Summarize Argument
A ranking system that evaluates workers based on their performance relative to a group of workers is unfair. It penalizes workers in strong groups by judging them against the company’s top performers instead of all its employees. Additionally, the system relies on managers’ subjective judgments, leading to biased ratings based on managers’ favorites rather than the workers’ actual performance.
Identify Conclusion
A system that ranks workers based on their performance relative to their work group “is unfair to workers.”
A
Some companies require their managers to give unique rankings to the workers they supervise.
This sentence provides context by setting the stage for the argument in the stimulus. It introduces the idea of ranking workers, a practice some companies use, which the stimulus ultimately argues against.
B
Under the ranking system, the top 10 percent of the workers in each group are rewarded and the bottom 10 percent are penalized or fired.
This sentence provides context by explaining how the ranking system works. This explanation offers the background needed to understand the author’s argument that the ranking system is unfair to workers.
C
The ranking system is not a fair way to determine penalties or rewards for workers.
This answer choice accurately summarizes the argument’s main conclusion. The stimulus states that the ranking system is “not a fair way to determine” workers’ rewards and penalties, which directly restates the conclusion that the system is “unfair to workers.”
D
Workers in exceptionally strong work groups are unfairly penalized under the ranking system.
This states the argument’s first premise. The stimulus argues that the ranking system is unfair because it judges some workers more harshly than others. For instance, workers in a strong group are held to a higher standard than those compared to a group of weaker performers.
E
Managers often give the highest rankings to workers who share the manager’s outside interests.
This answer addresses the argument’s second premise. The stimulus argues that the ranking system is unfair because it is subjective, allowing managers to favor employees who share their interests instead of evaluating based on relevant criteria like work ethic or contribution.