Which of the following, if true, most strongly suggests that the emplo

QUESTION

Which of the following, if true, most strongly suggests that the employees at Jextaposition will not give accurate answers to the questionnaire?

A) The number of completed surveys this year is different from the number of completed surveys last year.
B) The questionnaire is based on a general survey used in many industries but has been adapted by the human resources department at Jextaposition.
C) The questionnaire is given to all employees, including the CEO.
D) Full responses to the questions make it easy to identify who filled out the questionnaire.
E) Even honest answers will not guarantee that the CEO will act on the employees’ recommendations.

ANSWER

Answer: D
Explanation: D) Making the survey anonymous makes it more likely that the employees will be honest, but if the questions make it easy to figure out who said what (Choice D), then the employees might not give honest answers. Instead, they would likely say what they think management wants to hear. Choice A is too vague to make a difference. We don’t know whether the number is higher or lower. We just know that it is different. We don’t know how big the difference is. In addition, there are many possible reasons why the number of surveys could be different that have nothing to do with the honesty of the answers. The company could simply be bigger or smaller. Choices B and C make the questionnaire sound better, not worse. Choice E refers to the effects of honest recommendations, but this question is about whether the answers are reliable in the first place.