| TRUE | if the statement agrees with the information |
| FALSE | if the statement contradicts the information |
| NOT GIVEN | if there is no information on this |
Words fail them
A. It seems companies will soon begin to say goodbye to the written word. The basic unit of communication will no longer be typed out in e-mails. It will be shot in pictures and shown on video. Companies have already discovered that the written word is failing them. Its feebleness compared with the moving image was rammed home in 2010 when the sight of BP's oil spewing out into the Gulf of Mexico on YouTube sent a message to the world far more compelling than any written statement could ever be.
B. If the word has become weak at conveying big corporate messages, it has become even weaker at conveying small ones. For years the in-boxes of all office workers have been overflowing with unread e-mails. But managers will do something about it and desist from communicating with staff in this way. E-mail will still exist as a way of talking to one person at a time, but as a means of mass communication it will be finished. Companies will find instead that to get a message over to employees, customers, shareholders and the outside world, video is far more effective.
C. In the past three years video has come from nothing to make up nearly half of internet traffic; in another three, it is likely to be more than three-quarters. So far corporations have taken a back seat in this growth, but they will soon need to climb into the front and start to drive it.
D. This shift in communications will have three important effects. It will change the sort of person who makes it to the corner office. It will alter the way that businesses are managed. And it will shift the position corporations occupy in society and possibly make us like some of them just a little bit more.
E. The new corporate leaders will no longer be pen pushers and bean counters. The 20-year reign of faceless bosses will come to an end. Charisma will be back in: all successful business chiefs will have to be storytellers and performers. Just as political leaders have long had to be dynamite on TV to stand much hope of election or survival, so too will corporate leaders. They must be able to sell not only their vision of their companies but their vision of themselves. The new big boss will be expected to set an example; any leaders showing signs of human frailty will be out on their ears. The moral majority will tighten its hold on corporate life, first in America, but then elsewhere too.
F. With this shift will come a change in management style. Numbers and facts will be supplanted by appeals to emotion to make employees and customers do what they are told. The businessperson's emotion may be no more genuine than the politician's, but successful bosses will get good at faking it. Others will struggle: prepare to cringe in as corporate leaders spout a lot of phoney stuff that used to look bad enough when written down, but will sound even worse spoken.
G. One good consequence of the change, however, will be a greater clarity in the way companies think about their businesses. The written word was a forgiving medium for over-complicated, ill-conceived messages. Video demands simplicity. The best companies will use this to their advantage by thinking through more rigorously what it is they are trying to say and do.
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Question Focus: Contradiction - whether corporations already use video a lot
Correct Answer: FALSE
Why this is correct: The passage clearly says corporations have taken a back seat, meaning they are not yet using video extensively. The statement says they already are, which is the opposite. This is a clear contradiction.
Passage Reference: In the past three years video has come from nothing to make up nearly half of internet traffic; in another three, it is likely to be more than three-quarters. So far corporations have taken a back seat in this growth, but they will soon need to climb into the front and start to drive it.
Common Mistake: Students often see the statistics about video growth and think companies must already be using it a lot. But that growth is about the internet in general, not corporations. This is a Context shift trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'taken a back seat' = Statement: 'already using video extensively'
Tips: Always check who the sentence is talking about. General trends are not the same as corporate behavior.
Key Vocabulary:
- back seat = not leading
- extensively = a lot
Question Focus: Degree of change - 'a lot more' versus limited improvement
Correct Answer: FALSE
Passage Reference: This shift in communications will have three important effects. It will change the sort of person who makes it to the corner office. It will alter the way that businesses are managed. And it will shift the position corporations occupy in society and possibly make us like some of them just a little bit more.
Why this is correct: The passage says we may like some of them just a little bit more. The statement says we will like managers a lot more, which is much stronger than the passage. So the statement exaggerates the idea.
Common Mistake: Students miss small words like 'just' and 'some' and choose TRUE. This is a Qualification trap and also an Extreme language trap because 'a lot more' is too strong.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'just a little bit more' = Statement: 'a lot more'
Tips: Pay close attention to soft language like 'possibly', 'some', and 'a little'. These often decide TRUE or FALSE.
Key Vocabulary:
- possibly = maybe
- just a little bit = slightly
Question Focus: Synonym match - public visibility through video and performance
Correct Answer: TRUE
Passage Reference: Charisma will be back in: all successful business chiefs will have to be storytellers and performers. Just as political leaders have long had to be dynamite on TV to stand much hope of election or survival, so too will corporate leaders.
Why this is correct: Being 'dynamite on TV' means leaders must appear and perform in public. The idea of being visible through video clearly matches the statement.
Common Mistake: Some students look for the exact words 'seen in public' and miss the meaning. This is a Paraphrase trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'dynamite on TV', 'performers' = Statement: 'seen in public'
Tips: Do not wait for the same words. Ask yourself: does this sentence mean the same thing?
Key Vocabulary:
- charisma = personal charm
- performer = someone who appears publicly
Question Focus: Direct statement with paraphrase - self-promotion
Correct Answer: TRUE
Passage Reference: They must be able to sell not only their vision of their companies but their vision of themselves. The new big boss will be expected to set an example.
Why this is correct: The passage directly says leaders must sell their vision of themselves. This clearly means the ability to sell themselves will become more important.
Common Mistake: Some students overthink and assume this is opinion. But the passage states it clearly as a future requirement. Missing this is a Paraphrase trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'sell their vision of themselves' = Statement: 'ability to sell themselves'
Tips: When the passage directly states a requirement, it is often a straightforward TRUE.
Key Vocabulary:
- vision = idea of the future
- sell = persuade
Question Focus: Missing information - physical strength
Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN
Passage Reference: The new corporate leaders will no longer be pen pushers and bean counters. Charisma will be back in: all successful business chiefs will have to be storytellers and performers. Any leaders showing signs of human frailty will be out on their ears.
Why this is correct: The passage talks about charisma, performance, and even 'human frailty', but it never mentions physical strength. Frailty here refers to weakness of character or image, not the body. The passage does not discuss physical fitness at all.
Common Mistake: Students see the word 'frailty' and think it means physical weakness. That adds meaning not stated in the text. This is a Not Given trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'human frailty' = Statement: 'physically stronger'
Tips: Do not add your own interpretation. If the passage does not clearly mention the specific idea, choose NOT GIVEN.
Key Vocabulary:
- frailty = weakness
- physically = related to the body
General Tips:
- TFNG questions follow passage order. Use the location of the last answer to find the next one faster.
- To choose between FALSE and NOT GIVEN, ask: does the passage clearly say the opposite? If not, it is NOT GIVEN.
- Watch out for extreme words like 'a lot', 'always', or 'never'. These often make statements FALSE.
- Do not bring in your own ideas or real-world knowledge. Only use what the passage says.
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