In many workplaces, the fracture doesn’t start with resignations or a sudden KPI collapse; it starts with small behavior shifts that seem ha...

In many workplaces, the fracture doesn’t start with resignations or a sudden KPI collapse; it starts with small behavior shifts that seem harmless on their own. A proactive teammate who used to offer ideas begins replying with short “sounds good” messages. Someone who once challenged assumptions starts holding back, choosing silence over debate because it feels safer than being labeled “difficult.” Meetings still happen and tasks still move, but the team gradually slips into “just-following” mode—doing what’s asked, not what’s possible—until the culture feels oddly quiet, like a room where everyone is speaking softly to avoid waking something up.

What makes this pattern hard to spot is that it can hide behind strong results on paper. People protect their metrics by working longer hours, lowering their own quality standard, or trading creativity for caution. You still get the deck on time and the Slack replies within minutes, yet the work becomes noticeably safer: fewer bold proposals, fewer clear ownership statements, and more reliance on process language—“per the template,” “per the guideline,” “already submitted the form.” Extra effort disappears first, and the organisation pays a hidden cost in slower learning, weaker collaboration, and built-up frustration that grows with every sprint.

You can also see it in how problems are handled. Instead of raising blockers early and pulling stakeholders into a hard conversation, people patch around issues and send an email that says “resolved,” because another round of explaining feels pointless. [I] Cross-team dependencies turn into a swamp of vague commitments. [II] Minor errors increase. Decisions that require courage get postponed—no one wants to spend influence on change when they’re not sure it will matter. [III] The result is a fragile kind of stability: everything looks fine until one missed deadline, one conflict, or one reorg turns the hairline damage into a visible crack. [IV]

A cooler job market can intensify this dynamic. When hiring slows and external options feel limited, people don’t leave; they freeze in place—detached but stuck. They aren’t openly angry, but cooperation becomes mechanical. They don’t demand much, but they also stop giving much. Over time, this becomes a quiet loss of output and slow damage to reputation. Reversing it requires concrete resets—clearer goals, smarter workload design, steadier expectations, and real two-way conversations early—so that small fractures are repaired before they become structural breaks.

[Adapted from https://www.cnbc.com/world/]

Question 31: Where in the passage does the following sentence best fit?

Feedback cycles slow down.

A. [I]        B. [II]        C. [III]        D. [IV]

Question 32: According to paragraph 1, which of the following is NOT mentioned as a sign of an emerging fracture in a team?

A. A previously active member starts giving very brief and passive responses.

B. Employees prefer staying silent instead of challenging assumptions during debates.

C. A sudden and significant collapse in the key performance indicators of the firm.

D. The team shifts into a mode where they only do exactly what they are asked.

Question 33: The word "proactive" in paragraph 1 is OPPOSITE in meaning to __________.

A. energetic         B. reactive         C. diligent         D. creative

Question 34: The word "it" in paragraph 2 refers to __________.

A. strong results         B. hidden cost         C. this pattern         D. paper

Question 35: Which of the following best summarises the content of paragraph 2?

A. Working longer hours is the only way for employees to avoid using process language like "per the template."

B. Organizational decline can be masked by good performance data even as creativity and collaboration diminish.

C. Slower learning and built-up frustration are the primary reasons why decks are always submitted on time.

D. High-quality standards are maintained by the organization despite the disappearance of bold proposals in sprints.

Question 36: The phrasal verb “patch around” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to __________.

A. dig into        B. work around        C. call out        D. follow through

Question 37: Based on paragraph 3, what happens when people handle problems by "patching around issues"?

A. They spend more influence on making changes because they are sure that their opinions will matter.

B. Stakeholders are pulled into hard conversations much earlier to prevent the damage from becoming visible.

C. Issues are superficially settled to avoid further explanation, creating a false sense of organizational stability.

D. Feedback cycles become faster as minor errors increase and cross-team dependencies turn into clear commitments.

Question 38: Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 1: "Someone who once challenged assumptions starts holding back, choosing silence over debate because it feels safer than being labeled 'difficult'."?

A. An employee may stop offering critiques to avoid being viewed negatively, prioritizing their own safety over open discussion.

B. Challenging assumptions is more dangerous than being labeled difficult, so silence is always the best choice for any teammate.

C. No sooner had the teammate started holding back than they were labeled difficult for choosing silence instead of open debate.

D. Unless an employee feels safe being labeled difficult, they will continue to challenge assumptions by choosing silence over debate.

Question 39: Which of the following can most likely be inferred from the passage?

A. Economic downturns and a stagnant job market are the only factors that lead to mechanical cooperation in teams.

B. Internal organizational health cannot be accurately measured by looking at meeting schedules or basic delivery metrics alone.

C. Employees who use process language like "per the guideline" are usually the ones who exhibit the most courage in decisions.

D. Visible cracks in a company only appear when employees are openly angry and start demanding higher salaries from managers.

Question 40: Which of the following best summarises the passage?

A. The most effective way to handle a cooler job market is to design smarter workloads and stop all two-way conversations early.

B. Workplace culture is primarily damaged by individuals who work longer hours to protect their metrics and follow the templates.

C. Subtle shifts in behavior can signal deep-seated cultural issues that require proactive intervention to prevent total organizational failure.

D. Fragile stability is a desirable state for modern organizations because it ensures that minor errors do not turn into visible cracks.