Critical Reasoning

Hi

Try this question, I found it to be very distracting with one answer choice. (550-700)

Human Resources: At this company we've adopted a management strategy that a worker's compensation should be based on the amount of effort the worker puts into production.

Employee: Does this mean that the least efficient employee will be given the greatest incentive to produce?

The response by the employee suggests which of the following concerns about the management strategy described in the passage?

A: The company has adopted a management strategy that compensates workers disproportionately to their years of experience.
B: The company has implemented a management strategy that will not reward this particular employee.
C: The company has installed a management strategy that is discriminatory to those employees who are creative and resourceful.
D: The company has put in place a management strategy that unfairly punishes efficiency.
E: The company has decided to use a management strategy that rewards only a small percentage of employees.


Wrongly posted in SC section, do not know how to move from there , so posted here as well!

IMO D

Human Resources: At this company we've adopted a management strategy that a worker's compensation should be based on the amount of effort the worker puts into production.

Employee: Does this mean that the least efficient employee will be given the greatest incentive to produce?

The response by the employee suggests which of the following concerns about the management strategy described in the passage? We are evaluating the employee's question.

A: The company has adopted a management strategy that compensates workers disproportionately to their years of experience. Incorrect. The argument has nothing to do with years of experience.

B: The company has implemented a management strategy that will not reward this particular employee. Incorrect. The employee's question doesn't suggest that he is concerned about whether this strategy will reward him. He is concerned about the connection between a worker's efficiency and their compensation.

C: The company has installed a management strategy that is discriminatory to those employees who are creative and resourceful. Incorrect. The employee's question has to do with efficiency and not with creativity or resourcefulness.

D: The company has put in place a management strategy that unfairly punishes efficiency. Correct. The employee wants to know if the least efficient employee will be given the greatest incentive to produce. Or conversely, if the most efficient employee will be given the least incentive to produce. The employee is concerned that the most efficient employees will not be rewarded as well as the least efficient employees. This is another way of saying that the management strategy unfairly punishes efficiency.

E: The company has decided to use a management strategy that rewards only a small percentage of employees. Incorrect. The employee's question is concerned with the amount of compensation a worker is given. He is not concerned that some employees will not get a reward. Since the management strategy is based on production, it is possible that the new plan will reward every employee. Regardless, this is beyond the scope of this question. This employee's question is only concerned with the connection between efficiency and compensation.

rkanthilal has given a very good discussion of this question...I would be very surprised if the OA is not D. This question seems to have been adapted from an LSAT question. That question was similar in terms of rewarding employees based on effort, but the result of the policy was that employees would be encouraged to do the jobs that they were the least skilled at...for example, I am not good at drawing by hand, so that is the job that I would be encouraged to do because it takes me so much effort. Perhaps that adds some perspective...

Hi rkanthilal

Great breakdown. Thanks a lot, it indeed is D. I went for "E" somehow !

David & rkanthilal, I apologize for being late to respond.