Statement and Course of Action
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Sample Questions
Study MaterialStatement and Course of Action - Sample Questions
The following 60 fully solved questions are designed to help you master the topic of Statement and Course of Action. The questions cover practical situations involving education, transportation, public services, workplace management, technology, safety, customer service, environment, and emergency situations.
In each question, first identify the core problem and then examine whether the suggested course of action is relevant, practical, feasible, proportionate, and capable of improving the situation.
Standard Answer Pattern
- A. Only course of action I follows
- B. Only course of action II follows
- C. Neither course of action I nor II follows
- D. Both courses of action I and II follow
Exam Reminder: A correct course of action should address the stated problem in a realistic and constructive manner. It does not necessarily have to solve the entire problem immediately.
Basic Level Questions
Question 1
Statement: A school has reported that several students are arriving late because the morning bus service is frequently delayed.
Courses of Action:
- The school should review the bus schedule and identify the reasons for repeated delays.
- The school should permanently cancel the bus service for all students.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Reviewing the schedule and causes of delay directly addresses the problem. Permanently cancelling the service is an excessive response without examining alternatives.
Question 2
Statement: A city road has developed several potholes, causing difficulty for vehicles and pedestrians.
Courses of Action:
- The authorities should inspect and repair the damaged portions of the road.
- The authorities should close every road in the city until all potholes are repaired.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Inspecting and repairing the damaged road is directly relevant and practical. Closing every city road is disproportionate to the stated problem.
Question 3
Statement: A public library has noticed that its reading room becomes overcrowded during examination periods.
Courses of Action:
- The library should consider extending operating hours during examination periods.
- The library should permanently stop issuing books during the examination period.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Extending hours can help distribute demand. Stopping book services would not directly address reading-room overcrowding.
Question 4
Statement: A company has received complaints that customers are waiting too long for responses from its support team.
Courses of Action:
- The company should analyse response times and increase support capacity if necessary.
- The company should stop accepting customer complaints.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Analysing response times and addressing capacity directly targets the delay. Stopping complaints avoids the symptom rather than solving the service problem.
Question 5
Statement: A school has observed that students are struggling to understand a particular mathematics topic.
Courses of Action:
- The school should arrange additional explanation and practice for that topic.
- The school should remove mathematics from the curriculum.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Additional teaching and practice are constructive responses to a learning difficulty. Removing the entire subject is an excessive and unrelated response.
Question 6
Statement: A residential complex is experiencing frequent water wastage because several taps are leaking.
Courses of Action:
- The management should repair or replace the leaking taps.
- The management should stop supplying water to the entire complex.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Repairing the leaks directly addresses the source of wastage. Stopping the entire water supply would create a larger problem.
Question 7
Statement: A company's website becomes unavailable whenever traffic suddenly increases.
Courses of Action:
- The technical team should investigate capacity and performance issues.
- The company should permanently remove the website from the internet.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Investigating capacity and performance is directly related to the recurring outage. Removing the website is an unnecessarily extreme response.
Question 8
Statement: A factory has reported an increase in minor workplace safety incidents.
Courses of Action:
- The factory should review safety procedures and provide refresher training where required.
- The factory should immediately dismiss every employee involved in any incident.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Reviewing procedures and training are proportionate preventive measures. Automatic dismissal of every employee is excessive without investigating individual circumstances.
Question 9
Statement: A neighbourhood park has accumulated significant amounts of litter after weekends.
Courses of Action:
- The local authority should increase cleaning frequency during periods of higher usage.
- The authority should permanently close the park.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Increasing cleaning frequency addresses the litter problem while keeping the park available. Permanent closure is unnecessary.
Question 10
Statement: A company discovers that many employees are unable to use a newly introduced internal application effectively.
Courses of Action:
- The company should provide appropriate training and user guidance.
- The company should immediately discontinue all digital tools used by the organisation.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Training and guidance directly address the usability problem. Removing every digital tool is unrelated and disproportionate.
Intermediate Level Questions
Question 11
Statement: Heavy rainfall is expected in an area where some roads are prone to waterlogging.
Courses of Action:
- The authorities should issue appropriate public warnings and monitor vulnerable areas.
- The authorities should inspect and clear blocked drainage channels where necessary.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: D. Both I and II follow
Explanation: Public warnings can help residents prepare, while drainage inspection can reduce waterlogging risk. Both actions are relevant and practical.
Question 12
Statement: A company's customer satisfaction has declined significantly after a major change in its service process.
Courses of Action:
- The company should analyse customer feedback and identify the causes of dissatisfaction.
- The company should immediately return to the previous process without reviewing the reasons for dissatisfaction.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Analysing feedback can identify the actual problem. Reverting immediately without investigation may ignore useful information.
Question 13
Statement: A school finds that attendance has fallen considerably in one particular class.
Courses of Action:
- The school should investigate the reasons for low attendance.
- The school should expel all students with low attendance immediately.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Finding the reasons for low attendance is the appropriate first step. Immediate expulsion without investigation is excessive.
Question 14
Statement: A warehouse frequently receives damaged packages from one particular supplier.
Courses of Action:
- The company should inspect packaging and transportation practices with the supplier.
- The company should stop purchasing every product from every supplier.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Reviewing packaging and transportation directly addresses the repeated damage. Stopping all supplier relationships is far broader than the stated problem.
Question 15
Statement: A city bus route is consistently overcrowded during morning peak hours.
Courses of Action:
- The transport authority should study passenger demand and consider additional peak-hour services.
- The transport authority should cancel the route during peak hours.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Studying demand and adding services can increase capacity. Cancelling the route would worsen the transportation problem.
Question 16
Statement: An office receives repeated complaints about excessive noise in a shared workspace.
Courses of Action:
- The management should establish reasonable workspace guidelines and identify major sources of noise.
- The management should close the entire office permanently.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Reasonable guidelines and investigation are proportionate responses. Permanent closure is not justified by the stated problem.
Question 17
Statement: A hospital has experienced unusually long waiting times in its outpatient department.
Courses of Action:
- The hospital should analyse patient flow and consider additional staffing or scheduling changes.
- The hospital should refuse to accept any new patients.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Patient-flow analysis can identify bottlenecks and help improve capacity. Refusing all new patients does not solve the underlying issue.
Question 18
Statement: A university's online examination portal becomes slow when thousands of students log in simultaneously.
Courses of Action:
- The university should conduct performance testing and improve system capacity where required.
- The university should cancel all online examinations permanently.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Performance testing and capacity improvement directly address the technical problem. Permanent cancellation is excessive.
Question 19
Statement: A residential building has received complaints about visitors parking vehicles in restricted areas.
Courses of Action:
- The building management should clearly mark restricted areas and communicate parking rules.
- The management should permanently ban all visitors from entering the building.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Clear markings and communication can directly address parking violations. Banning all visitors is disproportionate.
Question 20
Statement: A company has noticed that employees frequently miss important internal announcements.
Courses of Action:
- The company should review its communication channels and establish a reliable method for important announcements.
- The company should stop making internal announcements.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Reviewing communication channels addresses why announcements are being missed. Stopping announcements would worsen communication.
Questions Based on Multiple Correct Courses of Action
Question 21
Statement: A town is expecting severe rainfall, and several low-lying areas have previously experienced flooding.
Courses of Action:
- Authorities should issue warnings to residents in vulnerable areas.
- Authorities should inspect drainage systems and clear major blockages where possible.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: D. Both I and II follow
Explanation: Warning residents is a preventive action, while clearing drainage blockages can reduce the risk of flooding. The two actions complement each other.
Question 22
Statement: A company's employees report that they are finding it difficult to maintain a healthy work schedule because meetings frequently extend beyond planned times.
Courses of Action:
- The company should introduce reasonable meeting-duration guidelines.
- Managers should review whether recurring meetings are necessary.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: D. Both I and II follow
Explanation: Limiting meeting duration addresses the immediate issue, while reviewing recurring meetings addresses unnecessary workload. Both are practical.
Question 23
Statement: A public transport service receives complaints that passengers cannot easily find schedule information.
Courses of Action:
- The transport authority should publish schedules clearly at stops and online.
- The transport authority should remove all existing schedule information.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Clear schedule information directly addresses the complaint. Removing information would make the problem worse.
Question 24
Statement: A school has identified that some students are struggling because they have missed several lessons.
Courses of Action:
- The school should provide suitable opportunities for students to catch up on missed material.
- The school should identify the reasons for repeated absence and provide appropriate support where possible.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: D. Both I and II follow
Explanation: Catch-up support addresses the immediate learning gap, while understanding the reasons for absence can help prevent the problem from recurring.
Question 25
Statement: A shopping centre has experienced congestion at its main entrance during evening hours.
Courses of Action:
- The management should study pedestrian movement and consider additional entry or exit arrangements.
- The management should permanently close the main entrance.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Studying movement and adding suitable access points can reduce congestion. Permanent closure of the main entrance may create another problem.
Advanced Level Questions
Question 26
Statement: A manufacturing unit has experienced repeated machine failures, resulting in production delays.
Courses of Action:
- The unit should analyse maintenance records and identify recurring failure patterns.
- The unit should establish a preventive maintenance schedule based on the findings.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: D. Both I and II follow
Explanation: Analysing failure patterns helps identify recurring issues, and preventive maintenance can address those issues. Both actions form a logical sequence.
Question 27
Statement: A university receives complaints that students are unable to access important course material from the online portal.
Courses of Action:
- The university should check the portal for access, permission, and availability problems.
- The university should discontinue all online course material.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Checking access and availability directly addresses the portal problem. Discontinuing online material removes a useful resource instead of fixing the issue.
Question 28
Statement: A company discovers that sensitive information was accidentally shared with an unauthorised recipient.
Courses of Action:
- The company should investigate the incident and determine how the information was shared.
- The company should immediately disable every employee account permanently.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Investigating the incident is a necessary and proportionate response. Permanently disabling every account is excessive without assessing the circumstances.
Question 29
Statement: A city has observed increasing traffic congestion around a school during opening and closing hours.
Courses of Action:
- The city and school should review traffic movement and consider staggered arrival or departure arrangements.
- The school should permanently stop admitting new students.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Traffic-flow analysis and scheduling changes directly target peak congestion. Stopping admissions is an excessive response.
Question 30
Statement: A retail company notices that online orders are frequently delayed because inventory records are inaccurate.
Courses of Action:
- The company should review and improve inventory-recording processes.
- The company should stop accepting all online orders permanently.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Improving inventory accuracy directly addresses the source of delays. Permanent cancellation of online orders is unnecessarily broad.
Question 31
Statement: A local clinic finds that patients frequently miss appointments because appointment reminders are not being sent consistently.
Courses of Action:
- The clinic should introduce a reliable appointment reminder process.
- The clinic should analyse whether missed appointments decrease after the new process is introduced.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: D. Both I and II follow
Explanation: A reliable reminder process addresses the identified problem, while measuring the result helps determine whether the action is effective.
Question 32
Statement: A software application has received multiple reports of the same error after a recent update.
Courses of Action:
- The development team should reproduce and investigate the reported error.
- The team should permanently abandon the entire software product.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Reproducing and investigating the error is the appropriate corrective action. Abandoning the entire product is disproportionate.
Question 33
Statement: A company receives several reports that a newly launched product is difficult for customers to understand.
Courses of Action:
- The company should analyse customer feedback and improve product instructions where necessary.
- The company should immediately withdraw every product sold by the company, regardless of whether it has the reported problem.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Reviewing feedback and improving instructions directly addresses the reported usability issue. Withdrawing every product is unnecessarily broad.
Question 34
Statement: A school notices that students are frequently confused about deadlines for assignments.
Courses of Action:
- The school should establish a clear and consistent method for communicating assignment deadlines.
- The school should stop giving assignments to students.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Clear communication directly addresses deadline confusion. Removing assignments does not solve the communication problem.
Question 35
Statement: A company's delivery performance has declined because several delivery vehicles require frequent repairs.
Courses of Action:
- The company should assess vehicle maintenance requirements and repair or replace vehicles where justified.
- The company should stop offering delivery services permanently.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Maintenance or replacement directly addresses vehicle reliability. Permanent cancellation of delivery is excessive.
Challenge Questions
Question 36
Statement: A city's waste collection service has become irregular in several neighbourhoods, leading to accumulation of waste.
Courses of Action:
- The authority should identify the operational causes of missed collections.
- The authority should arrange additional collection capacity where the investigation shows it is required.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: D. Both I and II follow
Explanation: Identifying the operational cause is necessary for a targeted response. Additional capacity can then address shortages where required.
Question 37
Statement: A company's internal system has experienced an unexpected outage that has interrupted important business operations.
Courses of Action:
- The technical team should investigate the cause and restore the affected service.
- The company should permanently stop using all technology in its operations.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Investigating and restoring the service directly addresses the outage. Eliminating all technology would create a much larger operational problem.
Question 38
Statement: A college canteen has received complaints about inconsistent food quality.
Courses of Action:
- The college should review food preparation and quality-control practices.
- The college should permanently prohibit students from purchasing food on campus.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Reviewing preparation and quality controls addresses the problem. A permanent prohibition on campus food is unnecessarily restrictive.
Question 39
Statement: A company finds that a significant number of employees are unclear about their responsibilities after a reorganisation.
Courses of Action:
- The company should clarify roles and responsibilities and communicate the updated structure.
- The company should cancel the reorganisation without analysing what caused the confusion.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Clarifying responsibilities directly addresses role confusion. Cancelling the reorganisation immediately may ignore potentially useful changes.
Question 40
Statement: A public website contains several outdated instructions that are causing users to submit incorrect forms.
Courses of Action:
- The organisation should review and update the incorrect instructions.
- The organisation should remove every form and instruction from the website.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Updating outdated instructions directly resolves the problem. Removing all information would create unnecessary inconvenience.
Question 41
Statement: A railway station receives complaints about confusion caused by unclear platform announcements.
Courses of Action:
- The station should review the announcement process and improve clarity and consistency.
- The station should stop making all announcements.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Improving announcements addresses the communication problem. Stopping announcements would reduce useful information.
Question 42
Statement: A neighbourhood has reported an increase in mosquito breeding after water accumulates in unused containers.
Courses of Action:
- Residents and local authorities should remove or properly manage standing water where feasible.
- Authorities should educate residents about preventing water accumulation.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: D. Both I and II follow
Explanation: Removing standing water addresses the immediate source, while education supports prevention. Both actions are relevant.
Question 43
Statement: A company notices that a particular business process requires employees to enter the same information into multiple systems.
Courses of Action:
- The company should examine whether the process can be simplified or integrated.
- The company should require employees to enter the information even more times to improve accuracy.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Simplifying or integrating the process addresses unnecessary duplicate work. Requiring even more duplicate entry is unlikely to solve the stated problem.
Question 44
Statement: A school has noticed an increase in cyber-safety incidents involving student accounts.
Courses of Action:
- The school should review account-security practices and provide appropriate cyber-safety awareness.
- The school should permanently ban students from using computers.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Security review and awareness directly address the risk. Permanently banning computers is an excessive response.
Question 45
Statement: A company receives repeated complaints that its mobile application is difficult to navigate.
Courses of Action:
- The company should conduct usability testing and review customer feedback.
- The company should redesign the application without studying how users are experiencing the current design.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Usability testing and feedback can identify navigation problems. Redesigning without understanding the problem may repeat the same mistakes.
Question 46
Statement: A city receives reports that streetlights are not functioning on several roads at night.
Courses of Action:
- The authorities should inspect the affected streetlights and repair or replace faulty units.
- The authorities should stop all night-time traffic throughout the city.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Repairing faulty streetlights directly addresses the safety issue. Stopping all night traffic is an unnecessarily broad response.
Question 47
Statement: A company has found that employees frequently forget to complete mandatory compliance training by the deadline.
Courses of Action:
- The company should send timely reminders and make the completion status visible to relevant managers.
- The company should cancel mandatory training permanently.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Reminders and visibility can help improve completion. Cancelling required training does not address the problem.
Question 48
Statement: A public service centre has long queues because many visitors arrive at the same time.
Courses of Action:
- The centre should consider appointment slots or staggered service timings where practical.
- The centre should analyse peak arrival patterns before changing the service arrangement.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: D. Both I and II follow
Explanation: Analysing demand helps design a suitable solution, while appointments or staggered timings can distribute arrivals. Both actions are relevant.
Question 49
Statement: A factory finds that employees are not consistently following a newly introduced safety procedure.
Courses of Action:
- The factory should determine whether the procedure is clearly communicated and understood.
- The factory should provide appropriate training or clarification where needed.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: D. Both I and II follow
Explanation: Understanding whether communication is clear is important, and training can correct knowledge gaps. Both actions are constructive.
Question 50
Statement: A company's monthly report contains frequent data inconsistencies because different teams use different definitions for the same metric.
Courses of Action:
- The company should establish common definitions for important metrics.
- The company should continue using different definitions but simply publish more reports.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Common definitions directly address the source of inconsistency. Producing more reports without fixing definitions would not solve the problem.
High-Level Mixed Questions
Question 51
Statement: A university discovers that many students are unable to access digital learning resources because their accounts are incorrectly configured.
Courses of Action:
- The university should identify and correct account-configuration problems.
- The university should provide a support channel for students who continue to experience access problems.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: D. Both I and II follow
Explanation: Correcting account configuration addresses the root issue, while support helps students whose problems remain unresolved. Both actions are practical.
Question 52
Statement: A retail store experiences frequent stockouts of a popular product.
Courses of Action:
- The store should analyse sales patterns and adjust inventory planning.
- The store should permanently stop selling the product.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Sales analysis and better inventory planning directly address stockouts. Stopping sales of a popular product may unnecessarily reduce customer choice.
Question 53
Statement: A company finds that a new process has reduced processing time but has also increased the number of errors.
Courses of Action:
- The company should analyse the causes of the increased errors.
- The company should permanently abandon the process without evaluating whether it can be improved.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: The process has produced both a benefit and a problem. Investigating the errors is the appropriate next step before making a permanent decision.
Question 54
Statement: A city's drinking-water supply is temporarily affected by a major pipeline repair.
Courses of Action:
- The authorities should communicate the expected disruption and provide updates.
- The authorities should arrange alternative water supply where necessary for affected areas.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: D. Both I and II follow
Explanation: Communication helps residents plan, while alternative supply can reduce the impact of the disruption. Both actions are appropriate.
Question 55
Statement: A company discovers that employees are spending considerable time searching for internal documents.
Courses of Action:
- The company should organise documents using clear categories and naming standards.
- The company should review whether a central searchable repository would improve access.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: D. Both I and II follow
Explanation: Clear organisation improves findability, while a searchable repository can further reduce search time. Both actions address the problem.
Question 56
Statement: A school observes that students are increasingly distracted during long classroom sessions.
Courses of Action:
- Teachers should consider using varied teaching activities and suitable short breaks where appropriate.
- The school should cancel all classroom teaching.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Varied activities and suitable breaks can address attention difficulties. Cancelling classroom teaching is an extreme response.
Question 57
Statement: A company has received complaints that employees are uncertain about whom to contact for different types of support.
Courses of Action:
- The company should publish a clear support-contact guide.
- The company should create a single contact point for every possible issue without considering specialist requirements.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: A clear guide can reduce uncertainty while preserving appropriate specialist support. A single contact for every issue may create another bottleneck.
Question 58
Statement: A public office finds that many visitors submit incomplete applications because the required documents are not clearly explained.
Courses of Action:
- The office should provide a clear checklist of required documents.
- The office should reject all incomplete applications without informing applicants what is missing.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: A clear checklist directly addresses the stated cause. Rejecting applications without explaining the missing documents does not improve the process.
Question 59
Statement: A transport company discovers that a particular route has low passenger demand but is important for connecting residents to essential services.
Courses of Action:
- The company should study whether the route's schedule, frequency, or vehicle size can be adjusted while maintaining essential connectivity.
- The company should immediately cancel the route solely because current passenger numbers are low.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: The situation requires balancing demand with essential connectivity. Reviewing schedule, frequency, or vehicle size is a practical approach. Immediate cancellation ignores the wider purpose of the route.
Question 60
Statement: A large organisation notices that several departments are independently purchasing similar software tools, resulting in duplicated costs and inconsistent processes.
Courses of Action:
- The organisation should review existing software usage and identify opportunities for standardisation.
- The organisation should immediately prohibit every department from purchasing any software.
Options:
A. Only I follows
B. Only II follows
C. Neither I nor II follows
D. Both I and II follow
✓ Answer: A. Only I follows
Explanation: Reviewing usage and standardising suitable tools can reduce duplication while preserving necessary flexibility. A blanket prohibition on all software purchases is impractical.
Answer Key
| Question | Answer | Question | Answer | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 21 | D | 41 | A |
| 2 | A | 22 | D | 42 | D |
| 3 | A | 23 | A | 43 | A |
| 4 | A | 24 | D | 44 | A |
| 5 | A | 25 | A | 45 | A |
| 6 | A | 26 | D | 46 | A |
| 7 | A | 27 | A | 47 | A |
| 8 | A | 28 | A | 48 | D |
| 9 | A | 29 | A | 49 | D |
| 10 | A | 30 | A | 50 | A |
| 11 | D | 31 | D | 51 | D |
| 12 | A | 32 | A | 52 | A |
| 13 | A | 33 | A | 53 | A |
| 14 | A | 34 | A | 54 | D |
| 15 | A | 35 | A | 55 | D |
| 16 | A | 36 | D | 56 | A |
| 17 | A | 37 | A | 57 | A |
| 18 | A | 38 | A | 58 | A |
| 19 | A | 39 | A | 59 | A |
| 20 | A | 40 | A | 60 | A |
Common Traps in Statement and Course of Action
- Ignoring the actual problem: Always identify exactly what has happened before evaluating an action.
- Choosing an extreme action: Permanent closure, complete cancellation, universal bans, or similar responses are often disproportionate.
- Confusing punishment with solution: Punishing people does not automatically solve the underlying problem.
- Ignoring feasibility: A theoretically attractive action may fail if it cannot realistically be implemented.
- Choosing an unrelated action: The course must have a direct connection with the stated situation.
- Creating a bigger problem: Reject an action if it solves a small problem by creating a much larger one.
- Assuming only one action can be correct: Two courses may be complementary and both may follow.
- Rejecting preventive actions: An action can follow even when the problem has not yet happened if the statement indicates a credible risk.
- Ignoring long-term solutions: A course of action may address the root cause rather than only provide immediate relief.
- Overusing the word "only": An action containing restrictive language should be examined carefully, but the word itself does not automatically make the action incorrect.
Immediate Action vs Long-Term Action
| Type | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate Action | Controls or reduces the current problem | Issue a warning during an expected emergency |
| Corrective Action | Fixes an existing problem | Repair damaged equipment |
| Preventive Action | Reduces the chance of recurrence | Introduce preventive maintenance |
| Long-Term Action | Addresses the underlying cause | Redesign a process causing repeated errors |
Fast Strategy for Solving Course of Action Questions
Statement → Problem → Action → Relevance → Feasibility → Impact → Decision
- Read the statement carefully.
- Identify the core problem. Do not focus on minor details.
- Understand the purpose of each action.
- Check relevance. Does the action directly address the problem?
- Check feasibility. Can a reasonable organisation or authority actually implement it?
- Check proportionality. Is the action appropriate for the seriousness of the problem?
- Check the impact. Will it reduce the problem or create another major problem?
- Consider both immediate and long-term effects.
- Evaluate I and II independently.
- Remember that complementary actions can both follow.
10-Second Test:
"Does this action realistically reduce, manage, prevent, or solve the stated problem without creating a disproportionate new problem?"
Final Revision
- First identify the core problem.
- A correct course must be relevant.
- The action should be practical and feasible.
- The response should be proportionate to the problem.
- A good action should produce a positive or corrective impact.
- Consider both immediate and long-term consequences.
- Prefer actions that address the root cause where appropriate.
- Do not select an action that creates a larger problem.
- Do not assume that only one course can follow.
- Two complementary actions can both follow.
- An action does not have to solve the entire problem immediately to be correct.
LearnFrenzy Golden Rule
Choose the course of action that is relevant, practical, proportionate, and genuinely capable of improving the situation.