How would you answer this tricky CASPer scenario?

[PrepMatch]

While walking to your class on campus, you have just realized that you have forgotten your chemistry textbook in the library. When you go back to get it, the person who you were sitting next to has the exact same book as you in their bag. You can't see your textbook anywhere.

1. How would you approach the situation?
2. Let's say that the person does admit to stealing your textbook, and their reasoning is that they couldn't afford to buy one on their own. Would you let them borrow it?
3. Why do individuals resort to stealing?

(This scenario is from PrepMatch.com, the free peer-to-peer CASPer preparation platform that allows you to practice hundreds of scenarios for free. PrepMatch is a non-profit website that aims to make the admission process more equitable!)

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[xDNA]

While walking to your class on campus, you have just realized that you have forgotten your chemistry textbook in the library. When you go back to get it, the person who you were sitting next to has the exact same book as you in their bag. You can't see your textbook anywhere.

1. How would you approach the situation?
2. Let's say that the person does admit to stealing your textbook, and their reasoning is that they couldn't afford to buy one on their own. Would you let them borrow it?
3. Why do individuals resort to stealing?

(This scenario is from PrepMatch.com, the free peer-to-peer CASPer preparation platform that allows you to practice hundreds of scenarios for free. PrepMatch is a non-profit website that aims to make the admission process more equitable!)

1. I would simple ask the librarian or anyone in the immediate vicinity of where I left my book if they had seen it. I would not assume simply because someone has the exact same textbook as me in their possession

2. If this person admitted to taking my book and used justification for doing so because they don’t have the funds to purchase the book themselves I would forgive them. If they needed the book and I wasn’t using it at the time I would let them borrow my book. In addition I would explain to them that they went about the situation incorrectly and offer them alternatives such as: renting the book from the library, renting the book from the book store in stead of purchasing it, or even reaching out to classmates to study/work on assignments together so that they may use the textbook as well.

3. I think people steal primarily because they see an opportunity to, or because what that individual may feel as a necessity. I believe that overall people have good intentions even with morally wrong choices and are more likely to steal due to the latter than the former.

 

[BeMoConsulting]

For this, and any other scenario type question for that matter, there’s a structure that you can follow in order to provide a strong answer. The first thing you want to do is remain non-judgmental at all times and not jump to conclusions. Never start your answer by saying what you would do. You first need to consider multiple perspectives and, in order to do that, you need to gather as much information as possible before you decide how to approach the situation. In this case, you would want to have a private conversation with this individual, always taking into account their wellbeing, in order to understand what is happening. Then, the next step should be to lay out your if/then approach, which basically means coming up with 2 or three hypotheticals. If the individual does own a book exactly like yours, and it turns out that you find your book under the table or something like that, then no action is required, and you can move with your life. If, after speaking with this person you discover that they, in fact, were planning to steal your book (as indicated in point 2 of the prompt), then what would you do. In sum, you need to present possibilities followed by solutions that are rational and that will cause the least harm. Hope this helps!

 

[crandmat]

I would tell them to sail the high seas for textbooks and provide them with resources to do so lol

 

[nikolaite]

1. How would you approach the situation?

I am assuming the person’s bag is open if I can see the textbook. I wouldn’t be able to conclude solely from the book in the bag that it was my book in his bag. I would simply ask if that person saw me leave a textbook on the table and whether he had a notion of where it had got to.

2. Let's say that the person does admit to stealing your textbook, and their reasoning is that they couldn't afford to buy one on their own. Would you let them borrow it?

No, I would not let the person borrow it. I typically write copious notes in my textbooks and would not want to risk losing those. I would simply give him the cash or personal cheque to buy his own.

3. Why do individuals resort to stealing?

One can only know a person’s reasons if the person will tell. Nothing can be presumed.