Studying how workload affects productivity, Maryam Kouchaki and colleagues found that people who chose to do relatively
easy tasks ﬁrst were less ______ compared to those who did hard tasks ﬁrst. Finishing easy tasks gave participants a sense
of accomplishment, but those who tackled hard tasks ﬁrst actually became more skilled and productive workers over time.
secretive
eﬃcient
outgoing
unsympathetic
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about Kouchaki and colleagues’
research into how workload affects productivity. In context, “eﬃcient” means effective or well organized. The text indicates
that, according to Kouchaki and colleagues’ research, people who worked on hard tasks ﬁrst were “more skilled and
productive” than those who did easy tasks ﬁrst. This context conveys the idea that despite their sense of accomplishment,
the people who chose to do the easy tasks ﬁrst were less eﬃcient or productive than those who tackled hard tasks ﬁrst. 
Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that workers who do easy tasks ﬁrst are less “secretive,”
or uncommunicative or silent, than those who do hard tasks ﬁrst. Rather, the text suggests that people are less skillful or
eﬃcient if they tackle easy tasks before the hard ones. Choice C is incorrect because “outgoing” means openly friendly,
which wouldn’t make sense in this context. The text focuses on Kouchaki and colleagues’ research in which people who
worked on hard tasks ﬁrst were “more skilled and productive” than those who did easy tasks ﬁrst and were therefore less
eﬃcient. Choice D is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that workers who do easy tasks ﬁrst are less
“unsympathetic,” or insensitive or unkind, than those who do hard tasks ﬁrst. Rather, the text suggests that people are less
skillful or eﬃcient if they tackle easy tasks before the hard ones.