ReadthefollowingpassageandmarktheletterA,B, C,orD onyouranswersheettoindicatethecorrectanswertoeachofthe questions.

Researchersinthefieldofpsychologyhavefoundthatoneofthebestwayto makeanimportantdecision,suchaschoosingauniversitytoattendorbusiness toinvestin,involvestheutilizationofadecisionworksheet.Psychologistswho studyoptimizationcomparetheactualdecisionsmadebypeopletotheretical idealdecisionstoseehowsimilartheyare.Proponentsoftheworksheet procedurebelievethatitwillyieldoptimal,thatis,thebestdecisions.Although thereareseveralvariationsontheexactformatthatworksheetscamtake,they are all similar in their essential aspects.

Worksheetsrequiredefiningtheprobleminaclearandconcisewayandthen listingallpossiblesolutionstotheproblem.Next,thepertinentconsiderations thatallpossiblesolutionstotheproblem.Next,thepertinentconsiderationsthat willbeaffectedbyeachdecisionarelisted,andtherelativeimportanceofeach considerationorconsequenceisdetermined.Eachconsiderationisassigneda numericalvaluetoreflectitsrelativeimportance.Adecisionismathematically calculatedbyaddingthesevaluestogether.Thealternativewiththehighest number of points emerges as the best decision.

Sincemostimportantproblemsaremultifaceted,thereareseveralalternatives tochoosefrom,eachwithuniqueadvantagesanddisadvantages.Oneofthe benefitsofapencilandpaperdecision-makingprocedureisthatitpermits people todeal withmorevariables thantheirmindscan generally comprehend andremember.Ontheaverage,peoplecankeepaboutsevenideasintheir mindsatonce.Aworksheetcanbeespeciallyusefulwhenthedecisioninvolves alargenumberofvariableswithcomplexrelationships.Arealisticexamplefor manycollegestudentsisthequestion"WhatwillIdoaftergraduation?"A graduatemightseekapositionthatoffersspecializedtraining,pursuean advanced degree, or travel abroad for a year.

Adecision-makingworksheetbeginswithasuccinctstatementoftheproblem thatwillalsohelptonarrowit.Itisimportanttobeclearaboutthedistinction betweenlong-rangeandimmediategoalsbecauselong-rangegoalsoften

involveadifferentdecisionthanshort-rangeones.Focusingonlong-range goals,agraduatingstudentmightrevisethequestionaboveto"WhatwillIdo after graduation that will lead to a successful career?"

The word "it" in paragraph 4 refers to