CAT 2017 VARC Slot 1 | Previous Year CAT Paper
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Answer the following question based on the information given below.
Understanding where you are in the world is a basic Survival skill, which is why we, like most species come hard-wired with specialized brain areas to create cognitive maps of our surroundings. Where humans are unique, though, with the possible exception of honeybees, is that we try to communicate this understanding of the world with others. We have a long history of doing this by drawing maps – the earliest versions yet discovered were scrawled on cave walls 14,000 years ago. Human cultures have been drawing them on stone tablets, papyrus, paper and now computer screens ever since.
Given such a long history of human map-making, it is perhaps surprising that it is only within the last few hundred years that north has been consistently considered to be at the top. In fact, for much of human history, north almost never appeared at the top, according to Jerry Brotton, a map historian… “North was rarely put at the top for the simple fact that north is where darkness comes from,” he says. “West is also very unlikely to be put at the top because west is where the sun disappears.”
Confusingly, early Chinese maps seem to buck this trend. But, Brotton, says even though they did have compasses at the time, that isn’t the reason that they placed north at the top. Early Chinese compasses were actually oriented to point south, which was considered to be more desirable than deepest darkest north. But in Chinese maps, the Emperor, who lived in the north of the country was always put at the top of the map, with everyone else, his loyal subjected, looking up towards him. “In Chinese culture the Emperor looks south because it’s where the winds come from, it’s a good direction. North is not very good but you are in a position of subjection to the emperor, so you looks up to him,” say Brotton.
Given that each culture has a very different idea of who, or what, they should look up to it’s perhaps not surprising that there is very little consistency in which way early maps pointed. In ancient Egyptian times the top of the world was east, the position of sunrise. Early Islamic maps favoured south at the top because most of the early Muslim cultures were north of Mecca, so they imagined looking up (south) towards it. Christian maps from the same era (called Mappa Mundi) put east at the top, towards the Garden of Eden and with Jerusalem in the centre.
So when did everyone get together and decide that north was the top? It’s tempting to put is down to European explorers like Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Megellan, who were navigating by the North Star. But Brotton argues that these early explorers didn’t think of the world like that at all. “When Columbus describes the world it is in accordance with east being at the top,” he says. “Columbus says he is going towards paradise, so his mentality is from a medieval mappa mundi.” We’ve got to remember, adds Brotton, that at the time, “no one knows what they are doing and where they are going.”
Which of the following best describe what the passage is trying to do?
- A.
It questions an explanation about how maps are designed
- B.
It corrects a misconception about the way maps are designed
- C.
It critiques a methodology used to create maps.
- D.
It explores some myths about maps.
Answer: Option B
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
Option 1 is incorrect. The passage does not contain any explanation about how maps are designed. Nor does it question any explanation. Eliminate option 1.
Option 2 is correct. The writer wonders how north came to be placed at the top in the maps in modern times. Various cultural and historical practices are cited to show that there is no clear explanation for how and why North came to be placed at the top of maps. For, cultural and religious reasons, south and east were more favored to be at the top of maps historically. The passage ends by emphasizing the uncertainty – so the passage is trying to remove the misconception that maps were designed with deliberate and clear purpose to ‘know what they were doing and where they were going’. Retain option 2.
Option 3 is incorrect. The word ‘critique’ means ‘a critical assessment.’ The passage is not a critical assessment of maps or map making process. Eliminate option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. No myth about map making is mentioned in the passage. It is more a historical account of why north was less favored as the direction at the top in a map. Hence the passage ‘explores some myths about maps’ is incorrect. Eliminate option 4
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
Early maps did NOT put north at the top for all the following reasons EXCEPT
- A.
North was the source of darkness
- B.
South was favoured by some emperors
- C.
East and South were more important for religious reasons for some civilisations.
- D.
East was considered by some civilisations to be a more positive direction.
Answer: Option B
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The passage states various reasons – cultural and religious – for why north was not the favored direction to be placed at the top in the early maps.
Option 1 is stated in the 2nd paragraph. According to Jerry Brotton, a map historian, “North was rarely put at the top for the simple fact that north is where darkness comes from…’ Eliminate option 1.
Option 2 is contrary to the passage. The passage mentions north was preferred by the Chinese Emperor because he “lived in the north of the country and was always put at the top of the map with everyone else, his loyal subjects looking up towards him.” Since this is an ‘except’ question, retain option 2.
Option 3 is correct. The third paragraph states that “Early Chinese compasses were actually oriented to point to south, which was considered to be more desirable than deepest darkest north”. Paragraph 4 states, “Christian maps from the same era put east at the top towards the Garden of Eden and Jerusalem at the center.” Eliminate option 3.
Option 4 is correct. Paragraph 4 mentions that “In ancient Egyptian times the top of the world was east, the position of sunrise. Thus Egyptian civilization considered east a more positive direction. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
According to the passage, early Chinese maps placed north at the top because
- A.
the Chinese invented the compass and were aware of magnetic north.
- B.
they wanted to show respect to the emperor.
- C.
the Chinese emperor appreciated the winds from the South.
- D.
north was considered the most desirable direction.
Answer: Option B
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
Option 1 is incorrect. That the Chinese were aware of the north does not answer the question why early Chinese maps placed north at the top. Besides, the passage does not give any information about who invented the compass. Eliminate option 1.
Option 2 is correct. It is explicitly stated in the third paragraph that “Early Chinese compasses were actually oriented to point to south, which was considered to be more desirable than deepest darkest north”. The passage mentions north was preferred by the Chinese Emperor because he “lived in the north of the country and was always put at the top of the map, with everyone else, his loyal subjects looking up towards him.” Retain option 2.
Option 3 is incorrect. The passage does not imply that the emperor appreciated the winds from the south. The passage states that the Chinese culture considered south a good direction – it does not state that the emperor appreciated the south. Eliminate option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. The Chinese did not consider north a very good direction; hence option 4 is contrary to the passage. The Chinese placed north at the top of the maps because the emperor lived in the north and the subjects were required to look up to him. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
It can be inferred from the passage that European explorers like Columbus and Megellan
- A.
set the precedent for nort-up maps.
- B.
navigated by the compass.
- C.
used an eastward orientation for religious reasons.
- D.
navigated with the help of early maps.
Answer: Option C
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
We can get the answer to this question from the last two paragraphs which read, “Christian maps from the same era (called Mappa Mundi) put east at the top, towards the Garden of Eden and with Jerusalem in the centre … when Columbus describes the world it is in accordance with east being at the top,” “Columbus says he is going towards paradise, so his mentality is from a medieval mappa mundi.” Option 1 is incorrect. It is factually incorrect to say that the explorers Columbus and Magellan set the precedent for north-up maps.
Option 2 is incorrect. The passage states that they navigated by the North Star and not by the compass. Eliminate option 2.
Option 3 is correct. When Columbus says he is going towards paradise, he meant going east and implicitly towards the Garden of Eden or paradise which were religious beliefs of the time. Retain option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. It is stated that Columbus and Magellan navigated the world by the North Star. Though there is mention of the Mappa Mundi in this context, the data in the passage is not conclusive about they used the Mappa Mundi or not. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
Which one of the following about the northern orientation of modern maps is asserted in the passage?
- A.
The biggest contributory factor was the understanding of magnetic north.
- B.
The biggest contributory factor was the role of European explores.
- C.
The biggest contributory factor was the influence of Christian maps.
- D.
The biggest contributory factor is not stated in the passage.
Answer: Option D
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
Option 1 is incorrect. The magnetic north is mentioned only in relation to the Chinese early compasses which were “actually oriented to point south.’ So it is incorrect to say that understanding of the magnetic north was the biggest contributor. Eliminate option 1.
Option 2 is incorrect. The European explorers were said to have an eastern orientation and navigated by the North Star. Apart from this, “no one knew what they were doing and where they were going” Eliminate option 2.
Option 3 is incorrect. Christian maps were oriented to the East with Jerusalem at the center. Hence, Christian maps did not contribute to the northern orientation of maps. Eliminate option 3.
Option 4 is correct. The passage does not specify what contributed to the northern orientation of maps. On the contrary, it merely states that the northern orientation happened in the last few hundred years. In the early history of maps dating back to 14000 years, there was no northern orientation. The passage does not give the reader any clue about what led to the northern orientation in the modern times.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
The role of natural phenomena in influencing map-making conventions is seen most clearly in
- A.
early Egyptian maps
- B.
early Islamic maps
- C.
early Chinese maps
- D.
early Christian maps
Answer: Option A
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The answer to this question is given in paragraphs 3 and 4. Paragraph 3 tells us that the Chinese Emperor lived in the north; hence, in Chinese culture north was placed at the top of the maps in reverence to the emperor. The next paragraph states, “Given that each culture has a very different idea of who, or what, they should look up to it’s perhaps not surprising that there is very little consistency in which way early maps pointed. In ancient Egyptian times the top of the world was east, the position of sunrise. Early Islamic maps favored south at the top because most of the early Muslim cultures were north of Mecca, so they imagined looking up (south) towards it Christian maps from the same era (called Mappa Mundi) put east at the top, towards the Garden of Eden and with Jerusalem in the centre.” Hence only Egyptian maps were influenced by a natural phenomenon like the sunrise. The Chinese, Christian and Islamic maps were influenced by cultural and religious considerations. Options 2, 3 and 4 are thus eliminated.
Hence, the correct answer is option 1.
Workspace:
Answer the following question based on the information given below.
I used a smartphone GPS to find my way through the cobblestoned maze of Geneva’s Old Town, in search of a handmade machine that changed the world more than any other invention. Near a 13th-century cathedral in this swiss city on the shores of a lovely lake, I found what looking for: a Gutenberg printing press. “This was the Internet of its day – at least as influential as the iPhone, “said Gabriel de Montmollin, the director of the Museum of the Reformation, toying with the replica of Johann Gutenberg’s great invention.
[Before the invention of the printing press] it used to take four monks… up to a year to produce a single book. With the advance in movable type in 15th-century Europe, one press could crank out 3,000 pages a day. Before long, average people could travel to places that used to be unknown to them – with maps! Medical information passed more freely and quickly, diminishing the sway of quacks… The printing press offered the prospect that tyrants would never be able to kill a book or suppress an idea. Gutenberg’s brainchild broke the monopoly that clerics had on scripture. And later, stirred by pamphlets from a version of that same press, the American colonies rose up against a king and gave birth to a nation.
So, a question in the summer of this 10th anniversary of the iPhone: has the device that is perhaps the most revolutionary of all time given us a single magnificent idea? Nearly every advancement of the written word through new technology has also advanced humankind. Sure, you can say the iPhone changed everything. By putting the world’s recorded knowledge in the palm of a hand, it revolutionized work, dining, travel and socializing. It made us more narcissistic – here’s more of me doing cool stuff! – and it unleashed an army of awful trolls. We no longer have the patience to sit through a baseball game without that reach to the pocket. And one more casualty of Apple selling more than a billon phones in a decade’s time: daydreaming has become a lost art.
For all of that, I’m still waiting to see if the iPhone can do what the printing press did for religion and democracy… the Geneva museum makes a strong case that the printing press opened more minds than anything else… it’s hard to imagine the French or American revolutions without those enlightened voices in print…
Not long after Steve Jobs introduced his iPhone, he said the bound book was probably headed for history’s attic. Not so fast. After a period of rapid growth in e-books, something closer to the medium for Chaucer’s volumes has made a great comeback.
The hope of the iPhone, and the Internet in general, was that it would free people in closed societies. But the failure of the Arab spring, and the continued suppression of ideas in North Korea, China and Iran, has not borne that out… The iPhone is still young. It has certainly been “one of the most important, world-changing and successful products in history,” as Apple C.E.O. Tim cook said. But I’m not sure if the world changed for the better with the iPhone – as it did with the printing press – or merely changed.
The printing press has been likened to the Internet for which one of the following reasons?
- A.
It enabled rapid access to new information and the sharing of new ideas.
- B.
It represented new and revolutionary technology compared to the past.
- C.
It encouraged reading among people by giving them access to thousands of books.
- D.
It gave people access to pamphlets and literature in several languages.
Answer: Option A
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
Option 1 is correct. It says that the comparison of the printing press and the internet is based on how the rapid access to information and sharing of new idea that both enabled. This is correct and is main idea of the passage. Retain option 1.
Option 2 is incorrect. Option 2 is factually correct and implied in the passage.
However, the comparison is not for the reason that they were revolutionary technologies. The writer’s concern is to compare the impact the technologies had on social behavior. Eliminate option 2.
Option 3 is incorrect. Giving access to information and encouraging reading are not necessarily related. Hence the comparison is not done in order to highlight how access to information encouraged reading. Eliminate option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. Translating and making pamphlets and literature available in several languages is not stated or implied in the passage. Eliminate option 4.
Hence the correct answer is option 1.
Workspace:
According to the passage, the invention of the printing press did all of the following EXCEPT
- A.
promoted the spread of enlightened political views across countries.
- B.
gave people direct access to authentic medical information and religious texts
- C.
shortened the time taken to produce books and pamphlets.
- D.
enabled people to perform various tasks simultaneously.
Answer: Option D
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The first three options are stated verbatim in the passage.
Option 1 is correct. The mention of the Arab Spring and how the American and French revolutions were impossible without those ‘enlightened words’ in print makes option 1 correct. Option 2 is correct. The direct access to medical information is mentioned in the second paragraph: “Medical information passed more freely and quickly, diminishing the sway of quacks.” Option 3 is correct and mentioned in the second paragraph that ‘one press could crank out 3,000 pages per day’. Option 4 is incorrect. The passage does not mention anywhere that the press enabled people to multitask.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
Steve Jobs predicted which one of the following with the introduction of the iPhone?
- A.
People would switch from reading on the Internet to reading on their iPhones.
- B.
People would lose interest in historical and traditional classics.
- C.
Reading printed books would become a thing of the past.
- D.
The production of e-books would eventually fall.
Answer: Option C
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The answer is directly stated in the fifth paragraph – “not long after Steve Jobs introduced his iPhone, he said the bound book was probably headed for history’s attic”
Option 3 repeats this and is the correct answer. Option 1, 2 and 4 can thus be eliminated without evaluating them as there is no other mention of Steve Jobs in the passage and no other statement is attributed to him.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
“I’m still waiting to see if the iPhone can do what the printing press did for religion and democracy.” The author uses which one of the following to indicate his uncertainty?
- A.
The rise of religious groups in many parts of the world.
- B.
The expansion in trolling and narcissism among users of the Internet.
- C.
The continued suppression of free speech in closed societies.
- D.
The decline in reading habits among those who use the divice.
Answer: Option C
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The writer makes this comment after stating that ‘more than a billion iPhones are sold in a decade’s time” and then wonders whether the iPhone can achieve what the printing press did to religion and democracy. Then in the last paragraph he states, “the hope of the iPhone, and the internet in general, was that it would free people in closed societies, But the failure of the Arab Spring, and the continued suppression of ideas in North Korea, China, and Iran has not borne that out…” Option 1 is incorrect. The rise of religious groups in parts of the world is not mentioned in the passage. Eliminate option 1.
Option 2 is incorrect. Trolling and narcissism are some of the examples used to indicate the bad effects of using the iPhone. Eliminate option 2.
Option 3 is correct. The writer’s uncertainty arises out of the failure of the Arab Spring and the continued suppression in N Korea, China and Iran, in spite of the internet helping social rebellion that occurred in these countries. Retain option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. The passage does not deal with the decline in the reading habit among iPhone users. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
The author attributed the French and American revolutions to invention of the printing press because
- A.
maps enabled large numbers of Europeans to travel and settle in the American continent.
- B.
the rapid spread of information exposed people to new ideas on freedom and democracy.
- C.
it encouraged religious freedom among the people by destroying the monopoly of religious leaders on the scriptures
- D.
it made available revolutionary strategies and opinions to the people.
Answer: Option B
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
Option 1 is incorrect. Though factually correct, the ability to travel and settle in the American continent did not lead to a revolution. In other words, it does not answer the question. Eliminate option 1. Option 2 is correct. Paragraph 4 states: “… I am still waiting to see if the iPhone can do what the printing press did for religion and democracy… the Geneva museum makes a strong case that the printing press opened more minds than anything else… it’s hard to imagine the French or American revolutions without those enlightened voices in print….” Retain option 2.
Option 3 is incorrect. While it is true that the printing press ‘broke the monopoly that the clerics had on scripture, and later stirred the American colonies to rise up against a king and establish a nation”, the writer does not term it as a revolution. The question is about how the French and American revolutions are related to the invention of the printing press. Eliminate option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. Though option 4 looks plausible, the printing press did not directly make revolutionary strategies and opinions to the people. The medium should not be confused with the content – hence we can eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
The main conclusion of the passage is that the new technology has
- A.
some advantages, but these are outweighed by its disadvantages.
- B.
so far not proved as successful as the printing press in opening people’s minds.
- C.
been disappointing because it has changed society too rapidly.
- D.
been more wasteful than the printing press because people spend more time daydreaming or surfing.
Answer: Option B
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
In paragraph 4 the author states, “I am still waiting to see if the iPhone can do what the printing press did for religion and democracy… the Geneva museum makes a strong case that the printing press opened more minds than anything else… it’s hard to imagine the French or American revolutions without those enlightened voices in print….”
Option 1 is incorrect. Though the passage mentions a few advantages and disadvantages, the main conclusion of the passage is not that the disadvantages have outweighed the advantages. Eliminate option 1.
Option 2 is correct. The writer compares the effects of the iPhone and implicitly that of the internet with the effect that the printing press had in ‘opening people’s minds.’ He makes the remark that he is still waiting to see if the iPhone will make as powerful an impact on people as the printing press did. Retain option 2.
Option 3 is incorrect. The passage does not support the conclusion that the writer finds the internet or the iPhone disappointing. Eliminate option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. The suggestion that iPhone is “more wasteful than the printing press…” is not the main conclusion though there is a passing mention of it in the passage. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
Answer the following question based on the information given below.
This year alone, more than 8,600 stores could close, according to industry estimates, many of them the brand-name anchor outlets that real estate developers once stumbled over themselves to court. Already there have been 5,300 retail closings this year… Sears Holdings—which owns Kmart—said in March that there’s “substantial doubt” it can stay in business altogether, and will close 300 stores this year, So far this year, nine national retail chains have filed for bankruptcy.
Local jobs are major casualty of what analysts are calling, with only a hint of hyperbole, the retail apocalypse. Since 2002, department stores have lost 448,000 jobs, a 25% decline, while the number of store closures this year is on pace to surpass the worst depths of the Great Recession. The growth of online retailers, meanwhile, has failed to offset those losses, with the e-commerce sector adding just 178,000 jobs over the past 15 years. Some of those jobs can be found in massive distribution centers Amazon has opened across the country, often not too far from malls the company helped shutter.
But those are workplaces, not gathering places. The mall is both. And in the 61 years since the first enclosed one opened in suburban Minneapolis, the shopping mall has been where a huge swath of middle-class America went for far more than shopping. It was the home of first jobs and blind dates, the place for family photos and ear piercings, where goths and grandmothers could somehow walk through the same doors and find something they all liked. Sure, the food was lousy for you and the oceans of parking lots encouraged car-heavy development, something now scorned by contemporary planners. But for better or worse, the mall has been America’s public square for the last 60 years.
So what happens when it disappears?
Think of your mall. Or think of the one you went to as a kid. Think of the perfume clouds in the department stores. The fountains splashing below the skylights. The cinnamon wafting from the food court. As far back as ancient Greece, societies have congregated around a central marketplace. In medieval Europe, they were outside cathedrals. For half of the 20th century and almost 20 years into the new one, much of America has found their agora on the terrazzo between Orange Julius and Sbarro, Waldenbooks and the Gap, Sunglass Hut and Hot Topic.
That mall was an ecosystem unto itself, a combination of community and commercialism peddling everything you needed and everything you didn’t: Magic eye posters, wind catchers, air Jordans. …A growing number of Americans, however, don’t see the need to go to nay Macy’s at all. Our digital lives are frictionless and ruthlessly efficient, with retail and romance available at a click. Malls were designed for leisure, abundance, ambling. You parked and planned to spend some time. Today, much of that time has been given over to busier lives and second jobs and apps that let you swipe right instead of haunt the food court. Malls, say Haryard business professor Leonard Schlesinger, “were built for patterns of social interaction that increasingly don’t exist.”
The central idea of this passage is that:
- A.
the closure of malls has affected the economic and social life of middle-class America.
- B.
the advantages of malls outweigh their disadvantages.
- C.
malls used to perform a social function that has been lost.
- D.
malls are closing down because people have found alternate ways to shop.
Answer: Option C
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
This is one of those rare passages, especially in the CAT, in which the passage explicitly states the main idea. After analyzing the decreasing popularity of malls in the US, the writer quotes Harvard professor Leonard Schlesinger that “malls were built for patterns of social interaction that increasingly don’t exist.”
Option 1 is incorrect. Though option 1 is stated in the passage it does not capture the main idea of the passage. Eliminate option 1.
Option 2 is incorrect. The passage does not concern itself with the advantages and disadvantages of malls. Eliminate option 2.
Option 3 is correct. It rephrases the central idea that is spelt out in the last paragraph. Retain option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. Alternative ways of shopping is mentioned as one of the factors for the closing of malls and not presented as the central theme. Eliminate option 4
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
Why does the author say in paragraph 2, ‘the massive distribution centers Amazon has opened across the country, often not too far from malls the company helped shutter’?
- A.
To highlight the irony of the situation.
- B.
To indicate that malls and distribution centres are located in the same area.
- C.
To show that Amazon is helping certain brands go online.
- D.
To indicated that the shopping habits of the American middle class have changed.
Answer: Option A
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
Option 1 is correct. The sentence occurs in the 2nd paragraph after the author mentions the extent of job losses owing to the closure of malls. Then he mentions the growth of the online retailers – though the growth in online retail hasn’t helped recover the lost jobs, retail as a whole did not suffer. Huge warehouses came up close to the malls. This is ironic – perhaps what we would generally call jobless growth. Hence retain option 1.
Option 2 is incorrect. The writer does not highlight the proximity of warehouses and malls to explain why the malls shut down. Eliminate option 2
Option 3 is incorrect. Amazon helped brands to go online is irrelevant from the point of view of the passage. Eliminate option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. Though it is true that the shopping habits of Americans have changed – the proximity of warehouses and malls are not related in any way. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 1.
Workspace:
In paragraph 1, the phrase “real estate developers once stumbled over themselves to courts” suggests that they
- A.
took brand-name anchor outlets to court.
- B.
no longer pursue brand-name anchor outlets.
- C.
collaborated with one another to get brand-name anchor outlets.
- D.
were eager to get brand-name anchor outlets to set up shop in their mall.
Answer: Option B
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
Option 1 is incorrect. What the sentence implies is not explained by option 1. Eliminate option 1.
Option 2 is correct. Paragraph 1 states, “This year alone, more than 8,600 stores could close, according to industry estimates, many of them the brand-name anchor outlets, that real estate developers once stumbled over themselves to court.” It stands to simple reason that if 8,600 brand-name anchor outlets are about to close, the real estate developers are unlikely to pursue them. Retain option 2.
Option 3 is incorrect. The sentence is sufficient to suggest that there is no collaboration of real estate developers. Eliminate option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. Similar to option 3, there is no suggestion about the eagerness of real estate developers to woo the brand-name anchor outlets earlier. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
The author calls the mall an ecosystem unto itself because
- A.
people of all ages and from all walks of life went there.
- B.
people could shop as well as eat in one place.
- C.
it was a commercial space as well as a gathering place.
- D.
it sold things that were needed as well as those that were not.
Answer: Option C
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The fourth paragraph of the passage reads: “Think of your mall. Or think of the one you went to as a kid. Think of the perfume clouds in the department stores. The floating Muzak. … As far back as ancient Greece, societies have congregated around a central marketplace. In medieval Europe, they were outside cathedrals. For half of the 20th century and almost 20 years into the new one, much of America has found their agora on the terrazzo between Orange Julius and Sbarro, Waldenbooks and the Gap, Sunglass Hut and Hot Topic.” Then the writer concludes, “that mall was an ecosystem unto itself…”
The word ‘agora’ means ‘a gathering place or the market place of ancient Greece’.
Option 3 encapsulates this description – that malls are a commercial space as well as a gathering place.
Options 1, 2 and 4 do not justify the description as an ‘ecosystem’
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
Why does the author say that the mall has been America’s public square?
- A.
Malls did not bar anybody from entering the space.
- B.
Malls were a great place to shop for a huge section of the middle class.
- C.
Malls were a hangout place where families grew close to each other.
- D.
Malls were a great place for everyone to gather and interact.
Answer: Option D
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
At the end of the third paragraph the writer makes the observation that “But for better or worse, the mall has been America’s public square for the last 60 years.” In the next paragraph, the writer goes on to explain how malls were not merely commercial places but a place where, “for half of the 20th century and almost 20 years into the new one, much of America has found their agora on the terrazzo between Orange Julius and Sbarro, Waldenbooks and the Gap, Sunglass Hut and Hot Topic.” The word ‘agora’ means ‘a gathering place or the market place of ancient Greece’. Option 1 is incorrect. It merely defines what a public place means. Eliminate option 1.
Option 2 is incorrect. Option 2 explains malls as merely a commercial venue which the middle class visited. Eliminate option 2.
Option 3 is incorrect. Families vising it did not make it a public place. Eliminate option 3.
Option 4 is correct. That malls were a great place for everyone to gather and interact is the reason why the author calls them America’s public square.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
The author describes ‘Perfume clouds in the department stores’ in order to
- A.
evoke memories by painting a picture of malls.
- B.
describe the smells and sights of malls.
- C.
emphasise that all brands were available under one roof.
- D.
show that malls smelt good because of the various store and food court.
Answer: Option A
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The author describes “perfume clouds in the department stores” in order to … This is an easy logical structure question.
The sensuous description comes in the fourth paragraph. Describing the situation that may arise in the event of the closure of the malls, the author asks, “So what happens when it disappears? Think of your mall. Or think of the one you went to as a kid. Think of the perfume clouds in the department stores. The floating Muzak. The fountains splashing below the skylights. The cinnamon wafting from the food court.”
The description and the imagery help the readers to recall their individual experiences of the mall. Hence, option (a) is the correct answer. The other options are either too literal, or are irrelevant to the description.
Hence, the correct answer is option 1.
Workspace:
Answer the following question based on the information given below.
Scientists have long recognized the incredible diversity within a species. But they thought it reflected evolutionary changes that unfolded imperceptibly, over millions of years. That divergence between populations within a species was enforced, according to Ernst Mayr, the great evolutionary biologist of the 1940s, while a population was separated from the rest of the species by a mountain range or a desert, preventing breeding across the divide over geologic scales of time. Without the separation, gene flow was relentless. But as the separation persisted, the isolated population grew apart and speciation occurred.
In the mid – 1960s, the biologist Paul Ehrlich – author of the Population Bomb (1968) – and his Standford University colleagues Peter Raven Challenged Mayr’s ideas about speciation. They had studied checkerspot butterflies living in the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve in California, and it soon became clear that they were not examining a single population. Through years of capturing, marking and then recapturing the butterflies, they were able to prove that within the population, spread over just 50 acres of suitable checkerspot habitat, there were three groups that interacted despite their very clear proximity.
Among other ideas, Ehrlich and Raven argued in a now classic paper from 1969 that gene flow was not as predictable and ubiquitous as Mayr and his cohort maintained, and thus evolutionary divergence between neighbouring groups in a population was probably common. They also asserted that isolation and gene flow were less important to evolutionary divergence than natural selection (when factors such as mate choice, weather, disease or predation cause better-adapted individuals to survive and pass on their successful genetic traits). For example, Ehrlich and Raven suggested that, without the force of natural selection, an isolated population would remain unchanged and that, in other scenarios, natural selection could be strong enough to overpower gene flow…
Which of the following best sums up Ehrlich and Raven’s argument in their classic 1969 paper?
- A.
Ernst Mayr was wrong in identifying physical separation as the cause of species diversity.
- B.
Checkerspot butterflies in the 50-acer Jasper Ridge Preserve formed three groups that rarely interacted with each other.
- C.
While a factor, isolation was not as important to speciation as natural selection.
- D.
Gene flow is less common and more erratic than Mayr and his colleagues claimed.
Answer: Option C
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
Option 1 is incorrect. Option 1 states that Ernst Mayr was wrong. This is a misrepresentation – physical separation does cause speciation but Ehrlich and Raven argued that it was not the only cause. Eliminate option 1. Option 2 is incorrect. Option 2 is factually correct. The three groups of butterflies was the direct observation of the study. However, it does not sum up the argument of Ehrlich and Raven. Eliminate option 2.
Option 3 is correct. Option 3 summarizes the study – that while physical separation did cause speciation it was not as important as natural selection in causing speciation. Retain option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. Option 4 is vague. It does not specify the group of population in which gene flow is less common and more erratic. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
All of the following statement are true according to the passage EXCEPT
- A.
Gene flow contributes to evolutionary divergence.
- B.
The population Bomb questioned dominant ideas about species diversity.
- C.
Evolutionary changes unfold imperceptibly over time.
- D.
Checkerspot butterflies are known to exhibit speciation while living in close proximity.
Answer: Option B
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
Option 1 – that gene flow contributes to evolutionary divergence is a correct statement. It is stated towards the end of the first paragraph that “without the separation, gene flow was relentless” and contributed to the evolutionary process. Eliminate option 1 because this is an EXCEPT question. Option 2 is correct. The Population Bomb was published in 1968 and the challenge to the theory about the diversity within a species had happened in mid 1960s. This is stated in the second paragraph. Also, species diversity and diversity within a species are different ideas. Thus option 2 is not correct. Retain option 2.
Option 3 is incorrect. The first paragraph states, “Scientists have long recognized the incredible diversity within a species … they thought it reflected evolutionary changes that unfolded imperceptibly, over millions of years.” It was thus known that evolutionary changes were slow and happened over millions of years, though the writer points out that diversity within a species may not be as thought earlier. Eliminate option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. The study conducted by Ehrlich and Raven showed that checkerspot butterflies exhibited speciation while living in close proximity. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
The author discusses Mayr, Ehrlich and Raven to demonstrate that
- A.
evolution is a sensitive and controversial topic.
- B.
Ehrlich and Raven’s ideas about evolutionary divergence are widely accepted by scientists.
- C.
the cause of speciation are debated scientists.
- D.
checkerspot butterflies offer the best example of Ehrlich and Raven’s ideas about speciation.
Answer: Option C
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The scientists are in debate with each other over the fact that speciation occurs when species are isolated from each other. Mayr concluded in the first paragraph of the passage that when populations are isolated, speciation occurs. But Ehrlich and Raven observe that even though Checkerspot butterflies lived in close proximity, they did not interact with each other. This leads to a debate between the scientists.
Hence, option (c).
Workspace:
Answer the following question based on the information given below.
Do sports mega events like the Summer Olympic Games benefit the host city economically? It depends, but the prospects are less than rosy. The trick is converting… several billion dollars in operating costs during the 17-day fiesta of the games into a basis for long-term economic returns. These days, the Summer Olympic games themselves generate total revenue of $4 billion to $5 billion, but the lion’s share of this goes to the International Olympics Committee, the National Olympics Committees and the International sports Federations. Any economic benefit would have to flow from the value of the Games as an advertisement for the city, the new transportation and communications infrastructure that was created for the Games, or the ongoing use of the new facilities.
Evidence suggests that the advertising effect is far from certain. The infrastructure benefit depends on the initial condition of the city and the effectiveness of the planning. The facilities benefits is dubious at best for buildings such as velodromes or natatoriums and problematic for 100,000-seat Olympic stadiums. The latter require a conversion plan for future use, the former are usually doomed to near vacancy. Hosting the summer Games generally requires 30-plus sports venues and dozens of training centers. Today, the bird’s Nest in Beijing sits virtually empty, while the Olympic stadium in Sydney costs some $30 million a year to operate.
Part of the problem is that Olympics planning takes place in a frenzied and time-pressured atmosphere of intense competition with the other prospective host cities – not optimal conditions for contemplating the future shape of an urban landscape. Another part of the problem is that urban land is generally scarce and growing scarcer. The new facilities often stand for decades or longer. Even if they have future use, are they the best use of precious urban real estate?Further, cities must consider the human cost, Residential areas often are razed and citizens relocated (without adequate preparation or compensation). Life is made more hectic and congested. There are, after all, other productive uses that can be made of vanishing fiscal resources.
The central point in the first paragraph is that the economics benefits of the Olympic Games
- A.
are shared equally among the three organizing committees.
- B.
accrue mostly through revenue from advertisements and ticket sales.
- C.
accrue to host cities, if at all, only in the long term.
- D.
are usually eroded by expenditure incurred by the host city.
Answer: Option C
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The central point in the first paragraph is that the economic benefits of the Olympic Games… Option 1 is incorrect. The economic benefits are shared ‘equally’ among the organizing committees is incorrect. Eliminate option 1.
Option 2 is incorrect. “Revenue from advertisements and ticket sales’ is not referred to in the passage. The paragraph merely states that the Games are an advertisement for the city where they are held.
Option 3 is correct. The writer is skeptical about the economic benefits of the Games to the host city. He says, “Any economic benefit would have to flow from the value of the Games as an advertisement for the city, the new transportation and communications infrastructure that was created for the Games, or the ongoing use of the new facilities.” Retain option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. The paragraph does not support the inference that the economic benefits that accrue form the games are ‘eroded by expenditure’ on the Games. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
Sports facilities built for the Olympics are not fully utilised after the Games are over because
- A.
their scale and the costs of operating them are large.
- B.
their location away from the city centre usually limits easy access.
- C.
the authorities do not adapt them to local conditions.
- D.
they become outdated having being built with little planning and under time pressure.
Answer: Option A
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The second paragraph states, “The facilities benefit is dubious at best for buildings such as velodromes or natatoriums and problematic for 100,000- seat capacity Olympic stadiums” … because later they are “doomed to near vacancy.” “Today, the Bird’s Nest in Beijing sits virtually empty and the Olympic stadium in Sydney costs some $30 million a year to operate.” Option 1 is correct. The reason for the facilities not being used is, as the option correctly states, their scale, and the cost of operating them. Retain option 1.
Option 2 is incorrect. The essay does not say that their sustained use is not possible because of their location. Eliminate option 2.
Option 3 is incorrect. The passage implies that their adaptation for future use pose problems because of their scale and maintenance costs. The implication is not that the authorities do not do so. Eliminate option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. Though the competition makes it impossible for authorities to plan properly, there is no suggestion that the facilities become outdated because of hurried planning. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 1.
Workspace:
The author feels that the Games place a burden on the host city for all of the following reasons EXCEPT that
- A.
they divert scarce urban land from more productive uses.
- B.
they involve the demolition of residential structures to accommodate sports facilities and infrastructure.
- C.
the finances used to fund the Games could be better used for other purposes.
- D.
the influx of visitors during the Games placed a huge strain on the urban infrastructure.
Answer: Option D
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The first three options can be found explicitly stated in the last two paragprahs: “ Another …problem is that urban land is generally scarce and growing scarcer. The new facilities often stand for decades or longer. Even if they have future use, are they the best use of precious urban real estate? Further, cities must consider the human cost. Residential areas often are razed and citizens relocated (without adequate preparation or compensation). Life is made more hectic and congested. There are, after all, other productive uses that can be made of vanishing fiscal resources.” Option 1 about the diversion of scarce spaces, option 2 about the demolition of residential structures, and option 3 about the better use of funds for other purposes, are stated in the passage and they get eliminated.
Option 4 which is about the influx of visitors is not mentioned as a burden on the host city.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the author’s position.
To me, a “classic” means precisely the opposite of what my predecessors understood: a work is classical by reason of its resistance to contemporaneity and supposed universality, by reason of its capacity to indicate human particularity and difference in that past epoch. The classic is not what tells me about shared humanity–or, more truthfully put, what lets me recognize myself as already present in the past, what nourishes in me the illusion that everything has been like me and has existed only to prepare the way for me. Instead, the classic is what gives access to radically different forms of human consciousness for any given generation of readers, and thereby expands for them the range of possibilities of what it means to be a human being.
- A.
A classic is able to focus on the contemporary human condition and a unified experience of human consciousness.
- B.
A classical work seeks to resist particularity and temporal difference even as it focuses on a common humanity.
- C.
A classic is a work exploring the new, going beyond the universal, the contemporary, and the notion of a unified human consciousness.
- D.
A classic is work that provides access to a universal experience of the human race as opposed to radically different forms of human consciousness.
Answer: Option C
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The main points in the passage are:
- A classic (for me) is the opposite of what it is understood to be:
- It doesn’t resist the contemporary.
- It doesn’t highlight the universal.
- It is not about shared humanity
- To me it is: the possibilities of individual human consciousness.
Option 1 talks about what traditionally classic is understood to be – it does not capture the author’s position. Eliminate option 1.
Option 2 is similar to option 1 – it highlights what a classical work is and does not capture the author’s unique definition of what is a classic. Eliminate option 2.
Option 3 is correct – it captures what the author means by a classic and briefly captures all the points.
Retain option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. Option 4 is contrary to the author’s conception of what is a classic. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the author’s position.
A translator of literary works needs a secure hold upon the two languages involved, supported by a good measure of familiarity with the two cultures. For and Indian translating works in an Indian language into English, finding satisfactory equivalents in a generalized western culture of practices and symbols in the original would be less difficult than gaining fluent control of contemporary English. When a westerner works on texts in Indian languages the interpretation of cultural elements will be the major challenge, rather than control over the grammar and essential vocabulary of the language concerned. It is much easier to remedy lapses in language in a text translated into English, than flaws of content. Since it is easier for an Indian to learn the English language than it is for a Briton or American to comprehend Indian culture, translations of Indian texts is better left to Indians.
- A.
While translating, the Indian and the westerner face the same challenges but they have different skill profile and the former has the advantage.
- B.
As preserving cultural meanings is the essence of literary translation Indians’ knowledge of the local culture outweighs the initial disadvantage of lower fluency in English.
- C.
Indian translators should translate Indian texts into English as their work is less likely to pose cultural problems which are harder to address than the quality of language.
- D.
Westerners might be good at gaining reasonable fluency in new languages, but as understanding the culture reflected in literature is crucial, Indians remain better placed.
Answer: Option C
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The main points in the passage are:
- A literary translator needs a secure hold over the two languages and the two cultures.
- While translating Indian text into English, an Indian understands the culture better though a westerner understands the language better.
- An Indian should translate Indian text – as language errors are easier to remedy.
Option 1 is incorrect. It is too general and does not adequately capture the author’s position. The idea of the secure hold upon the languages and cultures is missing in this option. Eliminate option 1.
Option 2 is incorrect. It does not state the author’s position that an Indian should translate Indian text. Except for this precise stand of the author, the option captures the essence of the paragraph. Eliminate option 2 in favor of option 3.
Option 3 is correct. Briefly, the author’s position is about why an Indian should translate Indian works of literature into English, rather than a westerner who has superior command over the English language. This position is adequately captured in option 3. Retain option 3.
Option 4 is incorrect. It does not talk about the translation of literary works. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the author’s position.
For each of the past three years, temperatures have hit peaks not seen since the birth of meteorology, and probably not for more than 110,000 years. The amount of carbon dioxide in the air is at its highest level in 4 million years. This does not cause storms like Harvey – there have always been storms and hurricanes along the Gulf of Mexico – but it makes them wetter and more powerful. As the seas warm, they evaporate more easily and provide energy to storm fronts. As the air above them warms, it holds more water vapour. For every half a degree Celsius in warming, there is about a 3% increase in atmospheric moisture content. Scientists call this the Clausius–Clapeyron equation. This means the skies fill more quickly and have more to dump. The storm surge was greater because sea levels have risen 20 cm as a result of more than 100 years of human – related global warming which has melted glaciers and thermally expanded the volume of seawater.
- A.
The storm Harvey is one of the regular, annual ones from the Gulf of Mexico; global warming and Harvey are unrelated phenomena.
- B.
Global warming does not breed storms but makes them more destructive; the Clausius–Clapeyron equation, though it predicts potential increase in atmospheric moisture content, cannot predict the scale of damage storms might wreck.
- C.
Global warming melts glaciers, resulting in seawater volume expansion; this enables more water vapour to fill the air above faster. Thus, modern storms contain more destructive energy.
- D.
It is native to think that rising sea levels and the force of tropical storms are unrelated; Harvey was destructive as global warming has armed it with more moisture content, but this may not be true of all storms.
Answer: Option C
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The main points in the passage are:
- The temperatures of the past three years were highest in more than 110,000years.
- This has made the storms more powerful.
- Global warming has melted glaciers, pushed up sea levels, evaporated sea water faster and increased the atmospheric moisture.
Option 1 is incorrect. The author’s position is that global warming has made the storms more powerful. He explains how this happens. Option 1 is eliminated because it emphasizes Harvey and distorts the idea in the paragraph.
Option 2 is incorrect. It talks about the unpredictability of the extent of damage that a storm can cause. This idea is irrelevant. Eliminate option 2.
Option 3 is correct. It captures all the points the author has highlighted and the author’s position correctly.
Option 4 is incorrect. It begins “it is naïve to think…” The author does not hint at anything like this. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
The five sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) given in this question, when properly sequenced, from a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a number. Decide on the proper order for the sentences and key in this sequence of five numbers as your answer.
- The process of handing down implies not a passive transfer, but some contestation in defining what exactly is to be handed down.
- Wherever Western scholars have worked on the Indian past, the selection is even more apparent and the inventing of a tradition much more recognizable.
- Every generation selects what it requires from the past and makes its innovations, some more than others.
- It is now a truism to say that traditions are not handed down unchanged, but are invented.
- Just as life has death as its opposite, so is tradition by default the opposite of innovation.
Answer: 54132
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
Rather than search for the beginning of the paragraph, you could easily spot the two mandatory pairs in the set of five sentences. “… the selection is even more apparent…” in 2 has to be preceded by “Every generation selects” in 3. So, you can be sure that 3-2 is a mandatory pair. The next mandatory pair that you can see is 5-4. Though there is a mention of life and death in sentence 5, all the other sentences talk about tradition – sentence 5 introduces the idea of tradition and sentence 4 continues with what the writer has to say about tradition – that traditions are opposite of innovation but traditions are also invented. In the discovery of 5-4 as a mandatory pair, you can also understand that 5 introduces the theme and is the best sentence for the starter. Hence, 5-4 is the beginning of the answer sequence. After you find these two mandatory pairs, your only task left is to figure out where to place sentence 1. Sentence 1 is ruled out at the beginning. It can be either at the end or between the two mandatory pairs 5-4 and 3-2. “… traditions are not handed down…” in 4 links to “the process of handing down implies…’ in sentence 1. Hence, 5-4-1 is a sequence which is followed by the mandatory pair 3-2.
Hence, the correct answer is 54132.
Workspace:
The five sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) given in this question, when properly sequenced, from a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a number. Decide on the proper order for the sentences and key in this sequence of five numbers as your answer.
- Scientists have for the first time managed to edit genes in a human embryo to repair a genetic mutation, fuelling hopes that such procedures may one day be available outside laboratory conditions.
- The cardiac disease causes sudden death in otherwise healthy young athletes and affects about one in 500 people overall.
- Correcting the mutation in the gene would not only ensure that the child is healthy but also prevents transmission of the mutation to future generations.
- It is caused by a mutation in a particular gene and a child will suffer from the condition even if it inherits only one copy of the mutated gene.
- In results announced in Nature this week, scientists fixed a mutation that thickens the heart muscle, a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Answer: 15243
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
Only sentence 1 can start the paragraph. Since it talks about the scientists being successful for the first time in editing “genes in a human embryo to repair a genetic mutation” it links naturally to sentence 5 which after mentioning where the results were published continues to elaborate on the repair as they “fixed a mutation that thickens the heart muscle. So we get 1-5 at the beginning. The “hypertrophic cardiomyopathy” is elaborated further in sentence 2 as a “cardiac disease that causes sudden death”. So we get the sequence 1-5-2. Sentence 4 comes next as the “It” at the beginning of sentence 4 again refers to the disease and states its cause. So 1-5-2-4 is a sequence which is then concluded by sentence 3.
Hence, the correct answer is 15243.
Workspace:
The five sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) given in this question, when properly sequenced, from a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a number. Decide on the proper order for the sentences and key in this sequence of five numbers as your answer.
- The study suggests that the disease did not spread with such intensity, but that it may have driven human migration across Europe and Asia.
- The oldest sample came from an individual who lived in southeast Russia about 5,000 years ago.
- The ages of the skeletons correspond to a time of mass exodus from today’s Russia and Ukraine into western Europe and central Asia, suggesting that a pandemic could have driven these migrations.
- In the analysis of fragments of DNA from 101 Bronze Age skeletons for sequences from Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes the disease, seven tested positive.
- DNA from Bronze age human skeletons indicate that the black plague could have emerged as early as 3,000 BCE, long before the epidemic that swept through Europe in mid–1300s.
Answer: 54123
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The first clue is that sentence 5 starts the paragraph as it introduces the theme and that it is followed by sentence 4. This gives us the beginning of the paragraph as 5-4. After this, the question becomes difficult as the link to the next sentence is not very clear. However, sentence 1 comes immediately after the 5-4 pair because “the epidemic that swept through Europe” in sentence 5 is now continued in sentence 1 after the interruption of sentence 4. Sentence 4 cannot be placed anywhere else in the paragraph. So, we get the 5-4-1 sequence. After this, it is easy to see that sentence 2 and 3 come next in that order. Sentence 2 states that the oldest sample was of 5000 years ago and sentence 3 says that this age corresponds to a time of mass exodus.
Hence, the correct answer is 54123.
Workspace:
The five sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) given in this question, when properly sequenced, from a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a number. Decide on the proper order for the sentences and key in this sequence of five numbers as your answer.
- This visual turn in social media has merely accentuated this announcing instinct of ours, enabling us with easy-to-create, easy-to-share, easy-to store and easy-to-consume platforms, gadgets and apps.
- There is absolutely nothing new about us farming the vision of who we are or what we want, visually or otherwise, in our Facebook page, for example.
- Turning the pages of most family albums, which belong to a period well before the digital dissemination of self-created and self-curated moments and images, would reconfirm the basic instinct of documenting our presence in a particular space, on a significant occasion, with others who matter.
- We are empowered to book our faces and act as celebrities within the confinement of our respective friend lists, and communicate our activities, companionship and locations with minimal clicks and touches.
- What is unprecedented is not the desire to put out newsfeeds related to the self, but the ease with which this broadcast operation can now be executed, often provoking (un)anticipated responses from beyond one’s immediate location.
Answer: 32145
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
Sentence 3 is the only possible starter for the paragraph as all other sentences have incomplete references within them.
Sentence 2 follows sentence 3 as it explains that there is nothing new about our tendency to record ourselves in pictures and albums as was stated in sentence 3.
The end of sentence 2, “our Facebook for example” links to sentence 1 with its ‘this visual turn in social media…’ and gives us the 3-2-1 sequence.
Sentence 4 then elaborates on the same idea with reference to ‘our friend lists and … with minimal clicks and touches.”’
Sentence 5 then concludes by commenting on ‘what is unprecedented…’ about social media that it has made it easy to broadcast ourselves.
Hence, 32145.
Workspace:
Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph. Identify the odd one out.
- People who study children’s language spend a lot of time watching how babies reacts to the speech they hear around them.
- They make films of adults and babies interacting, and examine them very carefully to see whether the babies show any signs of understanding what the adults say.
- They believe that babies begin to react to language from the very moment they are born.
- Sometimes the signs are very subtle – slight movements of the baby’s eyes or the head or the hands.
- You’d never notice them if you were just sitting with the child, but by watching a recording over and over, you can spot them.
Answer: 3
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The sentences in the given order describe how the people who study children’s language carry out their study by making films.
Repeated viewing is required by filming children because mere observation may not be sufficient to spot the slightest of movements.
Sentence 3, however describes what they believe, which is not related to the study.
Hence, option (c).
Workspace:
Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph. Identify the odd one out.
- Neuroscientists have just began studying exercise’s impact within brain cells – on the genes themselves.
- Even there, in the roots of our biology, they’ve found signs of the body’s influence on the mind.
- It turns out that moving our muscles produces proteins that travels through the bloodstream and into the brain, where they play pivotal roles in the mechanisms of our highest thought processes.
- In today’s technology–driven, plasma–screened–in world, it’s easy to forget that we are born movers–animals, in fact – because we’ve engineered movement right out of our lives.
- It’s only in the past few years that neuroscientists have begun to describe these factors and how they work, and each new discovery adds awe–inspiring depth to the picture.
Answer: 4
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
The sentences that form the paragraph are not jumbled up. An out of context sentence is inserted into the paragraph.
The sentences describe the work of neuroscientists who are studying the impact that exercise has on brain cells. In the roots of biology – or in the brain cells – they find that body influences the mind – that any movement of the muscles produces proteins which travel to the brain and affect our thoughts.
It is only recently that neuroscientists have begun to describe this kind of influence of the body on the mind.
From this point of view sentence 4 is out of context – because it comments on the sedentary technology driven life style that we have embraced.
Hence, option (d).
Workspace:
Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph. Identify the odd one out.
- The water that made up ancient lakes and perhaps an ocean was lost.
- Particles from the Sun collided with molecules in the atmosphere, knocking them into space or giving them an electric charge that caused them to be swept away by the solar wind.
- Most of the planet’s remaining water is now frozen or buried, but clues over the past decade suggested that some liquid water, a presumed necessity for life, might survive in underground aquifers.
- Data from NASA’s MAVEN orbiter show that solar storms stripped away most of Mars’s once–thick atmosphere.
- A recent study reveals how Mars lost much of its early water, while another indicates that some liquid water remains.
Answer: 1
Join our Telegram Channel for CAT/MBA Preparation.
Explanation :
Sentence 5 is the best opening sentence as it introduces the idea that Mars lost some water and still has some in liquid form.
Statements 4 and 2 tell us about how Mars lost its water. While statement 3 tells us about the remaining water.
Hence, correct sequence would be 5423.
Statement 1 is vague and hence odd-one out.
Hence, option (a).
Workspace:
Feedback
Help us build a Free and Comprehensive Preparation portal for various competitive exams by providing us your valuable feedback about Apti4All and how it can be improved.