CELPIP Reading Part 3 · Reading for Information · set 6 of 10

The Four-Day Work Week

A CELPIP Reading Part 3 practice set (Reading for Information): the full text, 9 questions and the answer key with an explanation for each answer. No sign-up needed. For real practice, answer every question before you look at the key.

The task

LESS TIME, SAME RESULTS? THE FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK A. The idea of working four days instead of five has moved from the fringes of workplace debate into the mainstream. In its most common form, employees work about thirty-two hours a week for the same pay they previously received for forty, on the understanding that they will maintain their usual output. This is different from a compressed schedule, in which staff squeeze forty hours into four longer days. Interest grew sharply after the pandemic, when many people began to rethink how much of their lives they wanted to spend at work and how much of a typical workday was truly productive. Small trials in several countries, including Canada, have helped to move the conversation from theory to practice. Supporters argue that the five-day week itself was once a new idea, adopted in the twentieth century after years of campaigning. B. Organizations that have tried the shorter week often report encouraging results. Employees describe feeling less stressed and more rested, and some managers say that staff take fewer sick days. Because the time available is limited, teams tend to cut unnecessary meetings and focus on the tasks that matter most. Several employers have also found the four-day week to be a powerful recruiting tool, helping them attract skilled workers in competitive fields without raising salaries, and to keep experienced staff who might otherwise have left. Some report that productivity stayed the same or even improved, although results vary from one organization to another. C. However, the model does not suit every workplace. Businesses that must serve customers every day, such as hospitals, retail stores and restaurants, cannot simply close on Fridays. They need to arrange staggered schedules so that some employees take Monday off while others take Friday, which can complicate planning and communication. Critics also point out that some workers end up trying to fit five days of work into four, leading to longer, more intense days and the very burnout that the change was meant to prevent. Managers may also worry about how to handle urgent requests that arrive on a day when key staff are away. D. For organizations considering the switch, experts recommend starting with a trial period of several months and setting clear measures of success before it begins. Managers should decide in advance how they will track productivity, customer satisfaction and employee well-being, so that the decision to continue is based on evidence rather than impressions. It also helps to tell clients early about any change in availability, so that they are not surprised. A trial that ends without a clear answer can still be useful, since it often reveals which tasks were taking up time without adding much value. Experts also suggest reviewing the results with staff halfway through so that problems can be fixed before the trial ends.

Read the following passage.
Decide which paragraph, A to D, has the information given in each statement below. Select E if the information is not given in any of the paragraphs.

Questions: 9
Time: 10 minutes
Practice set: 6 of 10

Questions and answer key

For each statement, choose the paragraph (A to D) that has the information, or E if no paragraph gives it.

1A shorter week can help companies hire talented people without offering more money.
Answer: Paragraph B
Paragraph B says employers found it "a powerful recruiting tool, helping them attract skilled workers in competitive fields without raising salaries." Paragraph A mentions pay staying the same, but not recruitment.
2Businesses that open every day may need to give employees different days off.
Answer: Paragraph C
Paragraph C explains they "need to arrange staggered schedules so that some employees take Monday off while others take Friday." Paragraph D mentions client availability, not staff days off.
3Employers should decide how to judge the results before an experiment starts.
Answer: Paragraph D
Paragraph D advises "setting clear measures of success before it begins." Paragraph B reports results of past trials but gives no advice on measuring them.
4Fitting the same total hours into fewer days is not what most people mean by a four-day week.
Answer: Paragraph A
Paragraph A states "This is different from a compressed schedule, in which staff squeeze forty hours into four longer days." Paragraph C mentions fitting five days of work into four, but as a problem, not a definition.
5Some employees may find their working days become more pressured under the new system.
Answer: Paragraph C
Paragraph C notes workers may end up with "longer, more intense days and the very burnout that the change was meant to prevent." Paragraph B says employees feel "less stressed," the opposite claim.
6Employees in trials said they mainly spent their extra day with their families.
Answer: E (not given in any paragraph)
Paragraph B reports that employees feel "less stressed and more rested," but no paragraph says how they used their extra day off.
7Limited time pushes teams to drop meetings that are not needed.
Answer: Paragraph B
Paragraph B says "Because the time available is limited, teams tend to cut unnecessary meetings." Paragraph D mentions tasks that take up time, but not meetings.
8Changing attitudes after a global health crisis increased interest in the idea.
Answer: Paragraph A
Paragraph A states "Interest grew sharply after the pandemic, when many people began to rethink how much of their lives they wanted to spend at work." Paragraph C discusses which workplaces it suits, not why interest grew.
9Some provincial governments offer funding to businesses that test a four-day week.
Answer: E (not given in any paragraph)
Paragraph D advises "starting with a trial period of several months," but no paragraph mentions governments or financial support for trials.

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