Read the following message.
Dear James,
Congratulations on your offer from Northline Software. Your experience designing computer applications clearly impressed the interview team. You mentioned that the shortage of experienced applicants gave you room to negotiate, and it is good to hear that the company agreed to a higher salary.
Before accepting, please check the complete written offer rather than relying on the amount discussed by phone. In particular, confirm the start date, normal working hours, and whether the role is based at the Vancouver office or includes remote days. A higher salary is only one part of the decision.
You said the manager would like you to begin on 1 September. Since your current contract requires four weeks' notice, you should confirm that the dates allow you to meet that obligation. I would not advise resigning until you have accepted the final written offer and the new employer has confirmed it.
If you want me to look over the wording, send a copy with personal identification and banking information removed. I can help you identify questions to ask, but I cannot decide on your behalf.
I will be away on Friday, so please send it by Thursday afternoon if you would like comments this week. Otherwise, we can discuss it on Monday. There is no need to rush simply because the salary is attractive.
Best wishes,
Carla
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given in the message.
2.The company has already confirmed
3.Carla mentions his current contract to show that
4.Carla's advised sequence is to
5.Carla's offer of help means she will
6.The tone of Carla's message is best described as
Here is a response to the message. Complete the response by filling in the blanks. Select the best choice for each blank from the drop-down menu (▾).
Thank you for putting the salary increase in perspective. Before I decide, I will ask the manager whether 7.; being at home on some days would affect my commuting plans. I will also check that the proposed start is compatible with 8. Your suggestion to wait for confirmation makes sense, as I do not want to leave my current position before the new arrangement is settled.
I would appreciate your help with 9., although I understand that the final choice is mine. I will send you a version that retains the job terms but excludes 10. I may not have the final document until Friday. If that happens, I will plan to discuss it with you 11.
Best wishes,
James
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Correct Answer: experienced applicants were hard to find
Why this is correct: Carla notes that a shortage of experienced applicants gave James room to negotiate.
Passage Reference: the shortage of experienced applicants gave you room to negotiate
Tips: Look for what Carla says gave him room to negotiate.
Why the other options are wrong:
- he offered more hours than other applicants: No comparison of hours with other applicants is mentioned.
- he could start on 1 September: The start date is a later detail, not the reason he could negotiate.
- his employer matched the salary: His current employer matching the offer is never mentioned.
Correct Answer: a higher salary
Passage Reference: the company agreed to a higher salary
Why this is correct: The company has already agreed to a higher salary. Other terms still need checking.
Tips: Separate what is already agreed from what still needs checking.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a shorter working day: Working hours still need to be confirmed in writing.
- a start date set by his current employer: The new manager suggested a start date. It was not set by the current employer.
- remote work every day of the week: Remote days are still uncertain and must be confirmed.
Correct Answer: the proposed start may clash with his notice
Passage Reference: your current contract requires four weeks' notice, you should confirm that the dates allow you to meet that obligation
Why this is correct: His current contract needs four weeks' notice, so the proposed start must allow for that.
Tips: Find where Carla talks about his present contract. Read what she asks him to confirm because of it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- his employer must approve the written offer: Carla does not say the current employer must approve the new offer.
- the new job must keep the same hours: Hours should be checked, but that is not why she raises the contract.
- the rise depends on four more weeks of work: The salary rise is not tied to working four more weeks.
Correct Answer: check the writing, accept, get confirmation, then resign
Passage Reference: I would not advise resigning until you have accepted the final written offer and the new employer has confirmed it
Why this is correct: Carla advises checking the written offer, accepting it, waiting for confirmation, and only then resigning.
Tips: Follow the order that keeps resignation last.
Why the other options are wrong:
- confirm the start, resign, then request writing: Resigning before the written offer is confirmed is what she warns against.
- let Carla accept, then give notice: Carla will not accept on his behalf.
- accept by phone, resign, then check the terms: She wants the written terms checked before acceptance and resignation.
Correct Answer: spot wording questions while leaving the choice to him
Passage Reference: I can help you identify questions to ask, but I cannot decide on your behalf
Why this is correct: Carla offers to look over the wording. She will help him find questions to ask, but she will not decide for him.
Tips: Note both what she will do and what she will not do.
Why the other options are wrong:
- change his notice period with the company: She does not offer to change his notice period.
- accept once personal details are removed: Removing personal details is for review, not for her to accept.
- negotiate a new salary with the company: She is not negotiating with the company.
Correct Answer: pleased by the offer but wary of rushing
Passage Reference: There is no need to rush simply because the salary is attractive
Why this is correct: The tone of Carla's message is pleased by the offer but wary of rushing. She congratulates James at the start, and she ends by saying there is no need to rush.
Tips: For the tone of a whole message, compare the opening with the ending. Here praise comes first and caution comes last.
Why the other options are wrong:
- focused mainly on raising the salary further: She does not push for another salary increase.
- doubtful that James fits the role: She treats the offer as a real success, not a weak fit.
- sure the higher salary settles everything: She stresses that salary is only one part of the decision.
Correct Answer: remote working is included
Passage Reference: whether the role is based at the Vancouver office or includes remote days
Why this is correct: James wants to know whether the role includes remote days because that affects commuting.
Tips: Match the blank to the commuting detail in the same sentence.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the office will move to another city: No office move is discussed.
- the salary changes in the first month: The salary increase is already agreed. Changes in the first month are not the issue.
- extra working hours are required: Hours need checking, but his commuting concern points to remote days.
Correct Answer: the notice required by my current contract
Passage Reference: confirm that the dates allow you to meet that obligation
Why this is correct: He must check that the start date works with his four-week notice duty.
Tips: Go back to Carla's paragraph about 1 September. She names a duty James has to his employer today.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the length of my daily trip to Vancouver: Commuting links to remote days, not to the start-date check.
- the timing of the company's next interview: No further interview is mentioned.
- the date of the salary discussion: The salary talk is already finished.
Correct Answer: identifying questions about the wording
Passage Reference: I can help you identify questions to ask
Why this is correct: Carla offered to help him spot questions about the offer wording.
Tips: Repeat the limited help Carla offered.
Why the other options are wrong:
- negotiating a different salary for me: She is not negotiating salary for him.
- sending my acceptance to the manager: Acceptance remains his decision.
- arranging my resignation with my employer: She does not arrange his resignation.
Correct Answer: personal identification and bank details
Passage Reference: send a copy with personal identification and banking information removed
Why this is correct: Carla asked for a copy with personal identification and banking information removed.
Tips: Carla tells him what to take out of the copy before sending it. Match the two things she names.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the salary and notice requirements: Those job terms should stay in the copy she reviews.
- the role location and duties: Location and duties are part of what she may need to see.
- the start date and working hours: Those terms should remain for review.
Correct Answer: on Monday
Passage Reference: Otherwise, we can discuss it on Monday
Why this is correct: If the document arrives after Thursday, Carla says they can discuss it on Monday.
Tips: Use the fallback day after the Thursday deadline.
Why the other options are wrong:
- on Saturday morning: No Saturday meeting is offered.
- on Thursday afternoon: Thursday afternoon is when James should send the copy for comments this week. He may not have it by then.
- on Friday afternoon: Carla will be away on Friday.
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