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Motivating Employees Under Adverse Conditions Reading Answers: IELTS Reading Practice Test

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Updated on Jul 02, 2024, 11:57

Step into the IELTS Reading section, your gateway to showcasing your reading abilities. It's not just about scanning words; it's about understanding and analysing what you read. Here, you'll encounter stories and articles that open doors to different cultures and viewpoints, enriching your understanding of the world. 

 

Beyond mere words, this is where you cultivate empathy, determination, and a global perspective. So, let us now explore the topic and learn how to tackle the varied questions that can be asked from it. 
 

Key highlights of the Reading section:

 

  • Encounter diverse texts from books, newspapers, journals, and online sources.
  • Answer multiple-choice, matching headings, True/False/Not Given, and more.
  • Complete 40 questions in 60 minutes, requiring efficient skimming and scanning.
  • Tailored for both academic and practical contexts, assessing different skills.

 

Let's dive into "Motivating Employees Under Adverse Conditions," a story about staying strong at work. It teaches leadership and values like empathy, resilience, and making good choices.

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1. Motivating Employees Under Adverse Conditions Reading Passage

You should spend approximately 20 minutes answering Questions 1 - 13 based on the Reading Passage below. This approach can help manage time effectively during a reading comprehension activity or exam. 

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2. Motivating Employees Under Adverse Conditions Reading Question & Answers

Discover exciting and informative IELTS reading answers about Motivating Employees Under Adverse Conditions

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1.

Motivating Employees Under Adverse Conditions Reading Passage

General Information

  • Read Instructions: Understand each question before answering.
  • Manage Time: Spend about 20 minutes per passage.
  • Skim and Scan: Quickly get the main idea and find specific information.
  • Highlight Key Info: Underline essential words or phrases.
  • Answer All Questions: Attempt every question; no penalty for wrong answers.
  • Stay Focused: Avoid distractions and keep your attention on the task.
  • Check Spelling: Ensure correct spelling and grammar.
  • Transfer Answers Clearly: Write answers neatly on the answer sheet.
  • Don’t Dwell: Move on if stuck and return later.
  • Review: If time allows, review your answers.

 

 

 

 

Motivating Employees Under Adverse Conditions Reading Passage


 

 

THE CHALLENGE

 

Paragraph A: In a growing organisation as opposed to one that is losing ground, it is much simpler to inspire employees. Promotional opportunities, pay increases, and the excitement of being a part of a dynamic organisation all contribute to feelings of optimism when businesses grow and hire new employees. The expansion can be used by management to motivate and entice staff members. The best and most adaptable employees are more likely to leave on their own accord when a company is contracting. Unfortunately, they are the people with the highest levels of experience and skill that the company cannot afford to lose. The minor employees continue working because they have few other options.

 

Paragraph B: Morale deteriorates as a result of decline. People worry that they will be the next to be laid off. Employee morale and gossip-sharing take a toll on productivity because they aren't putting their full attention into their work. Pay raises are rarely possible for people whose jobs are secure. Pay cuts, unheard of in periods of expansion, might even be implemented. Management must figure out how to inspire workers in the face of such layoffs. The six Key Points that are listed below can be used to broadly classify the approaches to overcoming this challenge.

 

KEY POINT ONE

 

Paragraph C: There is a ton of proof to back up the motivational advantages that come from carefully matching workers with jobs. For instance, high achievers should be sought out if the position involves managing a small business or an independent division within a larger company. A candidate with a high need for power and a low need for affiliation should be chosen if the position is a managerial one in a sizable bureaucratic organisation. High achievers shouldn't be assigned to jobs that don't suit their needs, so. High achievers will perform best in jobs that offer moderately difficult goals, independence, and feedback. It's important to keep in mind though that not everyone is motivated by jobs with lots of autonomy, variety, and responsibility.

 

KEY POINT TWO

 

Paragraph D: According to research on goal-setting theory, managers should make sure that every employee has clear objectives and gets feedback on how well they are doing toward those objectives. Because high achievers are already internally motivated, the existence of external goals is less significant for those with high achievement needs, who are typically a minority in any organisation. The next decision to be made is whether the goals should be set collectively with the employees or individually by a manager. The answer to that question is based on how goals are perceived and on the culture of the organisation. The use of participation in goal-setting should increase acceptance if resistance to goals is anticipated. However, if participation goes against the culture, goals ought to be set. Employees are likely to view the participation process as manipulative and suffer as a result if participation and the culture are out of sync.

 

KEY POINT THREE

 

Paragraph E: No matter how easily management believes an employee is capable of achieving a goal, if an employee believes it is impossible, they will put forth less effort. Therefore, managers need to make sure that workers have faith in their ability to achieve performance objectives. For managers, this means that staff members must be capable of performing their duties and must accept the legitimacy of the appraisal procedure.

 

KEY POINT FOUR

 

Paragraph F:  Since every employee has different needs, what motivates one employee might not motivate another. Managers could tailor the rewards they have control over by drawing on their knowledge of each employee. Pay, promotions, autonomy, job scope and depth, as well as the chance to take part in goal-setting and decision-making, are some of the more obvious rewards that managers give.

 

KEY POINT FIVE

 

Paragraph G: Rewards must be tied to performance, according to managers. Rewarding non-performance-related factors will only strengthen those non-performance-related factors. Amounts of important rewards, such as pay raises and job promotions or advancements, should be set aside for the achievement of the employee's particular objectives. Managers should look for ways to raise their visibility in line with maximising the impact of rewards. Actions that will make rewards more visible and perhaps more motivating include removing the secrecy surrounding pay by publicly disclosing everyone's pay, advertising performance bonuses, and allocating annual salary increases in a lump sum rather than dispersing them over the course of the year.

 

KEY POINT SIX

 

Paragraph H: To give employees the impression that rewards or outcomes are fair and proportionate to the inputs provided, the way rewards are distributed should be transparent. Simplistically, differences in pay, responsibility, and other obvious outcomes should be explained by experience, aptitude, effort, and other obvious inputs. The existence of numerous inputs and outcomes, as well as the fact that different employee groupings place varying amounts of importance on them, complicate the issue. For example, a study comparing clerical and production workers identified nearly twenty inputs and outcomes; the clerical workers placed factors like job knowledge and work quality near the top of their lists while the production workers placed these factors at the bottom of their lists. Similar to how production workers perceived intelligence and personal involvement in task completion as the most crucial inputs, clerks gave these two factors relatively low importance ratings. On the outcome side, there were also significant differences, albeit less pronounced ones. For instance, while clerical workers rated advancement in the bottom third of their list, production workers gave it a very high rating. According to these findings, one person's equity is another person's inequity, so a perfect system would weigh various inputs and outcomes in accordance with the employee group.

2.

Motivating Employees Under Adverse Conditions Reading Question & Answers

Discover exciting and informative IELTS reading answers about Motivating Employees Under Adverse Conditions

Questions and Answers 1-6
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
In boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet, write

  • YES if the statement agrees with the information given
  • NO if the statement contradicts the information given
  • NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this

 

 

1. A shrinking organisation tends to lose its less skilled employees rather than its more skilled employees.

 

2. It is easier to manage a small business than a large business.

 

3. High achievers are well suited to teamwork.

 

4. Some employees can feel manipulated when asked to participate in goal-setting.

 

5. The staff appraisal process should be designed by employees.

 

6. Employees’ earnings should be disclosed to everyone within the organisation.


 

Motivating Employees Under Adverse Conditions Reading Answers with Explanations (1-6)


 

Type of Question: Yes/No/Not Given
 

These types of questions involve finding whether the given statement is Yes/No/Not Given based on the given paragraph. 
 

How to best answer: 
 

  • Read the question carefully to understand what information you are looking for.
  • Scan the passage quickly to locate the relevant section.
  • For "Yes" answers, ensure that the information in the passage directly confirms the statement in the question.
  • For "No" answers, make sure the passage explicitly contradicts the statement in the question.
  • If you cannot find a clear answer in the passage, select "Not Given." Avoid making assumptions or inferring information that isn't explicitly stated.

 

 

1. No

 

Reference:

 

From Paragraph A, "The best and most adaptable employees are more likely to leave on their own accord when a company is contracting." 

 

Explanation: The statement agrees with the views of the writer because paragraph A states, "The best and most adaptable employees are more likely to leave on their own accord when a company is contracting," implying that more skilled employees are likely to leave during downsizing.


 

2. Not Given

 

Reference:

 

Not Given

 

Explanation: The passage doesn't provide information comparing the management of small and large businesses, so it's impossible to determine the author's view on this statement.


 

3. No

 

Reference:

 

From Paragraph C, "High achievers will perform best in jobs that offer moderately difficult goals, independence, and feedback." 

 

Explanation: The statement contradicts the views of the writer. Paragraph C mentions that high achievers perform best in jobs that offer independence, implying they may not always be well-suited to teamwork.


 

4. Yes

 

Reference:

 

From Paragraph D, "Employees are likely to view the participation process as manipulative and suffer as a result if participation and the culture are out of sync." 

 

Explanation: The statement agrees with the views of the writer. Paragraph D indicates that employees may feel manipulated during the goal-setting process if it goes against the culture of the organization.


 

5. Not Given

 

Reference:

 

Not Given

 

Explanation: The passage doesn't explicitly state whether employees should design the staff appraisal process, so it's impossible to determine the author's view on this statement.


 

6. Yes

 

Reference:

 

From Paragraph H, "To give employees the impression that rewards or outcomes are fair and proportionate to the inputs provided, the way rewards are distributed should be transparent." 

 

Explanation: The statement agrees with the writer's views. Paragraph H suggests that transparency in distributing earnings within the organisation is important to give employees the impression of fairness.

Questions and Answers 7-9
  • Look at the following groups of workers (Questions 7-9) and the list of descriptions below.
  • Match each group with the correct description, A-E.
  • Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 7-9 on your answer sheet.

 

 

List of Descriptions:

 

A. They judge promotion to be important.
B. They have less need of external goals.
C. They think that the quality of their work is important. D They resist goals which arc imposed.
E. They have limited job options.

 

7.    high achievers

8.    clerical workers 

9.    production workers


 

Motivating Employees Under Adverse Conditions Reading Answers with Explanations (7-9) 


 

Type of Question: Matching Features

 

To answer Matching features questions in IELTS reading, identify specific features or characteristics mentioned in the passage and match them with the corresponding options provided in the question.
 

How to best answer: 
 

  • Read the entire passage to grasp the main idea and context before attempting to answer specific questions.
  • Quickly scan the relevant paragraph mentioned in the question to locate keywords or phrases that match the answer.
  • Pay attention to keywords in the question and look for synonyms or similar phrases in the passage.
  • Eliminate options that don't match the context or contradict the information provided in the passage.
  • Select the option that best fits the meaning and context of the sentence or question, even if it requires inference or deduction.


 

7. B

 

Reference:

 

From Paragraph D, "Because high achievers are already internally motivated, the existence of external goals is less significant for those with high achievement needs." 

 

Explanation: The statement about high achievers having less need for external goals aligns with the explanation in Key Point Two from Paragraph D, emphasizing their internal motivation.


 

8. C

 

Reference:

 

From Paragraph H, "clerks gave these two factors relatively low importance ratings." 

 

Explanation: The description matches clerical workers, who prioritize the quality of their work, as highlighted in Key Point Six from Paragraph H.


 

9. A

 

Reference:

 

From Paragraph H, "While clerical workers rated advancement in the bottom third of their list, production workers gave it a very high rating." 

 

Explanation: The statement corresponds to production workers valuing promotions highly, as mentioned in Key Point Six from Paragraph H, indicating their judgment of promotion as important.

Questions and Answers 10-13
  • Reading Passage 2 contains six Key Points.
  • Choose the correct heading for Key Points ten to thirteen from the list of headings below.
  • Write the correct number, i-viii, in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.

 

 

List of Headings

 

i. To make sure the reward system is fair 
ii. Matching rewards for people
iii. To make sure that the targets are realistic
iv. Associated success with rewards
v.  Motivate executives to take more responsibility
vi. Recognize how an employee's performance has changed over time.
vii. Set goals and provide feedback.
viii. Make sure workers are suitable for their positions.
 
 

Example:  For the key point one - Answer: viii

 

10.    Key Point Two 

11.   Key Point Three
 
12.   Key Point Four 

13.   Key Point Five 


 

Motivating Employees Under Adverse Conditions Reading Answers with Explanations (10-13)


 

Type of Question: Matching Heading
 

To answer Matching features questions in IELTS reading, identify specific features or characteristics mentioned in the passage and match them with the corresponding headings provided in the question.

 

How to best answer: 
 

  • Scan the passage to identify the main ideas or themes discussed in each paragraph.
  • Pay attention to specific details, such as keywords or phrases, that summarise the content of each paragraph.
  • Consider the context of each paragraph and how it relates to the overall topic or purpose of the passage.
  • Compare the main ideas or themes from each paragraph with the list of headings provided and choose the heading that best captures the essence of the paragraph.
  • Eliminate headings that do not accurately represent the content of the paragraph, and select the most fitting heading from the remaining options.


 

10. vii

 

Reference:

 

From Paragraph D, "According to research on goal-setting theory, managers should make sure that every employee has clear objectives and gets feedback on how well they are doing toward those objectives." 

 

Explanation: Key Point Two discusses setting goals and providing feedback, as highlighted in Paragraph D, aligning with the heading "Set goals and provide feedback."


 

11. iii

 

Reference:

 

From Paragraph E, "For managers, this means that staff members must be capable of performing their duties and must accept the legitimacy of the appraisal procedure." 

 

Explanation: Key Point Three emphasises ensuring that targets are realistic, as mentioned in Paragraph E, fitting with the heading "To make sure that the targets are realistic."

 

 

12. ii

 

Reference:

 

From Paragraph F, "Managers could tailor the rewards they have control over by drawing on their knowledge of each employee." 

 

Explanation: Key Point Four focuses on matching rewards for people, as indicated in Paragraph F, corresponding to the heading "Matching rewards for people."

 

 

13. iv

 

Reference:

 

From Paragraph G, "Rewards must be tied to performance, according to managers." 

 

Explanation: Key Point Five associates success with rewards, as stated in Paragraph G, consistent with the heading "Associated success with rewards."

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FAQs

Q. What is the scoring format for the IELTS Reading test?

Ans. The IELTS Reading test employs a scoring system ranging from 0 to 9 bands, with each correct answer receiving one mark. Incorrect responses do not result in negative marks, ensuring fairness in assessment. The final score is determined by tallying the total number of correct answers across all test sections, providing a comprehensive evaluation of the candidate's reading proficiency.

Q. Can I use a pen or pencil during the IELTS Reading test?

Ans. Test takers are required to use pencils to complete the answer sheet, as pens are strictly prohibited during the exam. This regulation aims to prevent any potential issues with the scanning process, thereby ensuring accurate marking and maintaining the integrity of the assessment. Adherence to this rule contributes to a standardised testing environment for all candidates.

Q. Are dictionaries allowed in the IELTS Reading test?

Ans. No, test takers are not permitted to bring dictionaries or any other reference materials to the IELTS Reading test. This regulation aims to uphold the fairness and standardisation of the assessment by ensuring that all necessary information for answering questions is provided within the test materials themselves. By eliminating external aids, the exam accurately assesses candidates' language proficiency.