XAT 2017 VARC | Previous Year XAT Paper
XAT 2017 Verbal Ability and Logic
Read the following statements and answer the question that follows:
- This is Russia’s Wild West, though the mountains lie to the south of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
- The Caucasus range has throughout history held Russians, especially fierce nationalists like Solzhenitsyn, in fear and awe.
- Here, between the Black and Caspian seas, is a land bridge where Europe gradually vanishes amid a six-hundred-mile chain of mountains as high as eighteen thousand feet – mesmerizing in their spangled beauty, especially after the yawning and flat mileage of the steppe lands to the north.
- Here, since the seventeenth century, Russian colonizers have tried to subdue congeries of proud peoples: Chechens, Ingush, Ossetes, Daghestanis, Abkhaz, Kartvelians, Kakhetians, Armenians, Azeris, and others.
- Here, the Russians encountered Islam in both its moderation and implacability.
Which of the following options is the best logical order of the above statements?
- A.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- B.
2, 3, 1, 4, 5
- C.
2, 4, 3, 1, 5
- D.
3, 1, 2, 4, 5
- E.
4, 5, 3, 1, 2
Answer: Option B
Explanation :
Since all the sentences except 2 use “here” and “this” referring to the subject of the paragraph, we can assume that sentence 2 introduces the subject of discussion. Thus, options 1, 4 and 5 can be eliminated. Sentence 3 follows as it describes the Caucasus range in detail. Sentences 3-1 form a link as 3 mentions “a six-hundred-mile chain of mountains” and 1 refers to these mountains. Further, sentences 4-5 in that order conclude the paragraph.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
Read the following statements and answer the question that follows:
- The periodic table orders the elements in a way that helps to understand why atoms behave as they do.
- The properties of the elements are due to electronic configuration, and their recurring pattern gives rise to periodicity.
- In other words, what gives the elements their properties and what order lies below the surface of their seemingly random nature?
- What makes Fluorine react violently with Caesium while its nearest neighbour neon is reluctant to react with anything?
Which of the following options is the best logical order of the above statements?
- A.
1, 2, 3, 4
- B.
1, 4, 3, 2
- C.
2, 3, 1, 4
- D.
3, 4, 2, 1
- E.
4, 3, 1, 2
Answer: Option B
Explanation :
Statement 1 introduces the topic of the discussion- why do elements get their property. This is followed by statement 4 which asks a specific query, which is illustrated by an example given in the statement 3 therefore creating a pattern of 4 followed by 3. Statement 2 concludes by answering the questions raised in the previous sentences.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
Read the following excerpt and answer the question that follows:
Fragrant with steam
were the days and the nights red
with many braziers
in the beloved house
of my father, my mother.
Which of the following options is the closest expression of the poet’s feeling?
- A.
The house was located in beautiful settings probably surrounded by flowers in the mountains.
- B.
The ancestral home was probably the most important house in the community.
- C.
The poet fondly recalls the pleasant climate enjoyed day and night.
- D.
The poet misses the braziers and steam she had enjoyed during her childhood.
- E.
Everything about the house felt special because of her parents love for her.
Answer: Option E
Explanation :
The last two lines of the poem emphasize on the poet's affection towards the house that belonged to her parents. This hints that fond memories were attributed to parents and not to the surroundings or the beautiful house. Surroundings and house became beautiful because of parents. Of all the options, only 5 states this.
Hence, the correct answer is option 5.
Workspace:
Read the following paragraphs and answer the question that follows:
The current trend indicates that food and vegetable inflations continue to be pain points. Food inflation rose to 7.79 percent in June from 7.47 percent, and vegetable inflation rose to 14.74 percent from 10.85 percent. In the weeks ahead, the volatile food inflation will determine the course of overall inflation.
For RBI too, the trend is a concern since under the current agreement with the government, if the inflation exceeds 11 percent it will have to explain to the government why it could not be contained (the lower limit is 2 percent).
Which of the following options is the most appropriate?
- A.
The first paragraph states a cause and the second illustrates the effect.
- B.
The first paragraph provides information and the second highlights potential application of the information.
- C.
The first paragraph is an assertion and the second provides an illustration of that assertion.
- D.
The first paragraph highlights inflation conditions and the second hints at RBI’s inefficiency in managing the situation.
- E.
The first paragraph highlights pain points and the second contains a remedy for them.
Answer: Option B
Explanation :
The first paragraph talks about food inflation and vegetable inflation rising and also gives the food inflation statistics indicating an overwhelming impact on overall inflation. The second paragraph talks about how this data concerns RBI. For RBI this data i.e. trend is a concern since if the trend continues, RBI will have to explain to the government. The information given in first paragraph appears to be relevant to RBI. This relation is vindicated by option 2. Options 1 is wrong since there is no cause and effect relationship between the two paragraphs. Option 3 is wrong, since no assertion is made in the first paragraph Option 4 is incorrect as nowhere in the passage is it mentioned that RBI has been inefficient in containing the inflation. Second paragraph only says that the rising inflation is a concern. Similarly, option 5 can be eliminated as RBI itself is concerned about the inflation so there is no question of remedy.
Hence the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
The serious study of popular films by critics is regularly credited with having rendered obsolete a once-dominant view that popular mainstream films are inherently inferior to art films. Yet the change of attitude may be somewhat _________ Although, it is now academically respectable to analyse popular films, the fact that many critics feel compelled to rationalize their own _________ action movies or mass-market fiction reveals, perhaps unwittingly, their continued _________ the old hierarchy of popular and art films.
Consider the following words:
- unproductive
- not appreciated
- overstated
- penchant for
- dislike for
- investment in
- exposure to
Which of the following options is the most appropriate sequence that would meaningfully fit the blanks in the above paragraph?
- A.
1, 5, 6
- B.
3, 2, 7
- C.
3, 4, 6
- D.
4, 5, 6
- E.
6, 3, 1
Answer: Option C
Explanation :
The second sentence/line in the passage can be completed by either “unproductive” or “overstated”. But the following sentence (third) questions the perception of change of attitudes contained in the second sentence/line. The serious study of popular films by critics implies that the critics are compelled to rationalize their ―”penchant for” and hence, 3 will be followed by 4. By rationalizing their penchant for popular films, they unwittingly reveal their continued investment in the categorization of popular and art films. Hence, the appropriate sequence of words should start with 3 follow it with 4 and then by 6.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
Read the following stanza and answer the question that follows:
Invisible atoms coming together
Revealing themselves in visible forms
Seeds are hugged by the earth
Which renders them as gardens in bloom.
And yonder stars, are they not pearls
Floating on teeming seas?
Scattered, yet strung together in orderly constellations
Love binding them to one another
And each is perpetually seeking its like?
Which of the following options best captures the spirit of the above stanza?
- A.
Stars and seas are similar.
- B.
All rivers flow into the ocean.
- C.
United we stand, divided we fall.
- D.
Love dissolves all religious differences.
- E.
Something invisible binds disparate objects.
Answer: Option E
Explanation :
The poem talks about seemingly dissimilar items actually seeking each other and also connected with each other. Invisible atoms which may be of different types, such as seeds and earth, or stars and seas, each of these groups of dissimilar items are finally connected. Hence, Option 5 best captures the spirit of the stanza. Options 1 and 2 are specific examples related to stars, rivers and seas. Option 3 is wrong as there is nothing mentioned about division in the stanza. Option 4 is wrong as the stanza does not talk about religious differences.
Hence, the correct answer is option 5.
Workspace:
Which of the following options is grammatically correct and meaningful?
- A.
I want to join an MBA college that is not only the best in the country but also provides the best campus jobs.
- B.
I want to join an MBA college that is not only the best in the country but also I can get good job.
- C.
I want to join an MBA college that is not only the best in the country but also best in job.
- D.
I want to join an MBA college that is not only good but also I can get good job.
- E.
I want to join an MBA college that I found not only best in the country but also I can get good job.
Answer: Option A
Explanation :
Options 2,4 and 5 have parallelism error. So, eliminate option 2. Option 3 is misleading a the author wants to convey that MBA college that provides best jobs.
Hence, the correct answer is option 1.
Workspace:
Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:
On Friday morning, Dieting supplement sales company Herbalife agreed to pay the US Federal Trade Commission a $200m fine. The FTC said Herbalife cheated hopeful salespeople out of hundreds of millions of dollars with a high-pressure multi-level marketing scheme.
Herbalife’s stock received an immediate 15% increase following the above news. The company also announced that it would hire a second former FTC commissioner in a press release describing the terms of the settlement.
Which of the following options would imply that the 15 percent increase in stock price is fair?
- A.
Cheating results in increase in the company’s stock price.
- B.
When fraudulent companies are exposed, their stock price increases.
- C.
When fraudulent companies are caught, their stock price initially goes down.
- D.
Acknowledgement of deceit increases the stock price of companies.
- E.
Compliance with court order increases the company’s stock price.
Answer: Option D
Explanation :
When the company agreed to pay the fine, the market perceived it as acknowledgement of deceit and the valuation of such deceit is clear (from the fine amount). This acknowledgement of behaviour (deceit) and specifically the valuation or price of such behaviour becoming clear, gives lots more information to the market thereby increasing the stock price. Hence, 4 is the answer. Options 1 and 2 are wrong since stock price did not increase when the organization was exposed, but when the organization acknowledged. Option 3 is wrong as there is no data on stock price movement when the organization‘s ―fraud‖ was exposed. Acknowledgement of deceit resulted in the company's compliance with court order which is obligatory for a fraudulent company. Hence, option (e) cannot be the right answer.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows:
Worldwide, tomato is one of the most important crops. Because this crop can be adapted for cultivation in various environments ranging from tropical to alpine regions, its cultivation area is now expanding worldwide into not so productive regions. On the other hand, traditional cultivation areas, the most favourable for tomato cultivation with warm and dry climate, are contracting. Every year, traditional cultivation areas lose 2 million hectares (ha) of land to environmental factors such as salinity, drought, and soil erosion.
Which of the following is the correct inference based on the above passage?
- A.
In recent years, per hectare production of tomato has increased worldwide.
- B.
In recent years, per hectare wastage of tomato has increased worldwide.
- C.
In recent years, per hectare production of tomato has decreased worldwide.
- D.
In recent years, per hectare wastage of tomato has decreased worldwide.
- E.
In recent years, per hectare production of tomato has remained the same worldwide.
Answer: Option C
Explanation :
The paragraph says 2 million hectares of world‘s current tomato cultivation areas are lost in the most favourable areas of cultivation. Therefore, favourable area under cultivation is reducing. Given that favourable areas have more production per hectare and extended areas have lesser production per hectare, the overall production per hectare will reduce though total global production may increase. Hence, Option 3 is the correct inference. Option 1 and 5 are not correct since going by the discussion above, increase in ̳per hectare production of tomato‘ or production remaining the same is not possible. Options 2 and 4 are wrong because there is no mention of ̳wastage of tomato‘ in the passage.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
Carefully read the statements below:
- Chatterjee loves books; therefore, he reads them all the time.
- Chatterjee loves books. Therefore, he reads them all the time.
- Chatterjee loves books and, therefore, reads them all the time.
Which of the above statement(s) is (are) correct in grammar and meaning?
- A.
1 only
- B.
2 only
- C.
1 and 2 only
- D.
2 and 3 only
- E.
1,2 and 3
Answer: Option E
Explanation :
All the sentences are grammatically correct.
Hence, the correct answer is option 5.
Workspace:
Grotesque is related to Macabre in a similar way as _________
- A.
Classics is related to Ruins
- B.
History is related to Palaeontology
- C.
Marriage is related to Funeral
- D.
Sorcery is related to Necromancy
- E.
Science is related to Thanatology
Answer: Option D
Explanation :
Grotesque and macabre both mean/signify unpleasant, out of the normal and hideous. But Macabre while being unpleasant specifically focuses on death or is related to death. Among the options given below, all the right hand side words signify or are related to death/dead. But among options, the words on the left hand side, only sorcery is unpleasant and therefore similar to grotesque.
Hence the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
Choose the option with all the correct words and their correct accent (underlined syllable) that fits the blanks.
The suspension of the captain may _________ the number of spectators, who turn up for this match.
Transportation costs will directly _________ the cost of retail goods.
Grandmother’s advancing age could _________ her ability to take care of the house.
She _________ a Texan accent throughout the interview.
- A.
affect, effect, effect, effected
- B.
affect, effect, affect, affected
- C.
affect, affect, affect, affected
- D.
effect, affect, effect, effected
- E.
effect, affect, effect, affected
Answer: Option C
Explanation :
In all these words, the emphasis is on the second syllable ―fect. Hence, options with first part emphasised are wrong. This makes 3 as the right answer. Further, generally, affect is used as verb, while effect is used as noun.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
Analyse the following passage and provide appropriate answers for questions that follow.
It’s taken me 60 years, but I had an epiphany recently: Everything, without exception, requires additional energy and order to maintain itself. I knew this in the abstract as the famous second law of thermodynamics, which states that everything is falling apart slowly. This realization is not just the lament of a person getting older. Long ago I learnt that even the most inanimate things we know of ―stone, iron columns, copper pipes, gravel roads, a piece of paper ―won’t last very long without attention and fixing and the loan of additional order. Existence, it seems, is chiefly maintenance.
What has surprised me recently is how unstable even the intangible is. Keeping a website or a software program afloat is like keeping a yacht afloat It is a black hole for attention. I can understand why a mechanical device like a pump would break down after a while ―moisture rusts metal, or the air oxidizes membranes, or lubricants evaporate, all of which require repair. But I wasn’t thinking that the nonmaterial world of bits would also degrade. What’s to break? Apparently everything.
Brand-new computers will ossify. Apps weaken with use. Code corrodes. Fresh software just released will immediately begin to fray. On their own ―nothing you did. The more complex the gear, the more (not less) attention it will require. The natural inclination toward change is inescapable, even for the most abstract entities we know of: bits.
And then there is the assault of the changing digital landscape. When everything around you is upgrading, this puts pressure on your digital system and necessitates maintenance. You may not want to upgrade, but you must because everyone else is. It’s an upgrade arms race.
I used to upgrade my gear begrudgingly (Why upgrade if it still works?) and at the last possible moment. You know how it goes: Upgrade this and suddenly you need to upgrade that, which triggers upgrades everywhere. I would put it off for years because I had the experiences of one “tiny” upgrade of a minor part disrupting my entire working life. But as our personal technology is becoming more complex, more co-dependents upon peripherals, more like a living ecosystem, delaying upgrading is even more disruptive. If you neglect ongoing minor upgrades, the change backs up so much that the eventual big upgrade reaches traumatic proportions. So I now see upgrading as a type of hygiene: You do it regularly to keep your tech healthy. Continual upgrades are so critical for technological systems that they are now automatic for the major personal computer operating systems and some software apps. Behind the scenes, the machines will upgrade themselves, slowly changing their features over time. This happens gradually, so we don‘t notice they are “becoming.”
We take this evolution as normal.
Technological life in the future will be a series of endless upgrades. And the rate of graduations is accelerating. Features shift, defaults disappear, menus morph. I’ll open up a software package I don’t use every day expecting certain choices, and whole menus will have disappeared.
No matter how long you have been using a tool, endless upgrades make you into a newbie ―the new user often seen as clueless. In this era of “becoming” everyone becomes a newbie. Worse, we will be newbies forever. That should keep us humble.
That bears repeating. All of us ―every one of us ―will be endless newbies in the future simply trying to keep up. Here’s why: First, most of the important technologies that will dominate life 30 years from now have not yet been invented, so naturally you’ll be a newbie to them. Second, because the new technology requires endless upgrades, you will remain in the newbie state. Third, because the cycle of obsolescence is accelerating (the average lifespan of a phone app is a mere 30 days!), you won’t have time to master anything before it is displaced, so you will remain in the newbie mode forever. Endless Newbie is the new default for everyone, no matter your age or experience.
Which of the following statements would the author agree with the most?
- A.
The second law of thermodynamics states that things need more energy as they separate.
- B.
When it comes to erosion, intangibles behave differently from tangible.
- C.
Up-gradation is no longer an option but an obligation.
- D.
Up-gradation though simple is disruptive.
- E.
In the next thirty years, one‘s experience in up-grading will be greatly valued.
Answer: Option C
Explanation :
The sentence, “You may not want to upgrade, but you must because everyone else is.” Clearly points towards option 3.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
Which of the following quotes would the author agree with the most?
- A.
Life is like riding a bicycle. In order to avoid falling, you must keep moving.
- B.
The only thing constant in life is change.
- C.
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
- D.
If you do not change you will be changed.
- E.
What we can‘t cure we must endure.
Answer: Option A
Explanation :
In the passage, the author is making two points. The first is that change is constant and the second is how to adapt to the change so as to survive. In other words, the first is more of an observation by the author while the second part is his/her core argument/exhortation. Thus, the essence of the passage is the second point (i.e. how to adapt) while keeping in mind the existence of the first. Based on the argument above, Option 1 is the closest since it includes both the points and hence, the correct answer. Option 2 contains only the first point, while Option 3 is irrelevant. Option 4 and 5 are reactive and would be a consequence of non-adherence of the author‘s exhortation.
Hence, the correct answer is option 1.
Workspace:
The CEO of a technology company was thinking of the following policies.
- Life time employment
- Promotion based on seniority
- Hire new competent employees and fire old incompetent employees
- Regular training and retraining
If a CEO were to consult the author of the passage, which of the above policies should the author recommend?
- A.
1 or 3
- B.
1 or 4
- C.
2 or 4
- D.
3 or 4
- E.
1, 3 and 4
Answer: Option D
Explanation :
The author supports constant upgradation in order to survive the race. This is reflected in policies 3 and 4. Life-time employment does not guarantee continuous up-gradation, so eliminate policy 1. Also, the tenure of an employee does not guarantee up-gradation, so eliminate policy 2.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
Analyse the following passage and provide appropriate answers for questions that follow.
Writing is both my vocation and my avocation: that’s all I do.
You may wonder why I should write a genealogy. Well, to begin with, my story is interesting. And, next, I am a mystery -more so than a tree or a sunset or even a flash of lightning. But, sadly, I am taken for granted by those who use me, as if I were a mere incident and without background. This supercilious attitude relegates me to the level of the commonplace. This is a species of the grievous error in which mankind cannot too long persist without peril. For, as a wise man, G. K. Chesterton, observed, “We are perishing for want of wonder, not for want of wonders.”
I, simple though I appear to be, merit your wonder and awe, a claim I shall attempt to prove. In fact, if you can understand me-no, that’s too much to ask of anyone – if you can become aware of the miraculousness that I symbolize, you can help save the freedom mankind is so unhappily losing. I have a profound lesson to teach. And I can teach this lesson better than an automobile or an airplane or a mechanical dishwasher because – well, because I am seemingly so simple.
Simple? Yet, not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make me. This sounds fantastic, doesn’t it? Especially when you realize that there are about one and one-half billion of my kind produced in the U.S. each year.
Pick me up and look me over. What do you see? Not much meets the eye – there’s some wood, lacquer, the printed labeling, graphite lead, a bit of metal, and an eraser.
“I” in the passage, most likely, refers to:
- A.
the author of the passage
- B.
a geometry box
- C.
a study table
- D.
a pencil
- E.
the evolution of a book
Answer: Option D
Explanation :
The paragraph, “Pick me up.....” clearly indicates the specifications of a pencil.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
A “supercilious attitude” in this passage implies:
- A.
Failure to perceive the mystery of the sunset.
- B.
Arrogance of treating all simple things as trivial.
- C.
Lack of curiosity in seeking the mystery behind the lighting.
- D.
A tendency to break down intricacies of creation into its simple parts.
- E.
Prosaic attitude immune to the mysteries of the world.
Answer: Option B
Explanation :
“Supercilious” means 'arrogant or contemptuous attitude'. In the passage, it is used w.r.t. pencil. Since, pencil looks simple and trivial, people might develop supercilious attitude towards it.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
Analyse the following passage and provide appropriate answers for questions that follow.
Some psychologists and sociologists believe that psychopathy can be an asset in business and politics and that, as a result, psychopathic traits are overrepresented among successful people. This would be a puzzle if it were so. If our moral feelings evolved through natural selection, then it shouldn‘t be the case that one would flourish without them. And, in fact, the successful psychopath is probably the exception. Psychopaths have certain deficits. Some of these are subtle. The psychologist Abigail Marsh and her colleagues find that psychopaths are markedly insensitive to the expression of fear. Normal people recognize fear and treat it as a distress cue, but 13 psychopaths have problems seeing it, let alone responding to it appropriately. Other deficits run deeper. The overall lack of moral sentiments—and specifically, the lack of regard for others—might turn out to be the psychopath‘s downfall. We non-psychopaths are constantly assessing one another, looking for kindness and shame and the like, using this information to decide whom to trust, whom to affiliate with. The psychopath has to pretend to be one of us. But this is difficult. It‘s hard to force yourself to comply with moral rules just through a rational appreciation of what you are expected to do. If you feel like strangling the cat, it‘s a struggle to hold back just because you know that it is frowned upon. Without a normal allotment of shame and guilt, psychopaths succumb to bad impulses, doing terrible things out of malice, greed, and simple boredom. And sooner or later, they get caught. While psychopaths can be successful in the short term, they tend to fail in the long term and often end up in prison or worse. Let‘s take a closer look at what separates psychopaths from the rest of us. There are many symptoms of psychopathy, including pathological lying and lack of remorse or guilt, but the core deficit is indifference toward the suffering of other people. Psychopaths lack compassion. To understand how compassion works for all of us non-psychopaths, it‘s important to distinguish it from empathy. Now, some contemporary researchers use the terms interchangeably, but there is a big difference between caring about a person (compassion) and putting yourself in the person‘s shoes (empathy).
I am too much of an adaptationist to think that a capacity as rich as empathy exists as a freak biological accident. It most likely has a function, and the most plausible candidate here is that it motivates us to care about others. Empathy exists to motivate compassion and altruism. Still, the link between empathy (in the sense of mirroring another‘s feelings) and compassion (in the sense of feeling and acting kindly toward another) is more nuanced than many people believe. First, although empathy can be automatic and unconscious—a crying person can affect your mood, even if you‘re not aware that this is happening and would rather it didn‘t—we often choose whether to empathize with another person. So when empathy is present, it may be the product of a moral choice, not the cause of it. Empathy is also influenced by what one thinks of the other person. Second, empathy is not needed to motivate compassion. As the psychologist Steven Pinker points out, “If a child has been frightened by a barking dog and is howling in terror, my sympathetic response is not to howl in terror with her, but to comfort and protect her” Third, just as you can have compassion without empathy, you can have empathy without compassion. You might feel the person‘s pain and wish to stop feeling it—but choose to solve the problem by distancing yourself from that person instead of alleviating his or her suffering. Even otherwise good people sometimes turn away when faced with depictions of pain and suffering in faraway lands, or when passing a homeless person on a city street.
The core deficit of Psychopaths affects their long term success because,
- A.
they cannot sustain the behaviour.
- B.
they are less likely to succeed as HR managers than as finance managers.
- C.
they cannot hide their lack of compassion for long.
- D.
empathy is essential for long term success.
- E.
natural selection enables moral feelings.
Answer: Option C
Explanation :
The passage says that the core deficit viz. lack of indifference or compassion is something that the psychopaths cannot hide for long. The passage directly mentions that compassion, the core deficit is missing among psychopath towards the end of first paragraph.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
Which of the following options is correct according to the author?
- A.
Compassion exists for a reason.
- B.
Empathy is a chance event.
- C.
Empathy is the cause of moral choice.
- D.
Caring for others is psychopathy.
- E.
Long term success in business is a freak accident.
Answer: Option A
Explanation :
Option 2 can be eliminated as the author says “It most likely has....others.” Option 3 can be eliminated as the author says “So when empathy.....cause of it.” Option 4 can be eliminated as the author says, “The psychologist Abigail....fear.” Option 5 is not discussed in the passage so it is irrelevant and therefore, wrong.
Hence, the correct answer is option 1.
Workspace:
A student approached a faculty pleading to increase his marks because failure in one more subject will result in the student having to leave the program. The faculty said, “I am sorry. But I cannot change your grades as it would be unfair to others”.
In the given circumstance, which of the following best describes the faculty?
- A.
The faculty is a psychopath.
- B.
The faculty was compassionate.
- C.
The faculty was both empathetic and compassionate but unfair.
- D.
The faculty displayed empathy but not compassion.
- E.
The faculty displayed compassion but not empathy.
Answer: Option D
Explanation :
The sentence, “Still, the link....many people believe.” clearly indicates that the faculty displayed empathy and not compassion as compassion meant “acting kindly”, whereas the faculty chose not to act at all(though we cannot conclude that he is not compassionate).
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
Analyse the following passage and provide appropriate answers for questions that follow.
Every age has its pet contradictions. A few decades back, we used to accept Marx and Freud together, and then wonder, like the chameleon on the turkey carpet, why life was so confusing. Today there is similar trouble over the question whether there is, or is not, something called Human Nature. On the one hand, there has been an explosion of animal behavior studies, and comparisons between animals and men have become immensely popular. People use evidence from animals to decide whether man is naturally aggressive, or naturally territorial; even whether he has an aggressive or territorial instinct. Moreover, we are still much influenced by Freudian psychology, which depends on the notion of instinct. On the other hand, many still hold what may be called the Blank Paper view, that man is a creature entirely without instincts. So do Existentialist philosophers. If man has no instincts, all comparison with animals must be irrelevant. (Both these simple party lines have been somewhat eroded over time, but both are still extremely influential.)
According to the Blank Paper view, man is entirely the product of his culture. He starts off infinitely plastic, and is formed completely by the society in which he grows up. There is then no end to the possible variations among cultures; what we take to be human instincts are just the deep-dug prejudices of our own society. Forming families, fearing the dark, and jumping at the sight of a spider are just results of our conditioning. Existentialism at first appears a very different standpoint, because the Existentialist asserts man’s freedom and will not let him call himself a product of anything. But Existentialism too denies that man has a nature; if he had, his freedom would not be complete. Thus Sartre insisted that “there is no human nature …. Man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world, and defines himself afterwards. If man as the Existentialist sees him is not definable, it is because to begin with he is nothing. He will not be anything until later, and then he will be what he makes himself.” For Existentialism there is only the human condition, which is what happens to man and not what he is born like. If we are afraid of the dark, it is because we choose to be cowards; if we care more for our own children than for other people’s, it is because we choose to be partial. We must never talk about human nature or human instincts. This implicit moral notion is still very influential, not at all confined to those who use the metaphysic of essence and existence. So I shall sometimes speak of it, not as Existentialist, but as Libertarian ― meaning that those holding it do not just (like all of us) think liberty important, but think it supremely important and believe that our having a nature would infringe it.
Philosophers have not yet made much use of informed comparison with other species as a help in the understanding of man. One reason they have not is undoubtedly the fear of fatalism. Another is the appalling way terms such as instinct and human nature have been misused in the past. A third is the absurdity of some ethological propaganda.
A business school led by an existentialist director, wanted to decide on admission policy for its executive MBA program, which requires candidates to possess minimum five years of managerial experience.
With respect to the selection process, which of the following statements will be closest to the director’s belief:
- A.
Tenth standard marks should be given highest weightage.
- B.
Twelfth standard marks should be given highest weightage.
- C.
Marks scored in the engineering college should be given highest weightage.
- D.
Marks scored by the candidate in all previous examinations be given equal weightage.
- E.
Recent work experience and contribution to the organization should be given highest weightage.
Answer: Option E
Explanation :
According to Existentialists, our behaviour would be more determined by what we do in the recent past than distant past.
Hence, the correct answer is option 5.
Workspace:
Which of the following statements would the author agree with the most?
- A.
Existentialism can be extended to Libertarianism.
- B.
Existentialism and Libertarianism are the same.
- C.
Existentialism encompasses Libertarianism.
- D.
Animal behaviour should not be compared with human behaviour.
- E.
Liberty and existentialism are unrelated.
Answer: Option A
Explanation :
The sentence from the passage, “So I shall sometimes speak of it, not as Existentialist, but as Libertarian—meaning that those holding it do not just (like all of us) think liberty important, but think it supremely important and believe that our having a nature would infringe it.”
The above excerpt from the passage suggests that while existentialists hold liberty important, libertarians hold liberty supremely important. Therefore, existentialism can be extended to Libertarianism.
Hence, the correct answer is option 1.
Workspace:
Who among the following, as stated in the third paragraph, would the author be the most sympathetic to?
- A.
PETA (People for the ethical treatment of animals) activists
- B.
Save the tiger activists
- C.
Architect
- D.
Physicists
- E.
Zoologists
Answer: Option E
Explanation :
Option 1 is wrong since PETA activists interfere with animal related experiments, impeding better understanding of animal behaviour and subsequently, human behaviour. Save the Tiger activists, broadly concerned about illegal poaching are irrelevant to the passage. Where they are concerned about the way tigers are being ill- treated, they are similar to PETA and
hence would not earn the sympathy of the author. Architect, Physicists are irrelevant to the passage. So, eliminate options 2,3 and 4. The passage clearly states, in the last line, that we need to compare human studies with animal studies for better understanding of human behaviour. Since zoologists study animals, the author is most likely to agree with them.
Hence, the correct answer is option 5.
Workspace:
Which sentence in the passage distances man from “nature”, the most?
- A.
The sixth sentence of the first paragraph.
- B.
The first sentence of the second paragraph.
- C.
The sentence third from the last in the passage.
- D.
The sentence second from the last in the passage.
- E.
The last sentence of the passage.
Answer: Option B
Explanation :
The sentence, “According to the Blank Paper view, man is entirely the product of his culture.” clearly distances man from nature.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
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.