nbsp;important consideration in achieving production efficiency
(d) Led to economic considerations being less important in achieving productivity
18. Part of the reason for the change in focus from economics to a more multifaceted approach to the psychological effects on doing work was
(a) due to the recognition that workers should be happy at work in order to maintain high productivity
(b) a general conclusion that pay was sometimes not the most important factor
(c) because the Hawthorne study continued for so long
(d) because the workers requested it
19. According to the passage, it can be concluded that a “multifaceted approach” to human motivation in the workplace
(a) excludes economics
(b) can lead to greater productivity
(c) excludes physical conditions
(d) focuses mainly on psychological and social forces
20. The word “multifaceted” in line 25 is closest in meaning to
(a) versatile
(b) complex
(c) many-sided
(d) multitude
21. Which of the following is NOT true about the Hawthorne study
(a) It was the first documented evidence of the psychological effects on doing work
(b) The Hawthorne study continued for five years
(c) They found that workers responded not to the level of lighting but to the fact that other work conditions were not favorable
(d) The study changed the focus from economics to a multifaceted approach
Question 22-31
The handling and delivery of mail has always been a serious business, underpinned by the trust of the public in requiring timeliness, safety, and confidentiality. After early beginnings using horseback and stagecoach, and although cars and trucks later replaced stagecoaches and wagons, the Railway Mail Service still stands as one of America’s most resourceful and exciting postal innovations. This service began in 1832, but grew slowly until the Civil War. Then from 1862, by sorting the mail on board moving trains, the Post Office Department was able to decentralize its operations as railroads began to crisscross the nation on a regular basis, and speed up mail delivery. This service lasted until 1974. During peak decades of service, railway mail clerks handled 93% of all non-local mail and by 1905 the service had over 12,000 employees.
Railway Post Office trains used a system of mail cranes to exchange mail at stations without stopping. As a train approached the crane, a clerk prepared the catcher arm which would then snatch the incoming mailbag in the blink of an eye. The clerk then booted out the outgoing mailbag. Experienced clerks were considered the elite of the Postal Service’s employees, and spoke with pride of making the switch at night with nothing but the curves and feel of the track to warn them of an upcoming catch. They also worked under the greatest pressure and their jobs were considered to be exhausting and dangerous. In addition to regular demands of their jobs they could find themselves the victims of train wrecks and robberies.
As successful as it was, “mail-on-the-fly” still had its share of glitches. If they hoisted the train’s catcher arm too soon, they risked hitting switch targets, telegraph poles or semaphores, which would rip the catcher arm off the train. Too late, and they would miss an exchange.
22. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(a) How Post Office Trains handled the mail without stopping
(b) The skills of experienced clerks
(c) How the mail cranes exchanged the mail
(d) Improvements in mail handling and delivery
23. The word “underpinned” in line 1 is closest in meaning to
(a) lowered
(b) underlain
(c) obliged
(d) required
24. The public expects the following three services in handling and delivery of mail except
(a) confidentiality
(b) timeliness
(c) safety
(d) accuracy
25. According to the passage, the Railway Mail Service commenced in
(a) 1832
(b) 1842
(c) 1874
(d) 1905
26. Which of the following can be inferred from the first paragraph
(a) Mail was often lost or damaged as it was exchanged on the mail crane
(b) There was a high turnover of railway mail clerks
(c) The development of the mailroads during the second half of the&nbs