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Course of Action is a common question type in Verbal Reasoning. These questions pop up either in the Logical Reasoning or English sections of various exams. They appear quite often in Banking & Insurance exams as well as Placement Aptitude papers.
Sometimes, figuring out the right course of action in the question might seem difficult. Just like in real life! But in reality these can be solved quite easily with the help of a logical mind frame. A course of action is generally asked to test the analytical decision making skills of the examinee. So, in this lesson, we will explore the avenues with which we can solve these questions.
What is Course of Action?
A course of action is a guideline or administrative step initiated to improve or solve the problem based on the information provided in the question.
Essentials to Solve a Course of Action Problem
RULE 1:
Have an unbiased and neutral mind frame. Individual perception must not be used to judge the course of action to be taken.
Example 1
Directions: In the question below are given a statement followed by two courses of action numbered I and II. A course of action is a step or administrative decision to be taken for improvement, follow-up or further action in regard to the problem, policy, etc. On the basis of the information given in the statement to be true, then decide which of the suggested courses of action logically follow(s) for pursuing.
Statement: India has been continuously experiencing military threats from its neighbouring countries.
Courses of action:
I. India should engage in an all-out war to stop the nagging threats.
II. India should get the neighbors into a serious dialogue to reduce the tension at its borders.
- Only I follows
- Only II follows
- Either I or II follows
- Neither I nor II follows
- Both follow
Ans: 2
Solution: In this case, we might personally tend to have a tit for tat attitude. If we were thinking with our own temperament, we might choose the first course of action. But in reality this would be a biased answer. War should be the last resort. First, discussion and negotiations should take place to settle the issues of dispute. So, only course II follows.
RULE 2:
The first step should be to identify the root cause of the problem. Once the problem is solved, a logical mind-set should be employed to figure out the course of action.
Example 2
Statement: The Committee has criticized the college for its failure to implement a dozen regular programmes despite an increase in the staff strength and for not drawing up a firm action plan for studies and research.
Courses of action:
I. The broad objectives of the Institute should be redefined to implement a practical action plan.
II. The Institute should give a report on reasons for not having implemented the planned programmes.
- Only I follows
- Only II follows
- Either I or II follows
- Neither I nor II follows
- Both follow
Ans: 5
Solution: Both I and II will be helpful in the given situation. Since an action plan is required to conduct future activities, it is important to have it in place. Also, even though the college has more staff now, it is unable to implement programmes. This needs to be looked into and thus the second action is important. Hence, both I and II are advisable. The correct course of action could not have been found out had the real problem not been identified. The real problem is that the college has not been able to implement regular programmes and not been able to follow an action plan.
RULE 3:
There must be no extremity involved in the course of action.
Example 3
Statement: The members belonging to two local societies occasionally fight with each other on the main highway and traffic is jammed always.
Courses of Action:
I. The local police station should immediately deploy policemen round the clock on the main highway.
II. Those involved in fighting should be identified and put behind bars.
III. The local authority should cease the management of the two societies with immediate effect.
- Only I and II
- Only I and III
- Only II and III
- All of I, II, III
- None of these
Ans: 1
Solution: Clearly only I and II follow because to stop the fighting, the police must deploy troops and the culprits must be put behind bars to deter them from causing such scenes in the future. III does not follow because ceasing the management would be a violation of people’s rights to association and we do not know if all members participate in this fighting. Following the third course of action would be extreme and thus should not be followed.
RULE 4:
A course of action must be able to solve, reduce or minimise the problem given in the information.
All the examples given above can be seen as logical courses of action to reduce or minimise the problem.
RULE 5:
The course of action can be said to solve/reduce the problem when it is an established fact, when it is logically possible and when it is known from experience.
A. Established Fact:
Example 4
Statement: The army has been alerted in the district following floods triggered by incessant rains.
Courses of Action:
I. Relief to flood affected people should be arranged.
II. Supply of food articles should be arranged.
III. Adequate medical facilities should be arranged.
- Only A follows
- Only B follows
- Only A and C follow
- None follows
- All follow
Ans: 5
Solution: Once the army has been made aware about the flood situation, the next step would be to provide the necessary relief material to the flood affected people in the form of food, medicine, clothing, shelter etc. This is an established fact and should not require any other form of reasoning to come up with the solution.
B. Logical Course of Action:
Example 5:
Statement: A speeding car has seriously injured six persons sleeping on the pathway near the road last night.
Courses of action:
I. The government should immediately put a complete ban on people sleeping on pathways.
II. The driver of the car should be caught by the police and put behind bars.
III. The injured people should be taken to the hospital with immediate effect.
- Only I follows
- Only II follows
- Only III follows
- Only II and III follow
- None of these
Ans: 4
Solution: Action I does not follow. The injury to the people was caused by rash driving. Banning people from sleeping on pathways will not make the driver any less rash and he will continue to be a danger to pedestrians and other vehicles on the road. Also, banning people from sleeping on pathways is not a practical move. There are too many pathways and there aren’t enough resources to enforce the ban. Besides, if this ban were to be put in place, this would leave already homeless people without any place to sleep. Thus, it would not be a logical course of action to follow.
II and III follow because the culprit is a danger to society. He must be punished. At the same time, it is important that the injured people be hospitalized as soon as possible, otherwise their injuries could lead to death.
C. Experience
Example 6:
Statement: A sudden cloud burst over the coastal region of city X resulted in unpredicted rainfall causing Tsunami like situation in the entire area. Large numbers of people were caught unawares and were guided to the road.
Courses of action:
I. The local administration should immediately put in place an action plan for avoiding such situations in the future.
II. The local disaster management body should immediately deploy personnel to help people to safer places.
III. The local administration should advise all the citizens not to hazard out on the road till situation improves.
- Only I follows
- Only II follows
- Only III follows
- Only II and III follow
- All of I, II, III follow
Ans: 5
Solution: II and III follow because it is mandatory at such situations to help people to safety and guide people to follow safety measurements until the situation is under control.
I is also a valid course of action. While sudden cloudbursts and the resulting flood like situations are nearly impossible to avoid, the local administration could have done more to ensure people’s safety. For example, it could have taught people what to do in an emergency situation, instead of having them gather on roads as well as have provided them with emergency shelters.
In this case, the role of the local administration is being assumed because the awareness created by the administration to help the people in an emergency arises when there has been a similar sort of incident in the past and thus the problems arising from such natural phenomenon can be avoided by learning from the experiences of the past.
