26. Reading Skills Comprehension: Quality and Productivity

QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY

It is a commonly held belief that quality and productivity are a function of technology or a set of new equipment. No doubt these are essential, but they alone are not sufficient for bringing about improvements in productivity or quality. It is the men and women behind the machines and the people who manage the technology who are critical in bringing about these improvements. It has been a strange paradox of India’s economic development that even though people are our most abundant resource, they have so far either been neglected or treated as liabilities rather than as assets. Part of the reason for this has been outdated labour laws which have been a deterrent for industrialists and employers, leading them to establish capital-intensive rather than labour-intensive operations. The other reason has been a confrontationist attitude, both on the part of labour as well as management. A change must come about in both these factors, outside represent-station and leadership of unions etc need to change. At the same time, the attitude of confrontation must change to one of cooperation and active collaboration.

 1. Which of the following arguments has been emphasized in the paragraph?

 (a) Only technology or a new set of equipment can improve quality and productivity.

(b) Only management behind any type of machines can improve quality and productivity.

(c) By managing the new technology, labour can bring about improvements in quality and productivity.

(d) Indian labour and management is neither quality nor productivity conscious.

2. The word ‘critical’ in the passage means

(a) crucial                    (b) judicial

(c) analytical                (d) judicious

3. India’s strange contradiction of development is

(a) people are resourceful but new equipment is not given to them.

 (b) people are resourceful but they are neglected.

 (c) labour is not earnest and therefore it is no longer a liability.

(d) labour is inefficient but still, it is pampered.

 4. Capital-intensive operations can lead to

 (a) strict labor laws                 (b) new labor laws

 (c) too many labour laws      (d) irrelevant labour laws

 5. The opposite of ‘deterrent’ as used in the passage is

 (a) help                                   (b) non-interference

(c) influence                            (d) patronage

 6. Labour-intensive operations can lead to

 (a) better relations between labour and management

(b) fear of unemployment

(c) industrial process needing to employ many people

 (d) None of these

 7. Which of the following statements on the confrontation between labour and management is false?

(a) Too much governmental interference between labour and management

 (b) Conflicting attitude of labour and management

(c) Establishment of capital-intensive industries

 (d) Neglect of labour-intensive operations

ANSWERS:-

1. (c)

2. (a)

3. (b)

4. (d)

5. (a)

6. (c)

7. (a)

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