Operations Management Stevenson 11th Edition Test Bank
Operations Management Stevenson 11th Edition Test Bank
Operations Management Stevenson 11th Edition Test Bank
Operations Management Stevenson 11th Edition Test Bank
1. Operations Management Stevenson 11th Edition
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5. Operations Management Stevenson 11th
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ch1
Student: ___________________________________________________________________________
1. Operations managers are responsible for assessing consumer wants and needs and selling and promoting the
organization's goods or services.
True False
2. Often, the collective success or failure of companies' operations functions will impact the ability of a nation
to compete with other nations.
True False
3. Companies are either producing goods or delivering services. This means that only one of the two types of
operations management strategies are used.
True False
4. Operations, marketing, and finance function independently of each other in most organizations.
True False
5. The greater the degree of customer involvement, the more challenging the design and management of
operations.
True False
6. 6. Goods producing organizations are not involved in service activities.
True False
7. Service operations require additional inventory because of the unpredictability of consumer demand.
True False
8. The value of outputs is measured by the prices customers are willing to pay for goods or services.
True False
9. The use of models will guarantee the best possible decisions.
True False
10. People who work in the field of operations should have skills that include both knowledge and people
skills.
True False
11. Assembly lines achieved productivity but at the expense of standard of living.
True False
12. The operations manager has primary responsibility for making operations system design decisions, such as
system capacity and location of facilities.
True False
13. The word "technology" is used only to refer to "information technology".
True False
14. ‘Value added' by definition is always a positive number since 'added' implies increases.
True False
15. Service often requires greater labor content, whereas manufacturing is more capital intensive.
True False
7. 16. Measurement of productivity in service is more straightforward than in manufacturing since it is not
necessary to take into account the cost of materials.
True False
17. Special-purpose technology is a common way of offering increased customization in manufacturing or
services without taking on additional labor costs.
True False
18. One concern in the design of production systems is the degree of standardization.
True False
19. Most people encounter operations only in profit-making organizations.
True False
20. Service involves a much higher degree of customer contact than manufacturing.
True False
21. A systems approach emphasizes interrelationships among subsystems, but its main theme is that the whole
is greater than the sum of its individual parts.
True False
22. The Pareto phenomenon is one of the most important and pervasive concepts that can be applied at all levels
of management.
True False
23. Operations managers, who usually use quantitative approaches, are not really concerned with ethical
decision-making.
True False
24. The optimal solutions produced by quantitative techniques should always be evaluated in terms of the larger
framework.
True False
8. 25. Managers should most often rely on quantitative techniques for important decisions since quantitative
approaches result in more accurate decisions.
True False
26. Many operations management decisions can be described as tradeoffs.
True False
27. A systems approach means that we concentrate on efficiency within a subsystem and thereby assure overall
efficiency.
True False
28. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, goods were produced primarily by craftsmen or their apprentices using
custom made parts.
True False
29. Elton Mayo's "Hawthorne Experiment" was the focal point of the Human Relations Movement, which
emphasized the importance of the human element in job design.
True False
30. Among Ford's many contributions was the introduction of mass production, using the concept of
interchangeable parts and division of labor.
True False
31. Operations management and marketing are the two functional areas that exist to support activities in other
functions such as accounting, finance, IT and human resources.
True False
32. Lean production systems incorporate the advantages of both mass production and craft production.
True False
33. As an abstraction of reality, a model is a simplified version of a real phenomenon.
True False
9. 34. Lean production systems use a highly skilled work force and flexible equipment.
True False
35. The lean production philosophy has been slow to be adopted in service industries.
True False
36. Operations Management activities will be less important in the future because many firms are becoming
service-oriented operations rather than goods producing operations.
True False
37. A modern firm has two supply chain considerations - external links with suppliers and customers, and an
internal network of flows to and between the operations function itself.
True False
38. Operations management involves continuous decision-making; hopefully most decisions made will be:
A. redundant
B. minor in nature
C. informed
D. quantitative
E. none of the above
39. A 'product package' consists of:
A. the exterior wrapping
B. the shipping container
C. a combination of goods and services
D. goods if a manufacturing organization
E. customer relations if a service organization
40. Business organizations consist of three major functions which, ideally:
A. support one another
B. are mutually exclusive
C. exist independently of each other
D. function independently of each other
E. do not interface with each other
10. 41. Which of the following is not a type of operations?
A. goods production
B. storage/transportation
C. entertainment
D. communication
E. all the above involve operations
42. Technology choices seldom affect:
A. costs.
B. productivity.
C. union activity.
D. quality.
E. flexibility.
43. Measurements taken at various points in the transformation process for control purposes are called:
A. plans
B. directions
C. controls
D. feedback
E. budgets
44. Budgeting, analysis of investment proposals, and provision of funds are activities associated with the
_______ function.
A. operation
B. marketing
C. purchasing
D. finance
E. internal audit
45. Which one of the following would not generally be classified under the heading of transformation?
A. assembling
B. teaching
C. staffing
D. farming
E. consulting
11. 46. Manufacturing work sent to other countries is called:
A. downsized
B. outsourced
C. internationalization
D. vertical integration
E. entrepreneurial ship
47. Product design and process selection are examples of _______ decisions.
A. financial
B. tactical
C. system design
D. system operation
E. forecasting
48. The responsibilities of the operations manager are:
A. planning, organizing, staffing, procuring, and reviewing
B. planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling
C. forecasting, designing, planning, organizing, and controlling
D. forecasting, designing, operating, procuring, and reviewing
E. designing and operating
49. Knowledge skills usually don't include:
A. process knowledge
B. accounting skills
C. communication skills
D. global knowledge
E. all of the above
50. Which of the following is not true about systems approach?
A. A systems viewpoint is almost always beneficial in decision making.
B. A systems approach emphasizes interrelationships among subsystems.
C. A systems approach concentrates on efficiency within subsystems.
D. A systems approach is essential whenever something is being redesigned or improved.
E. All of the above are true.
12. 51. What is credited with gains in industrial productivity, increased standards of living and affordable
products?
A. personal computers
B. the internet
C. mass transportation
D. assembly lines
E. multi-level marketing
52. Production systems with customized outputs typically have relatively:
A. high volumes of output
B. low unit costs
C. high amount of specialized equipment
D. fast work movement
E. skilled workers
53. Which is not a significant difference between manufacturing and service operations?
A. cost per unit
B. uniformity of output
C. labor content of jobs
D. customer contact
E. measurement of productivity
54. Which of the following is not a characteristic of service operations?
A. intangible output
B. high customer contact
C. high labor content
D. easy measurement of productivity
E. low uniformity of output
55. Which of the following is a recent trend in business?
A. pollution control
B. total quality management
C. supply chain management
D. competition from foreign manufacturers
E. technological change
13. 56. Farming is an example of:
A. an obsolete activity
B. a virtual organization
C. non-manufactured goods
D. a growth industry
E. customized manufacturing
57. Dealing with the fact that certain aspects of any management situation are more important than others is
called:
A. analysis of tradeoffs
B. sensitivity analysis
C. recognition of priorities
D. analysis of variance
E. decision table analysis
58. The fact that a few improvements in a few key areas of operations will have more impact than many
improvements in many other areas is consistent with the:
A. Irwin phenomenon
B. Pareto phenomenon
C. Stevenson phenomenon
D. Tellier phenomenon
E. Adam Smith phenomenon
59. The process of comparing outputs to previously established standards to determine if corrective action is
needed is called:
A. planning
B. directing
C. controlling
D. budgeting
E. disciplining
60. Which of the following does not relate to system design?
A. altering the system capacity
B. location of facilities
C. inventory management
D. selection and acquisition of equipment
E. physical arrangement of departments
14. 61. Taking a systems viewpoint with regard to operations in today's environment increasingly leads
decision-makers to consider ______________ in response to the ___________.
A. flexibility; pressure to be more efficient
B. offshoring; need to promote domestic production
C. sustainability; threat of global warming
D. technology; impact of random variation
E. forecasting; stabilization of demand
62. Some companies attempt to maximize the revenue they receive from fixed operating capacity by influencing
demands through price manipulation. This is an example of __________________:
A. Illegal price discrimination
B. Collusion
C. Volume analysis
D. Revenue management
E. Outsourcing
63. Which of the following is not an ongoing trend in manufacturing?
A. globalization
B. quality improvement
C. flexibility and agility
D. mass production for greater economies of scale
E. technological advances
64. Which of the following is not a benefit of using models in decision making?
A. They provide a standardized format for analyzing a problem.
B. They serve as a consistent tool for evaluation.
C. They are easy to use and less expensive than dealing with the actual situation.
D. All of the above are benefits.
E. None of the above is a benefit.
65. Modern firms increasingly rely on other firms to supply goods and services instead of doing these tasks
themselves. This increased level of _____________ is leading to increased emphasis on ____________
management.
A. outsourcing; supply chain
B. offshoring; lean
C. downsizing; total quality
D. optimizing; inventory
E. internationalization; intercultural
16. 66. Operations and sales are the two ________ functions in businesses.
A. strategic
B. tactical
C. support
D. value-adding
E. line
67. Marketing depends on operations for information regarding ___________.
A. productivity
B. lead time
C. cash flow
D. budgeting
E. corporate intelligence
68. Two widely used metrics of variation are the __________ and the _________.
A. mean; standard deviation
B. productivity ratio; correlation
C. standardized mean; assignable deviation
D. randomized mean; standardized deviation
E. normal distribution; random variation
69. Which of the following statements about variation is FALSE?
A. Variation prevents a production process from being as efficient as it can be.
B. Some variation can be prevented.
C. Variation can either be assignable or random.
D. Any variation makes a production process less productive.
E. Random variation generally cannot be influenced by managers.
70. Which of the following is essential to consider with respect to managing a process to meet demand?
A. strategy
B. demand forecasts
C. capacity
D. random variability
E. all of the above
17. ch1 Key
1. Operations managers are responsible for assessing consumer wants and needs and selling and promoting the
organization's goods or services.
FALSE
Operation managers are not responsible for promoting goods/services.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #1
Topic Area: The Scope of Operations Management
2. Often, the collective success or failure of companies' operations functions will impact the ability of a nation
to compete with other nations.
TRUE
A nation is often only as competitive as its companies.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 01-01 Define the term operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #2
Topic Area: Operations Today
3. Companies are either producing goods or delivering services. This means that only one of the two types of
operations management strategies are used.
FALSE
Most systems involve a blend of goods and services.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-03 Identify similarities and differences between production and service operations.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #3
Topic Area: Introduction
18. 4. Operations, marketing, and finance function independently of each other in most organizations.
FALSE
Operations, marketing and finance are naturally dependent upon one another.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-02 Identify the three major functional areas of organizations and describe how they interrelate.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #4
Topic Area: Introduction
5. The greater the degree of customer involvement, the more challenging the design and management of
operations.
TRUE
Greater customer involvement leads to more complexity in the design and management of operations.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #5
Topic Area: Introduction
6. Goods producing organizations are not involved in service activities.
FALSE
Most systems involve a blend of goods and services.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-03 Identify similarities and differences between production and service operations.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #6
Topic Area: Introduction
7. Service operations require additional inventory because of the unpredictability of consumer demand.
FALSE
Service operations cannot use inventory as a hedge against unpredictable demand.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 01-03 Identify similarities and differences between production and service operations.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #7
Topic Area: Introduction
19. 8. The value of outputs is measured by the prices customers are willing to pay for goods or services.
TRUE
Customers' willingness to pay for goods or services sets the value of these outputs.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #8
Topic Area: Introduction
9. The use of models will guarantee the best possible decisions.
FALSE
Models are useful, but their use does not guarantee the best decisions.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-06 Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #9
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
10. People who work in the field of operations should have skills that include both knowledge and people
skills.
TRUE
Operations management requires a blend of knowledge and people skills.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #10
Topic Area: The Scope of Operations Management
11. Assembly lines achieved productivity but at the expense of standard of living.
FALSE
Productivity and standard of living go hand in hand.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 01-07 Briefly describe the historical evolution of operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #11
Topic Area: The Historical Evolution of Operations Management
20. 12. The operations manager has primary responsibility for making operations system design decisions, such as
system capacity and location of facilities.
FALSE
The operations manager plays a role in these decisions but is not primarily responsible for them.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #12
Topic Area: The Scope of Operations Management
13. The word "technology" is used only to refer to "information technology".
FALSE
Technology also refers to the technology involved in resource transformations.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 01-08 Characterize current trends in business that impact operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #13
Topic Area: Operations Today
14. ‘Value added' by definition is always a positive number since 'added' implies increases.
FALSE
Some transformations result in the output being worth less than the inputs.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #14
Topic Area: Introduction
15. Service often requires greater labor content, whereas manufacturing is more capital intensive.
TRUE
Service operations tend to be more labor-intensive than manufacturing.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-03 Identify similarities and differences between production and service operations.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #15
Topic Area: Introduction
21. 16. Measurement of productivity in service is more straightforward than in manufacturing since it is not
necessary to take into account the cost of materials.
FALSE
Materials cost must be considered in services as well.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-03 Identify similarities and differences between production and service operations.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #16
Topic Area: Introduction
17. Special-purpose technology is a common way of offering increased customization in manufacturing or
services without taking on additional labor costs.
FALSE
Special-purpose technology typically reduces costs through standardization.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #17
Topic Area: Operations Today
18. One concern in the design of production systems is the degree of standardization.
TRUE
How standardized outputs will be is a critical consideration in the system design question.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #18
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
19. Most people encounter operations only in profit-making organizations.
FALSE
Operations are also relevant to not-for-profit organizations such as the Red Cross.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #19
Topic Area: Introduction
22. 20. Service involves a much higher degree of customer contact than manufacturing.
TRUE
Customer contact tends to be much higher in services.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 01-03 Identify similarities and differences between production and service operations.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #20
Topic Area: Introduction
21. A systems approach emphasizes interrelationships among subsystems, but its main theme is that the whole
is greater than the sum of its individual parts.
TRUE
Optimizing the performance of individual subsystems does not guarantee optimal performance from the overall
system.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-06 Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #21
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
22. The Pareto phenomenon is one of the most important and pervasive concepts that can be applied at all levels
of management.
TRUE
Pareto phenomena can be observed in a wide variety of organization situations.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-06 Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #22
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
23. 23. Operations managers, who usually use quantitative approaches, are not really concerned with ethical
decision-making.
FALSE
Ethics issues are touching on all areas of management, including operations.
AACSB: Ethics
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #23
Topic Area: Key Issues for Todays Business Operations
24. The optimal solutions produced by quantitative techniques should always be evaluated in terms of the larger
framework.
TRUE
Quantitative techniques have limitations that must be considered.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-06 Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #24
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
25. Managers should most often rely on quantitative techniques for important decisions since quantitative
approaches result in more accurate decisions.
FALSE
Just as other techniques do, quantitative techniques have limitations.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 01-06 Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #25
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
24. 26. Many operations management decisions can be described as tradeoffs.
TRUE
Managing tradeoffs is the essence of operations management.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-06 Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #26
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
27. A systems approach means that we concentrate on efficiency within a subsystem and thereby assure overall
efficiency.
FALSE
Subsystem efficiency doesn't necessarily translate into overall efficiency.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-06 Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #27
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
28. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, goods were produced primarily by craftsmen or their apprentices using
custom made parts.
TRUE
After the Industrial Revolution, more standardized approaches became common.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-07 Briefly describe the historical evolution of operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #28
Topic Area: The Historical Evolution of Operations Management
25. 29. Elton Mayo's "Hawthorne Experiment" was the focal point of the Human Relations Movement, which
emphasized the importance of the human element in job design.
TRUE
The Hawthorne Experiments were the beginning of the Human Relations Movement.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-07 Briefly describe the historical evolution of operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #29
Topic Area: The Historical Evolution of Operations Management
30. Among Ford's many contributions was the introduction of mass production, using the concept of
interchangeable parts and division of labor.
TRUE
Ford made mass production a practical success.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 01-07 Briefly describe the historical evolution of operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #30
Topic Area: The Historical Evolution of Operations Management
31. Operations management and marketing are the two functional areas that exist to support activities in other
functions such as accounting, finance, IT and human resources.
FALSE
Operations management and marketing are supported by these functions.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-02 Identify the three major functional areas of organizations and describe how they interrelate.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #31
Topic Area: Introduction
27. 32. Lean production systems incorporate the advantages of both mass production and craft production.
TRUE
Lean production blends the best of both worlds.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-08 Characterize current trends in business that impact operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #32
Topic Area: The Historical Evolution of Operations Management
33. As an abstraction of reality, a model is a simplified version of a real phenomenon.
TRUE
Models are valuable abstractions and simplifications of real, complex phenomena.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 01-06 Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #33
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
34. Lean production systems use a highly skilled work force and flexible equipment.
TRUE
Lean depends on a skilled workforce.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 01-08 Characterize current trends in business that impact operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #34
Topic Area: The Historical Evolution of Operations Management
35. The lean production philosophy has been slow to be adopted in service industries.
FALSE
Lean concepts apply very well in service industries.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-08 Characterize current trends in business that impact operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #35
Topic Area: The Historical Evolution of Operations Management
28. 36. Operations Management activities will be less important in the future because many firms are becoming
service-oriented operations rather than goods producing operations.
FALSE
Operations management is just as important for service firms.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-08 Characterize current trends in business that impact operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #36
Topic Area: Key Issues for Todays Business Operations
37. A modern firm has two supply chain considerations - external links with suppliers and customers, and an
internal network of flows to and between the operations function itself.
TRUE
Supply chain considerations are at play both in and beyond the modern firm.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #37
Topic Area: Key Issues for Todays Business Operations
38. Operations management involves continuous decision-making; hopefully most decisions made will be:
A. redundant
B. minor in nature
C. informed
D. quantitative
E. none of the above
Informed decisions incorporate all relevant issues.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 01-06 Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #38
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
29. 39. A 'product package' consists of:
A. the exterior wrapping
B. the shipping container
C. a combination of goods and services
D. goods if a manufacturing organization
E. customer relations if a service organization
Most firms are not pure service or manufacturing firms; they produce combinations of goods and services.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-03 Identify similarities and differences between production and service operations.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #39
Topic Area: Introduction
40. Business organizations consist of three major functions which, ideally:
A. support one another
B. are mutually exclusive
C. exist independently of each other
D. function independently of each other
E. do not interface with each other
Finance, Marketing and Operations are these major functions.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-02 Identify the three major functional areas of organizations and describe how they interrelate.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #40
Topic Area: Introduction
41. Which of the following is not a type of operations?
A. goods production
B. storage/transportation
C. entertainment
D. communication
E. all the above involve operations
All of these involve taking inputs and transforming them.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-01 Define the term operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #41
Topic Area: Introduction
30. 42. Technology choices seldom affect:
A. costs.
B. productivity.
C. union activity.
D. quality.
E. flexibility.
Union activity can affect a firm's technology choices, but not the other way around.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-08 Characterize current trends in business that impact operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #42
Topic Area: Operations Today
43. Measurements taken at various points in the transformation process for control purposes are called:
A. plans
B. directions
C. controls
D. feedback
E. budgets
Feedback is used to monitor and improve processes.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #43
Topic Area: Introduction
44. Budgeting, analysis of investment proposals, and provision of funds are activities associated with the
_______ function.
A. operation
B. marketing
C. purchasing
D. finance
E. internal audit
These are the primary tasks for the finance function.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Easy
Learning Objective: 01-02 Identify the three major functional areas of organizations and describe how they interrelate.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #44
Topic Area: Introduction
31. 45. Which one of the following would not generally be classified under the heading of transformation?
A. assembling
B. teaching
C. staffing
D. farming
E. consulting
Staffing doesn't involve transforming resources so much as it involves acquiring them.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #45
Topic Area: Process Management
46. Manufacturing work sent to other countries is called:
A. downsized
B. outsourced
C. internationalization
D. vertical integration
E. entrepreneurial ship
Outsourcing is increasingly a part of operations management.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-08 Characterize current trends in business that impact operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #46
Topic Area: The Scope of Operations Management
47. Product design and process selection are examples of _______ decisions.
A. financial
B. tactical
C. system design
D. system operation
E. forecasting
These major decisions affect decisions made at lower levels.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 01-05 Summarize the two major aspects of process management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #47
Topic Area: The Scope of Operations Management
32. 48. The responsibilities of the operations manager are:
A. planning, organizing, staffing, procuring, and reviewing
B. planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling
C. forecasting, designing, planning, organizing, and controlling
D. forecasting, designing, operating, procuring, and reviewing
E. designing and operating
The scope of operations management ranges across the organization.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #48
Topic Area: The Scope of Operations Management
49. Knowledge skills usually don't include:
A. process knowledge
B. accounting skills
C. communication skills
D. global knowledge
E. all of the above
Communication skills generally are considered to be people skills.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #49
Topic Area: The Scope of Operations Management
50. Which of the following is not true about systems approach?
A. A systems viewpoint is almost always beneficial in decision making.
B. A systems approach emphasizes interrelationships among subsystems.
C. A systems approach concentrates on efficiency within subsystems.
D. A systems approach is essential whenever something is being redesigned or improved.
E. All of the above are true.
Subsystem efficiency doesn't necessarily translate into overall system efficiency.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-06 Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #50
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
33. 51. What is credited with gains in industrial productivity, increased standards of living and affordable
products?
A. personal computers
B. the internet
C. mass transportation
D. assembly lines
E. multi-level marketing
Mass production has played a prominent role in increasing standards of living.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 01-08 Characterize current trends in business that impact operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #51
Topic Area: The Historical Evolution of Operations Management
52. Production systems with customized outputs typically have relatively:
A. high volumes of output
B. low unit costs
C. high amount of specialized equipment
D. fast work movement
E. skilled workers
Skilled workers are necessary to accommodate the variation inherent in customized outputs.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 01-06 Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #52
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
53. Which is not a significant difference between manufacturing and service operations?
A. cost per unit
B. uniformity of output
C. labor content of jobs
D. customer contact
E. measurement of productivity
Manufacturing operations aren't necessarily more or less efficient than service operations.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 01-03 Identify similarities and differences between production and service operations.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #53
Topic Area: Introduction
34. 54. Which of the following is not a characteristic of service operations?
A. intangible output
B. high customer contact
C. high labor content
D. easy measurement of productivity
E. low uniformity of output
The productivity of service operations is often hard to measure.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-03 Identify similarities and differences between production and service operations.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #54
Topic Area: Introduction
55. Which of the following is a recent trend in business?
A. pollution control
B. total quality management
C. supply chain management
D. competition from foreign manufacturers
E. technological change
Supply chain management involves a broader systemic view of operations.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-08 Characterize current trends in business that impact operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #55
Topic Area: Key Issues for Todays Business Operations
56. Farming is an example of:
A. an obsolete activity
B. a virtual organization
C. non-manufactured goods
D. a growth industry
E. customized manufacturing
Farm operations are not manufacturing operations.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-03 Identify similarities and differences between production and service operations.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #56
Topic Area: Introduction
35. 57. Dealing with the fact that certain aspects of any management situation are more important than others is
called:
A. analysis of tradeoffs
B. sensitivity analysis
C. recognition of priorities
D. analysis of variance
E. decision table analysis
Solutions tend to be targeted toward higher priority aspects of a situation.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 01-06 Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #57
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
58. The fact that a few improvements in a few key areas of operations will have more impact than many
improvements in many other areas is consistent with the:
A. Irwin phenomenon
B. Pareto phenomenon
C. Stevenson phenomenon
D. Tellier phenomenon
E. Adam Smith phenomenon
Pareto phenomena direct our attention to the difference between the "important few" and the "trivial many."
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-06 Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #58
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
59. The process of comparing outputs to previously established standards to determine if corrective action is
needed is called:
A. planning
B. directing
C. controlling
D. budgeting
E. disciplining
Controls are used to maintain performance.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 01-04 Describe the operations function and the nature of the operations managers job.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #59
Topic Area: The Scope of Operations Management
36. 60. Which of the following does not relate to system design?
A. altering the system capacity
B. location of facilities
C. inventory management
D. selection and acquisition of equipment
E. physical arrangement of departments
Inventory management is a system operation decision area.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-05 Summarize the two major aspects of process management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #60
Topic Area: The Scope of Operations Management
61. Taking a systems viewpoint with regard to operations in today's environment increasingly leads
decision-makers to consider ______________ in response to the ___________.
A. flexibility; pressure to be more efficient
B. offshoring; need to promote domestic production
C. sustainability; threat of global warming
D. technology; impact of random variation
E. forecasting; stabilization of demand
Sustainability is a relatively recent operations management consideration.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: Hard
Learning Objective: 01-06 Explain the key aspects of operations management decision making.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #61
Topic Area: Operations Management and Decision Making
62. Some companies attempt to maximize the revenue they receive from fixed operating capacity by influencing
demands through price manipulation. This is an example of __________________:
A. Illegal price discrimination
B. Collusion
C. Volume analysis
D. Revenue management
E. Outsourcing
Revenue management is used to ensure that as much perishable capacity as possible is sold.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: 01-08 Characterize current trends in business that impact operations management.
Stevenson - Chapter 01 #62
Topic Area: Operations Today
39. “She was my wife. You are the first Englishman she has ever come
before. Now put her photograph away.”
He was astonished, as a traveller who suddenly sees, between the
stones of the desert, flowers. The flowers have been there all the
time, but suddenly he sees them. He tried to look at the photograph,
but in itself it was just a woman in a sari, facing the world. He
muttered, “Really, I don’t know why you pay me this great
compliment, Aziz, but I do appreciate it.”
“Oh, it’s nothing, she was not a highly educated woman or even
beautiful, but put it away. You would have seen her, so why should
you not see her photograph?”
“You would have allowed me to see her?”
“Why not? I believe in the purdah, but I should have told her you
were my brother, and she would have seen you. Hamidullah saw her,
and several others.”
“Did she think they were your brothers?”
“Of course not, but the word exists and is convenient. All men are
my brothers, and as soon as one behaves as such he may see my
wife.”
“And when the whole world behaves as such, there will be no
more purdah?”
“It is because you can say and feel such a remark as that, that I
show you the photograph,” said Aziz gravely.
“It is beyond the power of most men. It is because you behave
well while I behave badly that I show it you. I never expected you to
come back just now when I called you. I thought, ‘He has certainly
done with me; I have insulted him.’ Mr. Fielding, no one can ever
realize how much kindness we Indians need, we do not even realize
40. it ourselves. But we know when it has been given. We do not forget,
though we may seem to. Kindness, more kindness, and even after
that more kindness. I assure you it is the only hope.” His voice
seemed to arise from a dream. Altering it, yet still deep below his
normal surface, he said, “We can’t build up India except on what we
feel. What is the use of all these reforms, and Conciliation
Committees for Mohurram, and shall we cut the tazia short or shall
we carry it another route, and Councils of Notables and official
parties where the English sneer at our skins?”
“It’s beginning at the wrong end, isn’t it? I know, but institutions
and the governments don’t.” He looked again at the photograph. The
lady faced the world at her husband’s wish and her own, but how
bewildering she found it, the echoing contradictory world!
“Put her away, she is of no importance, she is dead,” said Aziz
gently. “I showed her to you because I have nothing else to show.
You may look round the whole of my bungalow now, and empty
everything. I have no other secrets, my three children live away with
their grandmamma, and that is all.”
Fielding sat down by the bed, flattered at the trust reposed in him,
yet rather sad. He felt old. He wished that he too could be carried
away on waves of emotion. The next time they met, Aziz might be
cautious and standoffish. He realized this, and it made him sad that
he should realize it. Kindness, kindness, and more kindness—yes,
that he might supply, but was that really all that the queer nation
needed? Did it not also demand an occasional intoxication of the
blood? What had he done to deserve this outburst of confidence,
and what hostage could he give in exchange? He looked back at his
own life. What a poor crop of secrets it had produced! There were
things in it that he had shown to no one, but they were so
uninteresting, it wasn’t worth while lifting a purdah on their account.
He’d been in love, engaged to be married, lady broke it off,
memories of her and thoughts about her had kept him from other
women for a time; then indulgence, followed by repentance and
41. equilibrium. Meagre really except the equilibrium, and Aziz didn’t
want to have that confided to him—he would have called it
“everything ranged coldly on shelves.”
“I shall not really be intimate with this fellow,” Fielding thought,
and then “nor with anyone.” That was the corollary. And he had to
confess that he really didn’t mind, that he was content to help
people, and like them as long as they didn’t object, and if they
objected pass on serenely. Experience can do much, and all that he
had learnt in England and Europe was an assistance to him, and
helped him towards clarity, but clarity prevented him from
experiencing something else.
“How did you like the two ladies you met last Thursday?” he
asked.
Aziz shook his head distastefully. The question reminded him of his
rash remark about the Marabar Caves.
“How do you like Englishwomen generally?”
“Hamidullah liked them in England. Here we never look at them.
Oh no, much too careful. Let’s talk of something else.”
“Hamidullah’s right: they are much nicer in England. There’s
something that doesn’t suit them out here.”
Aziz after another silence said, “Why are you not married?”
Fielding was pleased that he had asked. “Because I have more or
less come through without it,” he replied.
“I was thinking of telling you a little about myself some day if I
can make it interesting enough. The lady I liked wouldn’t marry me
—that is the main point, but that’s fifteen years ago and now means
nothing.”
42. “But you haven’t children.”
“None.”
“Excuse the following question: have you any illegitimate
children?”
“No. I’d willingly tell you if I had.”
“Then your name will entirely die out.”
“It must.”
“Well.” He shook his head. “This indifference is what the Oriental
will never understand.”
“I don’t care for children.”
“Caring has nothing to do with it,” he said impatiently.
“I don’t feel their absence, I don’t want them weeping around my
death-bed and being polite about me afterwards, which I believe is
the general notion. I’d far rather leave a thought behind me than a
child. Other people can have children. No obligation, with England
getting so chock-a-block and overrunning India for jobs.”
“Why don’t you marry Miss Quested?”
“Good God! why, the girl’s a prig.”
“Prig, prig? Kindly explain. Isn’t that a bad word?”
“Oh, I don’t know her, but she struck me as one of the more
pathetic products of Western education. She depresses me.”
“But prig, Mr. Fielding? How’s that?”
43. “She goes on and on as if she’s at a lecture—trying ever so hard
to understand India and life, and occasionally taking a note.”
“I thought her so nice and sincere.”
“So she probably is,” said Fielding, ashamed of his roughness: any
suggestion that he should marry always does produce
overstatements on the part of the bachelor, and a mental breeze.
“But I can’t marry her if I wanted to, for she has just become
engaged to the City Magistrate.”
“Has she indeed? I am so glad!” he exclaimed with relief, for this
exempted him from the Marabar expedition: he would scarcely be
expected to entertain regular Anglo-Indians.
“It’s the old mother’s doing. She was afraid her dear boy would
choose for himself, so she brought out the girl on purpose, and flung
them together until it happened.”
“Mrs. Moore did not mention that to me among her plans.”
“I may have got it wrong—I’m out of club gossip. But anyhow
they’re engaged to be married.”
“Yes, you’re out of it, my poor chap,” he smiled. “No Miss Quested
for Mr. Fielding. However, she was not beautiful. She has practically
no breasts, if you come to think of it.”
He smiled too, but found a touch of bad taste in the reference to a
lady’s breasts.
“For the City Magistrate they shall be sufficient perhaps, and he
for her. For you I shall arrange a lady with breasts like mangoes. . .
.”
“No, you won’t.”
44. “I will not really, and besides your position makes it dangerous for
you.” His mind had slipped from matrimony to Calcutta. His face
grew grave. Fancy if he had persuaded the Principal to accompany
him there, and then got him into trouble! And abruptly he took up a
new attitude towards his friend, the attitude of the protector who
knows the dangers of India and is admonitory. “You can’t be too
careful in every way, Mr. Fielding; whatever you say or do in this
damned country there is always some envious fellow on the look-
out. You may be surprised to know that there were at least three
spies sitting here when you came to enquire. I was really a good
deal upset that you talked in that fashion about God. They will
certainly report it.”
“To whom?”
“That’s all very well, but you spoke against morality also, and you
said you had come to take other people’s jobs. All that was very
unwise. This is an awful place for scandal. Why, actually one of your
own pupils was listening.”
“Thanks for telling me that; yes, I must try and be more careful. If
I’m interested, I’m apt to forget myself. Still, it doesn’t do real
harm.”
“But speaking out may get you into trouble.”
“It’s often done so in the past.”
“There, listen to that! But the end of it might be that you lost your
job.”
“If I do, I do. I shall survive it. I travel light.”
“Travel light! You are a most extraordinary race,” said Aziz, turning
away as if he were going to sleep, and immediately turning back
again. “Is it your climate, or what?”
45. “Plenty of Indians travel light too—saddhus and such. It’s one of
the things I admire about your country. Any man can travel light
until he has a wife or children. That’s part of my case against
marriage. I’m a holy man minus the holiness. Hand that on to your
three spies, and tell them to put it in their pipes.”
Aziz was charmed and interested, and turned the new idea over in
his mind. So this was why Mr. Fielding and a few others were so
fearless! They had nothing to lose. But he himself was rooted in
society and Islam. He belonged to a tradition which bound him, and
he had brought children into the world, the society of the future.
Though he lived so vaguely in this flimsy bungalow, nevertheless he
was placed, placed.
“I can’t be sacked from my job, because my job’s Education. I
believe in teaching people to be individuals, and to understand other
individuals. It’s the only thing I do believe in. At Government
College, I mix it up with trigonometry, and so on. When I’m a
saddhu, I shall mix it up with something else.”
He concluded his manifesto, and both were silent. The eye-flies
became worse than ever and danced close up to their pupils, or
crawled into their ears. Fielding hit about wildly. The exercise made
him hot, and he got up to go.
“You might tell your servant to bring my horse. He doesn’t seem
to appreciate my Urdu.”
“I know. I gave him orders not to. Such are the tricks we play on
unfortunate Englishmen. Poor Mr. Fielding! But I will release you
now. Oh dear! With the exception of yourself and Hamidullah, I have
no one to talk to in this place. You like Hamidullah, don’t you?”
“Very much.”
“Do you promise to come at once to us when you are in trouble?”
46. “I never can be in trouble.”
“There goes a queer chap, I trust he won’t come to grief,” thought
Aziz, left alone. His period of admiration was over, and he reacted
towards patronage. It was difficult for him to remain in awe of
anyone who played with all his cards on the table. Fielding, he
discovered on closer acquaintance, was truly warm-hearted and
unconventional, but not what can be called wise. That frankness of
speech in the presence of Ram Chand, Rafi and Co. was dangerous
and inelegant. It served no useful end.
But they were friends, brothers. That part was settled, their
compact had been subscribed by the photograph, they trusted one
another, affection had triumphed for once in a way. He dropped off
to sleep amid the happier memories of the last two hours—poetry of
Ghalib, female grace, good old Hamidullah, good Fielding, his
honoured wife and dear boys. He passed into a region where these
joys had no enemies but bloomed harmoniously in an eternal
garden, or ran down watershoots of ribbed marble, or rose into
domes whereunder were inscribed, black against white, the ninety-
nine attributes of God.
48. CHAPTER XII
The Ganges, though flowing from the foot of Vishnu and through
Siva’s hair, is not an ancient stream. Geology, looking further than
religion, knows of a time when neither the river nor the Himalayas
that nourished it existed, and an ocean flowed over the holy places
of Hindustan. The mountains rose, their debris silted up the ocean,
the gods took their seats on them and contrived the river, and the
India we call immemorial came into being. But India is really far
older. In the days of the prehistoric ocean the southern part of the
peninsula already existed, and the high places of Dravidia have been
land since land began, and have seen on the one side the sinking of
a continent that joined them to Africa, and on the other the
upheaval of the Himalayas from a sea. They are older than anything
in the world. No water has ever covered them, and the sun who has
watched them for countless æons may still discern in their outlines
forms that were his before our globe was torn from his bosom. If
flesh of the sun’s flesh is to be touched anywhere, it is here, among
the incredible antiquity of these hills.
Yet even they are altering. As Himalayan India rose, this India, the
primal, has been depressed, and is slowly re-entering the curve of
the earth. It may be that in æons to come an ocean will flow here
too, and cover the sun-born rocks with slime. Meanwhile the plain of
the Ganges encroaches on them with something of the sea’s action.
They are sinking beneath the newer lands. Their main mass is
untouched, but at the edge their outposts have been cut off and
stand knee-deep, throat-deep, in the advancing soil. There is
something unspeakable in these outposts. They are like nothing else
in the world, and a glimpse of them makes the breath catch. They
rise abruptly, insanely, without the proportion that is kept by the
49. wildest hills elsewhere, they bear no relation to anything dreamt or
seen. To call them “uncanny” suggests ghosts, and they are older
than all spirit. Hinduism has scratched and plastered a few rocks, but
the shrines are unfrequented, as if pilgrims, who generally seek the
extraordinary, had here found too much of it. Some saddhus did
once settle in a cave, but they were smoked out, and even Buddha,
who must have passed this way down to the Bo Tree of Gya,
shunned a renunciation more complete than his own, and has left no
legend of struggle or victory in the Marabar.
The caves are readily described. A tunnel eight feet long, five feet
high, three feet wide, leads to a circular chamber about twenty feet
in diameter. This arrangement occurs again and again throughout
the group of hills, and this is all, this is a Marabar Cave. Having seen
one such cave, having seen two, having seen three, four, fourteen,
twenty-four, the visitor returns to Chandrapore uncertain whether he
has had an interesting experience or a dull one or any experience at
all. He finds it difficult to discuss the caves, or to keep them apart in
his mind, for the pattern never varies, and no carving, not even a
bees’-nest or a bat distinguishes one from another. Nothing, nothing
attaches to them, and their reputation—for they have one—does not
depend upon human speech. It is as if the surrounding plain or the
passing birds have taken upon themselves to exclaim
“extraordinary,” and the word has taken root in the air, and been
inhaled by mankind.
They are dark caves. Even when they open towards the sun, very
little light penetrates down the entrance tunnel into the circular
chamber. There is little to see, and no eye to see it, until the visitor
arrives for his five minutes, and strikes a match. Immediately
another flame rises in the depths of the rock and moves towards the
surface like an imprisoned spirit: the walls of the circular chamber
have been most marvellously polished. The two flames approach and
strive to unite, but cannot, because one of them breathes air, the
other stone. A mirror inlaid with lovely colours divides the lovers,
delicate stars of pink and grey interpose, exquisite nebulæ, shadings
50. fainter than the tail of a comet or the midday moon, all the
evanescent life of the granite, only here visible. Fists and fingers
thrust above the advancing soil—here at last is their skin, finer than
any covering acquired by the animals, smoother than windless water,
more voluptuous than love. The radiance increases, the flames touch
one another, kiss, expire. The cave is dark again, like all the caves.
Only the wall of the circular chamber has been polished thus. The
sides of the tunnel are left rough, they impinge as an afterthought
upon the internal perfection. An entrance was necessary, so mankind
made one. But elsewhere, deeper in the granite, are there certain
chambers that have no entrances? Chambers never unsealed since
the arrival of the gods. Local report declares that these exceed in
number those that can be visited, as the dead exceed the living—
four hundred of them, four thousand or million. Nothing is inside
them, they were sealed up before the creation of pestilence or
treasure; if mankind grew curious and excavated, nothing, nothing
would be added to the sum of good or evil. One of them is
rumoured within the boulder that swings on the summit of the
highest of the hills; a bubble-shaped cave that has neither ceiling
nor floor, and mirrors its own darkness in every direction infinitely. If
the boulder falls and smashes, the cave will smash too—empty as an
Easter egg. The boulder because of its hollowness sways in the
wind, and even moves when a crow perches upon it: hence its name
and the name of its stupendous pedestal: the Kawa Dol.
51. CHAPTER XIII
These hills look romantic in certain lights and at suitable distances,
and seen of an evening from the upper verandah of the club they
caused Miss Quested to say conversationally to Miss Derek that she
should like to have gone, that Dr. Aziz at Mr. Fielding’s had said he
would arrange something, and that Indians seem rather forgetful.
She was overheard by the servant who offered them vermouths.
This servant understood English. And he was not exactly a spy, but
he kept his ears open, and Mahmoud Ali did not exactly bribe him,
but did encourage him to come and squat with his own servants,
and would happen to stroll their way when he was there. As the
story travelled, it accreted emotion and Aziz learnt with horror that
the ladies were deeply offended with him, and had expected an
invitation daily. He thought his facile remark had been forgotten.
Endowed with two memories, a temporary and a permanent, he had
hitherto relegated the caves to the former. Now he transferred them
once for all, and pushed the matter through. They were to be a
stupendous replica of the tea party. He began by securing Fielding
and old Godbole, and then commissioned Fielding to approach Mrs.
Moore and Miss Quested when they were alone—by this device
Ronny, their official protector, could be circumvented. Fielding didn’t
like the job much; he was busy, caves bored him, he foresaw friction
and expense, but he would not refuse the first favour his friend had
asked from him, and did as required. The ladies accepted. It was a
little inconvenient in the present press of their engagements, still,
they hoped to manage it after consulting Mr. Heaslop. Consulted,
Ronny raised no objection, provided Fielding undertook full
responsibility for their comfort. He was not enthusiastic about the
picnic, but, then, no more were the ladies—no one was enthusiastic,
yet it took place.
52. Aziz was terribly worried. It was not a long expedition—a train left
Chandrapore just before dawn, another would bring them back for
tiffin—but he was only a little official still, and feared to acquit
himself dishonourably. He had to ask Major Callendar for half a day’s
leave, and be refused because of his recent malingering; despair;
renewed approach of Major Callendar through Fielding, and
contemptuous snarling permission. He had to borrow cutlery from
Mahmoud Ali without inviting him. Then there was the question of
alcohol; Mr. Fielding, and perhaps the ladies, were drinkers, so must
he provide whisky-sodas and ports? There was the problem of
transport from the wayside station of Marabar to the caves. There
was the problem of Professor Godbole and his food, and of Professor
Godbole and other people’s food—two problems, not one problem.
The Professor was not a very strict Hindu—he would take tea, fruit,
soda-water and sweets, whoever cooked them, and vegetables and
rice if cooked by a Brahman; but not meat, not cakes lest they
contained eggs, and he would not allow anyone else to eat beef: a
slice of beef upon a distant plate would wreck his happiness. Other
people might eat mutton, they might eat ham. But over ham Aziz’
own religion raised its voice: he did not fancy other people eating
ham. Trouble after trouble encountered him, because he had
challenged the spirit of the Indian earth, which tries to keep men in
compartments.
At last the moment arrived.
His friends thought him most unwise to mix himself up with
English ladies, and warned him to take every precaution against
unpunctuality. Consequently he spent the previous night at the
station. The servants were huddled on the platform, enjoined not to
stray. He himself walked up and down with old Mohammed Latif,
who was to act as major-domo. He felt insecure and also unreal. A
car drove up, and he hoped Fielding would get out of it, to lend him
solidity. But it contained Mrs. Moore, Miss Quested, and their
Goanese servant. He rushed to meet them, suddenly happy. “But
53. you’ve come, after all. Oh how very very kind of you!” he cried. “This
is the happiest moment in all my life.”
The ladies were civil. It was not the happiest moment in their
lives, still, they looked forward to enjoying themselves as soon as
the bother of the early start was over. They had not seen him since
the expedition was arranged, and they thanked him adequately.
“You don’t require tickets—please stop your servant. There are no
tickets on the Marabar branch line; it is its peculiarity. You come to
the carriage and rest till Mr. Fielding joins us. Did you know you are
to travel purdah? Will you like that?”
They replied that they should like it. The train had come in, and a
crowd of dependents were swarming over the seats of the carriage
like monkeys. Aziz had borrowed servants from his friends, as well
as bringing his own three, and quarrels over precedence were
resulting. The ladies’ servant stood apart, with a sneering expression
on his face. They had hired him while they were still globe-trotters,
at Bombay. In a hotel or among smart people he was excellent, but
as soon as they consorted with anyone whom he thought second-
rate he left them to their disgrace.
The night was still dark, but had acquired the temporary look that
indicates its end. Perched on the roof of a shed, the station-master’s
hens began to dream of kites instead of owls. Lamps were put out,
in order to save the trouble of putting them out later; the smell of
tobacco and the sound of spitting arose from third-class passengers
in dark corners; heads were unshrouded, teeth cleaned on the twigs
of a tree. So convinced was a junior official that another sun would
rise, that he rang a bell with enthusiasm. This upset the servants.
They shrieked that the train was starting, and ran to both ends of it
to intercede. Much had still to enter the purdah carriage—a box
bound with brass, a melon wearing a fez, a towel containing guavas,
a step-ladder and a gun. The guests played up all right. They had no
race-consciousness—Mrs. Moore was too old, Miss Quested too new
54. —and they behaved to Aziz as to any young man who had been kind
to them in the country. This moved him deeply. He had expected
them to arrive with Mr. Fielding, instead of which they trusted
themselves to be with him a few moments alone.
“Send back your servant,” he suggested. “He is unnecessary. Then
we shall all be Moslems together.”
“And he is such a horrible servant. Antony, you can go; we don’t
want you,” said the girl impatiently.
“Master told me to come.”
“Mistress tells you to go.”
“Master says, keep near the ladies all the morning.”
“Well, your ladies won’t have you.” She turned to the host. “Do get
rid of him, Dr. Aziz!”
“Mohammed Latif!” he called.
The poor relative exchanged fezzes with the melon, and peeped
out of the window of the railway carriage, whose confusion he was
superintending.
“Here is my cousin, Mr. Mohammed Latif. Oh no, don’t shake
hands. He is an Indian of the old-fashioned sort, he prefers to
salaam. There, I told you so. Mohammed Latif, how beautifully you
salaam. See, he hasn’t understood; he knows no English.”
“You spick lie,” said the old man gently.
“I spick a lie! Oh, jolly good. Isn’t he a funny old man? We will
have great jokes with him later. He does all sorts of little things. He
is not nearly as stupid as you think, and awfully poor. It’s lucky ours
is a large family.” He flung an arm round the grubby neck. “But you
55. get inside, make yourselves at home; yes, you lie down.” The
celebrated Oriental confusion appeared at last to be at an end.
“Excuse me, now I must meet our other two guests!”
He was getting nervous again, for it was ten minutes to the time.
Still, Fielding was an Englishman, and they never do miss trains, and
Godbole was a Hindu and did not count, and, soothed by this logic,
he grew calmer as the hour of departure approached. Mohammed
Latif had bribed Antony not to come. They walked up and down the
platform, talking usefully. They agreed that they had overdone the
servants, and must leave two or three behind at Marabar station.
And Aziz explained that he might be playing one or two practical
jokes at the caves—not out of unkindness, but to make the guests
laugh. The old man assented with slight sideway motions of the
head: he was always willing to be ridiculed, and he bade Aziz not
spare him. Elated by his importance, he began an indecent
anecdote.
“Tell me another time, brother, when I have more leisure, for now,
as I have already explained, we have to give pleasure to non-
Moslems. Three will be Europeans, one a Hindu, which must not be
forgotten. Every attention must be paid to Professor Godbole, lest he
feel that he is inferior to my other guests.”
“I will discuss philosophy with him.”
“That will be kind of you; but the servants are even more
important. We must not convey an impression of disorganization. It
can be done, and I expect you to do it . . .”
A shriek from the purdah carriage. The train had started.
“Merciful God!” cried Mohammed Latif. He flung himself at the
train, and leapt on to the footboard of a carriage. Aziz did likewise. It
was an easy feat, for a branch-line train is slow to assume special
airs. “We’re monkeys, don’t worry,” he called, hanging on to a bar
and laughing. Then he howled, “Mr. Fielding! Mr. Fielding!”
56. There were Fielding and old Godbole, held up at the level-
crossing. Appalling catastrophe! The gates had been closed earlier
than usual. They leapt from their tonga; they gesticulated, but what
was the good. So near and yet so far! As the train joggled past over
the points, there was time for agonized words.
“Bad, bad, you have destroyed me.”
“Godbole’s pujah did it,” cried the Englishman.
The Brahman lowered his eyes, ashamed of religion. For it was so:
he had miscalculated the length of a prayer.
“Jump on, I must have you,” screamed Aziz, beside himself.
“Right, give a hand.”
“He’s not to, he’ll kill himself,” Mrs. Moore protested. He jumped,
he failed, missed his friend’s hand, and fell back on to the line. The
train rumbled past. He scrambled on to his feet, and bawled after
them, “I’m all right, you’re all right, don’t worry,” and then they
passed beyond range of his voice.
“Mrs. Moore, Miss Quested, our expedition is a ruin.” He swung
himself along the footboard, almost in tears.
“Get in, get in; you’ll kill yourself as well as Mr. Fielding. I see no
ruin.”
“How is that? Oh, explain to me!” he said piteously, like a child.
“We shall be all Moslems together now, as you promised.”
She was perfect as always, his dear Mrs. Moore. All the love for
her he had felt at the mosque welled up again, the fresher for
forgetfulness. There was nothing he would not do for her. He would
die to make her happy.
57. “Get in, Dr. Aziz, you make us giddy,” the other lady called. “If
they’re so foolish as to miss the train, that’s their loss, not ours.”
“I am to blame. I am the host.”
“Nonsense, go to your carriage. We’re going to have a delightful
time without them.”
Not perfect like Mrs. Moore, but very sincere and kind. Wonderful
ladies, both of them, and for one precious morning his guests. He
felt important and competent. Fielding was a loss personally, being a
friend, increasingly dear, yet if Fielding had come, he himself would
have remained in leading-strings. “Indians are incapable of
responsibility,” said the officials, and Hamidullah sometimes said so
too. He would show those pessimists that they were wrong. Smiling
proudly, he glanced outward at the country, which was still invisible
except as a dark movement in the darkness; then upwards at the
sky, where the stars of the sprawling Scorpion had begun to pale.
Then he dived through a window into a second-class carriage.
“Mohammed Latif, by the way, what is in these caves, brother?
Why are we all going to see them?”
Such a question was beyond the poor relative’s scope. He could
only reply that God and the local villagers knew, and that the latter
would gladly act as guides.
58. CHAPTER XIV
Most of life is so dull that there is nothing to be said about it, and
the books and talk that would describe it as interesting are obliged
to exaggerate, in the hope of justifying their own existence. Inside
its cocoon of work or social obligation, the human spirit slumbers for
the most part, registering the distinction between pleasure and pain,
but not nearly as alert as we pretend. There are periods in the most
thrilling day during which nothing happens, and though we continue
to exclaim, “I do enjoy myself,” or, “I am horrified,” we are insincere.
“As far as I feel anything, it is enjoyment, horror”—it’s no more than
that really, and a perfectly adjusted organism would be silent.
It so happened that Mrs. Moore and Miss Quested had felt nothing
acutely for a fortnight. Ever since Professor Godbole had sung his
queer little song, they had lived more or less inside cocoons, and the
difference between them was that the elder lady accepted her own
apathy, while the younger resented hers. It was Adela’s faith that
the whole stream of events is important and interesting, and if she
grew bored she blamed herself severely and compelled her lips to
utter enthusiasms. This was the only insincerity in a character
otherwise sincere, and it was indeed the intellectual protest of her
youth. She was particularly vexed now because she was both in
India and engaged to be married, which double event should have
made every instant sublime.
India was certainly dim this morning, though seen under the
auspices of Indians. Her wish had been granted, but too late. She
could not get excited over Aziz and his arrangements. She was not
the least unhappy or depressed, and the various odd objects that
surrounded her—the comic “purdah” carriage, the piles of rugs and
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