Q1. A school prepares its academic calendar before the session begins, showing teaching days, examinations, holidays and co-curricular events. The main management purpose of this calendar is to:

• (A) Record the examination results of the previous session
• (B) Provide a shared time framework that aligns teaching, assessment and school events across the whole year
• (C) List the duty roster of the caretaking staff for one month
• (D) Record the prices of textbooks prescribed for each class

Q2. A headteacher finds that the second term is always overloaded, with syllabus completion, revision and examinations crowded together. The best planning response is to:

• (A) Add extra periods only in the final week of the term
• (B) Shorten the syllabus for the second term without consulting departments
• (C) Cancel co-curricular activities for the whole term
• (D) Spread syllabus units, revision blocks and assessments evenly across the terms in the annual plan

Q3. How does a term plan differ most usefully from an annual plan?

• (A) It breaks the annual goals into term units, assessments and deadlines
• (B) It covers the same annual goals but in less detail, as a summary for parents
• (C) It lists the annual goals in a different order, starting with the easiest units
• (D) It replaces the annual plan’s assessments with end-of-year examinations only

Q4. A teacher plans a lesson, teaches it, checks what pupils actually learned, and changes the next lesson in light of that evidence. This sequence best describes the lesson planning cycle as:

• (A) A single written plan that is never changed once teaching begins
• (B) A timetable that fixes the same activity for every class
• (C) A repeating cycle of planning, teaching, checking outcomes, reflecting and revising the next plan
• (D) A record of marks entered after the term examination

Q5. Using the urgent-important distinction, a headteacher classifies reviewing the school curriculum and developing teachers as important but not urgent. The best time-management treatment for such tasks is to:

• (A) Leave them until they become a crisis and then deal with them urgently
• (B) Schedule protected time for them in advance, so they are not crowded out by daily routine
• (C) Hand them to pupils to complete during assembly
• (D) Deal with them only during examination weeks

Q6. A headteacher is repeatedly interrupted by casual visitors during classroom observation time. The most effective time-management response is to:

• (A) Set published visiting hours and an appointment system, and protect observation periods from routine interruptions
• (B) Stop all classroom observation for the rest of the term
• (C) Ask visitors to wait in classrooms during lessons
• (D) Move classroom observation to after school hours every day

Q7. Staff meetings in a school regularly run far beyond their scheduled time and finish without clear decisions. The most practical improvement is to:

• (A) Hold meetings more often but with no agenda
• (B) Invite every member of staff to every meeting regardless of the topic
• (C) Ban all discussion and simply read out notices
• (D) Circulate an agenda with a time limit for each item, and close each item with a recorded decision and owner

Q8. A headteacher spends Friday afternoon reviewing the coming week’s priorities, deadlines and planned lesson observations, and draws up a schedule for the week before it begins. This practice best illustrates:

• (A) Handling each morning as it arrives, so that urgent matters always set the day’s agenda
• (B) Preparing only a term calendar, and leaving each week’s work to be arranged day by day
• (C) A weekly planning routine, reviewing priorities and deadlines in advance
• (D) Delegating weekly planning entirely to the school clerk, so the headteacher need not review it

Q9. A headteacher keeps a simple log for two weeks, noting how each hour is actually spent. The main purpose of this time audit is to:

• (A) Show how much time the school actually spends on teaching, supervision, routine administration and interruptions
• (B) Calculate the salary bill for support staff
• (C) Decide the dates of public holidays
• (D) Record the number of pupils present each day

Q10. A school clerk handles admission forms, fee records and correspondence in separate trips to the office throughout the day. The time-management technique of batching would suggest:

• (A) Ignoring correspondence until the end of term
• (B) Doing each small task the moment it is mentioned, however often that interrupts other work
• (C) Asking teachers to handle all clerical work themselves
• (D) Grouping similar clerical tasks into set blocks of time so that each is handled once, efficiently

Q11. A headteacher agrees to every additional committee, event and report request, and then has no time left for classroom supervision. The time-management skill most lacking here is the ability to:

• (A) Write longer reports for every committee
• (B) Protect time for instructional priorities by declining, delegating or rescheduling lower-value demands
• (C) Attend every meeting personally, whatever its relevance
• (D) Extend the school day for all staff

Q12. Two classes both need the science laboratory in the same period for planned practical work. The best time-management solution, consistent with the term plan, is to:

• (A) Cancel practical work for both classes for the rest of the term
• (B) Let the class whose teacher arrives first use the laboratory every time
• (C) Rotate laboratory access between the classes and adjust the timetable so both receive their planned practical time
• (D) Send both classes to the laboratory together and share the same apparatus

Q13. In the lesson planning cycle, the stage that most directly follows teaching a lesson and checking pupils’ understanding is:

• (A) Reflection on what worked and what did not, leading to a revised plan for the next lesson
• (B) Writing the annual school budget
• (C) Preparing the next term’s examination timetable
• (D) Filing the lesson plan without further comment

Q14. A wise term plan for a school in an area where winter closures are common includes buffer weeks for revision and catch-up. The main reason is that:

• (A) Teachers prefer shorter terms
• (B) Buffer weeks let the school absorb lost days without abandoning syllabus units or rushing revision
• (C) Buffer weeks reduce the number of examinations required
• (D) Parents expect a shorter school calendar

Q15. A headteacher plans each day by first blocking time for lesson observation and teacher support, and only then fitting routine correspondence around it. This practice best illustrates the principle that:

• (A) Urgent correspondence should be cleared first each morning, so the rest of the day is free for observation
• (B) Meetings with staff should be fixed first, and observation fitted around the agreed meeting times
• (C) Tasks should be grouped by type, with all paperwork completed before any classroom visits
• (D) High-priority instructional work should be scheduled first, and lower-priority work fitted around it

Q16. The rational model of decision-making assumes that the decision-maker:

• (A) Follows habit and chooses whatever was done last year
• (B) Decides by copying the nearest school without analysis
• (C) Has clear objectives and complete information, and evaluates all alternatives before choosing the best one
• (D) Lets events decide, without identifying any alternatives

Q17. A headteacher wants to choose a new timetable by the fully rational model, but finds she cannot obtain complete data on every teacher’s preferences, room availability and pupil combinations in the time available. This illustrates the main practical limitation of the rational model, which is that:

• (A) It requires more complete information, time and analytical capacity than managers usually have
• (B) It forbids consulting staff before deciding
• (C) It applies only to financial decisions
• (D) It always produces a decision that staff reject

Q18. Herbert Simon’s idea of bounded rationality holds that managers make decisions within limits of:

• (A) The school budget only, with no other limits
• (B) Knowledge, time and mental capacity, and therefore choose a satisfactory rather than a perfect solution
• (C) National law only, with no practical limits
• (D) Pupil numbers only, with no other limits

Q19. A headteacher needs a workable duty roster quickly. She examines three roster patterns, finds one that meets staffing rules, covers all periods and is acceptable to staff, and adopts it without searching for every theoretically possible roster. This choice best illustrates:

• (A) The rational model, because every possible roster was compared
• (B) The garbage can model, because the roster was chosen at random
• (C) The incremental model, because last year’s roster was simply repeated
• (D) Satisficing, because the first alternative good enough to meet the requirements was accepted

Q20. Rather than redesigning the whole school timetable, a headteacher makes a small adjustment each term: moving one difficult period, swapping two rooms, and easing one clash. This approach to change best matches the incremental model, which is associated with Lindblom and described as:

• (A) Making a single comprehensive plan that solves every problem at once
• (B) Waiting until a crisis forces a complete reorganisation
• (C) Making successive limited adjustments to existing arrangements, learning from each step
• (D) Choosing solutions before any problem has been identified

Q21. A school has used the same uneven distribution of periods for years, and each small timetable adjustment preserves the advantage of one department over the others. The main criticism of a purely incremental approach illustrated here is that it:

• (A) Requires too much information before any step can be taken
• (B) Can entrench existing inequities, because it never questions the basic arrangement it adjusts
• (C) Always produces decisions that staff refuse to implement
• (D) Forbids any consultation with departments

Q22. In the garbage can model of decision-making, decisions are seen as the outcome of the interaction of four streams. Those four streams are:

• (A) Problems, solutions, participants and choice opportunities coming together at a given moment
• (B) Budgets, buildings, books and boards acting in sequence
• (C) Plans, timetables, examinations and results following a fixed order
• (D) Orders, punishments, rewards and reports issued by senior officers

Q23. A donor offers a school a set of computers. The school accepts them and then searches for a use for them, although no computer-based need had been identified in its plan. This sequence, in which a solution precedes a problem, is most characteristic of:

• (A) The rational model, because objectives were set first
• (B) The incremental model, because an existing programme was adjusted
• (C) Bounded rationality, because information was complete
• (D) The garbage can model, because an available solution attached itself to a later opportunity

Q24. A school board decides the long-term direction of the school for the next five years, including which streams to develop and what kind of institution it aims to become. This decision is best classified as strategic because it:

• (A) Concerns only today’s duty roster
• (B) Applies a fixed rule to a routine admission case
• (C) Sets long-term direction and shapes many later decisions across the whole school
• (D) Can be reversed the next morning without consequence

Q25. A department prepares a term-wise action plan to raise science practical scores, with extra laboratory sessions, targeted revision and a mid-term check. This is best classified as a tactical decision because it:

• (A) Translates a broader school goal into a medium-term departmental plan for achieving it
• (B) Sets the school’s five-year direction
• (C) Arranges cover for one absent teacher today
• (D) Follows a fixed rule for issuing textbooks

Q26. This morning a teacher is absent without notice and the headteacher arranges substitute cover for her three periods. This decision is best classified as operational because it:

• (A) Revises the school’s long-term development plan
• (B) Changes the subjects offered by the school
• (C) Sets departmental targets for the whole year
• (D) Deals with the immediate day-to-day running of the school within existing plans

Q27. When textbook stock falls below the set minimum, the clerk automatically places a standard reorder following the school’s written procedure. In planning terms this is a programmed decision because it is:

• (A) It is a satisficing decision, because the clerk accepts the first supplier that meets the minimum stock
• (B) Routine and rule-based, made by applying an established procedure to a recurring situation
• (C) It is a strategic decision, because textbook supply affects learning across the whole school
• (D) It is a participative decision, because all teachers were consulted when the procedure was written

Q28. Flood water damages two classroom blocks a week before the term begins, and the headteacher must reorganise accommodation, shifts and transport with no precedent to follow. This is a non-programmed decision because it is:

• (A) Novel and unstructured, requiring judgement in a situation for which no routine procedure exists
• (B) Governed by a fixed rule that is applied every term
• (C) Limited to arranging one day’s substitute cover
• (D) Decided entirely by the school’s textbook ordering procedure

Q29. A headteacher must decide whether to introduce a new subject combination, but nobody can say how many pupils will choose it, what staffing it will need, or how it will affect results, and no reliable probabilities can be attached to these outcomes. This decision is being made under conditions of:

• (A) Certainty, because all outcomes are known
• (B) Routine, because a fixed rule settles it
• (C) Uncertainty, because outcomes are unknown and their likelihoods cannot be estimated
• (D) Delegation, because the decision has been passed to a committee

Q30. After a new remedial programme has run for a term, the headteacher compares pupils’ results and attendance with the targets set in the original plan, and uses the findings to revise next term’s plan. In the decision-making cycle this stage is best described as:

• (A) Identifying the problem for the first time
• (B) Generating alternatives without any evidence
• (C) Implementing a decision without checking its effect
• (D) Evaluating outcomes against objectives and feeding the lessons into the next planning cycle

Q31. When a new annual plan is approved, the headteacher sends every department a written summary stating its targets, the person responsible for each task and the deadlines. This is downward communication serving plan implementation by:

• (A) Collecting complaints from parents about the plan
• (B) Passing decisions, targets and responsibilities from higher to lower levels so that everyone works to the same plan
• (C) Coordinating two departments of equal status with each other
• (D) Reporting progress from departments back to the headteacher

Q32. During the term, each head of department sends the headteacher a short report on syllabus coverage, problems faced and support needed. This upward communication is most valuable for plan implementation because it:

• (A) Announces the headteacher’s decisions to the staff
• (B) Coordinates the work of two departments at the same level
• (C) Gives senior management evidence from the classroom level about how the plan is actually progressing
• (D) Replaces the need for any written plan

Q33. The heads of the science and mathematics departments meet to agree a shared schedule for revision classes so that pupils are not overloaded in one week. This horizontal communication supports plan implementation mainly by:

• (A) Reporting results to the district office
• (B) Issuing a new policy from the headteacher
• (C) Collecting parents’ views on the school plan
• (D) Coordinating the work of units at the same level so their plans fit together

Q34. In a staff briefing the headteacher uses the term remedial classes, meaning extra support for pupils who need it. Some teachers understand it as punishment classes for weak pupils, and resist the plan. The communication barrier illustrated here is primarily:

• (A) A semantic barrier, because the same words carry different meanings for sender and receivers
• (B) A physical barrier, because the meeting room was too small
• (C) An overload barrier, because too many circulars were issued
• (D) A financial barrier, because no funds were allocated

Q35. A plan circular must pass through four levels of approval before it reaches teachers, and by the time it arrives the deadlines it contains have already passed. The barrier that most directly caused this failure is:

• (A) A psychological barrier caused by staff anxiety
• (B) A semantic barrier caused by unclear wording
• (C) An organisational barrier, because too many layers and slow channels delayed the message
• (D) A cultural barrier caused by differences in background

Q36. Teachers hear that a new appraisal system is coming, fear it will be used to punish them, and therefore listen to the headteacher’s explanation with suspicion and misread its purpose. This illustrates a psychological barrier, because:

• (A) The meeting room was noisy and hard to hear in
• (B) Attitudes, fears and emotions coloured how the message was received, regardless of its wording
• (C) The circular was written in difficult language
• (D) Too many messages arrived on the same day

Q37. A department head knows that syllabus coverage is well behind schedule, but reports to the headteacher only that progress is satisfactory, omitting the shortfall. This distortion of upward communication is best described as:

• (A) Horizontal coordination between departments
• (B) A semantic barrier in the wording of the report
• (C) Active listening by the department head
• (D) Filtering, because unfavourable information is softened or withheld as it moves upward

Q38. In one week teachers receive twelve circulars, three meeting notices and several urgent messages, and as a result they miss the one circular that changes the examination dates. The communication problem here is best described as:

• (A) Information overload, because the volume of messages exceeded what receivers could attend to and process
• (B) A semantic barrier, because the wording was unclear
• (C) A physical barrier, because the noticeboard was broken
• (D) A psychological barrier, because teachers distrusted the sender

Q39. Halfway through the term the headteacher holds a plan-review meeting in which departments report progress, difficulties are discussed, and next month’s targets are adjusted. The communication function most clearly served here is feedback, because:

• (A) New orders are issued without discussion
• (B) Information about actual progress returns to the planners, allowing the plan to be corrected
• (C) Two departments exchange messages at the same level
• (D) Parents are informed of examination dates

Q40. A school announces a major timetable change but gives staff no explanation for a week. During that week rumours spread that several posts will be cut. The informal channel at work here, and the management lesson, is that:

• (A) Formal circulars are never needed when staff talk to each other
• (B) Rumours only arise in schools with poor examination results
• (C) Staff should be forbidden from talking to each other
• (D) The grapevine fills gaps left by delayed official information, so timely formal communication prevents harmful rumour

Q41. A headteacher launches a new homework policy with a briefing, invites questions, listens to concerns, and then circulates a written summary of what was agreed. This best illustrates two-way communication in plan implementation because:

• (A) Communication flows from the headteacher to staff, with questions collected afterwards in writing
• (B) Staff are briefed in small groups so that each group hears the same message separately
• (C) Messages flow both ways, with receivers able to question and confirm understanding before action
• (D) The policy is explained to teachers first, and parents are informed once implementation begins

Q42. Which of the following is the strongest reason for putting a school plan, its targets and responsibilities in writing rather than communicating it only orally?

• (A) A written plan provides a permanent, identical reference that all departments can check as implementation proceeds
• (B) Oral briefings are always misunderstood by every teacher
• (C) Written plans remove the need for any meeting
• (D) Oral communication is forbidden in schools

Q43. In a planning meeting a department head raises a concern about laboratory time. The headteacher restates the concern in her own words and asks whether she has understood it correctly before replying. This practice is best described as:

• (A) Filtering the message before passing it on
• (B) Active listening, because it checks understanding and shows the speaker has been heard
• (C) Horizontal communication between departments
• (D) A semantic barrier in the discussion

Q44. A communication plan for rolling out a new school improvement plan should specify, for each message, its audience, its content, its channel and its timing. The reason for this level of detail is that:

• (A) Staff enjoy receiving long documents
• (B) It guarantees that every stakeholder will agree with the plan
• (C) Different groups need different information at different stages, and a planned approach ensures nobody essential is missed or told too late
• (D) It removes the need for the headteacher to speak to staff

Q45. A school sends an important circular about changed school timings to parents in English only, although many parents in the community read Urdu. The most direct communication barrier here is:

• (A) A psychological barrier caused by parental anxiety
• (B) An organisational barrier caused by too many approval layers
• (C) A physical barrier caused by a broken noticeboard
• (D) A language barrier, because the message is encoded in a language many receivers cannot readily decode

Q46. A headteacher asks a senior teacher to organise the annual sports day, gives her authority to form committees and spend within an approved budget, and checks progress at agreed points. This is effective delegation because it combines:

• (A) Assignment of a task together with the authority to carry it out, while the headteacher retains overall accountability
• (B) Transfer of all blame to the senior teacher if anything goes wrong
• (C) An order with no authority and no follow-up
• (D) A request that the senior teacher work without informing anyone

Q47. In management terms, span of control means:

• (A) The total number of pupils enrolled in a school
• (B) The number of years a headteacher remains in post
• (C) The number of subordinates who report directly to one supervisor
• (D) The size of the school’s annual budget

Q48. A school has a narrow span of control: each supervisor oversees very few staff, and there are many layers between the headteacher and classroom teachers. The most likely management consequence is:

• (A) Faster communication, because messages pass through fewer people
• (B) Closer supervision, but slower communication through many layers and higher supervision costs
• (C) No supervision at all, because supervisors are too busy
• (D) Automatic improvement in examination results

Q49. A wide span of control is most workable in a school when:

• (A) Staff are inexperienced and tasks are new and complex
• (B) Every decision must be approved by the headteacher personally
• (C) Staff work in widely scattered locations with no communication system
• (D) Staff are experienced, tasks are routine and well understood, and communication channels are clear

Q50. Which factor most directly limits how wide a headteacher’s span of control can sensibly be?

• (A) The complexity and variety of the work, the competence of subordinates, and how far apart they work
• (B) The colour of the school building
• (C) The number of public holidays in the year
• (D) The age of the school’s furniture

Q51. A headteacher delegates the preparation of the examination schedule to a deputy, but tells the school committee that she herself remains answerable for its accuracy. This distinction best shows that:

• (A) Delegation transfers accountability completely to the deputy
• (B) Responsibility for the task can be delegated, while ultimate accountability stays with the headteacher
• (C) The deputy has no responsibility for the schedule
• (D) The headteacher should never delegate examination work

Q52. To coordinate a school plan, the headteacher sets up a joint planning committee with members from every department, which meets fortnightly to align schedules and share resources. This coordination technique works mainly by:

• (A) Issuing orders that departments must obey without discussion
• (B) Increasing the number of approval layers for every decision
• (C) Creating a regular forum where interdependent units adjust their plans to each other
• (D) Removing all departmental plans and replacing them with one timetable

Q53. Monitoring progress against a school plan most directly involves:

• (A) Writing a new plan every week from scratch
• (B) Praising staff regardless of results
• (C) Waiting until the end of the year to look at results
• (D) Comparing actual progress — such as syllabus coverage and attendance — with planned milestones at regular intervals

Q54. Before the term begins, a headteacher checks that textbooks, laboratory materials and trained teachers are all in place for the new syllabus units. This is an example of feedforward control because it:

• (A) Acts before the work begins, preventing problems by checking inputs in advance
• (B) Reviews examination results after the term ends
• (C) Observes lessons while they are being taught
• (D) Punishes staff after a failure has occurred

Q55. During the term a headteacher observes lessons, checks classwork and talks to department heads about syllabus pace. This ongoing supervision during implementation is best described as concurrent control, because it:

• (A) Takes place only after the final examination
• (B) Checks inputs before the term starts
• (C) Monitors work while it is happening, allowing adjustment in mid-course
• (D) Replaces the school plan entirely

Q56. At the end of the term the school compares examination results, attendance and syllabus completion with the targets in its plan. This end-of-cycle review is best described as feedback control, because it:

• (A) Prevents all problems before they occur
• (B) Uses information about completed work to judge results and improve the next cycle
• (C) Observes lessons while they are in progress
• (D) Avoids all comparison with planned targets

Q57. Monitoring shows that one class is 20 percent behind the planned syllabus coverage, while other classes are on track. The most appropriate corrective action is to:

• (A) Blame the teacher publicly in a staff meeting
• (B) Ignore the gap and hope the examination is easy
• (C) Reduce the syllabus for that class without informing anyone
• (D) Agree a catch-up plan with revised pacing, extra support and a new checkpoint date

Q58. A headteacher requires a written report on every minor classroom activity, and teachers soon spend more time reporting than teaching. The control lesson here is that monitoring should:

• (A) Cover every activity in equal detail, whatever its importance
• (B) Be abandoned entirely so teachers are free
• (C) Focus on key milestones and exceptions, keeping reporting proportionate to the plan’s important targets
• (D) Be based only on the headteacher’s impressions

Q59. Two departments schedule their major tests in the same week, pupils are overloaded, and neither department knew of the other’s plan. This failure is best diagnosed as weak:

• (A) Coordination, because interdependent plans were not aligned with each other
• (B) Budgeting, because no money was spent
• (C) Recruitment, because no new teachers were appointed
• (D) Delegation, because no task was assigned to anyone

Q60. Which characteristic is most important for a control system that supports, rather than hinders, plan execution in a school?

• (A) It reports only at the end of the year, when nothing can be changed
• (B) It is timely and accurate, focused on the plan’s objectives, and acceptable to the staff who use it
• (C) It measures only how much money has been spent
• (D) It punishes every small deviation immediately