redundant vs. unneeded

[Sherryl]

Business English Lesson, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #10 "Finance (2)", question 10

Fifty people were made ......... when the company suffered a severe financial shock.

(a) useless
(b) unwanted
(c) unneeded
(d) redundant

Business English Lesson, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #10 "Finance (2)", answer 10

Fifty people were made redundant when the company suffered a severe financial shock.

Correct answer: (d) redundant

Your answer was: incorrect
Fifty people were made unneeded when the company suffered a severe financial shock.
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Redundancy means repitition. 2 or more people may not do the same task. On the other hand, I feel, they might do work which is not benifitting the company much. So they might be removed from a bankrupt company..

Please explain....
Thanks....
Sherryl

[Conchita]

In the test sentence, another meaning of 'redundant' was used:

people were made redundant = they lost their job.

[Prezbucky]

A better synonym for "redundant" is "unnecessary". "Unnecessary" does not always mean "redundant"... but "redundant" always means "unnecessary".

"Unneeded" is, if not incorrect, at least very rarely heard in everyday speech.

Do you need some wood, Bob? No, it isn't needed.

or

No, it isn't necessary.

A person wouldn't say, "No, it's unneeded."

In any circumstance for which you think you might use "unneeded", try to think of a different way to convey your message. (with "isn't needed" or "isn't necessary" or even "is unnecessary")
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Yankee]

Hi Sherryl

I've always heard that "make someone redundant" is a standard phrase in British Englsih.

In American English we'd say "lay someone off".

These two expressions mean the same thing: A company decides for some reason that it no longer needs all of its employees and then, as Conchita mentioned, people lose their jobs.

In the test sentence, the reason the company made people redundant/laid people off is that the company had to cut costs. There can also be other reasons. Sometimes people are laid off because the company is selling fewer of its products, sometimes there are layoffs after a merger when various positions within the new company end up duplicated (and only one is necessary), etc.

Amy

PS
Check your spelling:
repetition, benefiting (I'd say this is the preferred spelling)
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"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln