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Daniel G. Bachrach
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Ch01: Introducing Management

True/False

1. Intellectual capital is a personal asset for individuals.

Answer: True
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

2. Commitment represents one’s talents or job-relevant capabilities.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

3. A knowledge worker is a person whose physical capabilities are the most critical
assets.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.1

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-1


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

4. Tech IQ is the ability to use technology and commitment to stay informed about the
latest technological developments.

Answer: True
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Information technology
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

5. National boundaries hardly count anymore in the world of business.

Answer: True
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

6. Members of minority groups constitute less than one-third of the U.S. population.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

7. The first leaf in the shamrock organization consists of a core group of “freelancers”
and “independent contractors.”

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

8. In a free-agent economy, people do not change jobs very often.

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-2


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

9. All organizations are open systems that interact with their environments.

Answer: True
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

10. Performance effectiveness is defined as the quantity and quality of outputs relative to
the cost of inputs.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

11. Any inefficiency in an organization reduces the cost of production.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

12. Performance efficiency is an output measure of resource cost associated with goal
accomplishment.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-3


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

13. In the context of present-day organizational trends, organizations and their members
are networked for intense, real-time communication and coordination.

Answer: True
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

14. A manager is a person who supports, activates, and is responsible for the work of
others.

Answer: True
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

15. Middle managers are in charge of overseeing the overall operations of an


organization.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

16. The top managers of an organization constitute an executive team that is not
accountable to any higher authority in the organization.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

17. Top managers are supposed to set strategy and lead an organization consistent with its
purpose and mission.

Answer: True
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-4


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

AACSB: Analytical thinking


Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

18. Typical job titles for middle managers include department head, team leader, and
supervisor.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

19. Line managers are responsible for work that makes a direct contribution to an
organization’s outputs.

Answer: True
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

20. Functional managers are primarily involved in using their special technical expertise
to advise and support line workers.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

21. Effective managers successfully help others achieve both high performance and
satisfaction in their work.

Answer: True
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-5


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

22. The upside-down pyramid view of organizations shows customers at the top being
served by workers who are supported by managers.

Answer: True
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

23. The top managers are primarily responsible for all the four management functions,
and the other managers are in charge of any one of the functions.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

24. Through controlling, a manager identifies desired results and ways to achieve them.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

25. In the management process, if the planning is impeccable, then there is no need for
controlling.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Comprehension

26. According to Mintzberg, a manager’s informational roles are limited to being a


figurehead.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-6


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

27. According to Mintzberg, as a monitor, a manager provides direction and instills


enthusiasm.

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

28. Through agenda setting, good managers develop action priorities that include goals
and plans spanning long and short time frames.

Answer: True
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

29. The learning focus in management is on classroom learning, lifelong learning, and
learning agility.

Answer: True
Learning Objective: 1.5
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

30. Long-term career success depends mainly on lifelong learning.

Answer: True
Learning Objective: 1.5
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

31. A person high in emotional intelligence does not usually sense when another person’s
emotions are negatively influencing a relationship.

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-7


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

Answer: False
Learning Objective: 1.5
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Comprehension

Multiple Choice

32. _____ is the collective brainpower or shared knowledge of a workforce that can be
used to create value.
A. Social capital
B. Intellectual capital
C. Workforce diversity
D. Productivity
E. Competency

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

33. The intellectual capital equation states: Intellectual Capital =


A. Competency × Commitment
B. Competency ÷ Commitment
C. Knowledge × Concept
D. Knowledge ÷ Concept
E. Intellect × Talent

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

34. _____ represents one’s willingness to work hard in applying one’s capabilities to
important tasks.
A. Intellect
B. Productivity
C. Commitment
D. Effectiveness
E. Competency

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-8


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

35. Which of the following is a defining characteristic of knowledge workers?


A. They work only in the information technology industry.
B. They have a high degree of cohesiveness and are prone to groupthink.
C. They are valued for their creative minds, not just their physical capabilities.
D. They are grouped together for a specific purpose and are disbanded when their
task is completed.
E. They are part of an unofficial group emerging from relationships and shared
interests among members.

Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Comprehension

36. The members of a _____ team are most likely to hold meetings, access common
databases, share information and files, make plans, and solve problems together, all
without ever meeting face to face.
A. virtual
B. specialized
C. cross-functional
D. self-managed
E. formal

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Information technology
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

37. _____ is the worldwide interdependence of resource flows, product markets, and
business competition.
A. Collectivism
B. Globalization
C. Nationalization
D. Diversification
E. Orientalism

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-9


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

38. In today’s world, Americans find that their customer service call is Answered in
Ghana, their CAT scan read by a radiologist in India, and their tax return prepared by
an accountant in the Philippines. This has become possible primarily due to _____.
A. collectivism
B. the glass ceiling effect
C. regional trade agreements
D. globalization
E. distributed leadership

Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Comprehension

39. Most people have a favorable opinion of globalization, but the issue of ___ does not
make everyone happy.
A. Groupthink
B. Functional chimneys problem
C. Job migration
D. National barriers
E. Debt financing

Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

40. Job migration occurs primarily:


A. when firms shift jobs from one country to another.
B. due to an ecological fallacy.
C. when workforce diversity increases.
D. when workers refrain from moving from their home country to another country.
E. due to an increase in the productivity of the workforce.

Answer: A

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-10


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

Learning Objective: 1.1


Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

41. What is an advantage of reshoring?


A. It helps safeguard the intellectual property of a firm.
B. It shifts jobs from home countries to the overseas outlets of a firm.
C. It increases the cost of transportation.
D. It increases globalization.
E. It increases job migration.

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Comprehension

42. Which of the following is defined as a code of moral principles that sets standards for
what is “good” and “right” as opposed to “bad” and “wrong” in the conduct of a
person or group?
A. Synergy
B. Ethics
C. Behavior
D. Cohesiveness
E. Individualism

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

43. _____ describes the differences among workers in terms of gender, race, age,
ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and able-bodiedness.
A. Ethics
B. Workforce diversity
C. Masculinity-femininity
D. Creative economy
E. Competency

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-11


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments


Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

44. Jonas, an employee of Pluto Inc., thinks that business leaders should “be white.” Due
to this, he holds a grudge against his manager, Asera, who is an Asian. Jonas often
displays defiant behavior at the workplace. His behavior is an example of _____.
A. prejudice
B. whistleblowing
C. subordination
D. harassment
E. bullying

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Hard
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Application

45. _____ is the display of negative, irrational attitudes toward members of diverse
populations.
A. Job dissatisfaction
B. Subordination
C. Intimidation
D. Whistleblowing
E. Prejudice

Answer: E
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

46. _____ actively denies minority members the full benefits of organizational
membership.
A. Discrimination
B. Subordination
C. Migration
D. Free-riding
E. Social loafing

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-12


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

47. The _____ effect is an invisible barrier limiting career advancement of women and
minorities.
A. ecological fallacy
B. masculinity-femininity
C. job migration
D. nationalization
E. glass ceiling

Answer: E
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

48. Nicola is the most qualified candidate for the job of marketing manager at Lean Inc.
However, the recruiters do not hire her because they feel that a woman would not be
able to handle the responsibilities associated with such a senior position. This is an
example of the _____ effect.
A. ecological fallacy
B. globalization
C. job migration
D. glass ceiling
E. nationalization

Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Hard
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Application

49. The typical characteristic of a(n) _____ is that they typically operate with a core
group of full-time long-term workers supported by others who work on contracts and
part-time.
A. shamrock organization
B. ad hoc team
C. combined task force
D. project team
E. joint task force

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-13


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

AACSB: Analytical thinking


Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

50. Which of the following is the defining characteristic of a free-agent economy?


A. People change jobs more often, and many work on independent contracts with a
shifting mix of employers.
B. The structure is totally centralized, and the leader makes all key decisions while
most communication is done by one on one conversations.
C. It consists of boundary-less organizations whose employees communicate only
through the virtual media.
D. In this system, organizations are exempted from tax, given that they use surplus
revenues to achieve their goals rather than distribute them as profit.
E. The structure is fully functional, and it consists of long-term employees who are
mostly concerned with their respective areas of interest.

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

51. Which of the following statements holds true for the term self-management?
A. It is a skill that involves being able to recognize one’s own strengths.
B. This skill involves ignoring one’s own shortcomings.
C. It is a skill that involves taking help from others for assessing oneself realistically.
D. It involves hiring managers to help improve one’s personal development.
E. This skill does not require one to be responsible for his or her actions.

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.1
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Comprehension

52. Which of the following is a typical characteristic of an open system?


A. It is an organization that is convened for a specific purpose and disbands when its
task is completed.
B. It is a system where each member has the authority to make decisions about how
they share and complete their work.
C. It is the system where communication flows only between individual members
and a hub.
D. It is the system in which subgroups have limited communication with one
another.

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-14


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

E. It is a system that transforms resource inputs from the environment into product
outputs.

Answer: E
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

53. _____ helps in maintaining connectivity with people that in turn helps with job
searches and career advancement.
A. Commitment
B. Self-management
C. Social networking
D. Performance efficiency
E. Job migration

Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

54. _____ accurately measures the quantity and quality of outputs relative to the cost of
inputs.
A. Commitment
B. Productivity
C. Competency
D. Performance efficiency
E. Tech IQ

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

55. The annual productivity report of Papyrus Inc. states that it has achieved the targets it
had set for the year 2013. However, in this process, much of its resources have been
wasted, and the amount spent on resources is more than the estimated amount. Its
productivity has been:
A. effective and efficient.
B. neither effective nor efficient.
C. not effective but efficient.

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-15


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

D. effective but not efficient.


E. stagnant in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.

Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Hard
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Application

56. The productivity of a company is neither efficient nor effective when its:
A. goals are not achieved and resources are wasted.
B. goals are achieved and resources are not wasted.
C. goals are achieved but resources are wasted.
D. performance effectiveness is high.
E. goals are not achieved but resources are not wasted.

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Comprehension

57. The productivity of a company is effective and efficient if its:


A. goals are not achieved and resources are wasted.
B. goals are achieved and resources are not wasted.
C. goals are achieved but resources are wasted.
D. performance effectiveness is low.
E. goals are not achieved but resources are not wasted.

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Comprehension

58. _____ is an output measure of task or goal accomplishment.


A. Job satisfaction
B. Competency
C. Performance effectiveness
D. Performance efficiency
E. Tech IQ

Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.2

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-16


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

59. The difference between performance effectiveness and performance efficiency is that
the:
A. former is an output measure of goal accomplishment and the latter is an input
measure of the resource costs associated with goal accomplishment.
B. former focuses on resource utilization and the latter focuses on the quantity and
quality of work performance.
C. former emphasizes machine efficiency, while the latter emphasizes human capital.
D. former emphasizes the performance of the team as a whole and the latter
emphasizes the performance of the individual employees.
E. former leads to a decrease in customer satisfaction, while the latter reduces
productivity.

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Comprehension

60. Mathilda, who works for an insurance company, has the capacity to sell fifteen
insurance policies a day. However, she sells only ten insurance policies a day. This is
a typical example of _____.
A. information asymmetry
B. the glass ceiling effect
C. inefficiency
D. an ecological fallacy
E. the functional chimneys problem

Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Application

61. _____ is an input measure of the resource costs associated with goal accomplishment.
A. Productivity
B. Profit
C. Performance effectiveness
D. Performance efficiency
E. Revenue

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-17


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

62. Which of the following is true in the context of present day organizational trends?
A. Workers are more tolerant of hierarchy.
B. Little attention is paid to preservation of natural resources.
C. There is a greater focus on valuing human capital.
D. Organizations are less horizontal in focus.
E. Traditional top-down bosses are popular.

Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.2
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Comprehension

63. In nonprofit organizations such as a hospital or university, a _____ is mainly


responsible for the smooth running of the organization.
A. team leader
B. board of trustees
C. middle manager
D. chief executive officer
E. department head

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

64. Who elects the members of the board of directors?


A. Top managers
B. Stockholders
C. Middle managers
D. First-line managers
E. Senior staff

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-18


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

65. To which of the following categories does the chief financial officer (CFO) of an
organization typically belong?
A. Board of directors
B. Middle managers
C. First-line managers
D. Top managers
E. Board of trustees

Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

66. The chief information officer (CIO) of an organization belongs to the category of
_____.
A. board of directors
B. middle managers
C. first-line managers
D. top managers
E. board of trustees

Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

67. Clinic directors in hospitals, deans in universities, and division managers in


businesses belong to the category of _____.
A. board of directors
B. middle managers
C. first-line managers
D. top managers
E. board of trustees

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-19


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

68. _____ are in charge of guiding the performance of an organization as a whole or of


one of its major parts.
A. Top managers
B. Board of directors
C. Middle managers
D. First-line managers
E. Board of trustees

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

69. The middle managers of an organization:


A. are in charge of the organization as a whole.
B. are appointed by the stockholders of an organization.
C. oversee the work of large departments.
D. hold titles such as department head, team leader, or supervisor.
E. constitute an executive team that reports to the board.

Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

70. Team leaders ideally report to the _____.


A. top managers
B. board of directors
C. board of trustees
D. first-line managers
E. middle managers

Answer: E
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

71. _____ directly contribute to producing an organization’s goods or services.


A. Line managers

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-20


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

B. Staff managers
C. Top managers
D. Middle managers
E. Trustees

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

72. Staff managers:


A. directly contribute to producing an organization’s goods.
B. use special technical expertise to advise and support line workers.
C. look after the administration of nonprofit organizations.
D. are appointed by the stockholders.
E. elect the top managers.

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

73. Kenneth is the sales manager of a firm and his responsibility is limited to the sphere
of marketing. Kenneth’s job profile indicates that he is a _____ of the firm.
A. director
B. general manager
C. trustee
D. stockholder
E. functional manager

Answer: E
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Application

74. Charlie oversees all the operations of a firm, from purchasing to manufacturing to
human resources to finance and accounting functions. Charlie is the _____ of the
firm.
A. general manager
B. line manager
C. functional manager

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-21


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

D. team leader
E. director

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Application

75. A manager in a public or nonprofit organization might be referred to as a(n)_____.


A. director
B. president
C. administrator
D. team leader
E. trustee

Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

76. _____ is the requirement of one person to show performance results to a supervisor.
A. Productivity
B. Competency
C. Performance effectiveness
D. Accountability
E. Performance efficiency

Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

77. Corporate governance is most likely to occur when:


A. a board of directors holds the top management accountable for organizational
performance.
B. minority members are denied the full benefits of organizational membership.
C. the traditional top-down “do as I say” form of management prevails.
D. top managers guide the performance of an organization as a whole.
E. team leaders report to middle managers about the performance of the
nonmanagerial workers.

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-22


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

78. _____ is the overall quality of human experiences in the workplace.


A. Productivity
B. Competency
C. Performance effectiveness
D. Quality of work life
E. Performance efficiency

Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

79. The upside-down pyramid view of organizations shows:


A. managers at the top being in charge of the overall operations of the organization.
B. customers at the top being served by workers who are supported by managers.
C. that board of directors can hold top management accountable for organizational
performance.
D. that operating and frontline workers are at the bottom of the pyramid followed by
the middle managers.
E. that the primary job of top executives is to preserve the resources of the company.

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.3
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

80. Which of the following is typically the first step of the management process?
A. Organizing
B. Analyzing
C. Leading
D. Controlling
E. Planning

Answer: E
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-23


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

AACSB: Analytical thinking


Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

81. In the context of the management process, _____ is the process of setting objectives
and determining what should be done to accomplish them.
A. organizing
B. inspiring
C. leading
D. planning
E. controlling

Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

82. In the context of the management process, organizing is the process of:
A. setting objectives and determining what should be done to accomplish them.
B. assigning tasks, allocating resources, and coordinating work activities.
C. preparing team members to achieve closure and disband.
D. measuring performance and taking action to ensure desired results.
E. motivating team members to increase team cohesiveness to ensure the occurrence
of groupthink.

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

83. In the context of the management process, leading primarily involves:


A. setting objectives and determining what should be done to accomplish them.
B. assigning tasks, allocating resources, and coordinating work activities.
C. arousing enthusiasm and inspiring efforts to achieve goals.
D. preparing team members to achieve closure and disband.
E. developing action priorities for accomplishing goals and plans.

Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-24


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

84. In the context of the management process, which of the following best describes the
process of controlling?
A. It is the process of setting objectives and determining what should be done to
accomplish them.
B. It is the process of assigning tasks, allocating resources, and coordinating work
activities.
C. It is the process of arousing enthusiasm and inspiring efforts to achieve goals.
D. It is the process of measuring performance and taking action to ensure desired
results.
E. It is the process of developing action priorities for accomplishing goals and plans.

Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

85. According to Mintzberg, a manager’s informational roles involve being a(n) _____.
A. leader
B. disturbance handler
C. disseminator
D. entrepreneur
E. resource allocator

Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

86. In accordance with the ten managerial roles mentioned by Mintzberg, as a monitor, a
manager is required to:
A. scan for information.
B. provide direction.
C. handle budgets.
D. forge agreements.
E. share information.

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-25


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

87. According to Mintzberg, the interpersonal roles of a manager primarily involve:


A. the giving, receiving, and analyzing of information.
B. providing direction and instilling enthusiasm.
C. handling budgets and distributing resources.
D. making deals and forging agreements.
E. interacting with people inside and outside the work unit.

Answer: E
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

88. According to Mintzberg, as a resource allocator, a manager is mainly involved in:


A. the giving, receiving, and analyzing of information.
B. providing direction and instilling enthusiasm.
C. handling budgets and distributing resources.
D. making deals and forging agreements.
E. interacting with people inside and outside the work unit.

Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

89. Being an entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, and negotiator are part
of the _____ roles of a manager.
A. decisional
B. informational
C. interpersonal
D. monitoring
E. allocation

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

90. _____ primarily involves developing action priorities for accomplishing goals and
plans.

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-26


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

A. Organizing
B. Agenda setting
C. Capitalizing
D. Information scanning
E. Controlling

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

91. The process of creating positive relationships with people who can help advance
agendas is referred to as _____.
A. organizing
B. networking
C. capitalizing
D. allocating
E. controlling

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

92. Which of the following best describes social capital?


A. It is a unique form of ethical entrepreneurship that seeks novel ways to solve
pressing social problems.
B. It is the ability to manage ourselves and our relationships effectively.
C. It is a capacity to create positive relationships with people who can help advance
agendas.
D. It is the capacity to get things done with the support and help of others.
E. It is the ability to think analytically to diagnose and solve complex problems.

Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.4
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

93. Which of the following best describes learning?


A. It is a change in behavior that results from experience.
B. It is the capacity to get things done with the support and help of others.

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-27


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

C. It is the process of measuring performance and taking action to ensure desired


results.
D. It is the ability to use expertise to perform a task with proficiency.
E. It is the ability to think analytically and achieve integrative problem solving.

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.5
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

94. A(n) _____ is the ability to translate knowledge into action that results in desired
performance.
A. concept
B. commitment
C. agenda
D. process
E. skill

Answer: E
Learning Objective: 1.5
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

95. A technical skill is the ability to:


A. work well in cooperation with other people.
B. focus on the “soft” skills at work.
C. use expertise to perform a task with proficiency.
D. think analytically and diagnose and solve complex problems.
E. manage ourselves and our relationships effectively.

Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.5
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

96. A prospective employer asks Berta, “What kind of contribution can you make to our
company with your knowledge?” The employer is focusing on Berta’s _____ skills.
A. human
B. conceptual
C. interpersonal
D. critical thinking

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-28


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

E. technical

Answer: E
Learning Objective: 1.5
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Comprehension

97. Knowing how to write a business plan, using statistics to analyze data from a market
survey, and preparing visual aids for a presentation are part of a manager’s _____
skills.
A. peripheral
B. technical
C. human
D. conceptual
E. advanced

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.5
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Comprehension

98. A(n) _____ skill is the ability to think analytically to diagnose and solve complex
problems.
A. conceptual
B. human
C. technical
D. kinesthetic
E. interpersonal

Answer: A
Learning Objective: 1.5
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

99. Human skills are also referred to as _____ skills.


A. conceptual
B. interpersonal
C. technical
D. emotional
E. intellectual

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-29


Schermerhorn & Bachrach Management, 14th edition Test Bank

Answer: B
Learning Objective: 1.5
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

100. Which of the following is a defining characteristic of a manager with good human
skills?
A. Capacity to break problems into smaller parts
B. Knowing how to write a business plan
C. A high degree of emotional intelligence
D. Expertise at handling budgets and distributing resources
E. Ability to inspire efforts to achieve goals

Answer: C
Learning Objective: 1.5
Difficulty: Moderate
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

101. A(n) _____ skill precisely refers to the ability to work well in cooperation with other
people.
A. conceptual
B. technical
C. emotional
D. human
E. analytical

Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.5
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

102. _____ is the ability to manage ourselves and our relationships effectively.
A. Conceptual skill
B. Technical skill
C. Tech IQ
D. Emotional intelligence
E. Critical thinking

Answer: D
Learning Objective: 1.5
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge

Copyright ©2021 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-30


Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of A private
chivalry
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the
laws of the country where you are located before using this
eBook.

Title: A private chivalry


a novel

Author: Francis Lynde

Release date: February 1, 2024 [eBook #72849]

Language: English

Original publication: New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1900

Credits: D A Alexander, David E. Brown, and the Online


Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
(This book was produced from images made available
by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A PRIVATE


CHIVALRY ***
Appletons’
Town and Country Library

No. 291

A PRIVATE CHIVALRY
PRIVATE CHIVALRY
A NOVEL

BY
FRANCIS LYNDE
AUTHOR OF A ROMANCE IN TRANSIT,
THE HELPERS, ETC.

Acts more dangerous, but less famous


because they were but private chivalries.
Sir Philip Sidney

NEW YORK
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
1900
Copyright, 1900,
By D. APPLETON AND COMPANY.

All rights reserved.


CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I.— The woman ... whose hands are as bands 1
II.— The vintage of Abi-Ezer 13
III.— “The wreck of the Hesperus” 23
IV.— The migrants 33
V.— The scale ascending 44
VI.— A molehill levelled 49
VII.— And a mountain upreared 55
VIII.— A blow in the dark 64
IX.— The eye to the string 72
X.— The string to the shaft 78
XI.— And the shaft to the mark 85
XII.— The way of a maid with a man 88
XIII.— “Through a glass darkly” 99
XIV.— The anchor comes home 107
XV.— When hate and fear strike hands 118
XVI.— The goodly company of misery 125
XVII.— “As apples of gold in pictures of silver” 131
XVIII.— “Let the righteous smite me friendly” 139
XIX.— The leading of the blind 149
XX.— The demoniac 159
XXI.— “A rod for the fool’s back” 166
XXII.— How the smoking flax was quenched 177
XXIII.— How Dorothy blew the embers alive 190
XXIV.— “Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein” 201
XXV.— “Silence is an answer to a wise man” 213
XXVI.— In the valley of the shadow 221
XXVII.— Showing how faith may out-buffet a fact 234
XXVIII.— How the judge gave of his best 243
XXIX.— In which a wilful man has his way 255
XXX.— How love and friendship threw a main 260
XXXI.— A feast of mingled cups 266
XXXII.— Such friends are exultation’s agony 276
XXXIII.— Te morituri salutamus 281
XXXIV.— The wing-beat of Azrael 290
XXXV.— The wisdom of many and the wit of one 297
XXXVI.— In which a fox doubles once too often 310
XXXVII.— The law of the Medes and Persians 321
XXXVIII.— In which darts are counted as stubble 326
A PRIVATE CHIVALRY
CHAPTER I
THE WOMAN ... WHOSE HANDS ARE AS BANDS

The lights of Silverette were beginning to prick the dusk in the valley,
and the clanging of a piano, diminished to a harmonious tinkling,
floated up the mountain on the still air of the evening. At the Jessica
workings, a thousand feet above the valley, even the clangour of a
tuneless piano had its compensations; and to one of the two men
sitting on the puncheon-floored porch of the assayer’s cabin the
minimized tinkling was remindful of care-free student ramblings in
the land of the zither. But the other had no such pleasant memories,
and he rose and relighted his cigar.
“That is my cue, Ned. I must go down and do that whereunto I have
set my hand.”
“‘Must,’ you say; that implies necessity. I don’t see it.”
“I couldn’t expect you to see or to understand the necessity; but it is
there, all the same.”
The objector was silent while one might count ten, but the silence
was not of convincement. It was rather a lack of strong words to add
to those which had gone before. And when he began again it was
only to clinch insistence with iteration.
“I say I don’t see it. There is no necessity greater than a man’s will;
and when you try to make me believe that the honour man of my
class is constrained to come down to dealing faro in a mining camp
——”
“I know, Ned; but you don’t understand. You saw the fair beginning
ten years ago, and now you are getting a glimpse of the ending. To
you, I suppose, it seems like Lucifer’s fall—a drop from heaven to
hell; and so it is in effect. But, as a matter of fact, a man doesn’t fall;
he climbs down into the pit a step at a time—and there are more
steps behind me than I can ever retrace.”
“But you can’t go on indefinitely,” insisted the other.
The fallen one shook his head. “That is a true word. But there is only
one adequate ending to such a fiasco of a life as mine.”
“And that?”
“Is a forty-five calibre bullet, well aimed.”
“Bah! That is a coward’s alternative, and if you haven’t altogether
parted company with the George Brant I used to know, we needn’t
consider it. Why don’t you turn over a clean leaf and cut the whole
despicable business?”
Brant sat down on the porch step and clasped his hands over his
knee. Friendship has its key wherewith to unlock any door of
confidence, but from disuse the lock was rusted and it yielded
reluctantly.
“I have half a mind to let the game wait while I tell you,” he said at
length. “It isn’t a pleasant tale, and if you are disgusted you can call
me down.”
“Never mind about that; go on.”
“I’ll have to go back a bit first—back to the old college days. Do you
remember the old woman who lived on the flat below the campus?
the one who used to smuggle liquor and other contraband into the
dormitories when she came to scrub?”
“Mother Harding? Yes.”
“Well, you don’t remember any good of her, I fancy—or of her
daughter. But let that pass. The year after you went to Heidelberg
the girl blossomed out into a woman between two days, and went
wrong the day after, as the daughter of such a mother was bound to.
I got it into my callow brain that I was responsible. I know better now;
I ought to have known better then; but—well, to shorten a long story,
she has managed to spoil my life for me, root and branch.”
The assayer got upon his feet and swore out of a full heart.
“Good God, Brant! You don’t mean to say that you married that
brazen——”
But Brant stopped him with a quick gesture. “Don’t call her hard
names, Ned; I shot a man once for doing that. No, I didn’t marry her;
I did a worse thing. Now you know why I can’t turn the clean leaf. Let
the blame lie where it will—and it is pretty evenly divided between us
now—I’m not cur enough to turn my back on her at this stage of the
game.”
Hobart tramped up and down the slab-floored porch, four strides and
a turn, for two full minutes before he could frame the final question.
“Where is she now, George?”
Brant’s laugh was of hardihood. “Do you hear that piano going down
there in Dick Gaynard’s dance hall? She is playing it.”
“Heavens and earth! Then she is here—in Silverette?”
“Certainly. Where else would she be?”
Hobart stopped short and flung the stump of his cigar far out down
the slope.
“Brant,” he said solemnly, “I thank God your mother is dead.”
“Amen,” said Brant softly.
There was another pause, and then Hobart spoke again. “There was
a brother, George; what became of him?”
“He went to the bad, too—the worst kind of bad. He laid hold of the
situation in the earliest stages, and bled me like a leech year in and
year out, until one day I got him at a disadvantage and choked him
off.”
“How did you manage it?”
“It was easy enough. He is an outlaw of the camps, and he has killed
his man now and then when it seemed perfectly safe to do so. But
the last time he slipped a cog in the safety wheel, and I took the
trouble to get the evidence in shape to hang him. He knows I have it,
and he’d sell his soul, if he had one, to get his fingers on the
documents. In the meantime he lets me alone.”
“He will murder you some day for safety’s sake,” Hobart suggested.
“No, he won’t. I have made him believe that his life hangs on mine;
that when I die the dogs of the law will be let loose.”
“Oh!” The assayer made another turn or two and then came to sit on
the step beside his guest. “One more question, George, and then I’ll
let up on you,” he said. “Do you love the woman?”
Brant shook his head slowly. “No, Ned; I never did; at least, not in
the way you mean. And for years now it has been a matter of simple
justice. She was bad enough in the beginning, but she is worse now,
and that is my doing. I can’t leave her to go down into the hotter
parts of the pit alone.”
For a few other minutes neither of them spoke; then Brant rose and
girded himself for the tramp down the mountain.
“I must be going,” he said. “I’m glad to have had an hour with you; it
has given me a glimpse of the old life that is like the shadow of a
great rock in a thirsty land. And I want to see more of you, if you will
let me.”
“It will be your own fault if you don’t. Have you got to go now?”
“Yes. There is a tough crowd up from Carbonado, and Gaynard will
have his hands full to-night.”
“Wait a minute till I get my overcoat, and I’ll go with you.”
Brant waited, but when Hobart reappeared he made difficulties.
“You’d better stay where you are, Ned. It’s likely there will be trouble
and a free fight; and you are new to the place.”
“New to Silverette, but not to mining camps and rough crowds,”
Hobart amended.
Brant still hesitated. “I know, but there is always the risk—the
bystander’s risk, which is usually bigger than that of the fellow with
his gun out. Besides, you have a wife——”
Hobart pushed him into the downward path.
“You don’t know Kate,” he objected. “She would drive me to it if she
were here and knew the circumstances. She knows the camps better
than either of us.”
Fifteen minutes later they entered Dick Gaynard’s dance hall
together, and the assayer loitered in the barroom while Brant edged
his way back to the alcove in the rear, where stood the faro table.
Presently Hobart saw the dealer rise and give his chair to Brant; then
the loiterer felt free to look about him.
There was nothing new or redeeming in the scene. There was the
typical perspiring crowd of rough men and tawdry women surging to
and fro, pounding the dusty floor to the time beaten out of the
discordant piano; the same flaring oil lamps and murky atmosphere
thick with tobacco smoke and reeking with the fumes of alcohol; the
same silent groups ringing the roulette boards and the faro table.
Hobart looked on, and was conscious of a little shiver of disgust—a
vicarious thrill of shame for all concerned, but chiefly for his friend.
And Brant had come to this for his daily bread! Brant, the honour
man, the athlete, the well-beloved of all who knew him!
Hobart let himself drift with the ebb and flow of those who, like
himself, were as yet only onlookers, coming to anchor when he had
found a vantage point from which he could see and study the face of
the fallen one. For all the hardening years it was not yet an evil face.
The cheeks of the man were thinner and browner than those of the
boy, and the heavy mustache hid the mouth, the feature which
changes most with the changing years; but the resolute jaw was the
same, and the steady gray eyes, though these had caught the
gambler’s trick of looking out through half-closed lids when they saw
most. On the whole the promise of youth had been kept. The
handsome boy had come to be a man good to look upon; a man
upon whom any woman might look once, and turning, look again.
The assayer was not given to profanity, but he swore softly in an
upflash of angry grief at the thought that the passing years had
marred Brant’s soul rather than his body.
None the less, it was shipwreck, hopeless and unrelieved, as Brant
had asserted; and from contemplating the effect of it in the man,
Hobart was moved to look upon the cause of it in the woman.
Perhaps there was that in her which might make the descent into the
pit less unaccountable. Hobart would see.
He worked his way slowly around two sides of the crowded room,
and so came to the piano. One glance at the performer was enough.
It revealed a woman who had once been beautiful, as the sons of
God once found the daughters of men; nay, the wreck of her was still
beautiful, but it was the soulless beauty whose appeal is to that
which is least worthy in any man. Hobart saw and understood. There
be drunkards a-many who look not upon the wine when it is red in
the cup; and Brant was of these—an inebriate of passion. The
assayer turned his back upon the woman that he might the better
make excuses for his friend.
Gaynard’s bar did a thriving business that night, and the throng in
the gambling alcove thinned out early. The dance hall was the
greater attraction, and here the din and clamour grew apace until the
raucous voice of the caller shouting the figures of the dance could no
longer be heard above the clanging of the piano, the yells and
catcalls, and the shuffling and pounding of feet on the floor. Hilarity
was as yet the keynote of all the uproar, but Hobart knew that the
ceaseless activity of the bartenders must shortly change the pitch to
the key quarrelsome, and he began to wish himself well out of it.
Brant glanced up from time to time, always without pause in the
monotonous running of the cards, and when he finally succeeded in
catching Hobart’s eye he beckoned with a nod. The assayer made
his way around to the dealer’s chair, and Brant spoke without looking
up:
“Get out of here, Ned, while you can. There will be the devil to pay
before midnight, and there is no earthly use in your being mixed up
in it.”
Hobart leaned over the table and placed a coin on one of the inlaid
cards to keep up appearances.
“I’m here with you, and I mean to stay,” he insisted. “You may need—
By Jove! it’s begun.”
The dance stopped and the clamour sank into a hush, which was
sharply rent by a blast of profanity, a jangling crash of the piano
keys, and a woman’s scream. Then the two fought their way into the
thick of the crowd around the piano. A drunken ruffian was grasping
the woman’s arm and brandishing a revolver over her head.
“You won’t play it, won’t ye? And ye’ll give Ike Gasset a piece of yer
lip? By God, I’ll show ye!”
Brant’s pistol was out before he spoke. “Drop it right where you are,
and get out of here before I kill you,” he said quietly.
The man’s reply was a snap shot in Brant’s face, and, though his aim
was bad, both Hobart and Brant felt the wind of the bullet passing
between them. The crack of the pistol was the signal for a scene a
description of which no man has ever yet been able to set down
calmly in black on white. Shouts, oaths, a mad rush for the open air
foiled by a fiercer closing in of the crowd around the piano; all this
while the ruffian levelled his weapon and fired again. At the death-
speeding instant the woman started to her feet, and the bullet
intended for Brant struck her fairly in the breast. Hobart heard the
sharp snap of the steel corset stay, and saw Brant, catching her as
she reeled, fire once, twice, thrice at the desperado. Then the
assayer lifted up his voice in a shout that dominated the tumult:
“Silverettes! Out with them—they’ve killed a woman!”
There was a fierce affray, a surging charge, and when the place was
cleared Hobart ran back. Brant was on his knees beside the woman.
The smoking oil lamps burned yellow in the powder reek, but there
was light enough to show that she was past help. None the less,
Hobart offered to go for a doctor.
Brant shook his head and rose stiffly.
“She doesn’t need one; she is dead.”
Hobart grasped the situation with far-seeing prescience.
“Then you have nothing to stay here for; let us get out while we can.”
The din of the street battle rang clamorous at the front, and he took
Brant’s arm to lead him to the door, which opened upon the alley in
the rear. “Come on,” he urged; “they will be back here presently, and
you have nothing to fight for now.”
“No.” Brant yielded as one in a trance, but at the door he broke
away, to dart back with the gray eyes aflame and fierce wrath crying
for vengeance. Unnoted of all, the wounded desperado had lain
where Brant’s fusillade had dropped him. But now he was on hands
and knees, trying to drag himself out of the room. Brant was quick,
but the assayer pinioned him before the ready weapon could flash
from its holster.
“Good God, man, that would be murder!” he panted, wrestling with
the avenger of blood, and possessing himself of the pistol. “Come on
out of this!”
Again Brant yielded, and they made their way to the open air, and
through the alleyway to the mountain path, and so in silence up to
the Jessica and to the assayer’s cabin. Not until they were safe
within the four log walls did Hobart open his mouth. But when he had
struck a light and hung a blanket over the window which looked
valleyward he spoke tersely and to the point:
“A few hours ago, George, you told me why you couldn’t turn your
back on your shame, and I had nothing to say. But now the reason is
removed, and you have had an object lesson which ought to last you
as long as you live. What do you say?”
Brant spread his hands as one helpless. “What else am I good for?”
he asked.
“That question is unworthy of you, and you know it. You have your
profession; but without that you could still do as well as another.”
Brant was still afoot, and he fought his battle to a finish, pacing
slowly back and forth with his hands behind him and his head
bowed. For all his square jaw and steadfast eyes, rash impulse had
been the bane of his life thus far, and the knowledge of it made him
slow to decide even when the decision leaned toward the things
which make for righteousness. So he fought the battle to its
conclusion, and when it was ended was fain to sit down awearied
with the stress of it.
“I am not in love with the degradation of it; I think you must know
that, Ned. All these years I’ve had a yearning for decency and clean
living and respectability that I could not strangle, do what I would. So
you will understand that I am not halting between two opinions. It is
simply this: Can a man turn over a new leaf and bury such a past as
mine without being beset by a constant fear of its resurrection?
Won’t it come up and slap him in the face about the time he thinks
he has it decently buried and covered up and out of sight?”
Hobart’s rejoinder was prompt and definitive. “No. The world is wide,
and a few years of one man’s life are no more than so many texts
written in the sand.”
“You’re wrong there, Ned. The world is fearfully small, and its
memory of evil deeds is as long as its charity is short.”
“Let be, then. You are not a woman. You are a man, and you can
fight it out and live it down.”
Brant acquiesced without more ado. “I was merely stating the case,”
he said, as if the matter were quite extraneous to him. “You have
earned the right to set the pace for me, Ned; and I’ll do whatever you
say.”
“That is more like the George Brant I used to know. And this is what I
say: I know a trail across Jack Mountain that will take us to the
railroad in three hours. The night trains pass at Carbonado, and you
will be in good time to catch whichever one of them you elect to take,
east or west. There is no station on the other side of the mountain;
but there is a side track for the Hoopoee mine, and you can build a
fire to flag the train. Have you money?”
“Yes.”
“Enough?”
“Yes; enough to try whatever experiment you suggest.”
“I don’t know that I have anything to suggest more than your own
good judgment would anticipate. Find your allotted corner of the big
vineyard and go to work in it; that’s about all there is to it.”
“How deep shall I dive?”
“You will have to decide that for yourself. You are a Western man
now, and I suppose you don’t want to go back home. How about
Denver?”
Brant shook his head slowly. “Denver is good enough—too good, in
fact. I wonder if you will understand it if I say that I’d much rather
have my forty days in the wilderness before I have to face my kind,
even as a stranger in a strange city?”
“I can understand it perfectly, and the decency of the thing does you
credit. And if that is your notion, I can help you. You used to be the
best man in the ‘Tech.’ at map making; have you forgotten how to do
it?”
“No; a man doesn’t forget his trade.”
“Good. I met Davenport at Carbonado yesterday. He was on his way
to the Colorow district to do a lot of surveying and plotting, and was
sick because he couldn’t find an assistant before he left Denver.
Shall I give you a note to him?”
“It is exactly what I should crave if I had a shadow of the right to pick
and choose.”
Hobart found pen and paper and wrote the note.
“There you are,” he said. “Davenport is a good fellow, and you
needn’t tell him more than you want to. The job will last for two or
three months, and by that time you will know better what you want to
do with yourself. Now, if you are ready, we’ll get a move. It’s a stiffish
climb to the top of the pass.”
They forthfared together and presently set their feet in the trail
leading over the shoulder of the great mountain buttressing the slope
behind the Jessica. The sounds of strife had ceased in the town
below, and but for the twinkling lights the deep valley might have
been as Nature left it. Since the upward path was rough and difficult

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