The rewards can be monetary, in the form of pay for performance, say, or reputational, in the form of college rankings, hospital ratings, surgical report cards and so on. But the most dramatic negative effect of metric fixation is its propensity to incentivise gaming: that is, encouraging professionals to maximise the metrics in ways that are at odds with the larger purpose of the organisation. If the rate of major crimes in a district becomes the metric according to which police officers are promoted, then some officers will respond by simply not recording crimes or downgrading them from major offences to misdemeanours. Or take the case of surgeons. When the metrics of success and failure are made public – affecting their reputation and income – some surgeons will improve their metric scores by refusing to operate on patients with more complex problems, whose surgical outcomes are more likely to be negative. Who suffers? The patients who don’t get operated upon.
When reward is tied to measured performance, metric fixation invites just this sort of gaming. But metric fixation also leads to a variety of more subtle unintended negative consequences. These include goal displacement, which comes in many varieties: when performance is judged by a few measures, and the stakes are high (keeping one’s job, getting a pay rise or raising the stock price at the time that stock options are vested), people focus on satisfying those measures – often at the expense of other, more important organisational goals that are not measured. The best-known example is ‘teaching to the test’, a widespread phenomenon that has distorted primary and secondary education in the United States since the adoption of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Short-termism is another negative. Measured performance encourages what the US sociologist Robert K Merton in 1936 called ‘the imperious immediacy of interests … where the actor’s paramount concern with the foreseen immediate consequences excludes consideration of further or other consequences’. In short, advancing short-term goals at the expense of long-range considerations. This problem is endemic to publicly traded corporations that sacrifice long-term research and development, and the development of their staff, to the perceived imperatives of the quarterly report.
To the debit side of the ledger must also be added the transactional costs of metrics: the expenditure of employee time by those tasked with compiling and processing the metrics in the first place – not to mention the time required to actually read them. . . .
What main point does the author want to convey through the examples of the police officer and the surgeon?
- Some professionals are likely to be significantly influenced by the design of performance measurement systems.
- Metrics-linked rewards may encourage unethical behaviour among some professionals.
- The actions of police officers and surgeons have a significantly impact on society.
- Critical public roles should not be evaluated on metrics-based performance measures.
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
The correct answer is (A):
The author has cited examples of the police officer and the surgeon to highlight the undesirable practices that might result from metric fixation. Option 1 goes out because it has a positive tone to it. To significantly influence something means to have a positive impact on something. Option 1 goes out.
Option 2 makes sense as metrics-linked rewards may result in unethical behavior in undesirable practices. Option 3, like option 1, talks about significant impact, which is not the reason for discussing the actions of these two professions. Choice 4 takes the focus away from ‘any role’ to ‘critical public roles’. The author does not have only critical public roles in mind. He is talking about roles in general.
Which of the following is NOT a consequence of the 'metric fixation' phenomenon mentioned in the passage?
- Improving cooperation among employees leading to increased organisational effectiveness in the long run.
- Short-term orientation induced by frequent measurement of performance.
- Finding a way to show better results without actually improving performance.
- Deviating from organisationally important objectives to measurable yet less important objectives.
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
The correct answer is (A):
This is a very simple question. The author talks about the flaws of metric-based rewards. One of the major flaws that the author discusses in the passage is loss of long-term objectives, and focus on short-term gains. Option 2 is one of the consequences that the author discusses in the passage. By discussing the example of a doctor and a policeman, the author points out at the ways people might improve metrics without actually improving their performance. Option 4 too, like option 2, suggests moving away from the more important long-term goals of the organization. The long - term improvement in choice 1 is opposite to what the author says in the passage. This is an exception and the right choice.
Of the following, which would have added the least depth to the author’s argument?
- An analysis of the reasons why metrics fixation is becoming popular despite its drawbacks.
- More real-life illustrations of the consequences of employees and professionals gaming metrics-based performance measurement systems.
- A comparative case study of metrics- and non-metrics-based evaluation, and its impact on the main goals of an organisation.
- Assessment of the pros and cons of a professional judgment-based evaluation system.
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
The correct answer is (B):
This is a difficult question. We have to understand the question, what is already given in the passage, and what, when added, would give more substance to the author’s argument.
The question wants to pick a choice that would add ‘least’ depth to the author’s argument. So the options that are likely to add depth will go out.
The reason why option 2 becomes the right choice right away is because the author has already discussed the negative consequences of gaming metrics-based performance by taking real-life illustrations of a doctor and a policeman. It would be superfluous for the author to discuss more examples. Option 1 is not discussed in the passage, and is likely to shed more light on why metric fixation is becoming popular despite its drawbacks. The comparative study mentioned in option 3 too is not discussed in the passage and will add some more substance to the author’s argument. Option 4 also has not been discussed in the passage. The author has said that a professional judgement-based evaluation is good, but why is not discussed. So the pros and cons will indeed shed more light on this.
All of the following can be a possible feature of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, EXCEPT:
- standardised test scores can be critical in determining a student’s educational future.
- the focus is more on test-taking skills than on higher order thinking and problem-solving.
- school funding and sanctions are tied to yearly improvement shown on tests.
- assessment is dependent on the teacher's subjective evaluation of students' class participation.
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
The correct answer is (D):
This too is a little tricky question, as it focuses on the ‘except’ part of the right choice. We have to pick an option that cannot be a feature of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is an example of how metric based performance might take the organization’s focus away from the more important organizational goals, the act will have features that are in tune with metric based performance criteria.
Option 1: test score is a metric based criterion. Since the option says that it is critical, it is likely to be a possible feature (ignore the choices that are pro metric based performance)
Option 2: the focus is more on test-taking skills (again we have metric based criteria)
Option 3: funding is based on improvement shown in tests (again we have metric based criteria)
Option 4: subjective evaluation is non-metric based criteria. Thus option 4 is the best choice.
What is the main idea that the author is trying to highlight in the passage?
- All kinds of organisations are now relying on metrics to measure performance and to give rewards and punishments.
- Long-term organisational goals should not be ignored for short-term measures of organisational success.
- Performance measurement needs to be precise and cost-effective to be useful for evaluating organisational performance.
- Evaluating performance by using measurable performance metrics may misguide organisational goal achievement.
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
The correct answer is (D):
To answer this question, we will take one option at a time
Option 1: all kinds of organization is not the focus. The drawbacks of metric fixation is the main idea of the passage.
Option 2: This option completely ignores the drawbacks of metric-based performance evaluation. It rather compares the long term organizational goals vis a vis short-term measures of organizational success.
Option 3: The idea of cost-effectiveness is not there in the passage.
Option 4: Precisely what the author is discussing in the passage. It has the keyword metric based performance with its negative outcome, which is what the author is primarily concerned with in the passage.
Top Questions on Reading Comprehension
Passage: Toru Dutt is considered the earliest Indian female writer in English. She travelled extensively in Europe from a young age with her family. She and her sister Aru became fascinated with Paris and French literature. In London, they came in contact with such august personages such as Sir Bartle Frere, the Gover- nor of Bombay from 1862 to 1867, and Sir Edward Ryan, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Calcutta, from 1837 to 1843. Toru Dutt was greatly influenced in her writings by French Romantic poets like Victor Hugo and English writers like Elizabeth Browning, John Keats, Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen. She was also intrigued by the legends and myths of India, and even learned Sanskrit. Her writings were marked by romantic melancholia and an obsession and preoccupation with death. This was partly due to her suffering and pain following the early tragic deaths of her siblings, especially her older sister Aru, with whom she was quite close. Her chosen subjects often portrayed separation, loneliness, captivity, dejec- tion, declining seasons and untimely death. She led an ”Ivory Tower existence” and her own death came quite early, at the age of 21, in the full bloom of her talent and on the eve of the awakening of her genius. Toru Dutt’s most famous work is A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields, an anthology of poems translated from French to English. It also contained a few original poems that showcase her vast insight into French literature. She used to publish poems in the Bengal Magazine, under the pseudonym ”TD”. But most of her powerful work was published posthumously, in- cluding the French novel Le Journal de Mademoiselle D’Arvers and the unfinished English novel Bianca, or, the Young Spanish Maiden. Her work Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan depicts a shrewd knowledge of Hindu mythology and an instinctive empathy with the conditions of life they represent. An assimilation of the Occident and the Orient nourished Toru’s poetic skills; in her, we find a tripartite influence of a French education, lectures at Cambridge and the study of Sanskrit literature.
- NPAT - 2025
- Verbal Reasoning
- Reading Comprehension
“Why do they pull down and do away with crooked streets, I wonder, which are my delight, and hurt no man living? Every day the wealthier nations are pulling down one or another in their capitals and their great towns: they do not know why they do it; neither do I. It ought to be enough, surely, to drive the great broad ways which commerce needs and which are the life-channels of a modern city, without destroying all history and all the humanity in between: the islands of the past.”
(From Hilaire Belloc’s “The Crooked Streets”)
Based only on the information provided in the above passage, which one of the following statements is true?- GATE PH - 2025
- General Aptitude
- Reading Comprehension
“Why do they pull down and do away with crooked streets, I wonder, which are my delight, and hurt no man living? Every day the wealthier nations are pulling down one or another in their capitals and their great towns: they do not know why they do it; neither do I. It ought to be enough, surely, to drive the great broad ways which commerce needs and which are the life-channels of a modern city, without destroying all history and all the humanity in between: the islands of the past.” (From Hilaire Belloc’s “The Crooked Streets”)
Based only on the information provided in the above passage, which one of the following statements is true?
- GATE CE - 2025
- General Aptitude
- Reading Comprehension
- “His life was divided between the books, his friends, and long walks. A solitary man, he worked at all hours without much method, and probably courted his fatal illness in this way. To his own name there is not much to show; but such was his liberality that he was continually helping others, and fruits of his erudition are widely scattered, and have gone to increase many a comparative stranger’s reputation.”
(From E.V. Lucas’s “A Funeral”)
Based only on the information provided in the above passage, which one of the following statements is true?- GATE CE - 2025
- General Aptitude
- Reading Comprehension
- Read the excerpt from a Handicrafts Manual: ‘Advanced Knitting Techniques’ and answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate answer.
THE FAIR ISLE METHOD: Fair Isle knitting is a traditional technique that involves using two or more colours of yarn in a single row to create intricate patterns and designs. This method requires careful tension management to ensure even stitches and prevent puckering. To begin, select your colours and cast on the desired number of stitches. As you knit, alternate between colours every few stitches, carrying the unused yarn along the back of the work. Mastering the Fair Isle technique allows you to create stunning visual effects in garments, accessories, and home textiles.
THE CONTINENTAL STYLE: The Continental knitting style, often referred to as “picking,” involves holding the yarn in the left hand while the right hand manipulates the needles. This method allows for greater speed and efficiency, particularly when working with complex patterns or multiple colours. To practice this style, start by casting on your stitches and using your left hand to tension the yarn. With each stitch, simply “pick” the yarn with your right needle, forming a quick and fluid motion. As you become comfortable with this technique, you may find that your overall knitting speed and comfort improve significantly.
THE SHORT-ROW TECHNIQUE: Short-row knitting is an advanced technique that allows for the creation of shaped garments, such as sleeves and shoulders, without the need for complex shaping. To make a sleeve using this technique, begin by casting on the required number of stitches. Work a portion of the row, then turn your work and return without completing the full row to create the “short rows” that shape the curves of the sleeve. To prevent holes at the turn, wrap the stitch before you turn your work. Repeat this process as needed to achieve the desired shaping and dimension of the sleeve. Once you have shaped the sleeve, you can then sew the side seams to connect the pieces of your garment and finally, complete the edges to ensure a clean finish. This method not only helps shape curves but also adds dimension to your piece, allowing you to enhance fit and style.- AILET BALLB (Hons.) - 2025
- English
- Reading Comprehension
Questions Asked in CAT exam
- A certain amount of water was poured into a 300 litre container and the remaining portion of the container was filled with milk. Then an amount of this solution was taken out from the container which was twice the volume of water that was earlier poured into it, and water was poured to refill the container again. If the resulting solution contains 72% milk, then the amount of water, in litres, that was initially poured into the container was
- CAT - 2024
- Mixtures and Allegations
- If x and y satisfy the equations |x| + x + y = 15 and x + |y| − y = 20, then (x − y) equals
- CAT - 2024
- Algebra
- For any natural Number 'n', let an be the largest number not exceeding \(\sqrt{n}\) , then a1 + a2 + a3... +a50 =
- CAT - 2024
- Number Systems
- The number of all positive integers up to 500 with non-repeating digits is
- CAT - 2024
- Number Systems
- The sum of all real values of $k$ for which $(\frac{1}{8})^k \times (\frac{1}{32768})^{\frac{4}{3}} = \frac{1}{8} \times (\frac{1}{32768})^{\frac{k}{3}}$ is
- CAT - 2024
- Logarithms