A Workaholic Economy: reading answers and analysis
Productivity has doubled since 1945, but full-time Americans work as long as ever. Employers find overtime cheaper than hiring, because salaries and benefits don't rise with hours. Workers fear that working fewer hours signals low commitment, while managers judge output by hours. Yet part-timers are often more productive, and US goods now assume high incomes and long hours.
Questions 27-38 · 12 marks · 3 question blocks
Where the answers sit
YES / NO / NOT GIVEN (27-32) covers the whole passage. The multiple choice (33-34) covers Bailyn's and Schor's comments near the end. The choose-FOUR (35-38) needs the middle paragraphs.
Questions 27-32
Hours have gone up since 1970 (NO to 'reduction'), and the recovery was 'jobless' (NO). Real wages have stagnated since 1970 (YES), and part-timers make better use of their time (YES). Consulting social planners and whether leisure would help two-career households aren't discussed.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | NO | — |
| 28 | NOT GIVEN | — |
| 29 | YES | — |
| 30 | NO | — |
| 31 | YES | — |
| 32 | NOT GIVEN | — |
Questions 33-34
Bailyn says extra staff can cover when crises take people away. Schor says goods are now built for high incomes (no cheap cars or small homes), so workers who earn less couldn't afford them.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | C | — |
| 34 | A | — |
Questions 35-38
The four causes are overtime offered to existing staff, benefits not linked to hours, reduced hours read as low commitment, and managers measuring output by hours. Stress manuals are a symptom, not a cause, and 'joblessness' and 'career over family' twist the text.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 35-38 | B and D and F and G(in either order) | — |
The questions most people get wrong
NO. The recovery is notorious for being 'jobless', with production rising almost entirely without new employment.
A. Carmakers no longer make cheap models and builders don't build small bungalows, so people on lower incomes couldn't afford cars or homes.
C tempts, but the text says production has been decoupled from employment. It hasn't caused joblessness, and it isn't a reason people work longer.
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 1 Test 3 reading paper: all three passages, 60 minutes, marked the second you finish with a review of every answer. Already done it? Take it again and see if the same traps still get you.
Cambridge IELTS 1, Test 3, Reading Passage 3. The passage name belongs to Cambridge University Press. No passage text or question wording is reproduced on this page. The answers are published for self-marking, and the analysis is our own.