LSAT Explanation PT 36, S1, Q5: Company policy: An employee of our

LSAT Question Stem

Which one of the following employee behaviors most clearly violates the company policy cited above? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Misc question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is A. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

Let's first analyze the passage. The company policy states that an employee must be impartial, especially when dealing with family members. This impartiality should be maintained in all aspects of the job, including hiring and firing practices and the quality of service provided to customers. In simpler terms, the company wants its employees to treat family members fairly and without bias in all job-related matters.

Now, let's identify the question type and what it's asking us to do. This is a "Misc" question type, and we need to determine which of the following employee behaviors most clearly violates the company policy mentioned in the passage.

Let's go through each answer choice:

a) Refusing to hire any of one's five siblings, even though they are each more qualified than any other applicant.

This answer choice clearly violates the company policy because the employee is not being impartial when dealing with their family members. By refusing to hire their siblings despite them being more qualified than other applicants, the employee is showing bias against their family members, which goes against the policy.

b) Receiving over a hundred complaints about the service one's office provides and sending a complimentary product to all those who complain, including one's mother.

This answer choice does not violate the company policy because the employee treats their mother the same as all other customers who complain. By sending a complimentary product to everyone, including their mother, the employee is being impartial in their response to customer complaints.

c) Never firing a family member, even though three of one's siblings work under one's supervision and authority.

This answer choice does not necessarily violate the company policy because we don't have enough information about the siblings' work performance. If the siblings are performing well, there is no reason to fire them, and the employee is being impartial in their treatment of family members.

d) Repeatedly refusing to advance an employee, claiming that he has sometimes skipped work and that his work has been sloppy, even though no such instances have occurred for over two years.

This answer choice does not clearly violate the company policy as it doesn't mention family members. While the employee's behavior may be unfair or unreasonable, there is no indication that the issue is related to bias or preferential treatment towards family members.

e) Promoting a family member over another employee in the company.

This answer choice does not necessarily violate the company policy because we don't have enough information about the family member's performance compared to the other employee. It's possible that the family member was promoted fairly based on their qualifications and performance.

Based on the analysis of each answer choice, the correct answer is A, as it most clearly violates the company policy by showing bias against family members in hiring decisions.