Question 91·Easy·Inferences
A recent report from the National Workplace Institute describes two companies that adopted a compressed four-day workweek. At Company A, managers recorded a 15% rise in weekly productivity and a 20% drop in energy costs. At Company B, employee surveys showed a 30% decline in reported stress and a 25% increase in job satisfaction. Both companies kept total weekly pay unchanged.
Therefore, the four-day workweek can reasonably be inferred to ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For SAT Reading & Writing inference questions that ask what "can reasonably be inferred" or "most logically completes the text," first restate in your own words what the passage clearly shows, focusing on who benefits and how. Then eliminate choices that: (1) contradict a specific detail, (2) introduce new conditions or time frames not mentioned (like "over time" or special cases), or (3) are too narrow to apply to all situations described. The correct answer will be a general statement that is fully consistent with all the given evidence but does not go beyond it.
Hints
Locate the key results for each company
Look carefully at what happened at Company A and at Company B after they moved to a four-day workweek. Ask: who is mainly benefiting in each case—employers or employees?
Pay attention to what did not change
The last sentence says something important about weekly pay. How does that detail limit what you can say about the effects of the four-day workweek?
Watch for extreme or extra claims
Check each answer for words like "only," "over time," or added conditions (such as other workplace policies) that the passage never mentions. Are those claims actually supported by the given information?
Look for a generalization that fits both companies
The inference must be true for both Company A and Company B. Which option captures a big-picture idea that is consistent with the outcomes at both companies?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the question is asking
The question asks what can reasonably be inferred from the information given. That means you must choose the statement that is strongly supported by the details in the paragraph, without adding new ideas that are not mentioned.
Summarize the evidence for each company
Identify what changed at each company after adopting a four-day workweek:
- Company A: 15% rise in weekly productivity and 20% drop in energy costs. These are benefits for the employer.
- Company B: 30% decline in reported stress and 25% increase in job satisfaction. These are benefits for the employees.
Also note: Both companies kept total weekly pay unchanged, so pay did not go down in the situations described.
Decide what kind of general statement is supported
From the details:
- The four-day workweek was good for the company in A (more output, lower costs).
- The four-day workweek was good for workers in B (less stress, more satisfaction).
- The specific benefits were not the same in the two companies.
So any correct completion should:
- Apply to both companies.
- Match the positive tone (benefits/advantages).
- Not claim anything about pay cuts or other changes that are not supported.
- Not introduce new conditions (like rising energy costs or existing flexible schedules) that the passage never mentions.
Match the supported idea to the answer choices
Now compare each choice to the evidence and your summary in Step 3:
- One choice states that the four-day workweek offers notable advantages to both employers and employees, though the specific benefits may differ. This exactly matches what we see: employer-focused gains in A, employee-focused gains in B, and different types of benefits in each company.
Therefore, the correct answer is:
A) offer notable advantages to both employers and employees, though the specific benefits may differ.