Reliance Industries Assessment Tests

Reliance Industries Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are an administrator in a secondary school office. You and your colleague Marek share responsibility for the trips inbox. He believes parents’ consent queries should be answered only by the trip lead teacher; you have always answered the routine ones yourself. Yesterday he forwarded three of your answers to the trip lead with a note saying they should not have been sent. A parent deadline falls on Friday and forty replies are outstanding. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ask Marek to sit down with you today, work out which queries each of you will answer before Friday, and agree to take the underlying disagreement to the trip lead afterwards.
   2. Carry on answering the queries as you always have and, since Marek went over your head to the trip lead, copy the trip lead into your replies so she can see the standard of them for herself.
   3. Answer all forty replies yourself before Friday so the parents' deadline is met, and leave the question of who should be answering them until the trips have gone out.
   4. Email the trip lead teacher setting out why routine consent queries have always been answered in the office, and ask her to confirm the position before any more replies go out.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Ask Marek to sit down with you today, work out which queries each of you will answer before Friday, and agree to take the underlying disagreement to the trip lead afterwards.

   Least effective: B. Carry on answering the queries as you always have and, since Marek went over your head to the trip lead, copy the trip lead into your replies so she can see the standard of them for herself.

   B: Personalises the conflict: it answers a professional disagreement by scoring a point through a third party. Forty parent replies become the ground on which two colleagues argue, which is a different order of wrong from the other options.

   C: Avoids the difficult conversation: it hits Friday and guarantees the same clash next term, with Marek now watching for replies he thinks you should not be sending.

   D: Delays the decision: it seeks a ruling that may not arrive before Friday, and pauses forty parent replies while waiting for it. The boundary question is real; the parents' deadline will not wait for it.

   The most effective response is to ask Marek to sit down with you today, work out which queries each of you answers before Friday, and take the underlying disagreement to the trip lead afterwards: there are two problems here, a deadline on Friday and a genuine disagreement about who answers what, and only the first is urgent. It beats answering all forty replies yourself before Friday, because that meets the deadline and leaves the disagreement exactly where it was, with the same clash guaranteed next term. It beats emailing the trip lead to confirm the position before any more replies go out, because that puts forty parent replies behind a decision that may not come before Friday. The least effective response is copying the trip lead into your replies so she can see the standard of them: it uses the parents’ replies as a way of answering Marek, copying her in to make a point rather than to solve anything, which turns a workable disagreement into a contest. That is worse than the other two, which handle the conflict badly but do not weaponise the work. The principle: separate the deadline from the disagreement, meet the deadline together, and settle the disagreement with the person who owns the rule afterwards.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You work in a picture framing shop. A customer brought in a print for framing, promised for Saturday, for a birthday on Sunday. On Thursday you discover the moulding she chose is discontinued and none is left. A very similar moulding is in stock and could be ready for Saturday. She is contactable by phone. Your shop owner is in this afternoon. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say nothing and carry on looking for the original moulding, and tell her on Saturday if none has turned up by then.
   2. Ring her today, explain the moulding is discontinued, describe the similar one that could still be ready for Saturday, and ask which she would prefer.
   3. Frame the print in the similar moulding so it is ready for Saturday, and explain the substitution when she comes in to collect it.
   4. Ring her to say there is a problem with the moulding she chose and that you will call back once you have looked into what else is available.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Ring her today, explain the moulding is discontinued, describe the similar one that could still be ready for Saturday, and ask which she would prefer.

   Least effective: A. Say nothing and carry on looking for the original moulding, and tell her on Saturday if none has turned up by then.

   A: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: she needs the frame for a birthday on Sunday, and being told on Saturday that it does not exist leaves her no time at all. Searching quietly is not a reason for silence.

   C: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: she chose that moulding deliberately, and framing it in another and explaining at collection presents her with a decision already taken and a frame already cut.

   D: Delays the decision: you already know the moulding is discontinued and that a close alternative could meet Saturday, so calling without those facts leaves her unable to decide and shortens her time.

   The most effective response is to ring her today, explain the moulding is discontinued, describe the similar one that could still be ready for Saturday, and ask which she would prefer: she chose that moulding herself, the substitution changes what she ordered, and on Thursday she still has time to pick the alternative or take the print elsewhere. Giving her the facts and the option is what preserves the choice. It beats framing the print in the similar moulding and explaining the substitution at collection, because that takes the decision out of her hands. It beats ringing to say there is a problem and that you will call back once you know what else is available, because you already hold everything she needs to decide. The least effective response is carrying on looking for the original and telling her on Saturday if none turns up: it leaves her expecting a frame for a Sunday birthday and tells her only when nothing can be done. That is worse than the substitution, which at least delivers a frame, and worse than the holding call, which at least makes contact. The principle: when what someone ordered is no longer possible, tell them at once, tell them what is possible instead, and let them choose.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a train conductor. Your service has been delayed ninety minutes by a fault, the train is crowded and you have been answering the same questions for an hour. A passenger who will now miss a connection tells you loudly that you are useless and that the railway has ruined his evening. Passengers nearby are listening. You can check onward connections and the operator has a written delay compensation scheme. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain that the delay was caused by a technical fault outside your control and that you have been doing your best for everyone on the train for the past hour.
   2. Tell him that abuse of railway staff is not acceptable and that you will not discuss his connection until he speaks to you civilly.
   3. Acknowledge that he will miss his connection, check what onward services are running for him, and explain how to claim under the delay compensation scheme.
   4. Apologise and tell him the station staff at the destination will be able to help him with his onward journey and any compensation claim when he gets there.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Acknowledge that he will miss his connection, check what onward services are running for him, and explain how to claim under the delay compensation scheme.

   Least effective: B. Tell him that abuse of railway staff is not acceptable and that you will not discuss his connection until he speaks to you civilly.

   A: Personalises the conflict: it defends your own performance in front of a listening carriage rather than dealing with his missed connection, which invites him to argue about you instead.

   B: Escalates the confrontation: it makes his manner the condition of getting help with a missed connection, in front of a full carriage, which turns a service failure into a stand-off and leaves him with no information at all.

   D: Passes responsibility to others: you can check the onward connections from where you are standing, and telling a passenger to sort it out at the end of the journey leaves him with nothing for the next hour.

   The most effective response is to acknowledge that he will miss his connection, check what onward services are running, and explain how to claim under the delay compensation scheme: the useful things are what trains exist and what he is entitled to, and both are within your reach on board. It beats telling him the station staff at the destination can help with his onward journey and any claim, because you can check the connections now, and sending him on leaves him with nothing for the rest of the journey. It beats explaining that the delay was a technical fault outside your control and that you have done your best, because defending your own hour answers his insult rather than his problem, in front of a listening carriage. The least effective response is telling him you will not discuss his connection until he speaks to you civilly: it makes his manner a precondition for information he needs, in public, which escalates a service failure into a confrontation and leaves him with no help at all. That is worse than explaining the fault, which at least explains, and worse than referring him onward, which at least points somewhere. The principle: under personal criticism, give the person the concrete things that still help them, and leave your own defence out of it.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a science technician at a secondary school. Preparing for a practical lesson you find a bottle of concentrated acid in the general chemicals cupboard rather than the locked cabinet, with a loose cap. The lesson starts in twenty minutes and thirty pupils will be in the room. The head of science is teaching but the department office is next door and the site manager is available. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Move the bottle to the locked cabinet, tighten the cap, and tell the head of science about it after the lesson when she is free.
   2. Secure the bottle in the locked cabinet now, and interrupt the head of science briefly to tell her before thirty pupils come into the room.
   3. Leave the bottle where it is and mention it to the head of science at break, since the cupboard is at the back of the room and pupils are not allowed to open it.
   4. Cancel the practical and tell the class teacher the lesson cannot go ahead until the chemical storage has been checked properly.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Secure the bottle in the locked cabinet now, and interrupt the head of science briefly to tell her before thirty pupils come into the room.

   Least effective: C. Leave the bottle where it is and mention it to the head of science at break, since the cupboard is at the back of the room and pupils are not allowed to open it.

   A: Delays the decision: securing the bottle is right and it leaves unanswered how concentrated acid came to be in an unlocked cupboard, which the head of science needs to know before the next lesson, not after this one.

   C: Stays silent about a known safety risk: concentrated acid with a loose cap is left in an unlocked cupboard while thirty pupils work in the room, on the assumption that a rule about not opening cupboards will hold. That is a safety failure of a different order from the others.

   D: Escalates beyond the problem: one misplaced bottle can be secured in two minutes, and cancelling a lesson for thirty pupils is a decision for the head of science rather than a technician.

   The most effective response is to secure the bottle in the locked cabinet now and interrupt the head of science briefly before thirty pupils come in: putting it away takes two minutes, and she needs to know before the room fills because a misplaced bottle implies something wrong with how chemicals are being stored. Both fit in twenty minutes. It beats moving the bottle and telling her after the lesson when she is free, because that leaves the storage question unexamined through a lesson with thirty pupils in the room. It beats cancelling the practical until chemical storage has been checked, because that is a bigger decision than the problem needs, and is not a technician’s to take when securing the bottle solves the hazard. The least effective response is leaving the bottle where it is and mentioning it at break: it leaves concentrated acid with a loose cap in an unlocked cupboard during a practical, relying on pupils following a rule. That is worse than securing it and telling her later, which at least secures it, and worse than cancelling, which at least stops the lesson. The principle: remove the hazard immediately, then tell the responsible person before the risk period starts.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You work in an HR shared service team. It is Wednesday. Three things are outstanding: a new starter’s contract must go out today or she cannot begin on Monday, a manager wants a report on absence figures by Friday, and a colleague has asked you to review her draft policy whenever you have time. The contract takes an hour, the report three hours. You have five hours left today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Work through all three in the order they were asked for, and let your manager know at the end of the day if anything has not been finished.
   2. Start the absence report because it is the longest job, then do the contract at the end of the day once the bulk of the report is behind you.
   3. Do the contract and the policy review first because they are the two shorter jobs, then start the absence report and continue it tomorrow morning.
   4. Send the new starter's contract first, then work on the absence report, and tell your colleague you will review her policy tomorrow.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Send the new starter's contract first, then work on the absence report, and tell your colleague you will review her policy tomorrow.

   Least effective: A. Work through all three in the order they were asked for, and let your manager know at the end of the day if anything has not been finished.

   A: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: the contract is the one item that cannot slip, and reporting at the end of the day is after the point at which anyone could rescue it. Reporting a missed deadline once it is missed is not communication.

   B: Delays the decision: it leaves an hour-long task with a today-or- never deadline to the end of a five-hour day, so any overrun on the report costs the new starter her start date.

   C: Splits effort so nothing finishes: it fits the favour in ahead of a report with a named Friday deadline, and pushes three hours of work into a day that already has other demands.

   The most effective response is to send the new starter’s contract first, then work on the absence report, and tell your colleague the policy review waits until tomorrow: only the contract has a deadline of today with a consequence attached, a start date, and it takes one of the five hours available. That leaves four hours for a three-hour report due Friday, and the policy review has no deadline at all. It beats starting the absence report first because it is the longest job, since that puts a fixed, unrecoverable deadline behind an open-ended one. It beats doing the contract and the policy review first as the two shorter jobs, because that fits an unscheduled favour ahead of a report with a stated deadline. The least effective response is working through all three in the order they were asked for and reporting at the end of the day: it works to the order things were asked in rather than to their deadlines, and reports the failure only once the new starter’s Monday cannot be saved. That is worse than the other two, which sequence badly but at least do the contract today. The principle: identify the task that cannot slip, do it first, and say early which of the others will move.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a production planner at a commercial bakery. Tomorrow’s production schedule must be in the system by 5pm today; without it, the overnight shift bakes to last week’s quantities, and this week’s wholesale orders are noticeably different. This morning the owner asked you to prepare a costing summary he needs for a bank meeting at ten tomorrow morning; he is driving between suppliers all afternoon and cannot be reached. It is 2pm, each task takes about two hours, and you start at 7:30 tomorrow. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Build the schedule now so it is in the system by 5pm, then leave the owner a message that his summary will be ready before his ten o'clock meeting, since the schedule's cut-off is fixed and the summary is not needed until mid-morning.
   2. Keep trying the owner's phone before committing to either task, so the person whose meeting it is chooses what comes first, and start immediately on whichever he picks once you get through.
   3. Spend the afternoon making the costing summary as strong as it can be, adding the comparison charts a bank is likely to ask for, since the loan decision matters more to the bakery's future than one night's baking quantities.
   4. Rough out both pieces of work in the time available, entering a part-finished schedule before 5pm and drafting the summary's headline figures, then complete whichever still needs work when you arrive at 7:30 tomorrow.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Build the schedule now so it is in the system by 5pm, then leave the owner a message that his summary will be ready before his ten o'clock meeting, since the schedule's cut-off is fixed and the summary is not needed until mid-morning.

   Least effective: C. Spend the afternoon making the costing summary as strong as it can be, adding the comparison charts a bank is likely to ask for, since the loan decision matters more to the bakery's future than one night's baking quantities.

   B: Delays the decision: asking the owner would normally be right, but he is stated to be unreachable all afternoon, so time spent waiting for an answer burns down the one window in which the 5pm schedule can still be completed.

   C: Gold-plates one task while the other burns: the summary has until mid-morning tomorrow, yet this option spends today's only remaining hours adding unrequested extras to it while the single fixed deadline (the 5pm schedule) is knowingly allowed to pass, sending the overnight shift to bake the wrong quantities.

   D: Splits effort so nothing finishes: a part-finished schedule still leaves the overnight shift guessing on the lines you did not reach, and the drafted figures gain nothing from being started today, since the summary can be finished tomorrow morning before it is needed.

   The most effective response is to build the schedule now and leave the owner a message that his summary will be ready before his ten o’clock meeting: the schedule’s 5pm cut-off is the only deadline that expires today, a whole shift bakes from it overnight, and a 7:30 start tomorrow still finishes the summary comfortably, so the defensible call is to protect the fixed deadline and say exactly when the rest will arrive. It beats trying the owner’s phone before committing to either task, because the stem says he is unreachable all afternoon, so the waiting itself is what puts the 5pm cut-off at risk. It beats roughing out both pieces of work and finishing tomorrow, because a part-finished schedule still leaves the overnight shift guessing on the unentered lines, while starting the summary early gains nothing that tomorrow’s spare half-hour does not already provide. The least effective response is spending the afternoon polishing the costing summary and adding comparison charts: unlike chasing the owner, which at least tries to get the right person deciding, and unlike roughing out both, which at least gets most of the schedule entered, it knowingly abandons the only fixed deadline to add polish nobody asked for to a task with hours of slack, so the whole overnight bake runs on wrong quantities. The principle: when a stakeholder is unreachable, protect the deadline that cannot move, make the defensible call, and communicate it. Waiting or polishing is a decision too, just an unowned one.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You work behind the counter of a bakery. A customer ordered a birthday cake for collection at noon today with ‘Happy Birthday Amelie’ piped on it. It is 11am and you notice the cake in the fridge reads ‘Happy Birthday Amelia’. The decorator is in until 1pm and could re-pipe the inscription in twenty minutes. The customer’s phone number is on the order. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Hand the cake over at noon as it is, since the difference is one letter, the customer may not notice and it is too late to change it now.
   2. Ring the customer, explain the spelling error, and ask whether she would like it corrected or would rather collect the cake as it is.
   3. Have the decorator re-pipe the inscription and say nothing about the error, since the cake will be correct by the time the customer collects it at noon.
   4. Ask the decorator to re-pipe the inscription now, and ring the customer to let her know it is being corrected and will be ready at noon as arranged.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Ask the decorator to re-pipe the inscription now, and ring the customer to let her know it is being corrected and will be ready at noon as arranged.

   Least effective: A. Hand the cake over at noon as it is, since the difference is one letter, the customer may not notice and it is too late to change it now.

   A: Ignores the customer's actual need: a misspelled name on a child's birthday cake is the whole point of the order, and it is not too late, since the decorator is in and there is an hour. Relying on her not noticing is concealment of a known defect.

   B: Delays the decision: it hands her a choice she does not need to make. The name is simply wrong, the decorator is in, and twenty minutes is available before noon.

   C: Hides the problem: the outcome is right and the customer is never told that a cake with her daughter's name misspelled nearly went out, so she cannot check the spelling on the order for next time.

   The most effective response is to ask the decorator to re-pipe the inscription now and ring the customer to say it is being corrected and will be ready at noon: the name is wrong, there is an hour and a decorator on site, so it can be put right and still be ready. Telling her means she is not surprised and can confirm the spelling. It beats ringing to ask whether she would like it corrected or would rather collect it as it is, because that puts a decision to her that does not need making, when the fix is already possible. It beats having it re-piped and saying nothing about the error, because that gets the cake right but leaves her unaware of a mistake that came from the order itself. The least effective response is handing it over as it is on the grounds that the difference is one letter she may not notice: it claims the change is too late when an hour and a decorator are available, and relies on a misspelled name on a child’s birthday cake going unremarked. That is worse than the other two, which both produce a correct cake. The principle: when there is time to put a mistake right, put it right and tell the customer you have.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a junior designer at a graphic design studio. You and a colleague, Ines, are producing a brand pack due to the client on Friday. It is Wednesday. Ines has been given a second urgent project and tells you she can now only do about half her share of the brand pack. You have capacity for some but not all of the rest. Your studio manager assigns work and is in the office. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Take on all of Ines's remaining share and work late Wednesday and Thursday so the brand pack is delivered on Friday as promised.
   2. Work out with Ines exactly what is left, then tell the studio manager today what the two of you can cover and what still needs someone, before Friday.
   3. Tell Ines the brand pack has to come first since it has a client deadline on Friday, and ask her to push back on the second project herself.
   4. Carry on with your own share and let Ines deliver what she can, and raise it on Friday if the brand pack turns out to be incomplete.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Work out with Ines exactly what is left, then tell the studio manager today what the two of you can cover and what still needs someone, before Friday.

   Least effective: D. Carry on with your own share and let Ines deliver what she can, and raise it on Friday if the brand pack turns out to be incomplete.

   A: Hides the strain until failure: it absorbs a shortfall the studio manager created and never learns about, so she keeps assigning on the assumption that both projects fit.

   C: Passes responsibility to others: the studio manager assigns the work, so asking Ines to argue about her own workload leaves the person who made the clash out of the conversation.

   D: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: it is known on Wednesday that the pack will be short, and the plan is to mention it on the day it is due, when nothing can be done. Waiting to report a certainty is concealment.

   The most effective response is to work out with Ines exactly what is left, then tell the studio manager today what the two of you can cover and what still needs someone: the shortfall is known on Wednesday, its size can be worked out in ten minutes, and she both created the clash and is the only person who can resolve it. Bringing her the specifics rather than the problem lets her act. It beats taking on all of Ines’s remaining share and working late, because quietly absorbing the gap hides from the manager that two projects were assigned into one person’s week, so she does it again. It beats telling Ines to push back on the second project herself, because that leaves the person who assigns the work out of a conversation about her own assignment. The least effective response is letting Ines deliver what she can and raising it only if the pack turns out incomplete: it knows on Wednesday that Friday will fall short and plans to mention it when no resource can be added. That is worse than absorbing the work, which delivers, and worse than asking her to push back, which at least raises it. The principle: size the gap, then take it to whoever controls the resource while there is still time to fill it.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a research assistant in a university laboratory. You and a postdoctoral colleague, Wei, disagree about whether a set of anomalous results should be included in a paper being submitted next week. He wants to exclude them as experimental error; you think they are real and should be reported. The principal investigator is at a conference and reachable by email. Wei is drafting the paper now. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Defer to Wei since he is more experienced and it is his paper to draft, and keep your own record of the anomalous results in case they matter later.
   2. Email the principal investigator now setting out the disagreement, since inclusion of data is her decision and the submission deadline is next week.
   3. Say nothing further and let the paper go out without the anomalous results, since Wei is confident they are experimental error and challenging him would strain a working relationship you rely on.
   4. Set out to Wei why you think the results are real, and if you still disagree put the question to the principal investigator by email before the paper is submitted.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Set out to Wei why you think the results are real, and if you still disagree put the question to the principal investigator by email before the paper is submitted.

   Least effective: C. Say nothing further and let the paper go out without the anomalous results, since Wei is confident they are experimental error and challenging him would strain a working relationship you rely on.

   A: Prioritises the record over the outcome: a private note protects you while a paper goes out without data you believe are real, which is a question about the published science rather than about seniority.

   B: Escalates prematurely: Wei has not yet heard your reasoning in full, and taking it straight to the principal investigator at a conference makes a formal dispute of something a conversation may settle.

   C: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: it lets data you believe are real be excluded from a publication because raising it would be uncomfortable. Silence about what goes into the scientific record is a different order of wrong from raising it clumsily.

   The most effective response is to set out to Wei why you think the results are real, and if you still disagree put the question to the principal investigator before submission: whether the anomalies are error or signal is a scientific question with evidence behind it, he has not yet heard your full reasoning, and there is time to reach her. Talking first is proportionate and escalating on continued disagreement is proper. It beats emailing the principal investigator now to set out the disagreement, because doing that before he has heard the argument turns a scientific discussion into a dispute referred over his head. It beats deferring to him while keeping your own record of the anomalous results, because a private record protects you and does nothing about what is published. The least effective response is saying nothing further and letting the paper go out without them: it allows data you believe are real to be excluded because the conversation would be awkward, which is a decision about the scientific record taken for social reasons. That is worse than the other two, which handle it imperfectly but keep the question alive. The principle: argue the evidence with your colleague first, then take it to whoever owns the decision, before the work is committed.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a kitchen assistant in a school canteen. Lunch service starts at 12.15 and it is 11.30. The head cook has asked you to prepare a tray of allergen-free meals for four pupils, which takes twenty minutes, and to restock the salad bar, which takes fifteen. You cannot do both before service and the head cook is in the delivery bay for the next ten minutes. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Restock the salad bar first because it is the quicker job, then start the allergen-free meals and finish them as soon after 12.15 as you can.
    2. Restock the salad bar and serve the four pupils from the standard menu, choosing dishes that look unlikely to contain the allergens they need to avoid.
    3. Prepare the allergen-free meals first so the four pupils can eat at 12.15, and tell the head cook when she returns that the salad bar still needs restocking.
    4. Start both, alternating between the allergen-free tray and the salad bar so that each is as far along as possible when service begins.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: C. Prepare the allergen-free meals first so the four pupils can eat at 12.15, and tell the head cook when she returns that the salad bar still needs restocking.

    Least effective: B. Restock the salad bar and serve the four pupils from the standard menu, choosing dishes that look unlikely to contain the allergens they need to avoid.

    A: Delays the decision: it does the shorter task first and leaves four pupils who cannot eat anything else waiting after service has already started.

    B: Acts recklessly with a known risk: judging by eye whether a dish contains an allergen puts four pupils at risk of a reaction. That is a safety failure, not a scheduling choice.

    D: Splits effort so nothing finishes: allergen-free meals prepared alongside general restocking risks both being incomplete at 12.15, and moving between tasks in a kitchen is exactly how cross- contamination happens.

    The most effective response is to prepare the allergen-free meals first so the four pupils can eat at 12.15, then tell the head cook the salad bar still needs restocking: those four cannot eat anything else, so the meals have to exist by service, and a salad bar restocked slightly late affects nobody’s ability to eat. Telling her means she can put someone on it. It beats doing the quicker job first, because that leaves the four pupils with nothing at the start of service. It beats alternating between the allergen-free tray and the general restocking, because that risks both being unfinished and creates a real contamination risk. The least effective response is serving the four from the standard menu, choosing dishes that look unlikely to contain the allergens they need to avoid: it substitutes a guess about ingredients for the allergen-free meals themselves, which risks a reaction in four children. That is worse than the other two, which order the work badly but keep the pupils safe. The principle: do the task that someone depends on absolutely, and never replace a safety control with a judgement by eye.