Passage Reference: And if these senior executives do not take holidays, few junior staff dare to do so in a society which values group action. As a result, millions of Japanese annually compete for leisure facilities during the national Golden Week and New Year breaks, when everyone stops work at the same time. 'We feel secure when everybody is doing the same thing,'

Common Mistake: Some students choose Traditional system of near-lifetime employment is still in prevalence because it is mentioned nearby, but that focuses on job structure, not social pressure. This is a Context shift trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'values group action' = Statement: 'individuals are expected to conform'

Tips: When you see behaviour caused by society or culture, look for words like 'group', 'society', or 'everyone'.

Key Vocabulary:

• conform = behave the same as others
• dare = feel brave enough

Question Focus: Employment system encouraging devotion to the company

Passage Reference: The view that the employee should devote almost all his or her waking hours to the work unit is further promoted by the traditional system of near-lifetime employment.

Why this is correct: The answer is Traditional system of near-lifetime employment is still in prevalence. The passage directly links this system to employees devoting almost all their time to work, which clearly promotes workaholism.

Common Mistake: Students sometimes pick Japan's post-war work ethic is under threat, but that talks about change, not about causes of overwork. This is a Wrong section trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'devote almost all his or her waking hours' = Statement: 'workaholism'

Tips: If the passage says a system 'promotes' or 'encourages' behaviour, that is usually a cause.

Key Vocabulary:

• devote = give almost all time
• prevalence = common existence

Question Focus: Historical work ethic formed after World War II

Passage Reference: This traditional attitude is strongest among the post-World War II generation which single-mindedly pursued economic development.

Why this is correct: The answer is Economic development was the single most important concern in the post-World War II period. The passage explains that this generation focused completely on economic growth, creating a strong work ethic that still influences workaholism today.

Common Mistake: Some students choose Japan's post-war work ethic is under threat, but that describes change, not the original cause. This is a Time/tense trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'single-mindedly pursued economic development' = Statement: 'single most important concern'

Tips: When a question asks about causes, focus on background reasons, not later changes.

Key Vocabulary:

• single-mindedly = with full focus
• pursued = tried hard to achieve

Question Focus: Concrete examples of reduced working hours and more leave

Passage Reference: Some big companies have begun making changes to work regimes. Sanyo and Matsushita, for example, plan to reduce the number of working hours to 1,800 by March 1994, while Sharp hopes to achieve the same goal by the late 1990s. Canon has even given its staff 16 consecutive days of vacation this summer.

Why this is correct: The answer is Some employees are now given more days off. The passage gives clear examples of companies reducing hours and offering long vacations, showing that work practices are starting to change.

Common Mistake: Students may choose Japan's state pension and social security system needs to be changed, but that is only a suggestion, not an actual change. This is a Not Given trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: '16 consecutive days of vacation' = Statement: 'more days off'

Tips: For 'indicates change', look for real actions, not opinions or proposals.

Key Vocabulary:

• consecutive = in a row
• regime = system

Question Focus: Overall theme of overwork culture facing pressure to change

Passage Reference: Karoshi - death by overwork, is a major problem faced by Japanese employers and employees alike. By some reckonings, up to 10,000 Japanese die from it annually - grim testimony to the fierce dedication among workers which has helped propel Japan to a position of supremacy in key global industries. Japan has, in fact, been reducing average working hours for some time. The number fell marginally to 2,052 hours in 1990 from 2,111 in 1987. The latest figures, however, arc still , 100-200 hours a year more than those worked in the West. More importantly, these official j tallies exclude unrecorded overtime, work taken home, and commitments such as entertaining clients on golf courses at weekends. Thus, the national target of cutting average annual work hours to 1,800 by 1995 seems a tall order. It will require Japanese to take more holidays, as well as cut their working week. Legislation to cut standard weekly hours to 40 from 44 is expected to come into force next January, along with requirements that overtime pay exceed the current minimum of 125% of regular pay. More to the point, will Japanese workers take their extra time off? Most employees currently use only seven to nine days out of annual leave allocations of two to four weeks. Their actual leave is, therefore, roughly half that taken by US workers and about a third of that taken by the Germans and the French. (Japan also has 13 annual pubic holidays, and some companies do offer extra days off.) In a recent survey conducted by a Tokyo-based think-tank, 40% of those interviewed said they were 'uncomfortable with taking paid holidays', while another 41% said they would be 'at a loss if given vacations lasting a month.' One common explanation for these sorts of results is that Japanese love to work. 'We were taught as a child that diligence is the finest virtue,' says a 38-year-old journalist. This traditional attitude is strongest among the post-World War II generation which single-mindedly pursued economic development. Many of the people now at the top of Japan's big corporations, as well as in senior positions in government, are from this generation. And if these senior executives do not take holidays, few junior staff dare to do so in a society which values group action. As a result, millions of Japanese annually compete for leisure facilities during the national Golden Week and New Year breaks, when everyone stops work at the same time. 'We feel secure when everybody is doing the same thing,' says the journalist The view that the employee should devote almost all his or her waking hours to the work unit is further promoted by the traditional system of near-lifetime employment. Many of today's graduates and white-collar workers, however, would prefer to leave the old system behind in favour of finite labour contracts with their companies. Japan also needs to change retirement rules that virtually force employees to remain at work until their 60' birthdays if they are to qualify for the lump-sum payments - typically ¥20-30 million - that supplement pensions. One advocate of such a move is Hitotsubashi University Professor Iwao Nakatani. He acknowledges, though, that this might require major changes in Japan's state pension and social security systems to compensate for reducing company provisions. Some big companies have begun making changes to work regimes. Sanyo and Matsushita, for example, plan to reduce the number of working hours to 1,800 by March 1994, while Sharp hopes to achieve the same goal by the late 1990s. Canon has even given its staff 16 consecutive days of vacation this summer. These cases, however, are the exception. Moreover, a key caveat in the push towards more-relaxed work routines - as with other broader issues in the workload debate - is that changes agreed to by big companies may prove beyond the reach of small and medium-sized firms. By international standards, these smaller enterprises comprise an unusually large share of Japan's economy and represent a considerable obstacle to change. Currently, they are grappling with a chronic labour shortage at a time when the costs of labour-saving capital investment are rising. And times will get tougher as the economy slows and big companies squeeze their suppliers harder. 'We are not talking about working less, but about how to maintain the same volume of work as last year,' says a spokesman for an Osaka-based small-business association. Nonetheless, the new economic pressures now being felt by Japan are likely to produce changes whatever the outcome of the workload debate.

Why this is correct: The answer is Japan's post-war work ethic is under threat. The whole passage discusses extreme overwork rooted in post-war values and shows how economic and social pressures are now challenging this tradition.

Common Mistake: Some students pick Domestic and overseas demand for Japanese products is shrinking causing profit declines, but that is only one late detail, not the main idea. This is a Partial truth trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'push towards more-relaxed work routines' = Statement: 'work ethic is under threat'

Tips: For main idea questions, think broad. Ask yourself what the whole passage keeps returning to.

Key Vocabulary:

• ethic = set of beliefs about work
• threat = danger of change

General Tips:

• Matching Features questions can jump around the passage. Do not assume answers follow paragraph order.
• Scan for key themes or repeated ideas rather than single words.
• For 'cause' questions, focus on explanations, not results or opinions.
• For summary questions, ignore examples and details. Focus on the overall message.