Reading Passage Question
David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, said, “You are likely to die not of starvation for opportunities, but of indigestion of opportunities.” Most small businesses succeed in keeping their owners more than busy — in some cases, too busy. If you provide needed products or services at a fair price, customers will beat a path to your door. Your business will grow and be busier than you can personally handle. You may need to start hiring people. I know small-business owners who work themselves into a frenzy by putting in 70 or more hours a week.
If you enjoy your work so much that it’s not really work and you end up putting in long hours because you enjoy it, terrific! But success in your company can cause you to put less energy into other important aspects of your life that perhaps don’t come as easily.
“David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard”- is a GMAT reading comprehension exercise. Candidates need to be highly proficient in GMAT reading comprehension. There are five comprehension questions in this GMAT reading comprehension section. The purpose of the GMAT Reading Comprehension questions is to evaluate candidates' comprehension, analysis, and application skills. Candidates who are actively preparing can benefit from GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.
Solutions and Explanation
- Which of the following sentences would most likely follow the [Highlighted] sentence in the passage?
(A) Balance is over-rated.
(B) It’s important to find a balance between your work life and your personal life.
(C) We all know someone who never worked a day in their life and still was very happy.
(D) This is no way to raise children. I have a better idea.
(E) Of course, the phrase “sleep when you’re dead” resonates, too.
Answer: (B)
Explanation: From the passage. We all could understand that finding a balance between the personal and professional lives is crucial. As a result, the second option is the right answer as this corresponds to that. The rest of the options are all wrong answers. This is because the statements in them are over exaggerated.
- The author incorporates a quote at the beginning of this passage for what likely purpose?
(A) To show that he has the backing and approval of David Packard.
(B) To capture the interest of readers who own Hewlett-Packard products.
(C) To introduce in an interesting way an idea the author intends to develop.
(D) To show the he’s not afraid to stand up to an authority like David Packard.
(E) To bolster a weak argument with a famous name.
Answer: (C)
Explanation: The third option is the right answer. This is because the author can introduce an idea he/she intends to develop in this passage in an intriguing way by using a quote at the start of the passage. The rest of the options are all wrong answers as they are too far-fetched and talk about the companies or founders. The passage mainly talks about life.
- Based on the passage, it can be inferred that the author finds working 70 hours a week to be
(A) The correct amount of time a small business owner should expect to work.
(B) An excessive amount of time for a small-business owner to work.
(C) A sign that the small business owner who works that much is not managing his or her business well.
(D) The minimum amount of time a successful small business owner should expect to work a week.
(E) A sign that a small business owner is out of his or her depth in running their business.
Answer: (B)
Explanation: The author clearly believes that working 70 hours a week is too much for a small-business owner to do. This can clearly be inferred from the passage. Therefore, the second option is the right answer. The rest of the options are wrong answers as they do not convey the right statement given by the author.
- Which of the following is a suggestion that the author makes to small business owners in the passage?
(A) Expect to work over 70 hours a week.
(B) Even if you run a great business, you may need to build clientele slowly.
(C) The only way to make sure a business is run correctly is to do everything yourself.
(D) Hiring a good accountant is a key part of running a business.
(E) You may want to consider hiring an employee to help with the business.
Answer: (E)
Explanation: The final option is the right choice. This is because the passage clearly states that one of the best remedies for small business owners is to hire an employee to assist with the company's operations. The remaining options are all incorrect choices as they are not consistent.
- The passage can best be described as which of the following?
(A) A polemic discouraging readers from starting small businesses.
(B) The survey results from a poll of small business owners.
(C) A collection of inspiring quotes for small business owners.
(D) Suggestions for improving readers’ family lives.
(E) A thoughtful exploration about finding a balance between a rewarding small business and a personal life
Answer: (E)
Explanation: The passage is a thoughtful investigation into how to strike a balance between a fulfilling small business and a personal life. The statement in the final option is in correspondence with this and is the most suitable one. Therefore, it is the right option. The remaining options are all invalid as they fall out of scope of the main objective.
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