Read the following passage and answer the questions based on it.

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 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

Read the following passage and answer the questions based on it.

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 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

The question asks who is likely to take more time to do work, based on the provided passage.

**Justification for Option 1: An elderly person**

The passage provides a specific and detailed example to illustrate the principle that "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." This example is: "Thus, an elderly lady at leisure can spend the entire day writing a postcard to her niece." The passage then meticulously details how this elderly lady spends hours on various small tasks related to writing the postcard, ultimately taking "an entire day" for something that would occupy a busy man for "three minutes." Therefore, the passage directly attributes the behavior of taking a significantly longer time to complete a task to an "elderly lady," making "An elderly person" the most accurate answer based on the explicit example provided.

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

*   **Option 2: A busy man:** The passage explicitly states the opposite: "The total effort that would occupy a busy man for three minutes..." This clearly indicates that a busy man takes *less* time, not more, to complete work.
*   **Option 3: A man of leisure:** While the example given is an "elderly lady *at leisure*," the specific characteristic highlighted in the detailed example of taking a long time is "elderly." The passage uses "elderly lady" as the subject of the extended time-taking. While leisure is a contributing factor, the direct and detailed illustration of time expansion is tied to the "elderly lady." Therefore, "An elderly person" is a more direct and specific reference to the individual described in the primary example of taking more time.
*   **Option 4: An exhausted person:** The passage states that the person who takes a long time (the elderly lady) "may in this fashion leave another person completely exhausted after a day of doubt, anxiety and toil." This implies that exhaustion is a *result* of taking a long time and the associated anxiety, rather than the primary *cause* of taking more time in the context of the passage's main illustration. The passage does not suggest that an already exhausted person is the one who takes more time; rather, the process of taking excessive time leads to exhaustion.