to the pub to discuss a sale.

The management viewed the incident extremely negatively and fired Sayan. Shortly thereafter, a lawyer representing Sayan informed the management that Sayan intended to bring legal action against the company. Sayan felt the company was liable since his alcoholism was a result of his employment. He argued that drinking was a requirement of his job, and therefore alcoholism represented an occupational hazard. The management decided to form a committee to discuss the matter and recommend a course of action, one that would prevent a recurrence of such a situation.

Question: As the management decides this situation, it also has to appoint a replacement for Sayan. The management is exploring the following options so that such a fiasco is not repeated:
A. Do not go to business schools. Hire an experienced sales manager from the market, and attract him or her by offering a higher remuneration package.
B. State the requirements of the job, including the necessity of social drinking, explicitly in the employment offer letter. A signed copy of the employment offer letter would indicate that the employee has accepted the terms of employment with complete knowledge of job details.
C. Social drinking does not imply that a person has to drink excessively. So select only mature persons, those who are high in self-esteem, who do not give in to social pressures, and who know how to exert self-control.
D. Provide guidance to all sales managers, both experienced and newly appointed, on how to behave during social occasions. This will help those who are otherwise moderate drinkers but end up drinking beyond their capacity because of suggestions from peers and friends.
E. Test the validity of claims of being moderate drinkers during the selection process itself. This will screen out persons who only claim to be moderate drinkers to obtain the job.
From management's point of view, the options in descending order of ease of implementation would be:

Sayan, a recent MBA graduate with a specialization in sales and marketing, applied for the position of sales manager in a firm producing industrial fabrication tools. The management of the company took pride in its non-discriminatory recruitment policy. In offering Sayan the position, the management made it clear that an indispensable feature of the job involved entertaining purchasing agents, and that a certain amount of social drinking was necessary. Sayan assured them that he was a moderate drinker with no moral or religious prejudices against drinking.

During the following two years Sayan became a successful manager and, on two occasions, received awards for achieving the highest sales for the quarter. However, he found that he was encountering a problem resulting from the necessity of entertaining customers at least two or three times a week. He felt that he was becoming an alcoholic, since he had recently been overindulging even when not entertaining customers. The problem became progressively worse until he found himself in a constantly inebriated condition, unable to work without resorting to drinking at work.

On reporting his problem to the management, Sayan was sent, at company expense, to an alcoholic rehabilitation centre, from which he was discharged after six weeks of rest and recuperation. However, within two months of resuming duties, Sayan was arrested in a local pub and charged with drunkenness and assault. The victim of his assault was a customer whom he had taken to the pub to discuss a sale.

The management viewed the incident extremely negatively and fired Sayan. Shortly thereafter, a lawyer representing Sayan informed the management that Sayan intended to bring legal action against the company. Sayan felt the company was liable since his alcoholism was a result of his employment. He argued that drinking was a requirement of his job, and therefore alcoholism represented an occupational hazard. The management decided to form a committee to discuss the matter and recommend a course of action, one that would prevent a recurrence of such a situation.

Question: Assuming that the management has no constraints in implementing changes in policy, the following possible recommendations can be made confidently about the company's recruitment and selection policy:
A. All that is required to sell the product is to entertain the purchase officers. The company should predominantly hire college graduates, particularly those who know how to interact socially.
B. The firm would be better off hiring sales managers from the market rather than those fresh out of business schools.
C. The firm should have only one sales manager. The sales manager should know the technical details of the product and its pricing, and should have the authority to offer price discounts to clients. At the next level, the firm should have a team of sales representatives responsible for developing contacts and reporting back to the sales manager for follow-up.
D. The firm should have an intense induction period where newly appointed employees are trained in the managerial aspects of the job and given training in social skills, including how to manage drinks.
E. People passing out of MBA colleges without work experience are as good as high school kids. The firm should avoid them at all costs, as they would often end up as a liability to the firm.
The option that makes good business sense and represents the choices for management, in increasing order of alignment with respect to its policy of non-discrimination, is:

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: What responsibilities were shouldered by Mr Bibek in his first year of employment?
A: Mr Bibek had the responsibility of contributing his expertise to recruitment and selection of teachers.
R: The board members wanted to systematize the recruitment and selection of the entire organization.

• Each member of the council votes for at least one of the bills and against at least one of the bills.
• Exactly two members of the council vote for the recreation bill.
• Exactly one member of the council votes for the school bill.
• Exactly one member of the council votes for the tax bill.
• Arjun votes for the recreation bill and against the school bill.
• Karn votes against the recreation bill.
• Bhim votes against the tax bill.

• Asit: None of us is interested.
• Barun: One of us is interested.
• Chandra: Two of us are interested.
• Danny: Three of us are interested.
• Eshita: Four of us are interested.

• Each member votes for at least one of the bills and against at least one of the bills.
• Exactly two members vote for the recreation bill.
• Exactly one member votes for the school bill.
• Exactly one member votes for the tax bill.
• Arjun votes for the recreation bill and against the school bill.
• Karn votes against the recreation bill.
• Bhim votes against the tax bill.

• Each member votes for at least one of the bills and against at least one of the bills.
• Exactly two members vote for the recreation bill.
• Exactly one member votes for the school bill.
• Exactly one member votes for the tax bill.
• Arjun votes for the recreation bill and against the school bill.
• Karn votes against the recreation bill.
• Bhim votes against the tax bill.

• Each member votes for at least one of the bills and against at least one of the bills.
• Exactly two members vote for the recreation bill.
• Exactly one member votes for the school bill.
• Exactly one member votes for the tax bill.
• Arjun votes for the recreation bill and against the school bill.
• Karn votes against the recreation bill.
• Bhim votes against the tax bill.

• V has both a digital camera and an office document viewer.
• W has a digital camera and a music player.
• W and Y have no options in common.
• V and Z have exactly one option in common.
• T has fewer options than Z.

• Each member votes for at least one of the bills and against at least one of the bills.
• Exactly two members vote for the recreation bill.
• Exactly one member votes for the school bill.
• Exactly one member votes for the tax bill.
• Arjun votes for the recreation bill and against the school bill.
• Karn votes against the recreation bill.
• Bhim votes against the tax bill.

Directions for Questions 102 to 107: A retail electronics showroom chain has six new mobile phone models, T, V, W, X, Y and Z, each equipped with at least one of three options: digital camera, music player and office document viewer. No phone has any other option. The following conditions apply:

• V features both a digital camera and an office document viewer.
• W has a digital camera and a music player.
• W and Y have no options in common.
• X has more options than W.
• V and Z have exactly one option in common.
• T has fewer options than Z.

Q104. If Z has no option in common with T but has at least one option in common with every other mobile phone, then which one of the following must be false?