What a Four-Day Working Trial Revealed
About this practice test
An interview with Midford Accounts’ managing director about a ten-week four-day working trial, its effects on productivity and staff, its practical limits, and the changes needed to continue it.
What you’ll practice
Finding detail
Locate specific information and evidence.
Interpreting ideas
Connect main points and inferences.
Evaluating arguments
Assess claims, evidence, and limitations.
What to expect:
12 questions with explanations to review after submission.
Study the questions and tasks
Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.
- Practice level
- B2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.
- Question formats
- Single choice
How to approach this practice
Read the passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.
What a Four-Day Working Trial Revealed
Interviewer: Why did Midford Accounts begin the four-day working trial? Lena Ortiz, managing director: The idea sounded simple: everyone would keep the same pay, but the office would close on Fridays for ten weeks. We had noticed more burnout and a rise in late mistakes, especially after the winter rush. I did not want a headline-grabbing experiment, so we first trimmed long meetings, moved routine updates into email, and created two quiet hours each morning. The aim was to protect concentrated work, not to force people to hurry through every task. Interviewer: What conditions did staff have to accept? Lena Ortiz: They were told to keep their phones on for urgent client issues, while managers watched both output and morale. Many employees hoped for a better work-life balance, although some feared that five days of work would have to fit into four. The shorter week only made sense if we also changed how time was used. Interviewer: What did the results show after ten weeks? Lena Ortiz: Work completed per person rose slightly, sick days fell, and we handled the same number of invoices as before. Response time to routine questions was slower on Mondays, yet most clients were happy as long as deadlines stayed clear. So the office had not become faster in every respect; it had become more deliberate. People checked messages less often, and more tasks were finished in a single focused burst. Interviewer: Did everyone benefit equally? Lena Ortiz: No. One junior accountant said the Thursday deadline made him feel under pressure, and on some weeks he stayed later than before. Two staff members with caring duties said the extra day at home helped with school pickups and hospital visits. Another project slipped behind because it needed cross-team coordination. When people who usually solved problems in passing were no longer in the office together, small delays became harder to fix. Interviewer: What is your overall conclusion? Lena Ortiz: I was careful not to present the trial as a miracle. It worked best when tasks were measurable, customers accepted slight delays, and staff communicated clearly. Jobs needing constant coverage, such as front-line support, may not fit the same pattern at all. If managers simply expected the same output from fewer hours, the policy could become a louder form of pressure. The lesson was not that people should do more with less, but that a shorter week changes what work looks like. Interviewer: Did the company keep the arrangement? Lena Ortiz: Yes, but only after adding a rota for phone duties and watching workloads more closely. The decision came from the data as much as from the mood in the office. We learned that a shorter week can improve focus and reduce strain, but it also exposes weak planning. The trial did not answer every question, but it revealed which habits had been wasting time and which kinds of work needed a different rhythm. It also showed that the policy could not simply be copied without considering the work, the customers and the people involved.
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Question 1 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What did Midford Accounts ask staff to do for urgent client issues during the trial?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Send clients to reception instead.
- Leave all urgent messages until Monday.
- Work every Friday morning from home.
- Keep their phones on.
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Keep their phones on.
They were asked to keep their phones on, so urgent client issues could still be dealt with. The other options are not supported by the passage.
They were told to keep their phones on for urgent client issues
Send clients to reception instead.: There is no mention of clients being redirected to reception.
Leave all urgent messages until Monday.: The passage says the opposite: phones stayed on for urgent issues.
Work every Friday morning from home.: Friday was the day the office closed, not a special home-working duty for everyone.
Keep their phones on.: This is exactly what the passage says staff were told to do.
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Question 2 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Why did Lena Ortiz begin the trial?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- To copy a trend from rival firms.
- To reduce burnout and late mistakes.
- To make clients pay higher fees.
- To move the company to a bigger office.
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- To reduce burnout and late mistakes.
She had seen signs of burnout and late mistakes, so the trial was a response to workload problems. The other choices are not mentioned as reasons.
We had noticed more burnout and a rise in late mistakes, especially after the winter rush
The aim was to protect concentrated work, not to force people to hurry through every task
To copy a trend from rival firms.: No rival firms are mentioned as the reason for the trial.
To reduce burnout and late mistakes.: Yes. The manager explains this as the reason for trying the new schedule.
To make clients pay higher fees.: The passage says nothing about increasing fees.
To move the company to a bigger office.: Office relocation is never mentioned.
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Question 3 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What does the report about Monday replies suggest?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Routine questions stopped arriving on Mondays.
- All clients demanded immediate answers every day.
- Most clients accepted slower replies if deadlines were clear.
- Monday was the busiest day because the office was open longer.
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Most clients accepted slower replies if deadlines were clear.
It suggests that clients accepted slower responses when deadlines were still clear. The passage does not say service collapsed or that Monday work became faster.
Response time to routine questions was slower on Mondays, yet most clients were happy as long as deadlines stayed clear
Routine questions stopped arriving on Mondays.: The passage says there were slower replies to routine questions, so they still arrived.
All clients demanded immediate answers every day.: The passage says most clients were happy despite slower Monday replies.
Most clients accepted slower replies if deadlines were clear.: This is supported directly by the passage.
Monday was the busiest day because the office was open longer.: The office closed on Fridays, not Mondays, and longer opening hours are not mentioned.
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Question 4 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What did the two staff members with caring duties say?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- They preferred longer hours on the remaining days.
- The extra day at home helped them manage family responsibilities.
- They wanted the company to close permanently.
- The day off made them miss more meetings.
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- The extra day at home helped them manage family responsibilities.
They said the extra day at home helped them manage family responsibilities. The other options confuse their comments with other workers or with unrelated parts of the trial.
Two staff members with caring duties said the extra day at home helped with school pickups and hospital visits
They preferred longer hours on the remaining days.: That preference is not stated anywhere in the passage.
The extra day at home helped them manage family responsibilities.: Yes. The passage links the day off to school pickups and hospital visits.
They wanted the company to close permanently.: They are described as benefiting from the extra day, not as demanding a permanent closure.
The day off made them miss more meetings.: The passage says the extra day helped them, not that it caused more missed meetings.
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Question 5 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What problem did the junior accountant describe?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- He was moved to a different department.
- He stopped working later than before.
- He had to train new staff every Friday.
- He felt pressure to finish everything by Thursday.
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- He felt pressure to finish everything by Thursday.
He felt pressure to finish by Thursday and sometimes worked later. The other options do not match his experience.
the Thursday deadline made him feel under pressure
on some weeks he stayed later than before
He was moved to a different department.: No change of department is described.
He stopped working later than before.: The passage says he sometimes stayed later, not that he stopped.
He had to train new staff every Friday.: There is no mention of Friday training.
He felt pressure to finish everything by Thursday.: This matches the passage directly.
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Question 6 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Why did the company create two quiet hours each morning?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- To help staff answer more routine emails.
- To replace the Friday closure with extra meetings.
- To make mornings longer for everyone.
- To protect concentrated work after trimming meetings.
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- To protect concentrated work after trimming meetings.
The quiet hours were meant to protect uninterrupted concentration after meetings were reduced. They were not introduced to increase meetings or hide work.
The aim was to protect concentrated work, not to force people to hurry through every task
we first trimmed long meetings, moved routine updates into email, and created two quiet hours each morning
To help staff answer more routine emails.: Routine updates were moved into email, but the quiet hours were for concentration, not more email checking.
To replace the Friday closure with extra meetings.: The passage says meetings were trimmed, not increased.
To make mornings longer for everyone.: The quiet hours were about focus, not extending the day.
To protect concentrated work after trimming meetings.: Yes. This is the reason given in the passage.
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Question 7 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What was the main lesson Lena drew from the trial?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- The trial proved that less time always means higher profits.
- Workers should do more tasks with fewer breaks.
- A shorter week can work, but only if the company plans carefully.
- All companies should close for four days immediately.
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- A shorter week can work, but only if the company plans carefully.
Her conclusion was that shorter weeks can work, but only with careful planning. The other options are too absolute or go beyond the passage.
The lesson was not that people should do more with less, but that a shorter week changes what work looks like
We learned that a shorter week can improve focus and reduce strain, but it also exposes weak planning
The trial proved that less time always means higher profits.: Profit is not the main conclusion, and the results were mixed.
Workers should do more tasks with fewer breaks.: Lena rejects the idea that people should simply do more with less.
A shorter week can work, but only if the company plans carefully.: This matches the passage’s conclusion.
All companies should close for four days immediately.: The passage gives limits and warnings, not a universal rule.
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Question 8 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Why did one project slip behind?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Its budget was cut at the start of the trial.
- People were not in the office together to solve problems in passing.
- The project was postponed because clients complained.
- The team lost access to client files.
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- People were not in the office together to solve problems in passing.
The project slowed because it needed people from different teams to be available together, and that was harder in the new schedule. The other options are not supported.
Another project slipped behind because it needed cross-team coordination
When people who usually solved problems in passing were no longer in the office together, small delays became harder to fix
Its budget was cut at the start of the trial.: No budget cut is mentioned.
People were not in the office together to solve problems in passing.: This is the reason given in the passage.
The project was postponed because clients complained.: Client complaints are not given as the cause.
The team lost access to client files.: Access to files is never discussed.
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Question 9 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What happened to sick days during the trial?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- They were not recorded.
- They fell.
- They rose slightly.
- They stayed the same.
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- They fell.
Sick days went down. The passage states this clearly and does not suggest the opposite or any uncertainty.
Work completed per person rose slightly, sick days fell, and we handled the same number of invoices as before
They were not recorded.: The passage gives a clear result, so this is wrong.
They fell.: Yes. This is stated directly in the results section.
They rose slightly.: The passage says work per person rose slightly, but sick days fell.
They stayed the same.: The passage says they fell, not that they stayed unchanged.
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Question 10 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What did Lena say about jobs needing constant coverage?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- The four-day week may not fit them.
- They need no staff communication at all.
- They should all use the same schedule as Midford.
- They are easier to organise than office jobs.
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- The four-day week may not fit them.
She warned that the four-day week may not suit those jobs. The passage does not say they are impossible everywhere, only that the model may not fit them.
Jobs needing constant coverage, such as front-line support, may not fit the same pattern at all
The four-day week may not fit them.: Yes. This is Lena’s warning about jobs that need constant coverage.
They need no staff communication at all.: The opposite is implied; communication remains important.
They should all use the same schedule as Midford.: Lena specifically warns that the pattern may not fit those jobs.
They are easier to organise than office jobs.: The passage gives no such comparison.
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Question 11 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What did Lena mean by saying the trial was 'not a miracle'?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- It was a trick to avoid paying staff.
- It showed the company had no useful data.
- It proved that every business can work four days a week.
- It helped, but it did not solve every problem by itself.
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- It helped, but it did not solve every problem by itself.
She meant the trial helped, but it could not solve every problem on its own. The phrase rejects the idea of an effortless cure.
I was careful not to present the trial as a miracle
The trial did not answer every question, but it revealed which habits had been wasting time and which kinds of work needed a different rhythm
It was a trick to avoid paying staff.: There is no suggestion of deception about pay.
It showed the company had no useful data.: The passage says the decision came from the data as much as from the mood.
It proved that every business can work four days a week.: Lena gives limits and warnings, not a universal claim.
It helped, but it did not solve every problem by itself.: This is the intended meaning of her comment.
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Question 12 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What did Midford Accounts do before deciding to keep the four-day week?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- It hired a completely new management team.
- It added a rota for phone duties and watched workloads more closely.
- It reopened on Fridays without changes.
- It cut pay for everyone.
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- It added a rota for phone duties and watched workloads more closely.
The company added a rota for phone duties and monitored workloads more closely. Those steps were part of the adjustment that made the policy workable.
Yes, but only after adding a rota for phone duties and watching workloads more closely
It hired a completely new management team.: No new management team is mentioned.
It added a rota for phone duties and watched workloads more closely.: Yes. These were the adjustments made before keeping the new schedule.
It reopened on Fridays without changes.: The passage says the company kept the four-day week, not that it returned to five days.
It cut pay for everyone.: The passage says pay stayed the same.
What to review next
Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.
A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.
Before you practise: a worked example
Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.
The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?
The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.
This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.