Mr. Screwvala writing career decisions

XAT 2026 · DM · Medium · Decision Making

Passage / data set

Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

Mr. Screwvala, a highly successful investment banker, had a career of nearly 25 years. In his circle, he was respected for his straight-shooter image and industrious behaviour. Screwvala loved travelling; he travelled extensively, both for his job and personal interests. He always wanted to share his life experiences with people at large.

He chanced upon such an opportunity when his old friend, Mr. Patel, a well-known publisher, offered Screwvala to publish a book based on his life experiences. Screwvala grabbed the opportunity; however, given his thorough nature, he took a three-year long sabbatical to finish the book.

During that period, Patel guided Screwvala at every step, reviewing every chapter personally. At the end, the book was probably as much Patel's, as it was Screwvala's!

On publication, the book turned out to be a bestseller, and Screwvala became famous.

Question 1 of 3

Patel had a new proposal for Screwvala: he wanted Screwvala to work on a detective novel. Patel promised him good money but proposed that Screwvala would only write the final chapter of the novel, after his co-authors had completed the first nine chapters. Screwvala was surprised at the offer, since he never tried writing anything creative, and definitely not fiction. He wanted to be sure whether he could actually measure up with the co-authors who were established creative writers.

Which of the following, IF TRUE, will be the MOST compelling reason for Screwvala to accept the offer?

  1. A.

    Screwvala is earning a decent royalty on the sales of his first book.

  2. B.

    Patel is an experienced publisher who mentored many successful writers in the past.

  3. C.

    Screwvala loved taking up challenging assignments during his stint as an investment banker.

  4. D.

    Writing the novel will pay Screwvala to travel across the globe.

  5. E.

    Screwvala has enjoyed working on his first book and does not want to go back to investment banking.

Question 2 of 3

Patel had a new proposal for Screwvala: he wanted Screwvala to work on a detective novel. Patel proposed that Screwvala would only write the final chapter of the detective novel, after his co-authors. Screwvala accepted the offer.

Though the project started on time, a few of the authors could not manage to submit their chapters within the given timeline. Hence, it created a delay for the authors to follow.

Having to wait endlessly for the other authors to finish their chapters, with no end in sight, Screwvala started getting impatient. In the meantime, he was offered another proposal from a rival publisher to write a travelogue on a country of his choice, which would involve all-expense-paid trips. Because of his love for travel, Screwvala felt inclined to accept the offer. However, this would mean getting out of the contract of the detective novel, which could cause a serious friction with Patel.

Which of the following, IF TRUE, will be the MOST compelling reason for Screwvala to continue with the detective-novel project?

  1. A.

    Screwvala has already invested considerable time in the detective novel.

  2. B.

    Patel did tell Screwvala that writing the detective novel would test his patience.

  3. C.

    Screwvala believes that he owes it to Patel for the help he has received in his journey as a writer.

  4. D.

    The rival publisher is not as well-known as Patel.

  5. E.

    Screwvala is not sure whether writing two books on similar topics consecutively will be well received.

Question 3 of 3

Patel had a new proposal for Screwvala: he wanted Screwvala to work on a detective novel. Patel proposed that Screwvala would only write the final chapter of the detective novel, after his co-authors. Screwvala accepted the offer by signing a contract.

While waiting for his turn to come to write his chapter for the detective novel, Screwvala started writing a travel blog. Because of his radiant style, the blog became popular. Hence, he started mulling over converting the blog articles into a book.

When Screwvala shared this idea, Patel sprung a surprise by pointing out to a clause in their contract. The clause forbade Screwvala from publishing anything else until the detective novel got published. Screwvala signed the contract without reading it as he trusted Patel as a good friend. Further, Patel offered Screwvala an extra sum of money if he would delay the publication of his travel blog articles as a book.

Screwvala felt betrayed. Which of the following will be the MOST compelling reason for Screwvala to continue with publishing his blog as a book, ignoring the contract with Patel?

  1. A.

    Screwvala feels that most readers who like his writing style are already regular readers of his blog as well.

  2. B.

    Screwvala discovers that Patel replaced an originally contracted author from the project because of Patel's differences with the author.

  3. C.

    It is never Screwvala's nature to take it quietly when he realizes that he has been taken unfair advantage of.

  4. D.

    Screwvala is frustrated with the slow progress of the detective novel and has lost interest in it.

  5. E.

    Screwvala's lawyer believes that if Screwvala is desperate, he can try helping Screwvala in getting out of the contract, by offering Patel a reasonable compensation.

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