Read each paragraph and answer the questions that follow by choosing the letter of the correct response.

Question

(I) Several circumstances can serve as barriers to effective goal setting and planning. (2) The first one is inappropriate goals, which come in many forms.(3) In one instance, paying a large dividend1 to
stockholders may be inappropriate if it comes at the expense of research and development. (4) Goals may also be inappropriate if they are unattainable. (5) Second, and in some settings, an improper reward system acts as a barrier to goal setting and planning. (6) For example, people may inadvertently^2 be rewarded for poor goal-setting behavior or go unrewarded or even be punished for proper goal-setting behavior. (7)A case of this would be a manager who sets a goal of decreasing turnover3 next year. (8) If turnover is decreased by even a fraction, the manager can claim success and perhaps be rewarded for the accomplishment whereas the manager who attempts to decrease turnover by 5 percent but actually achieves a decrease of only 4 percent may receive a smaller reward because of his or her failure to reach the goal. (9) Third, the nature of an organization’s environment is also a barrier to effective goal setting and planning. (10) Rapid change, technological innovation, and intense competition can each increase the difficulty of an organization’s ability to accurately assess future opportunities and threats. (II) For example, when an electronics firm like IBM develops a long-range plan, it tries to take into account how much technological innovation is likely to occur during that interval. (12) But forecasting such events is extremely difficult and the manager who attempts to set goals and to plan in this rapidly changing environment faces a truly formidable4 task.

Which of the following sentences begins with a transition that signals a minor supporting detail?
a. sentence 3
b. sentence 5
c. sentence 9
d. sentence 11

Answer 1

d. sentence 11