Mastering TOEIC Reading: Practice Test for Handling Internal Employee Disputes

TOEIC Reading Practice Test: Parts 1 & 2

Part 1: Incomplete Sentences

1. The HR department is organizing a workshop to address __ among employees.
   A. conflicts
   B. conflicting
   C. conflicted
   D. conflictual

2. Effective communication is __ to resolving workplace disputes.
   A. key
   B. lock
   C. door
   D. entrance

3. Managers should remain __ when mediating conflicts between team members.
   A. impartial
   B. partial
   C. biased
   D. favored

4. The company’s new policy aims to __ a more harmonious work environment.
   A. foster
   B. hinder
   C. impede
   D. obstruct

5. Employees are encouraged to voice their concerns through proper __ channels.
   A. communication
   B. communicative
   C. communicate
   D. communicated

6. A __ approach to conflict resolution often yields the best results.
   A. collaborative
   B. confrontational
   C. avoidant
   D. aggressive

7. The HR manager __ a meeting to discuss the recent disagreements in the sales department.
   A. convened
   B. convinced
   C. conversed
   D. converted

8. It’s important to address workplace conflicts __ before they escalate.
   A. promptly
   B. lately
   C. slowly
   D. eventually

9. The company provides training on conflict __ techniques for all supervisors.
   A. management
   B. manager
   C. managing
   D. managed

10. Employees should try to __ their differences through open dialogue.
    A. resolve
    B. dissolve
    C. evolve
    D. involve

11. A neutral third party can help __ disputes between colleagues.
    A. mediate
    B. medicated
    C. mediating
    D. medication

12. The HR department emphasizes the importance of __ in the workplace.
    A. respect
    B. respectful
    C. respecting
    D. respected

13. Unresolved conflicts can lead to decreased __ and productivity.
    A. morale
    B. moral
    C. morality
    D. moralize

14. It’s crucial to __ the root cause of recurring workplace disputes.
    A. identify
    B. identifiable
    C. identification
    D. identified

15. The company’s conflict resolution policy is designed to be fair and __.
    A. equitable
    B. equal
    C. equality
    D. equalizer

16. Employees are encouraged to seek __ when facing difficult workplace situations.
    A. guidance
    B. guide
    C. guiding
    D. guided

17. A __ work environment can help prevent many internal conflicts.
    A. positive
    B. positively
    C. positivism
    D. positivist

18. The HR team conducts regular __ to assess employee satisfaction and address concerns.
    A. surveys
    B. surveying
    C. surveyed
    D. surveyors

19. Effective leaders know how to __ conflicts within their teams.
    A. diffuse
    B. defuse
    C. refuse
    D. confuse

20. The company’s __ handbook outlines procedures for handling internal disputes.
    A. employee
    B. employer
    C. employment
    D. employed

21. It’s important to __ all parties involved in a workplace conflict.
    A. hear
    B. hearing
    C. heard
    D. hearable

22. The HR department provides __ to help employees manage stress and conflicts.
    A. resources
    B. resourceful
    C. resourced
    D. resourcing

23. Managers should __ a safe space for employees to discuss their concerns.
    A. create
    B. creative
    C. creation
    D. creatively

24. Regular team-building activities can help __ workplace relationships.
    A. strengthen
    B. strong
    C. strength
    D. strongly

25. The company’s conflict resolution process aims to be __ and efficient.
    A. transparent
    B. transparency
    C. transparently
    D. transpire

26. Employees are encouraged to practice __ listening during conflict resolution sessions.
    A. active
    B. actively
    C. activate
    D. activated

27. The HR manager emphasized the need for __ when addressing sensitive workplace issues.
    A. discretion
    B. discrete
    C. discreetly
    D. discretionary

28. A __ approach to conflict resolution can help maintain positive work relationships.
    A. constructive
    B. construct
    C. constructed
    D. constructor

29. The company’s __ program aims to prevent conflicts by promoting understanding between departments.
    A. mentorship
    B. mentor
    C. mentoring
    D. mentored

30. Effective conflict resolution requires both __ and emotional intelligence.
    A. skill
    B. skilled
    C. skillful
    D. skills

Part 2: Text Completion

Text 1:

In today’s fast-paced business environment, internal employee disputes are (31) __. HR professionals and managers must be equipped with effective strategies to handle these conflicts. The first step is to (32) __ the situation calmly and objectively. It’s crucial to listen to all parties involved and gather (33) __ information before making any decisions. Once the facts are clear, a (34) __ approach should be taken to find a solution that addresses the concerns of all involved parties.

31. A. unavoidable
    B. avoidable
    C. avoidance
    D. avoid

32. A. assess
    B. access
    C. asset
    D. assent

33. A. relevant
    B. relevance
    C. relevantly
    D. relevancy

34. A. collaborative
    B. collaborate
    C. collaboration
    D. collaboratively

Text 2:

Effective communication is key to (35) __ workplace conflicts. Managers should encourage open dialogue and create an environment where employees feel (36) __ expressing their concerns. Regular team meetings and one-on-one sessions can help (37) __ potential issues before they escalate. Additionally, implementing a clear conflict resolution policy can provide a (38) __ for addressing disputes systematically and fairly.

35. A. resolving
    B. resolve
    C. resolution
    D. resolved

36. A. comfortable
    B. comfortably
    C. comfort
    D. comforting

37. A. identify
    B. identifiable
    C. identification
    D. identified

38. A. framework
    B. frame
    C. framing
    D. framed

Text 3:

Training employees in conflict resolution techniques can be highly (39) __ in managing internal disputes. Workshops on active listening, empathy, and (40) __ communication can equip staff with valuable skills. It’s also important to address the root causes of recurring conflicts, which may (41) __ from issues such as unclear job responsibilities or resource allocation. By tackling these underlying problems, companies can create a more (42) __ work environment.

39. A. beneficial
    B. benefit
    C. beneficiary
    D. beneficially

40. A. assertive
    B. assert
    C. assertion
    D. assertively

41. A. stem
    B. steam
    C. stemming
    D. stemmed

42. A. harmonious
    B. harmony
    C. harmonize
    D. harmonically

Text 4:

In some cases, involving a neutral third party, such as a (43) __ or an external consultant, can help resolve complex disputes. This approach can bring a fresh perspective and ensure (44) __ in the resolution process. It’s also crucial to follow up after conflicts have been resolved to ensure that agreed-upon solutions are being (45) __ and that relationships have improved. Regularly (46) __ the effectiveness of conflict resolution strategies can help organizations continually improve their approach to managing internal employee disputes.

43. A. mediator
    B. mediate
    C. mediation
    D. mediating

44. A. impartiality
    B. impartial
    C. impartially
    D. impart

45. A. implemented
    B. implement
    C. implementation
    D. implementing

46. A. evaluating
    B. evaluate
    C. evaluation
    D. evaluative

Answer Key

Part 1: Incomplete Sentences

1. A
2. A
3. A
4. A
5. A
6. A
7. A
8. A
9. A
10. A
11. A
12. A
13. A
14. A
15. A
16. A
17. A
18. A
19. B
20. A
21. A
22. A
23. A
24. A
25. A
26. A
27. A
28. A
29. A
30. D

Part 2: Text Completion

31. A
32. A
33. A
34. A
35. A
36. A
37. A
38. A
39. A
40. A
41. A
42. A
43. A
44. A
45. A
46. A

This TOEIC Reading practice test focuses on vocabulary and grammar related to handling internal employee disputes. The questions cover various aspects of conflict resolution, communication skills, and workplace dynamics. By practicing with these materials, test-takers can improve their understanding of business-related English and prepare for similar questions in the actual TOEIC exam.