LSP301 – ACADEMIC ENGLISH II

SEMESTER II, ACADEMIC SESSION 2023/2024

READING COMPREHENSION TEST SAMPLE
DURATION: 1 HOUR

Name: PAVEETHRA RAVICHANDRAN Matric No: 149006

For each question, choose the correct answer.

TEXT 1
Ronan
I work in a fairly traditional office environment doing a typical nine-to-five job. I like my
job, but it’s annoying that my commute to work takes an hour and a half each way, and most
of my work could really be done online from home. But my boss doesn’t seem to trust that
we will get any work done if left to our own devices, and everyone in the company has to
clock in and out every day. It’s frustrating that they feel the need to monitor what we do so
closely instead of judging us based on our task performance, like most companies do these
days.

Jo
I used to do a typical five-day week, but after my parental leave, I decided to spend more
time with my children before they start school. After negotiating with my boss, we decided to
cut my working week down to a three-day work week. This, of course, meant a significant
cut in my pay too, as I’m paid on a pro-rata basis. I’ve since noticed, though, that my
workload hasn’t decreased in the slightest! I’m now doing five days’ worth of work in three
days but getting paid much less for it! I find myself having to take work home just so that I
can meet the deadlines. It’s wearing me out trying to juggle work with looking after my
children and my family, but I don’t dare to bring this
up with my boss because I think he feels he’s made a huge concession letting me come in
only three days a week.

Marcus
I work for a global IT company, but because their headquarters is in the States, I do all my
work online from home. That means that I don’t waste time commuting or making idle
chitchat with colleagues. I work on a project basis, and this flexibility is very valuable to me
because it means that I can easily take some time off when my children need me to go to their
school performances or if I need to schedule an appointment with the dentist. The downside
is that without clear office hours, I tend to work well into the evening, sometimes skipping
dinner to finish a task. It can also get quite lonely working on my own, and I sometimes miss
sharing ideas with colleagues.

Lily
I’m a freelancer and work for myself. This is great because I am in control of what I do and
how I spend my time. At first, I was working from home, but I found it really hard to
concentrate. There were just too many distractions around: housework that needed doing,
another cup of tea, my family members wanting my attention for various things. So, I started
to go to a nearby café to work, but the Wi-Fi connection wasn’t ideal and I found myself
drinking too much coffee. In the end, I decided to rent a desk in a co- working space with five
other freelancers like myself. I liked getting dressed to work in the morning and being able to
focus in an office environment. The other freelancers do similar kinds of web-based work to
me, so it’s nice to have workmates to bounce ideas off as well.

4 - OPTION MCQ

Choose the correct answer.

1. Ronan would prefer to… ANSWER IS A

a. work from home.
b. not clock in and out daily.
c. spend more time in the office.
d. be monitored based on the task given.
2. Jo wanted to reduce her working hours because she could …ANSWER IS C
a. bring her work home.
b. perform better at home.
c. be with her children more.
d. continue her parental leave.

3. Jo is unhappy with her three-day work week because …ANSWER IS A

a. her workload has remained the same.
b. she has more deadlines to meet at home.
c. she is afraid to negotiate further with her boss.
d. she has to spend more time looking after her children and family.

4. According to Marcus…ANSWER IS A
a. he misses working in a team.
b. he tends to work later into the day.
c. talking with colleagues is a waste of time.
d. he is able to run errands during office hours.

5. Lily disliked working from home because…ANSWER IS B

a. her caffeine intake increased.
b. she had difficulty staying focused.
c. she didn’t have a good internet connection.
d. her family members pushed all chores to her.

6. Based on the text, Lily…ANSWER IS B

a. enjoys being her own boss.
b. is unable to work at all at home.
c. needs coffee to work at a café.
d. does not require internet access for her work.

7. Lily rented a desk in a co-working space because… ANSWER IS A

a. she could concentrate better.
b. she wanted to wear work clothes.
c. she wanted to be with other freelancers.
d. she could work on projects with other freelancers.

TRUE / FALSE
Are the following statements true or false? Circle your answer.
1. Ronan spends three hours daily to travel to
True / False
work.
2. Ronan’s employer believes that employees are
True / False
not productive if they work from home.
3. Ronan’s company is the minority that judges the
True / False
task performance.
4. Jo is paid equally for both five-day work and
True / False
three-day work week.
5. Jo had to work beyond office hours to complete
True / False
her work.
6. Jo is exhausted balancing both work and
True / False
childcare.
7. Jo thinks her boss has been generous to let her
True / False
work three days in a week.
8. Marcus misses the interaction with his
True / False
colleagues.
9. Not having fixed office hours also has its
True / False
disadvantages.
10. It is likely that Marcus works until evening. True / False
11. It is a challenge for Marcus to focus on personal
True / False
matters.
12. Lily couldn’t work from the café because of a
True / False
poor network connection.
13. Lily is her own boss. True / False
14. Lily herself divides her work tasks and work
True / False
schedule.
TEXT 2
FILL IN THE BLANKS
4 sentences have been removed from the text below. Match each question with
the correct answer/sentence. There is 1 extra sentence which you do not need
to use.

When the Covid-19 pandemic spread around the globe, many banks took action. The Federal
Reserve began to quarantine money, while in some regions of China, banknotes were taken
away and disinfected. At the same time, banks encouraged the public to avoid using cash
and make electronic payments where possible. (1)
. In the UK, the number of contactless payments increased by 36% between
2020 and 2021.

Today, many people are embracing the cashless economy. After all, it comes with many
advantages. (2) . Credit and debit cards are too, but it’s possible to trace
payments and cancel the cards. Mobile payments are even more secure. As well as that, all
your transactions are logged, making record-keeping far simpler. Banks, businesses and
governments are also keen to make the transition. Cashless transactions make it easier for
them to collect data, identify economic trends and detect fraud.

(3) . Recent data shows that cash has made a comeback since the cost of living
started to rise steeply. That’s not unusual since people tend to prefer having paper money at
hand when times are hard. It was the case during the USA’s Great Depression and in Iceland
during the Credit Crunch of 2008. Using notes and coins helps people budget, whereas, with
electronic payments, it’s harder to keep track of where your money is going.

Even if cash payments do not vanish entirely, our economies are transitioning to become far
less reliant on cash than they once were. And while switching to electronic payments is
simple and convenient for many people, this isn’t true for everyone. There are concerns about
those who rely on cash, such as the homeless, the undocumented or the elderly. (4) .
Moreover, alongside the decline in cash usage, the number of ATMs and local banks has
dropped significantly. This makes access to cash increasingly hard for those who depend on
it.
Despite the popularity of electronic transactions, it’s clear that they won’t become the sole
transaction method, at least in the near future. And as companies rush towards finding ever
more convenient transaction methods, it’s important not to abandon those who prefer to pay
in the traditional way.

A. An increasing number of stores have stopped accepting cash payments

altogether, meaning that such people may become more marginalised.

B. The public responded positively.

C. The most cash-friendly societies in the world, China and Sweden, utilise
innovative ways to make quick, simple payments.

D. However, it seems as if we are just not ready to say goodbye to cash for good.

E. For a start, it’s safer, as cash is easily stolen.

TEXT 3
Background
Millennials (born between the early 1980s and the early 1990s) make up a huge part of our
workforce, but they seem to lack loyalty to the companies and the leaders they work for.
Multinational companies are noticing larger turnover rates of millennials as employee
retention rates fall. This report looks at the findings of two large-scale surveys on the mindset
of the millennial generation and explores how organisations can strive to address these needs,
increase employee engagement and encourage retention.

Research
In a global survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), more than 40,000
millennials (born between 1983 and 1993) and non-millennial responses were collected on
the topics of workplace culture, communication and working styles, pay structure, career
development, work–life balance, etc.

In a separate global survey conducted by Deloitte, more than 10,000 millennials participated
in a study about their perceptions of the threats and opportunities in the complex world of
work.
Key findings
• Millennials are as committed to their work as their more senior colleagues.
• Millennials value interesting work and a good work–life balance. They do not believe that
excessive work demands are worth sacrificing their personal lives.
• Millennials want flexible working hours and are willing to give up pay increases and
promotions for a flexible working schedule. They believe that success should be measured
by productivity and not by the number of hours they are seen in an office.
• Millennials want to feel supported and appreciated by their company and superiors.
• Millennials want more opportunities to develop their skills. These include technological
skills, teamwork and interpersonal skills.
• Millennials believe that businesses and business leaders should contribute to the
improvement of society, and they are more likely to be loyal to a company with strong ethics.

Recommendations
Organisations and managers wanting to retain millennials should consider:
• monitoring their workload and satisfaction levels with their work–life balance
• creating a flexible work culture where employees have more control over their
working hours and their work location
• providing meaningful work and interesting opportunities
• offering help and support in continuing professional development
• changing the organisation’s goals from being mainly about profit-making to motives that
address social concerns and solve wider societal problems.

3 – OPTION MCQ
Choose the correct answer.

1. The background of this report stated that

a. Millennials form the largest portion of our workforce.
b. Millennials appear to have an absence of commitment to their company.
c. Multinational companies have a large turnout of millennials at the workplace.
2. One global survey studied the millennials’ .
a. opportunities in the workplace.
b. workplace ethics in the workplace.
c. perception of threats in the workplace.

3. Millennials will be more devoted to the company if .

a. they are given opportunities to develop their skills.
b. they are supported and appreciated for their efforts.
c. companies and their leaders are more socially responsible.

4. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) conducted a survey on .

a. more than five topics.
b. those born after 1983 only.
c. more than 40,000 millennials.

5. One of the key findings in the report is .

a. work must be interesting for millennials.
b. millennials are reluctant to sacrifice their personal lives.
c. a flexible working schedule is prioritized over pay raises and promotions.

TRUE / FALSE
Are the following statements true or false? Circle your answer.
1. The survey was conducted in several different countries True / False
2. Millennials allow taxing work demands to take over their
True / False
personal lives.
3. Millennials are satisfied with their technological skills. True / False
4. Millennials expect business and business leaders to offer
True / False
assistance for the betterment of society.
5. Organizations and managers must follow the
True / False
recommendations to retain millennials.
 OPEN-ENDED

For each question, write the correct answer.

1. How is flexible work culture defined in the report?

The word flexible work culture in the report is about work that should have a correct timing of
work and the boss should not exceed the time of the employees. The rights of all the employees
should be prioticised for the sake of the everyone’s mental heatlh.plus, the bosses also practice
gender equality and races equality in order to achieve a better work environment.

2. What should organisations change to retain millennials?

In my opinion, all the organisations should not maintain the millennials era (generation y)
because
Over workforce has been practiced in theirself and this make the generation z is not given
equallation and special treatment for generation z. thus, all the organization should change their
behavior in order to bring a better quality of workforce.