Types of training in business

Question 15

hours

Where: Passage 2, paragraph 2
Sentence in the passage: For example, in a consulting business, technical training might be used so the consultant knows how to operate the system to input the number of hours that should be charged to a client.
Why: A consultant needs a system to enter the number of hours charged to a client, so the table's 'record of the ___ worked' is hours. This is technical training, and the passage words it as the number of hours that should be charged. Do not confuse it with 'client', which is who pays, not what is recorded.

Question 16

orders

Where: Passage 2, paragraph 2
Sentence in the passage: In a restaurant, the server might need to be trained on how to process customers' orders using a tablet.
Why: For restaurants, the example is a server using a tablet to process what customers have asked for. The table's 'computerised ___' is orders. The tablet is the technology, and 'customers' orders' is the thing being handled; 'customers' alone would not match the idea of dealing with something computerised.

Question 17

marketing

Where: Passage 2, paragraph 3
Sentence in the passage: This type of training can result in cost savings in production as well as provide an edge in the marketing of the product.
Why: Quality training helps companies save money in production and also gives the product a better position when selling it. The table links lower costs to a more effective ___, which is marketing. 'Production' appears in the same sentence but is already used in the table's cost wording.

Question 18

phone

Where: Passage 2, paragraph 4
Sentence in the passage: For example, an administrative assistant might be trained in how to answer the phone, while a salesperson might be trained in assessment of customer needs and on how to offer the customer the necessary information to make a buying decision.
Why: Skills training for an administrative assistant is about answering calls, so the missing word is phone. The text says such a person 'might be trained in how to answer the phone'. A wrong guess like 'telephone' would not appear in the passage, and the instruction asks for a word from the text.

Question 19

needs

Where: Passage 2, paragraph 4
Sentence in the passage: For example, an administrative assistant might be trained in how to answer the phone, while a salesperson might be trained in assessment of customer needs and on how to offer the customer the necessary information to make a buying decision.
Why: A salesperson learns to judge what customers want and then give them information so they can decide to buy. In the table, 'evaluating the ___ of clients' maps to assessment of customer needs, so needs is correct. 'Information' is also in the sentence but is what the salesperson gives, not what is assessed.

Question 20

price

Where: Passage 2, paragraph 4
Sentence in the passage: A cashier needs to know not only the technology to ring something up on the till, but what to do if something has been given the wrong price.
Why: A cashier must handle a problem when an item has been given the wrong cost on the till. The table says 'an incorrect ___', so the word needed is price. Technology is mentioned in the same sentence but the table already covers that with 'using a cash till'.

Question 21

listening

Where: Passage 2, paragraph 5
Sentence in the passage: Executives say there is an increasing need for people who have not only the technical skills to do a job but also the necessary soft skills, such as being good at different types of communication, including listening to colleagues and customers.
Why: Soft skills include good communication, and the passage gives an example straight after: listening to colleagues and customers. The table asks for an example of such skills, so the answer is listening. Other soft skills in the text, like motivating others or establishing rapport, are not types of communication named in that phrase.

Question 22

opinions

Where: Passage 2, paragraph 2
Sentence in the passage: But before you do this you should get as many opinions as possible from friends, family, colleagues, or any industry specialists you have access to.
Why: At the idea stage you are told to gather views from friends, family, colleagues or industry specialists. The chart's 'ask for different people's ___' matches 'get as many opinions as possible', so opinions is right. The word 'feedback' appears only later, about customers in the next stage, so it belongs elsewhere.

Question 23

mistakes

Where: Passage 2, paragraph 3
Sentence in the passage: Many believe this is the riskiest stage of the entire lifecycle, since mistakes made then can have an impact many years later.
Why: The startup stage is described as the riskiest, because errors made now can have an effect years later. That is the chart's warning about the future success of the business. The one-word answer is mistakes, taken directly from the text.

Question 24

confused

Where: Passage 2, paragraph 3
Sentence in the passage: It can even get to the point where you are making so many changes to it that you start to feel a bit confused about what you're doing.
Why: Constant changes to your product can leave you unsure about what you are doing, but the text says the feeling soon goes. The chart uses 'don't worry if you are ___ by all the changes', so the missing word is confused. 'Worry' cannot be used because it is not the feeling the text names.

Question 25

recruitment

Where: Passage 2, paragraph 4
Sentence in the passage: Employing the right people is essential, so you need to take a major part in recruitment.
Why: When the business is established, choosing staff matters most, and the owner is told to take a major part in recruitment. The chart reworks this as being personally involved with something, and then building a team with clear goals. The answer is recruitment, not 'team', which is the next idea.

Question 26

quality

Where: Passage 2, paragraph 5
Sentence in the passage: However, you need to be aware of the risks of expanding too carelessly, and should keep an eye on how far expansion might affect the quality of what you provide to your existing customers.
Why: In the expansion stage, growing too carelessly is dangerous, and you should watch whether it harms what you provide to existing customers. Careful planning protects this, so the answer is quality. The profits are rising here, but the warning is about quality, not profits.

Question 27

leader

Where: Passage 2, paragraph 6
Sentence in the passage: Many companies in this situation bring in a new leader at this stage, to face the new challenges.
Why: Maturity brings new challenges. Many firms respond by appointing someone new to run things, while some owners prefer to sell up. The chart's 'a different ___' therefore means leader. Sell and company are tempting words from nearby, but they do not fit the gap.

Types of training in business · The small business lifecycle: reading answers

The small business lifecycle

Questions 15–27

Answers explained

Question 15

Question 16

Question 17

Question 18

Question 19

Question 20

Question 21

Question 22

Question 23

Question 24

Question 25

Question 26

Question 27