Match List-I (Situation) with List-II (Barrier to communication).List…

Match List-I (Situation) with List-II (Barrier to communication).

List-I	List-II
(A) A manager tells a clerk to ‘look after the visiting buyer’; the manager means arrange his stay and travel, the clerk only meets him at the office.	(I) Unwillingness to communicate
(B) A circular drafted in English is put into Hindi by a clerk who does not know Hindi well, and the workers misread it.	(II) Unclarified assumptions
(C) A manager holds back news of a change in the team, as he feels it may weaken his position as the boss.	(III) Fear of challenge to authority
(D) A worker does not report a mistake to his supervisor, as he feels it may harm his own interests.	(IV) Faulty translations

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → (A)-(II), (B)-(IV), (C)-(III), (D)-(I)

List-I	List-II	Reason
(A) A manager tells a clerk to ‘look after the visiting buyer’; the manager means arrange his stay and travel, the clerk only meets him at the office.	(II) Unclarified assumptions	The instruction carries an assumption that is not spelt out, so the two read it differently.
(B) A circular drafted in English is put into Hindi by a clerk who does not know Hindi well, and the workers misread it.	(IV) Faulty translations	The translator is not good at both languages, so mistakes creep in and the meaning changes.
(C) A manager holds back news of a change in the team, as he feels it may weaken his position as the boss.	(III) Fear of challenge to authority	A superior who feels a message may hurt his authority withholds or suppresses it.
(D) A worker does not report a mistake to his supervisor, as he feels it may harm his own interests.	(I) Unwillingness to communicate	A subordinate does not communicate with his superior when he feels it may harm his own interests.

In both (C) and (D) a message is held back. Fear of challenge to authority is the superior’s barrier; unwillingness to communicate is the subordinate’s.

NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “(iii) Faulty translations: Sometimes the communications originally drafted in one language (e.g., English) need to be translated to the language understandable to workers (e.g., Hindi). If the translator is not proficient with both the languages, mistakes may creep in causing different meanings to the communication.
(iv) Unclarified assumptions: Some communications may have certain assumptions which are subject to different interpretations. …”

“Personal barriers: The personal factors of both sender and receiver may exert influence on effective communication. Some of the personal barriers of superiors and subordinates are mentioned below:
(i) Fear of challenge to authority: If a superior perceives that a particular communication may adversely affect his authority, he or she may withhold or suppress such communication.
(ii) Lack of confidence of superior on his subordinates: If superiors do not have confidence on the competency of their subordinates, they may not seek their advice or opinions.
(iii) Unwillingness to communicate: Sometimes, subordinates may not be prepared to communicate with their superiors, if they perceive that it may adversely affect their interests.”