Fast Stream E-Tray Exercises (Prioritisation)

Question 1

You arrive Monday morning to find the following in your inbox.
Which should you address first? A) An invitation to a team away-day next month.
B) A briefing request from your director needed by 10am today.
C) A newsletter from a professional body.
D) An email from a colleague asking about your weekend.

Accepted Answer

B — the director's briefing due today at 10am

Answer

A — the away-day needs early planning

Answer

C — professional updates are important

Answer

D — colleagues expect prompt social responses

Question 2

You have four tasks to complete today. Using urgent/important prioritisation, which should be done first? A) Reviewing a draft document due in 3 days. B) Responding to a minister's office query sent an hour ago. C) Filing last week's meeting notes. D) Reading an optional policy update.

Accepted Answer

B — urgent and important: a ministerial query

Answer

A — important but less urgent than B

Answer

C — neither urgent nor important

Answer

D — neither urgent nor important

Question 3

An e-tray contains: a complaint letter requiring a response within 5 days, a meeting request for next week, a risk alert about a live IT system, and an FYI email with no action required. What is the correct order of priority?

Accepted Answer

Risk alert, complaint letter, meeting request, FYI email

Answer

Complaint letter, risk alert, meeting request, FYI email

Answer

Meeting request, complaint letter, risk alert, FYI email

Answer

FYI email, risk alert, complaint letter, meeting request

Question 4

Your e-tray contains a complaint from a stakeholder, a request for statistics from the press office needed within the hour, a draft document from a colleague for comment due in two days, and a meeting confirmation. Which do you handle first?

Accepted Answer

Press office statistics request — due within the hour

Answer

Stakeholder complaint — complaints are always first

Answer

Colleague draft — getting ahead shows good time management

Answer

Meeting confirmation — admin tasks should be cleared first

Question 5

You have 90 minutes before an important meeting and four tasks pending. Which task should you defer to after the meeting? A) Prepare talking points for the meeting. B) Email a colleague to confirm a data source. C) Update a tracker that has a weekly deadline. D) Read background papers for the meeting.

Accepted Answer

C — the tracker with a weekly deadline

Answer

A — talking points are critical for the meeting

Answer

B — confirming data may affect the meeting

Answer

D — background papers help you prepare

Question 6

In an e-tray exercise you find: an email from a journalist requesting comment (1-hour deadline), a fire evacuation notice for a drill in 10 minutes, a request to review a policy document by end of week, and a message from a colleague about a lunch arrangement. What is the correct order of priority?

Accepted Answer

Evacuation drill, journalist request, policy document, lunch arrangement

Answer

Journalist request, evacuation drill, policy document, lunch arrangement

Answer

Policy document, evacuation drill, journalist request, lunch arrangement

Answer

Lunch arrangement, journalist request, policy document, evacuation drill