Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow by selecting the most appropriate option.

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. The general recognition of this fact is shown in the proverbial phrase, “It is the busiest man who has time to spare”. Thus, an elderly lady at leisure can spend the entire day writing a postcard to her niece. An hour will be spent in finding the postcard, another hunting for spectacles, half an hour to search for the address, an hour and a quarter in composition and twenty minutes in deciding whether or not to take an umbrella when going to the $\underline{pillar-box}$ in the street. The total effort that would occupy a busy man for three minutes, all told, may in this fashion leave another person completely exhausted after a day of doubt, anxiety and toil.

Who is the person likely to take more time to do work?

Question

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow by selecting the most appropriate option.

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. The general recognition of this fact is shown in the proverbial phrase, “It is the busiest man who has time to spare”. Thus, an elderly lady at leisure can spend the entire day writing a postcard to her niece. An hour will be spent in finding the postcard, another hunting for spectacles, half an hour to search for the address, an hour and a quarter in composition and twenty minutes in deciding whether or not to take an umbrella when going to the $\underline{pillar-box}$ in the street. The total effort that would occupy a busy man for three minutes, all told, may in this fashion leave another person completely exhausted after a day of doubt, anxiety and toil.

Who is the person likely to take more time to do work?

Accepted Answer

Here's a detailed explanation for the given question:

**Justification for Option 3 (A man of leisure) being correct:**

The passage explicitly states the principle: "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." This means that if a person has a lot of time available, the work will take longer to complete. The passage then provides a clear example to illustrate this: "Thus, an elderly lady at leisure can spend the entire day writing a postcard to her niece." The phrase "at leisure" directly indicates someone who has ample free time, or a "man of leisure." The detailed breakdown of how she spends an entire day on a simple task that a busy man would do in three minutes perfectly demonstrates that a person with leisure is likely to take more time to do work because the work expands to fill their available time.

**Explanation for why other options are incorrect:**

1.  **A busy man:** The passage directly contradicts this. It states, "It is the busiest man who has time to spare," implying efficiency. Furthermore, it explicitly says, "The total effort that would occupy a busy man for three minutes..." This shows that a busy man takes *less* time, not more.
2.  **An elderly person:** While the example used in the passage is an "elderly lady," the crucial factor highlighted by the passage for taking more time is her state of being "at leisure," not her age. The core principle is about the *time available*, not the age of the person. If an elderly person were busy, they would likely complete tasks more quickly, as per the passage's logic. Therefore, "an elderly person" is too general and doesn't capture the specific reason (leisure/available time) for taking more time as explained in the passage.
3.  **An exhausted person:** The passage mentions that the prolonged effort "may in this fashion leave another person completely exhausted after a day of doubt, anxiety and toil." This describes the *result* or *consequence* of taking a long time, not the initial condition or reason for the work expanding to fill the time. The passage's primary argument for taking more time is having available time (leisure), not being exhausted. An exhausted person might take longer due to fatigue, but the passage doesn't present this as the mechanism for work expansion.