An inference question about a study tests what you can conclude from the results. Start with the words leading into the blank, then name each group and what its members reported. When the text gives several results, ask what conclusion makes sense of all of them together. Check how people entered each group, because people who chose for themselves may have differed from the start. Predict the smallest conclusion the evidence supports, since a study doesn't prove more than it tested.
Hints
- Hint 1
Start with how the employees entered each group. Did Li assign them, or did the employees choose?
- Hint 2
Compare job satisfaction and overtime together. What did the remote workers report on each measure?
- Hint 3
Connect the interviews to the satisfaction ratings. What would accepting a promotion have changed for the employees who refused one?
Step-by-step
Build the smallest supported conclusion
Step 1See how the groups formed
98 employees made the switch voluntarily, while the remaining 119 stayed on-site. The blank asks us to draw one conclusion from all their results. Did Li assign workers to each group? No, the employees chose, so the groups may have had different preferences from the start.
- Step 2
Read satisfaction beside overtime
How do satisfaction and overtime compare? Remote workers rated their job satisfaction 15 percent higher, yet reported 12 percent more overtime hours per week. More overtime didn't erase their higher overall satisfaction, but that doesn't mean extra hours had no downside. The ratings combine everything workers liked and disliked about their jobs.
- Step 3
Use the reason for refusing promotions
The interviews show that remote workers were twice as likely as the on-site workers to report turning down a promotion because accepting it would require them to return to the office. Why does that reason matter? Some workers passed up promotions to stay remote, which shows where they worked mattered enough to affect a major decision. That gives us a reason their satisfaction could be higher even with more overtime.
- Step 4
Choose a conclusion about preferences
The claim about overall productivity goes past what Li measured, and no negative impact mistakes an overall rating for proof about overtime alone. Eliminating remote work options entirely wasn't tested either. The supported conclusion is about preferences. Workers who prioritize location flexibility over shorter working hours give more weight to where they work than to limiting their hours. That fits their ratings and promotion decisions. Choice D.