XAT 2019 VARC | Previous Year XAT Paper
XAT 2019 VARC
In 1942, the French writer Albert Camus composed an essay, ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’. It draws on the Greek fable of a man condemned to roll a rock up a mountain only to have it roll back down under its own weight, a ______ that lasts for eternity. Camus argues that this image ______ the human condition in a world where we can no longer make sense of events; but instead of committing suicide, we should ______ ourselves to this ‘elusive feeling of absurdity’ and bear it as best we can. In this sense, Sisyphus is the ideal hero.
Consider the following words:
- surrender
- choice
- symbolises
- quandary
- attune
- option
- reconcile
- depicts
Which of the following options is the most appropriate sequence that best fits the blanks in the above paragraph?
- A.
4, 2, 6
- B.
4, 3, 7
- C.
2, 3, 1
- D.
4, 5, 1
- E.
2, 5, 7
Answer: Option B
Explanation :
As per the paragraph, even though the rock rolls back down the mountain under its own weight, Sisyphus is condemned to roll it back up. Thus only ‘quandary’ which means ‘a circumstance that presents problems difficult to solve’ or ‘dilemma’ correctly fits the first blank. Camus is comparing this image of the rolling stone with that of the human condition in this world – so it’s like a metaphor. Thus ‘symbolises’ which means ‘represent in the manner of symbol’ correctly fits the second blank. ‘Depicts’ which means ‘represents by drawing, sculpture, painting, etc.’ is incorrect in the second blank. Camus further maintains that we should accept this feeling of absurdity and continue to live in the best way we can. Thus ‘reconcile’ which means ‘to accept or be resigned to something not desired’ correctly fits the third blank. Thus the correct sequence is – 4, 3, 7.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
______ the importance of ‘horizontal stratification’ ______ higher education is widely acknowledged, ______ attention has been applied to horizontal stratification ______ compulsory schooling.
- A.
Whereas; with: too less; to
- B.
While; on: far fewer; about
- C.
Whereas; about: for less; of
- D.
While; within: far less; within
- E.
While; without: further less; within
Answer: Option D
Explanation :
As per the given sentence, though the role of ‘horizontal stratification’ has been acknowledged in higher education, not much attention is given to it in compulsory schooling. ‘Whereas’ means ‘on the contrary’ and ‘while’ means ‘even though’. Both these words can be correctly used to fit the first blank. however, since ‘horizontal stratification’ has to be a part of higher education, only ‘within’ which means ‘inside’ correctly fits the second blank as well as fourth blank. ‘Too less’, ‘for less’ and ‘further less’ are grammatically incorrect in the third blank. ‘Far fewer’ is incorrect in the third blanks as it is a comparative degree while nothing has been compared in the sentence. Also, ‘fewer’ is used for countable nouns while nothing countable has been mentioned in the given sentence. Thus only ‘far less’ correctly fits the third blank.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
Study the first sentence and then identify from among the options given the closest antonym of the highlighted word in the second sentence
It’s conventional wisdom that procreation between first cousins is unhealthy. But what are the actual genetic risks?
- A.
unfounded
- B.
relative
- C.
tangible
- D.
hard
- E.
abstract
Answer: Option A
Explanation :
‘Actual’ means ‘in fact’ or ‘real’. Thus ‘unfounded’ which means ‘not based on fact’ is the correct antonym of ‘actual’ in the given sentence. (‘Abstract’ means ‘having no reference to material objects’ and is thus incorrect in the given sentence).
Hence, the correct answer is option 1.
Workspace:
Read the following statements and answer the question that follows
- They subjected the residues from sherds of the rhyta- vessels to radiocarbon dating to determine their ages and chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) – to identify their structure and isotopic composition and found that the vessels were used to store cheese.
- In many Neolithic sites near the Adriatic Sea, researchers unearthed cone-shaped clay vessels, known as rhyta, with four legs on the bottom and a round opening on the side.
- Fresh milk couldn’t be kept for long without going bad; cheese, on the other hand, could be stored for months at a time, providing much-needed calories to early farmers between harvests.
- Archaeologists who used to assume animals such as cows and goats were mainly used for meat early in their domestication history are thus forced to admit that humans might have been using animals for dairy quite early in their domestication history.
- “If you kill one cow, you eat meat for about a week until it goes off; but by milking the animals, the farmer would be spreading the food gain from that animal over several months rather than just one week”
Rank the above five statements so as to make it a logical sequence:
- A.
4, 5, 2, 1, 3
- B.
2, 1, 5, 4, 3
- C.
2, 1, 3, 5, 4
- D.
4, 1, 2, 5, 3
- E.
4, 2, 1, 3, 5
Answer: Option C
Explanation :
We know that this passage is about the clay vessels and its users. Thus sentence 2 is the opening sentence of the paragraph as it mentions where these vessels were found. ‘They’ in sentence 1 refers to the scientists mentioned in sentence 2. Thus we get the 2-1 link. This eliminates option 4. Sentence 1 states that the rhyta were used to store cheese. Sentence 3 gives the reason for storing cheese instead of milk as it has a longer shelf life. Sentence 5 states that farmers could make use of cows for milking as it would last for several months while killing a cow would last only for a week. The phrase ‘are thus forced to admit’ indicates that even the archaeologists had to admit that using animals for dairy made more sense than using them for meat. Thus the link 5-4 is better than the 4-5 link. So we get the correct order 2-1-3-5-4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
Who could resist the idea of remembering everything they wanted to, without trying? Learning would be made easy, exams a ______ and you would never forget where you left your keys. And memory-related disorders like Alzheimer’s would have met their match. So, it is of little surprise that scientists have turned their attention to ways of ______ human memory using techniques that ______, supplement or even mimic parts of the brain. The immediate goal is to treat memory disorders, but the idea of a memory ______ for everyday life is gaining ground.
Fill in the blanks in the above paragraph, with the best option from among the following:
- A.
breeze; exploring; simulate; aid
- B.
routine; expanding; invigorate; crutch
- C.
joy; augmenting; awaken; crutch
- D.
routine; expanding; trigger; support
- E.
breeze; enhancing; stimulate; prosthesis
Answer: Option E
Explanation :
As per the paragraph, since we will remember everything we learnt, giving exams would become very easy. Thus only ‘breeze’ can fit the first blank as it means ‘an easy task’. ‘Joy’ cannot fit the first blank as even though one remembers everything, nobody likes giving exams. Thus only options 1 and 5 can be retained. Since humans will have to remember everything, their memory needs to be increased. Thus only ‘enhancing’ which means ‘raising to a higher degree’ correctly fits the second blank. ‘Exploring’ means ‘examining’ and does not fit the second blank contextually. In the third blank, ‘simulate’ means ‘creating a model or linking of something’ while ‘stimulate’ means ‘encourage’. Thus only the latter fits the third blank. In the fourth blank, ‘aid’ means ‘help’ while ‘prosthesis’ means ‘an external device that supplements a part of the body’. Thus only ‘aid’ fits the last blank.
Hence, the correct answer is option 5.
Workspace:
Read the following statements and answer the question that follows
- An in-depth exploration of the Indian case and case studies of early adopters of mobile technology will provide spectrum managers a pragmatic and modern approach whereby they could utilize their resources efficiently and optimally.
- Even as spectrum management regimes are moving from a command and control regime to a flexible use regime, new technological developments are suggesting that there are significant opportunities in managing large swathes of spectrum as a common property resource, in addition to flexible use.
- Political legacies and market realities in different regimes pose unique challenges for spectrum managers who must negotiate a tricky path to the land promised by technological possibility.
- On the other hand, supply of spectrum is restricted due to competing nature of uses and vested interests of incumbent holders.
- The demand for spectrum has never been so acute as today's communication services extend beyond simple voice to complex data and video, augmented by evolving technologies such as peer-to-peer sharing, social networking, Fourth and Fifth Generation networks, Big Data, and cloud computing.
Rank the above five statements so as to make it a logical sequence:
- A.
5, 2, 3, 1, 4
- B.
1, 2, 4, 5, 3
- C.
3, 4, 5, 2, 1
- D.
2, 5, 4, 3, 1
- E.
4, 5, 2, 3, 1
Answer: Option D
Explanation :
Sentence 1 talks about ‘their resources’ which needs an antecedent. Thus it cannot be the first sentence of the paragraph. Sentence 2 can be the first sentence of the paragraph as it states how modern technology is changing the way which spectrums can be used. Sentence 2 talks about using spectrum as a common property resource. The reason for this is given in sentence 5 as it mentions how the demand for spectrum is increasing due to evolving technologies. This should be followed by sentence 4 mentions a reason for the shortage of supply for the spectrum. Thus sentences 5 and 4 are related as 5 talks about the demand while 4 talks about supply. So we get the link 2-5-4. There is a 3-1 link as 3 talks about the challenges posed to the spectrum managers who have to negotiate to get the maximum advantage possible of the spectrum allocated to them while 1 states how they can utilize their resources efficiently by studying the case studies of the early adopters of mobile technology. Thus we get the link 2-5-4-3-1.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
Read the poem given below and answer the question that follows it
Black lake, black boat, two black, cut-paper people.
Where do the black trees go that drink here?
Their shadows must cover Canada.
A little light is filtering from the water flowers
Their leaves do not wish us to hurry:
They are round and flat and full of dark advice.
Cold words shake from the oar.
The spirit of blackness is in us, it is in the fishes.
A snag is lifting a valedictory , pale hand;
Stars opening among the lilies.
Are you not blinded by such expressionless sirens?
This is the silence of abandoned souls.
Which of the following options best explains the effect of the images in Line 1?
- A.
The repeated use of black suggests evil.
- B.
The first line encapsulates the theme of the poem.
- C.
The atmosphere indicates a cyclical nature of life and death.
- D.
The black lake lacks regenerative potential; ‘black boat’ connotes the funerary boat; cut-paper people are unreal.
- E.
The images are suffused with an overpowering sense of rebellion.
Answer: Option D
Explanation :
Though ‘black’ colour suggests ‘evil’ or ‘darkness’, we get a clue about the use of this colour from the last line of the poem – this is the silence of abandoned souls. This line suggests that the poem is related to ‘death’. Thus option 1 is negated. Option 2 states that the theme of the poem is encapsulated in the first line. However, this can have multiple meanings and not until we reach the last line do we come to know the reason behind writing the poem. Thus option 2 can also be negated. Nothing has been mentioned about life or regeneration in the poem. Thus option 3 can also be negated. Option 4 correctly captures the effect of the images in line 1. Retain it. Option 5 talks about rebellion which is not suggested by the poem.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
Which of the following options presents a convincing evaluation of the line, ‘Stars opening among the lilies’?
- A.
The ethereal light of the stars gets reflected among the lilies.
- B.
The stars are flowers in the sky and the flowers in the lake are stars in water.
- C.
Lilies purify the ‘dark’ into ‘light’ as symbolized in and by stars.
- D.
The spirit of blackness does not hinder the appearance of beauty in nature which is symbolic of hope blossoming in the soul.
- E.
The mirror images, the worlds above and overlap.
Answer: Option D
Explanation :
Since the third last line of the poem states stars opening among lilies, it does not talk about the reflection of light from the stars. Thus option 1 can be negated. Though the first line of the second stanza talks about talks about light filtering from the water flowers, the given line specifically mentions ‘lilies’. Thus the flowers, lilies and stars are not being compared. Negate option 3. Though there is sense of hopelessness all around you, the beauty of nature can still capture you. This is similar to the blossoming of hope even when everything around is hopeless. Thus option 4 correctly captures the meaning of the line. Retain it. Nothing has been mentioned about the similarity of heaven and earth in the poem. Thus option 5 can also be negated.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
Elevation has always existed but has just moved out of the realm of philosophy and religion and been recognized as a distinct emotional state and a subject for psychological study. Psychology has long focused on what goes wrong, but in the past decade there has been an explosion of interest in “positive psychology”—what makes us feel good and why. University of Virginia moral psychologist Jonathan Haidt, who coined the term elevation, writes, “Powerful moments of elevation sometimes seem to push a mental ‘reset button,’ wiping out feelings of cynicism and replacing them with feelings of hope, love, and optimism, and a sense of moral inspiration.”
Haidt quotes first-century Greek philosopher Longinus on great oratory: “The effect of elevated language upon an audience is not persuasion but transport.” Such feeling was once a part of our public discourse. After hearing Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address, former slave Frederick Douglass said it was a “sacred effort.” But uplifting rhetoric came to sound anachronistic, except as practiced by the occasional master like Martin Luther King Jr. It was while looking through the letters of Thomas Jefferson that Haidt first found a description of elevation. Jefferson wrote of the physical sensation that comes from witnessing goodness in others: It is to “dilate [the] breast and elevate [the] sentiments … and privately covenant to copy the fair example.” Haidt took this description as a mandate.
Elevation can so often give us chills or a tingling feeling in the chest. This noticeable, physiological response is important. In fact, this physical reaction is what can tell us most surely that we have been moved. This reaction, and the prosocial inclinations it seems to inspire, has been linked with a specific hormone, oxytocin, emitted from Vagus nerve which works with oxytocin, the hormone of connection. The nerve’s activities can only be studied indirectly.
Elevation is part of a family of self-transcending emotions. Some others are awe, that sense of the vastness of the universe and smallness of self that is often invoked by nature; another is admiration, that goose-bump-making thrill that comes from seeing exceptional skill in action. While there is very little lab work on the elevating emotions, there is quite a bit on its counterpart, disgust. It started as a survival strategy: Early humans needed to figure out when food was spoiled by contact with bacteria or parasites. From there disgust expanded to the social realm—people became repelled by the idea of contact with the defiled or by behaviors that seemed to belong to lower people. “Disgust is probably the most powerful emotion that separates your group from other groups.” Haidt says disgust is the bottom floor of a vertical continuum of emotion; hit the up button, and you arrive at elevation. Another response to something extraordinary in another person can be envy, with all its downsides. Envy is unlikely, however, when the extraordinary aspect of another person is a moral virtue (such as acting in a just way, bravery and self-sacrifice, and caring for others).
Which of the options below is false according to the passage?
- A.
Elevation is admiration of virtue; admiration for skill is known as admiration: awe inheres in admiration and is generally caused by the majesty of nature.
- B.
Elevation results in a sense of moral inspiration of and purges us of negative emotions.
- C.
Elevated language is highly persuasive.
- D.
Admiration is a more appropriate antonym of disgust than elevation.
- E.
Reactions to extraordinary external stimuli inevitably purge us of evil.
Answer: Option E
Explanation :
Option 1 is true according to the first sentence of the last paragraph and the last sentence of the passage. Thus it can be negated. Option 2 is true as per the last sentence of the first paragraph; negate it. Option 3 is true according to the third sentence of the fourth paragraph. Negate it. As per the paragraph, ‘disgust’ means ‘repelling’. Thus ‘admiration’ is a better antonym than ‘elevation’ as is better fitted to the admiration of virtue in general. Negate option 4. As per the last sentence of the first paragraph, only elevation wipes out negative emotions. However, option 5 incorrectly states that any reaction to extraordinary stimuli purges us of all evil. Thus option 5 is false.
Hence, the correct answer is option 5.
Workspace:
Which of the options will complete the statement given below meaningfully and appropriately, according to the passage?
Disgust is not a self-transcending emotion because it ________.
- A.
is linked to invocation of nature
- B.
is about experiencing a moment when the ‘self’ reigns supreme
- C.
springs from love
- D.
is the antonym of elevation
- E.
it creates 'us versus them' divide based on group identities
Answer: Option E
Explanation :
The answer to this question is clearly mentioned in the seventh sentence of the last paragraph – Disgust is probably…..from other groups. Thus ‘disgust’ creates the ‘us versus them’ divide.
Hence, the correct answer is option 5.
Workspace:
Which of the options below correctly identifies the function of elevation?
- A.
It helps us in creating national identities.
- B.
It helps transcendence to a higher plane.
- C.
It helps leaders to attract followers.
- D.
It helps us become religious.
- E.
It helps to enforce moral and ethical values in a society.
Answer: Option B
Explanation :
As per the first sentence of the last paragraph – Elevation is part of a family of self-transcending emotions – elevation helps transcendence to a higher plane. Retain option 2. Nothing has been mentioned about creating national identities using elevation. Thus option 1 can be negated. Elevation does not attract followers as can be seen from the sentence – The effect of elevated language upon an audience is not persuasion but transport. Thus option 3 can be negated. Nothing has been mentioned about religion in the passage. Thus option 4 can also be negated. Similarly, though a person wants to imbibe the moral virtues of another person due to the effect of elevation, it does not help to enforce moral and ethical values in a society. Thus option 5 is also incorrect.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
Lately it seems everyone’s got an opinion about women’s speech. Everybody has been getting his two cents in about vocal fry, up-speak, and women’s allegedly over-liberal use of apologies. The ways women live and move in the world are subject to relentless scrutiny, their modes of speech are assessed against a (usually) masculine standard. This is increasingly true as women have entered previously male-dominated fields like industry and politics.
In his essay “On Speech and Public Release,” Joshua Gunn highlights the field of public address as an important arena where social roles and norms are contested, reshaped, and upheld. Gunn argues that the field of public address is an important symbolic arena where we harbor an “[ideological] bias against the feminine voice,” a bias, that is rooted in positive primal associations with masculinity (and the corresponding devaluation of femininity, the voice that constrains and nags—the mother, the droning Charlie Brown schoolteacher, the wife).
Gunn contends that masculine speech is the cultural standard. It’s what we value and respect. The low pitch and assertive demeanor that characterize the adult male voice signify reason, control, and authority, suitable for the public domain. Women’s voices are higher pitched, like those of immature boys, and their characteristic speech patterns have a distinctive cadence that exhibits a wider range of emotional expression. In Western cultures, this is bad because it comes across as uncontrolled. We associate uncontrolled speech – “the cry, the grunt, the scream, and the yawp” – with things that happen in the private, domestic spheres (both coded as feminine). Men are expected to repress passionate, emotional speech, Gunn explains, precisely because it threatens norms of masculine control and order.
The notion of control also relates to the cultural ideal of eloquence. Language ideologies in the U.S. are complex and highly prescriptive, but not formal or explicit. They are internalized by osmosis, from early observations of adult language use, criticism from teachers (i.e., telling little girls not to “be so bossy” and boys to “act like gentlemen”), and sanctions imposed by peers. These norms become most obvious when they are violated. When men fall off the “control and reason” wagon, they suffer for it. Gunn recalls Howard Dean’s infamous 2004 “I Have a Scream” speech, in which Dean emitted a spontaneous high-pitched screech of joy after he rattled off a list of planned campaign stops. The rest, as they say, is history. Women face a different dilemma—how to please like a woman and impress like a man. Women in the public sphere have, historically, been expected to “perform” femininity and they usually do this by adopting a personal tone, giving anecdotal evidence, using domestic metaphors, and making emotional appeals to ideals of wifely virtue and motherhood.
Gunn arrives at the conclusion that “eloquence” is, essentially, code for values associated with masculinity, saying, “Performances of femininity are principally vocal and related, not to arguments, but to tone; not to appearance, but to speech; not to good reasons, but to sound. This implies that the ideology of sexism is much more insidious, much more deeply ingrained than many might suppose.”
Which of the following statements if true, is contrary to the ideas developed in the passage?
- A.
Studies show that male followers of powerful women political leaders in Indian states imitate their leaders’ cadence, rhetoric and rhythm.
- B.
Women in their communicative behavior are said to prefer a high-involvement style and men a high-considerate style.
- C.
In certain hierarchically organized Indian political parties, women can participate in discussions as long as they appeal, persuade, and support others, and not initiate new ones.
- D.
Women who use the lowest frequency of women's vocal traits have an unusually high status and are well educated professionals with middle class backgrounds.
- E.
The linguistic ideology in vogue in ancient North India allowed only men of highercastes and ruling dynasties to use Sanskrit; women and servants spoke Prakrit or Pali.
Answer: Option A
Explanation :
Throughout the passage, the author gives various ways in which women are expected to talk during a public discourse. Also, he repeatedly mentions the differences inherent in the speeches of men and women. Also, men are expected to behave in a certain way so as to appear in control. Option 1 talks about male followers imitating powerful women political leaders. This goes against the ideas expressed in the passage. Retain it. Options 2 and 3 are correct as per the last sentence of the penultimate paragraph, Negate them. Option 4 is beyond the scope of the passage. Negate it. Option 5 again supports the fact that men consider themselves superior to women in eloquence. Negate it.
Hence, the correct answer is option 1.
Workspace:
An American female politician might not be expected to exhibit the features of public discourse discussed in the passage while ______.
- A.
conversing with members of her community
- B.
speaking to members of a congregation
- C.
giving testimony
- D.
chatting with intimate colleagues
- E.
addressing her colleagues
Answer: Option D
Explanation :
The entire passage talks about how women are expected to perform in public discourse. All the options except option 4 give examples of where the women might be heard by the public or the media. However, chatting with intimate colleagues does not require her to put forth her public face.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
Which one of the following, if true, would make the core argument of the passage irrelevant?
- A.
Today, sharing of emotions and elaborations is more important than sharing information and being brief.
- B.
When a wife tells her husband that she's unwell, he normally offers to take her to a doctor. Invariably, she is disappointed, as what she looks for is sympathy.
- C.
Where a management decision seems unattractive, men will often resist it vocally, while women may appear to accede, but complain subsequently.
- D.
Unlike men who use and prefer to hear direct imperatives, women prefer 'indirections.'
- E.
Men seek to gain upper hand in conversation as they consider themselves competitive, while women use them as a way to gain confirmation and support
Answer: Option A
Explanation :
Throughout the passage, the author is stating the fact that men are expected to suppress their passion and emotion as they are supposed to be in control. Thus option 1, which talks about sharing emotions, will make the argument in the passage irrelevant. Retain it. Options 2 and 3 talk about scenarios which take place at the home or in office. However, the passage is about women’s voices being heard in public. Thus both the options are not related to the passage and can be negated. Option 4 is true as per the last sentence of the penultimate paragraph; thus it can be negated. Option 5 talks about conversation while the passage is about public discourse. Thus it can also be negated.
Hence, the correct answer is option 1.
Workspace:
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
βββββββDoes having a mood disorder make you more creative? That’s the most frequent question I hear about the relationship. But because we cannot control the instance of a mood disorder (that is, we can’t turn it on and off, and measure that person’s creativity under both conditions), the question should really be: Do individuals with a mood disorder exhibit greater creativity than those without? Studies that attempt to answer this question by comparing the creativity of individuals with a mood disorder against those without, have been well, mixed. Studies that ask participants to complete surveys of creative personality, behavior or accomplishment, or to complete divergent thinking measures (where they are asked to generate lots of ideas) often find that individuals with mood disorders do not differ from those without. However, studies using “creative occupation” as an indicator of creativity (based on the assumption that those employed in these occupations are relatively more creative than others) have found that people with bipolar disorders are overrepresented in these occupations. These studies do not measure the creativity of participants directly, rather they use external records (such as censuses and medical registries) to tally the number of people with a history of mood disorders (compared with those without) who report being employed in a creative occupation at some time. These studies incorporate an enormous number of people and provide solid evidence that people who have sought treatment for mood disorders are engaged in creative occupations to a greater extent than those who have not. But can creative occupations serve as a proxy for creative ability? The creative occupations considered in these studies are overwhelmingly in the arts, which frequently provide greater autonomy and less rigid structure than the average nine-to-five job. This makes these jobs more conducive to the success of individuals who struggle with performance consistency as the result of a mood disorder. The American psychiatrist Arnold Ludwig has suggested that the level of emotional expressiveness required to be successful in various occupations creates an occupational drift and demonstrated that the pattern of expressive occupations being associated with a greater incidence of psychopathology is a selfrepeating pattern. For example, professions in the creative arts are associated with greater psychopathology than professions in the sciences whereas, within creative arts professions, architects exhibit a lower lifetime prevalence rate of psychopathology than visual artists and, within the visual arts, abstract artists exhibit lower rates of psychopathology than expressive artists. Therefore, it is possible that many people who suffer from mood disorders gravitate towards these types of professions, regardless of creative ability or inclination.
Go through the following
- Mood disorders do not lead to creativity
- The flexibility of creative occupations makes them more appealing to people with mood disorder
- Mood swings in creative professions is less prevalent than in non-creative professions
Which of the following would undermine the passage’s main argument?
- A.
3 only
- B.
1, 2 & 3
- C.
2 only
- D.
2 & 3
- E.
1 & 2
Answer: Option A
Explanation :
123.As per the last sentence of the paragraph, people with mood disorders are more likely to be found in creative professions irrespective of their ability or inclination. This implies that not all persons with mood disorders are creative. Thus statement A is implied in the passage and can be negated. Statement B is true as per the first sentence of the last paragraph. Since we need to weaken the passage’s main argument, statement B can be negated. As per the fourth sentence of the last passage, mood swings are more prevalent in creative professions than non-creative professions. Thus statement C can also be negated.
Hence, the correct answer is option 1.
Workspace:
All of the following can be inferred from the passage except:
- A.
An abstract painter is less likely to have mood disorder than an interpretive dance performer.
- B.
Mood disorder is more prevalent among people in creative occupations than in noncreative occupations.
- C.
In creative professions, people with mood disorder are more creative than those without mood disorder.
- D.
Individuals with mood disorder often do better in creative job profiles than in regular nine-to-five jobs.
- E.
An architect is more likely to have mood disorder than a botanist.
Answer: Option C
Explanation :
As per the penultimate sentence of the last paragraph, abstract artists are less moody than expressive artists. Thus option 1 is incorrect. As per the fourth sentence of the last paragraph – professions in the creative arts are associated with greater psychopathology than professions in the sciences – creative people are more moody than other professions. Thus options 2 and 4 can be negated. Also, since an architect entails being creative, he is likely to have more mood disorders than a botanist who works in the realm of science. Thus option 5 can also be negated. Nothing has been mentioned about the amount of creativity in people with or without mood disorders. Thus option 3 cannot be inferred from the passage. Retain it.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
Which of the following will make the authors contention in the passage fallacious?
- A.
Everyone in a mental asylum is potentially a great artist.
- B.
Those with a creative spark will land up in a mental asylum.
- C.
Creative geniuses never end up in mental asylum.
- D.
Patients in mental asylums prefer time-bound repetitive jobs.
- E.
Creativity is a form of bipolar disorder.
Answer: Option D
Explanation :
The entire last paragraph states that creative jobs are less rigid in structure than the normal nine-to-five jobs and also that people with psychopathology are represented more in creative jobs. This implies that creative people or people prone to mood swings do not like being in structure jobs. Thus option 4 which states that people in mental asylums prefer time-bound repetitive jobs is incorrect.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
There are no Commandments in art and no easy axioms for art appreciation. “Do I like this?” is the question anyone should ask themselves at the moment of confrontation with the picture. But if “yes,” why “yes”? and if “no,” why “no”? The obvious direct emotional response is never simple, and ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the “yes” or “no” has nothing at all to do with the picture in its own right. “I don’t understand this poem” and “I don’t like this picture” are statements that tell us something about the speaker. That should be obvious, but in fact, such statements are offered as criticisms of art, as evidence against, not least because the ignorant, the lazy, or the plain confused are not likely to want to admit themselves as such. We hear a lot about the arrogance of the artist but nothing about the arrogance of the audience. The audience, who have given no thought to the medium or the method, will glance up, flick through, chatter over the opening chords, then snap their fingers and walk away like some monstrous Roman tyrant. This is not arrogance; of course, they can absorb in a few moments, and without any effort, the sum of the artist and the art.
Admire me is the sub-text of so much of our looking; the demand put on art that it should reflect the reality of the viewer. The true painting, in its stubborn independence, cannot do this, except coincidentally. Its reality is imaginative not mundane.
When the thick curtain of protection is taken away; protection of prejudice, protection of authority, protection of trivia, even the most familiar of paintings can begin to work its power. There are very few people who could manage an hour alone with the Mona Lisa. Our poor art lover in his aesthetic laboratory has not succeeded in freeing himself from the protection of assumption. What he has found is that the painting objects to his lack of concentration; his failure to meet intensity with intensity. He still has not discovered anything about the painting, but the painting has discovered a lot about him. He is inadequate, and the painting has told him so.
When you say “This work is boring/ pointless/silly/obscure/élitist etc.,” you might be right, because you are looking at a fad, or you might be wrong because the work falls so outside of the safety of your own experience that in order to keep your own world intact, you must deny the other world of the painting. This denial of imaginative experience happens at a deeper level than our affirmation of our daily world. Every day, in countless ways, you and I convince ourselves about ourselves. True art, when it happens to us, challenges the “I” that we are and you say, “This work has nothing to do with me.”
Art is not a little bit of evolution that late-twentieth-century city dwellers can safely do without. Strictly, art does not belong to our evolutionary pattern at all. It has no biological necessity. Time taken up with it was time lost to hunting, gathering, mating, exploring, building, surviving, thriving. We say we have no time for art. If we say that art, all art. is no longer relevant to our lives, then we might at least risk the question “What has happened to our lives?” The usual question, “What has happened to art?” is too easy an escape route.
A young man visits a critically acclaimed modern art exhibition in his city and finds that he doesn’t like any of the exhibits. If he were to share his experience with the author of the passage, which of the following is most likely to be the author’s response?
- A.
“Modern art is, indeed, distasteful because of its abstract nature, and because it shows us up.”
- B.
“You are as arrogant as the artists who produced those modern art exhibit
- C.
“You didn’t like modern art, that’s fine, but maybe you will like classical art forms.”
- D.
“Your feelings about art are totally insignificant because they are definitely prejudiced.”
- E.
“Don’t deny the other world of art to hide your inadequacies."
Answer: Option B
Explanation :
The first sentence of the third sentence states that we need to take away any kind of protection i.e. any preconceived notion to appreciate art. Thus option 1 is incorrect as it states the opposite of what is implied in the sentence. Option 2 is correct. Nothing is mentioned about having prior knowledge to appreciate art. Thus option 3 is incorrect. The participation of the artist to appreciate art is beyond the scope of the passage.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
What according to the passage is the prerequisite to appreciate art?
- A.
Preconceived notions of how we would be affected
- B.
Participation with an open-mind
- C.
Prior knowledge of the art in question
- D.
Protection of assumption
- E.
Participation of the artist
Answer: Option B
Explanation :
The first sentence of the third sentence states that we need to take away any kind of protection i.e. any preconceived notion to appreciate art. Thus option 1 is incorrect as it states the opposite of what is implied in the sentence. Option 2 is correct. Nothing is mentioned about having prior knowledge to appreciate art. Thus option 3 is incorrect. The participation of the artist to appreciate art is beyond the scope of the passage.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.
Workspace:
When the writer observes, ‘This is not arrogance; of course, they can absorb in a few moments, and without any effort, the sum of the artist and the art’, he is being _____.
- A.
naive
- B.
ironical
- C.
hyperbolic
- D.
sarcastic
- E.
objective
Answer: Option D
Explanation :
The entire first paragraph states how we talk about the arrogance of the artist but not of the audience. It also states how the audience tends to not take art seriously and ignores it by chattering or glancing and then walking away. Thus when the author states that the audience can understand everything in a moment, he is being sarcastic about it.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4
Workspace:
Which option does not reflect the relationship implicit in ‘Emendation : Editor’?
- A.
Discipline : Coach
- B.
Injunction : Judge
- C.
Examination : Doctor
- D.
Renunciation : Saint
- E.
Illumination : Usher
Answer: Option E
Explanation :
‘Emendation’ means ‘a correction or improvement in a text’ which is the work of an ‘editor’. Inculcating ‘discipline’ in students is not the job of a ‘coach’. Thus option 1 is incorrect. Though an ‘injunction’ is ‘an order issued by a court to a party to refrain from some act’, a judge only gives justice. It is not his job to see to it that an injunction is issued. Thus option 2 is also incorrect. A ‘doctor’s job is to diagnose an illness by examining the patient. Thus option 3 is also incorrect. ‘Renunciation’ means ‘abandonment’ and not work of a saint but the mark of being a saint. Thus option 4 is also incorrect. An ‘usher’ illuminates the path so that he can show people to their seats. Retain option 5.
Hence, the correct answer is option 5.
Workspace:
Which of the statements below is least fallacious?
- A.
Educated people do not oppose sale of hard drinks by governments. So drinking cannot be illegal.
- B.
Marlon Brando was such a great actor because everyone liked him.
- C.
Mitigating risks often comes with costs.
- D.
The snake in the temple likes milk because devotees offer it milk.
- E.
Cheating in examinations is wrong because God will punish you.
Answer: Option C
Explanation :
Educated people opposing something does not make it illegal. Thus option 1 is fallacious. Since Marlon Brando is liked by everyone, he must be a famous person or else not everybody would know him. He is famous because he is an actor. Thus only liking an actor does not make him great. Thus option 2 is also fallacious. If one is taking risks, it will also have some costs. Thus option 3 is correct. Retain it. If the snake is drinking milk, he must like it as if the snake does not like milk, he will search for some other food irrespective of the milk being offered to him. Thus option 4 can be negated. Cheating in exams is wrong because not all student cheat and honest students then are at a disadvantage. Thus the reasoning in option 5 is also fallacious.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
Empirical observation told us years ago that goats were slowly becoming the new dog, and according to a new study, they are truly qualified to be man’s best friend. The Royal Society released heart-warming research showing that just like humans, goats have no desire to interact with people who come off as angry or upset, and that they’re much more attracted to those with big smiles plastered across their faces. When 12 males and 8 females were released into a pen decorated with images of happy and angry humans, the scientists learned that goats can “distinguish between happy and angry images of the same person,” and in general, they prefer their humans to be happy.
Which of the following statements is definitely true according to the passage?
- A.
When they look at a frowning person, the goats are sad.
- B.
When they look at a smiling person, goats run towards him.
- C.
When they look at a smiling person, the goats are happy.
- D.
When they look at a frowning person, goats are afraid of him.
- E.
When they look at a straight-faced person, goats remain passive.
Answer: Option C
Explanation :
AS per the paragraph, goats can distinguish between happy and angry humans and prefer humans who are happy. Options 1 and 5 are incorrect as the paragraph only states that goats can distinguish emotions not that they mirror those emotions. Though the paragraph states that goats prefer their humans to be happy, it does not mention if the goats ran towards happy images. Thus option 2 is incorrect. Option 3 is correct according to the paragraph; retain it. Nothing has been mentioned about goats getting afraid of angry humans. Thus option 4 is also incorrect.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
Alligators are freshwater reptiles. However, people have come face to face with them in mud in a salt marsh in Georgia. Finding alligators in the salt marsh is not a mystery or a miracle. At least 23 species of predator have been spotted living in surprising habitats. Predators such as alligators, otters, mountain lions, wolves and raptors are thriving in places they shouldn't, revealing some serious misunderstandings about their behaviour and how to protect them. Scientific literature divulges that these creatures are actually returning to places they once occupied. It gives us astonishing insights into the lives of animals and helps conservationists improve the old stomping grounds of these creatures.
Which of the following statements provides the most plausible explanation of the predators' behaviour?
- A.
Predators prefer to occupy different habitats, depending on the season and prevailing weather.
- B.
Predators migrate to a habitat different from where they were born.
- C.
Predators have no awareness of where they were born.
- D.
Predators are fully aware of where they were born.
- E.
Predators have a genetic memory of their traditional stomping grounds.
Answer: Option E
Explanation :
The clue to this question lies in the third last sentence of the paragraph. As per this sentence, these creatures once lived here and are now making a comeback to those same places. Thus option 5 which states that predators have genetic memory of their traditional stomping ground is correct. Option 1 talks about the changes in weather or season which is not implied in the given paragraph and can be negated. Option 2 also cannot be inferred from the paragraph as it does not mention migration. There is no connection between predators being spotted in surprising habitats and the place where they are born. Thus options 3 and 4 are also incorrect.
Hence, the correct answer is option 5.
Workspace:
An accurate measure of drug efficacy would require comparing the response of patients taking it with that of patients taking placebos; the drug effect could then be calculated by subtracting the placebo response from the overall response, much as a deli-counter worker subtracts the weight of the container to determine how much lobster salad you’re getting. In the last half of the 1950s, this calculus gave rise to a new way to evaluate drugs: the double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, in which neither patient nor clinician knew who was getting the active drug and who the placebo.
Which of the options is a wrong answer to this question: How does a double blind ensure a better trial of a new drug?
- A.
The clinician cannot pick and choose patients to whom placebos can be administered.
- B.
It gives rise to an unbiased testing of drugs.
- C.
It increases the overall response to the drug.
- D.
It reflects the calculus exemplified by the deli-counter episode.
- E.
The patient does not know whether he/she is getting a placebo.
Answer: Option C
Explanation :
As per the first sentence of the paragraph, the overall effect of a drug was calculated by subtracting the placebo response to the overall response. Option 1 is a right answer since in this case, even doctors do not know if the drug they are administering is a placebo or not. So they cannot be biased about giving the drug. Negate option 1. Since neither the patient nor the doctor knows of the drug is real or not, the response will be unbiased. Negate option 2. Option 3 is incorrect as only not knowing the type of drug taken will not increase the overall response to any drug. Retain it. Option 4 is true as scientists or researchers can calculate the effect of the placebo from the actual drug. So it can also be negated. Option 5 is also true as the patient does not know the type of drug that he is taking.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.
Workspace:
Dense, dirty air laced with grease best describes the atmosphere of most Lagos streets. Drive from one corner of this great west African city to another and in no time you will find surfaces lightly dusted, like a soft sprinkling of icing on cakes. Under the halfmoons of fingernails, thick grime settles. It’s a scene taken as typically African: polluted, bedraggled, unhealthy. This has only ever been made possible by the exploitation of Africa’s people. This week five west African countries, Nigeria included, announced plans to end the practice of European oil companies and traders exporting “African quality” diesel. “Dirty fuel” has earned the name because it is imported diesel with sulphur levels as high as 3,000 parts per million when the European maximum is 10ppm. To be clear, “African quality” fuel, is fuel not fit for European humans.
Which of the options is not necessarily the underlying assumption of the author in the paragraph above?
- A.
Economic exploitation, until challenged runs smoothly.
- B.
African nations had accepted ‘dirty fuel’ as the norm.
- C.
Typically, African cities today are not fit for human habitation.
- D.
Racism makes it easy for Europeans to justify the exploitation of inferior races.
- E.
European oil companies dump their fuel on African countries.
Answer: Option D
Explanation :
As per the last two sentences of the paragraph, the quality of ‘African quality’ fuel is different from the one used in Europe since it is not considered fit for ‘European humans’. This implies that European oil companies differentiate between African and European people. Option 1 talks about the economic exploitation in general while the paragraph is specifically about the exploitation of Africa’s people. Thus it can be negated. Option 2 is incorrect as some African countries have come together to end the practice of ‘dirty fuel’. The given paragraph only gives an example of Lagos. Though the fourth sentence of the paragraph states that an African scene is typically ‘polluted, bedraggled and unhealthy’, it does not imply that all African cities are similar to Lagos. Thus option 3 cannot be inferred from the paragraph; negate it. Option 4 can be assumed from the last three sentences of the paragraph. Retain it. As per the sixth sentence of the paragraph, oil companies export diesel to African countries. Thus the phrase ‘dump’ which means ‘to offer goods for sale in large quantities at a low price’ or ‘to dump below-cost goods into foreign markets’ is incorrect in the given context. Thus option 5 can also be negated.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.
Workspace:
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