CAT 2019 Question Paper With Answers & Explanation
VRC
Question Numbers (1 to 5): The passage below is
accompanied by a set of five questions. Choose the
best answer to each question.
Contemporary internet shopping conjures a perfect storm
of choice anxiety. Research has consistently held that
people who are presented with a few options make better,
easier decisions than those presented with many. . . .
Helping consumers figure out what to buy amid an
endless sea of choice online has become a cottage
industry unto itself. Many brands and retailers now wield
marketing buzzwords such as curation, differentiation,
and discovery as they attempt to sell an assortment of
stuff targeted to their ideal customer. Companies find
such shoppers through the data gold mine of digital
advertising, which can catalog people by gender, income
level, personal interests, and more. Since Americans
have lost the ability to sort through the sheer volume of
the consumer choices available to them, a ghost now
has to be in the retail machine, whether it’s an algorithm,
an influencer, or some snazzy ad tech to help a product
follow you around the internet. Indeed, choice fatigue is
one reason so many people gravitate toward lifestyle
influencers on Instagram—the relentlessly chic young
moms and perpetually vacationing 20-somethings—who
present an aspirational worldview, and then recommend
the products and services that help achieve it. . . .
For a relatively new class of consumer-products startups,
there’s another method entirely. Instead of making
sense of a sea of existing stuff, these companies claim
to disrupt stuff as Americans know it. Casper
(mattresses), Glossier (makeup), Away (suitcases), and
many others have sprouted up to offer consumers
freedom from choice: The companies have a few
aesthetically pleasing and supposedly highly functional
options, usually at mid-range prices. They’re selling nice
things, but maybe more importantly, they’re selling a
confidence in those things, and an ability to opt out of
the stuff rat race. . . .
One-thousand-dollar mattresses and $300 suitcases
might solve choice anxiety for a certain tier of consumer,
but the companies that sell them, along with those that
attempt to massage the larger stuff economy into
something navigable, are still just working within a
consumer market that’s broken in systemic ways. The presence of so much stuff in America might be more
valuable if it were more evenly distributed, but stuff’s
creators tend to focus their energy on those who already
have plenty. As options have expanded for people with
disposable income, the opportunity to buy even basic
things such as fresh food or quality diapers has
contracted for much of America’s lower classes.
For start-ups that promise accessible simplicity, their
very structure still might eventually push them toward
overwhelming variety. Most of these companies are
based on hundreds of millions of dollars of venture capital,
the investors of which tend to expect a steep growth
rate that can’t be achieved by selling one great mattress
or one great sneaker. Casper has expanded into
bedroom furniture and bed linens. Glossier, after years
of marketing itself as no-makeup makeup that requires
little skill to apply, recently launched a full line of
glittering color cosmetics. There may be no way to opt
out of stuff by buying into the right thing.
Q. 1 Which one of the following best sums up the overall
purpose of the examples of Casper and Glossier in
the passage?
In order to answer this question, we need to refer
to the last paragraph of the passage. Consider the
lines, ‘For start-ups that promise accessible
simplicity, their very structure still might eventually
push them toward overwhelming variety……’ Thus,
the fourth option provides the right answer. While
option 1 is only partially correct, options 2 and 3
are factually inconsistent with the information
provided in the passage.
Q. 2 A new food brand plans to launch a series of products
in the American market. Which of the following
product plans is most likely to be supported by the
author of the passage?
The central premise of the author’s argument is
two-fold:
1. Fewer choices effectively result in better, easier
decisions
2. The creators of new products continue to focus
on those who already have plenty while access
to basic necessities has shrunk even further
for the lower classes.
Hence, the author is likely to support any scheme
that offers a limited range of products at low prices.
This makes the choice, A range of 10 products
priced between $5 and $10 the right answer.
Q. 3 Which of the following hypothetical statements would
add the least depth to the author’s prediction of the
fate of start-ups offering few product options?
In the last paragraph of the passage, the author
states that starts-ups offering limited products also
have revenue considerations and will have to
eventually increase the range of products being
offered, just like Casper and Glossier have done.
The question asks you to identify the option that
will add the least depth to the author’s argument
(in other words, a statement that weakens the
argument).
Option 1 which states that start-ups with few
product options are no exception to the American
consumer market that is deeply divided along class
lines adds depth to the author’s argument since it
contends that there is nothing unique about startups.
They are bound to fail or will have to change.
Another option which states that with the motive
of promoting certain rival companies, the
government decides to double the tax-rates for
these start-ups also predicts that start-ups are
likely to fail, adding weight to author’s argument
about their fate mentioned in the last para.
Option 2 adds least depth because it brings out a
point that will not lead start-ups to offer more
product varieties, after all they are experiencing a
surge in revenue without expanding their product
catalogue. This actually contradicts the author’s
prediction.
The third statement strengthens the author’s
perspective and is thus negated.
Q. 4 Based on the passage, all of the following can be
inferred about consumer behaviour EXCEPT that:
In this question we need to identify the inference
that can’t be made based on the information
provided in the passage. The statement having too
many product options can be overwhelming for
consumers can be easily inferred from the initial
lines of the passage.
Similarly, consumers are susceptible to marketing
images that they see on social media can be
inferred from the lines, ‘Indeed, choice fatigue is
one reason so many people gravitate toward
lifestyle influencers on Instagram….’
The statement too many options have made it
difficult for consumers to trust products can be
inferred from ‘They’re selling nice things, but maybe
more importantly, they’re selling a confidence in
those things, and an ability to opt out of the stuff
rat race. . . .’.
Thus, the only statement that can’t be inferred is
‘consumers tend to prefer products by start-ups
over those by established companies.’
Q. 5 All of the following, IF TRUE, would weaken the
author’s claims EXCEPT:
Throughout the passage, the author is in favor of
offering limited choices to customers. This particular
option demonstrates that offering fewer products
can bring positive results. Thus, it strengthens the
author’s content and is the right answer.
The other options directly contradict the information
provided in the passage and weaken the author’s
claims.
Question Numbers (6 to 10): The passage below is
accompanied by a set of five questions. Choose the
best answer to each question.
In the past, credit for telling the tale of Aladdin has often
gone to Antoine Galland . . . the first European translator
of . . . Arabian Nights [which] started as a series of
translations of an incomplete manuscript of a medieval
Arabic story collection. . . But, though those tales were
of medieval origin, Aladdin may be a more recent invention. Scholars have not found a manuscript of the
story that predates the version published in 1712 by
Galland, who wrote in his diary that he first heard the
tale from a Syrian storyteller from Aleppo named Hanna
Diyab . . .
Despite the fantastical elements of the story, scholars
now think the main character may actually be based on
a real person’s real experiences. . . . Though Galland
never credited Diyab in his published translations of the
Arabian Nights stories, Diyab wrote something of his
own: a travelogue penned in the mid-18th century. In it,
he recalls telling Galland the story of Aladdin [and]
describes his own hard-knocks upbringing and the way
he marveled at the extravagance of Versailles. The
descriptions he uses were very similar to the descriptions
of the lavish palace that ended up in Galland’s version
of the Aladdin story. [Therefore, author Paulo Lemos]
Horta believes that “Aladdin might be the young Arab
Maronite from Aleppo, marveling at the jewels and riches
of Versailles.” . . .
For 300 years, scholars thought that the rags-to-riches
story of Aladdin might have been inspired by the plots of
French fairy tales that came out around the same time,
or that the story was invented in that 18th century period
as a byproduct of French Orientalism, a fascination with
stereotypical exotic Middle Eastern luxuries that was
prevalent then. The idea that Diyab might have based it
on his own life — the experiences of a Middle Eastern
man encountering the French, not vice-versa — flips
the script. [According to Horta,] “Diyab was ideally
placed to embody the overlapping world of East and
West, blending the storytelling traditions of his homeland
with his youthful observations of the wonder of 18thcentury
France.” . . .
To the scholars who study the tale, its narrative drama
isn’t the only reason storytellers keep finding reason to
return to Aladdin. It reflects not only “a history of the
French and the Middle East, but also [a story about]
Middle Easterners coming to Paris and that speaks to
our world today,” as Horta puts it. “The day Diyab told
the story of Aladdin to Galland, there were riots due to
food shortages during the winter and spring of 1708 to
1709, and Diyab was sensitive to those people in a way
that Galland is not. When you read this diary, you see
this solidarity among the Arabs who were in Paris at the
time. . . . There is little in the writings of Galland that
would suggest that he was capable of developing a
character like Aladdin with sympathy, but Diyab’s
memoir reveals a narrator adept at capturing the
distinctive psychology of a young protagonist, as well
as recognizing the kinds of injustices and opportunities
that can transform the path of any youthful adventurer.”
Q. 6 Which of the following is the primary reason for why
storytellers are still fascinated by the story of
Aladdin?
As can be inferred from the passage, the main
reason for scholars’ fascination with the story of
Aladdin is that the experiences of the author are
reflected in the story. The story of Aladdin, in a
way, is a reflection of the author’s life. This is what
makes it so interesting. Therefore, the correct
answer is option 1. Documentation of history and
the concept of Orientalism is not necessarily
something that would keep the interest alive. This
negates options 2 and 4. Similarly, the concept of
rags-to-riches is showcased in various stories. So,
option 3 is also out of scope.
Q. 7 Which of the following, if true, would invalidate the
inversion that the phrase “flips the script” refers to?
Scholars initially thought that the plot of Aladdin
must have been inspired by 18th century French
fairy tales, but to quote the author, “The idea that
Diyab might have based it on his own life — the
experiences of a Middle Eastern man encountering
the French, not vice-versa — flips the script.”
In other words, the story of Aladdin was not inspired
by the French fairy tales but that Diyab was the
actual author. By invalidating the inversion, the
question wants us to not give the credit to Diyab Option 4 is negated because by pointing out the
dissimilarity between Aladdin and the French fairy
tales, it gives the credit to Diyab.
Option 2 is negated because even though Diyab
described Bordeaux, he still saw the luxury and
opulence of France.
Option 3 also gives the credit to Diyab, so it is not
invalidating the inversion.
Option 1 is the right choice because, if the
narratives bore no resemblance, then it disputes
the evidence that Diyab ever narrated the story to
Galland, as Galland claims in his diary. This would
contradict, at least to some extent, the author’s
claim that Diyab was the inspiration for the
character of Aladdin.
Q. 8 The author of the passage is most likely to agree
with which of the following explanations for the origins
of the story of Aladdin?
Options 1, 3 and 4 are out of scope and cannot be
considered. The origin of the story of Aladdin was
based on Diyab’s life experiences. He transmitted
this story to Galland who made it a part of Arabian
Nights. Therefore, the correct answer is option 2.
Q. 9 All of the following serve as evidence for the character
of Aladdin being based on Hanna Diyab EXCEPT:
Diyab’s travelogue serves as evidence for the
character of Aladdin being based on him. This
negates options 2 and 4. Moreover, the secondlast
paragraph of the passage is suggestive of
Diyab’s cosmopolitanism and cross-cultural
experience. So, option 3 is also negated. Refer to
the following lines from the first paragraph of the
passage, “Galland, who wrote in his diary that he
first heard the tale from a Syrian storyteller from
Aleppo named Hanna Diyab”. There is no evidence
of Diyab’s narration of the story to Galland. This
makes option 1 the correct answer.
Q. 10 Which of the following does not contribute to the
passage’s claim about the authorship of Aladdin?
Diyab and his life experiences have the authorship
of the story of Aladdin. Since this is reflected in
options 1, 2 and 4, they cannot be considered.
This makes option 3 the correct answer as it
proposes an entirely different theory to the
authorship.
Question Numbers (11 to 15): The passage below is
accompanied by a set of five questions. Choose the
best answer to each question.
As defined by the geographer Yi-Fu Tuan, topophilia is
the affective bond between people and place. His 1974
book set forth a wide-ranging exploration of how the
emotive ties with the material environment vary greatly
from person to person and in intensity, subtlety, and
mode of expression. Factors influencing one’s depth of
response to the environment include cultural background,
gender, race, and historical circumstance, and Tuan also
argued that there is a biological and sensory element.
Topophilia might not be the strongest of human
emotions—indeed, many people feel utterly indifferent
toward the environments that shape their lives—but when
activated it has the power to elevate a place to become
the carrier of emotionally charged events or to be
perceived as a symbol.
Aesthetic appreciation is one way in which people
respond to the environment. A brilliantly colored rainbow
after gloomy afternoon showers, a busy city street alive
with human interaction—one might experience the
beauty of such landscapes that had seemed quite
ordinary only moments before or that are being newly
discovered. This is quite the opposite of a second
topophilic bond, namely that of the acquired taste for
certain landscapes and places that one knows well.
When a place is home, or when a space has become
the locus of memories or the means of gaining a
livelihood, it frequently evokes a deeper set of
attachments than those predicated purely on the visual.
A third response to the environment also depends on
the human senses but may be tactile and olfactory,
namely a delight in the feel and smell of air, water, and
the earth.
Topophilia—and its very close conceptual twin, sense
of place—is an experience that, however elusive, has
inspired recent architects and planners. Most notably,
new urbanism seeks to counter the perceived
placelessness of modern suburbs and the decline of
central cities through neo-traditional design motifs.
Although motivated by good intentions, such attempts
to create places rich in meaning are perhaps bound to
disappoint. As Tuan noted, purely aesthetic responses often are suddenly revealed, but their intensity rarely is
long-lasting. Topophilia is difficult to design for and
impossible to quantify, and its most articulate interpreters
have been self-reflective philosophers such as Henry
David Thoreau, evoking a marvelously intricate sense of
place at Walden Pond, and Tuan, describing his deep
affinity for the desert.
Topophilia connotes a positive relationship, but it often
is useful to explore the darker affiliations between people
and place. Patriotism, literally meaning the love of one’s
terra patria or homeland, has long been cultivated by
governing elites for a range of nationalist projects,
including war preparation and ethnic cleansing.
Residents of upscale residential developments have
disclosed how important it is to maintain their
community’s distinct identity, often by casting
themselves in a superior social position and by
reinforcing class and racial differences. And just as a
beloved landscape is suddenly revealed, so too may
landscapes of fear cast a dark shadow over a place that
makes one feel a sense of dread or anxiety—or
topophobia.
Q. 11 Which one of the following comes closest in meaning
to the author’s understanding of topophilia?
As per the passage, ‘topophilia’ has positive
connotations and evokes feelings of love, affection
and a strong emotional bond. Thus, all options that
talk about lack of affinity or poor emotional connect
can be negated. Thus, the statements ‘Nomadic
societies are known to have the least affinity for
the lands through which they traverse because they
tend to be topophobic’ and ‘The French are not
overly patriotic, but they will refuse to use English
as far as possible, even when they know it well’
can be easily negated. There is no discussion
regarding ‘topography’ in the passage. Hence, the
correct answer is ‘The tendency of many cultures
to represent their land as “motherland” or “fatherland” may be seen as an expression of their
topophilia.’
Q. 12 Which one of the following best captures the meaning
of the statement, “Topophilia is difficult to design for
and impossible to quantify . . .”?
Refer the lines Topophilia is difficult to design for
and impossible to quantify, and its most articulate
interpreters have been self-reflective philosophers
such as Henry David Thoreau, evoking a
marvelously intricate sense of place at Walden
Pond, and Tuan, describing his deep affinity for
the desert. Thus, there is an element of
subjectiveness that underlies all topophilic
expression. Hence, option 2 is the right answer.
Q. 13 Which of the following statements, if true, could be
seen as not contradicting the arguments in the
passage?
This is a slightly difficult question. We have to read
the options carefully and look for the one that is
not against what the author has to say.
Option 1 is contradictory because the author says
that olfactory response is the third most important
factor, while the option says that it is the most
important factor.
Option 3 can be ruled out because the author says
in the first paragraph: the emotive ties with the
material environment vary greatly from person to
person and in intensity, subtlety, and mode of
expression. The author says, ‘vary greatly’, while
the option says, ‘vary little’.
Refer the lines - “As Tuan noted, purely aesthetic
responses often are suddenly revealed, but their
intensity rarely is long-lasting. Topophilia is difficult
to design for and impossible to quantify…”
However, the option says that New Urbanism
succeeded in those designs where architects
collaborated with their clients. Thus, option 4 can
also be negated.
Option 2 can be seen in the last paragraph and is
parallel to what the author has to say. This is not
contradicting the author’s argument, and hence it
is the right choice.
Q. 14 In the last paragraph, the author uses the example
of “Residents of upscale residential developments”
to illustrate the:
This example has been discussed in the last
paragraph of the passage where the author is
talking about the darker applications of topophilia
while exploring the affiliations between people and
places. This immediately negates statements 3
and 4 - manner in which environments are designed
to minimize the social exclusion of their clientele
and sensitive response to race and class problems
in upscale residential developments. There is no
discussion regarding nationalist projects of the
elites. Hence, option 1 is the right answer.
Q. 15 The word “topophobia” in the passage is used:
The answer to this question can be found in the
last lines of the passage - And just as a beloved
landscape is suddenly revealed, so too may
landscapes of fear cast a dark shadow over a place
that makes one feel a sense of dread or anxiety—
or topophobia.
Question Numbers (16 to 19): The passage below is
accompanied by a set of four questions. Choose the
best answer to each question.
Scientists recently discovered that Emperor Penguins—
one of Antarctica’s most celebrated species—employ
a particularly unusual technique for surviving the daily
chill. As detailed in an article published today in the
journal Biology Letters, the birds minimize heat loss by
keeping the outer surface of their plumage below the
temperature of the surrounding air. At the same time,
the penguins’ thick plumage insulates their body and
keeps it toasty. . . .
The researchers analyzed thermographic images . . .
taken over roughly a month during June 2008. During
that period, the average air temperature was 0.32 degrees Fahrenheit. At the same time, the majority
of the plumage covering the penguins’ bodies was even
colder: the surface of their warmest body part, their feet,
was an average 1.76 degrees Fahrenheit, but the
plumage on their heads, chests and backs were -1.84,
-7.24 and -9.76 degrees Fahrenheit respectively. Overall,
nearly the entire outer surface of the penguins’ bodies
was below freezing at all times, except for their eyes
and beaks. The scientists also used a computer
simulation to determine how much heat was lost or
gained from each part of the body—and discovered that
by keeping their outer surface below air temperature,
the birds might paradoxically be able to draw very slight
amounts of heat from the air around them. The key to
their trick is the difference between two different types
of heat transfer: radiation and convection.
The penguins do lose internal body heat to the
surrounding air through thermal radiation, just as our
bodies do on a cold day. Because their bodies (but not
surface plumage) are warmer than the surrounding air,
heat gradually radiates outward over time, moving from
a warmer material to a colder one. To maintain body
temperature while losing heat, penguins, like all warmblooded
animals, rely on the metabolism of food. The
penguins, though, have an additional strategy. Since
their outer plumage is even colder than the air, the
simulation showed that they might gain back a little of
this heat through thermal convection—the transfer of
heat via the movement of a fluid (in this case, the air).
As the cold Antarctic air cycles around their bodies,
slightly warmer air comes into contact with the plumage
and donates minute amounts of heat back to the
penguins, then cycles away at a slightly colder
temperature.
Most of this heat, the researchers note, probably doesn’t
make it all the way through the plumage and back to
the penguins’ bodies, but it could make a slight difference.
At the very least, the method by which a penguin’s
plumage wicks heat from the bitterly cold air that
surrounds it helps to cancel out some of the heat that’s
radiating from its interior. And given the Emperors’
unusually demanding breeding cycle, every bit of warmth
counts. . . . Since [penguins trek as far as
75 miles to the coast to breed and male penguins] don’t
eat anything during [the incubation period of 64 days],
conserving calories by giving up as little heat as possible
is absolutely crucial.
Q. 16 Which of the following best explains the purpose of
the word “paradoxically” as used by the author?
This is a simple question. Just go through the
relevant section of the passage - “…by keeping
their outer surface below air temperature, the birds
might paradoxically be able to draw very slight
amounts of heat from the air around them…”
Option 3 captures this precisely.
Q. 17 In the last sentence of paragraph 3, “slightly warmer
air” and “at a slightly colder temperature” refer to
______ AND ______ respectively:
It is already given that the sentence can be found
in the last part of the third paragraph. Let’s see the
context: As the cold Antarctic air cycles around
their bodies, slightly warmer air comes into contact
with the plumage and donates minute amounts of
heat back to the penguins, then cycles away at a
slightly colder temperature.
We know that the outer plumage of the penguins
is even colder than the air, thus, the first blank
refers to the cold air whose temperature is higher
than that of the plumage and the second blank
refers to the fall in temperature after some heat
has been transmitted to the plumage.
Q. 18 Which of the following can be responsible for Emperor
Penguins losing body heat?
We know that the plumage is responsible for
maintaining body heat; it is the central idea of the
passage. Food metabolism, too, helps generate
heat, the passage says that clearly. We are left
with two choices, thermal convection and
reproduction process. The passage says that
thermal convection helps them gain heat (“the
simulation showed that they might gain back a
little of this heat through thermal convection”).
Thus, we see that thermal convection, food
metabolism, and plumage all are responsible for
heat gain, not heat loss. We are left with choice 3
as the right answer.
Choice 3 can be inferred from the following lines of
the passage: “And given the Emperors’ unusually
demanding breeding cycle, every bit of warmth
counts...”. This suggests that the reproduction
process results in heat loss.
Q. 19 All of the following, if true, would negate the findings
of the study reported in the passage EXCEPT:
The passage says that the outer air temperature
is warmer than the plumage temperature, but if
the outer air temperature becomes colder than the
plumage temperature, as option 4 says, the
author’s argument would be invalidated, because
the heat transfer from the outer colder air to the
relatively warmer plumage will not happen.
Similarly, the plumage has to be colder than the
outer Antarctic air, but in choice 1 the plumage is
warmer than the outer Antarctic air, so this too
would weaken the author’s argument in the
passage.
In option 2; thermal convection helps the penguins
get some heat, if the plumage is not allowing
thermal convection to take place, there would be
no gain of warmth, thus this too weakens the
argument.
Only option 3 does not weaken the argument. The
passage says that the feet are the warmest part of
the body of a penguin. If you make them a little
warmer, they will still remain the warmest part of
the body. Hence, it is the answer.
Question Numbers (20 to 24): The passage below is
accompanied by a set of five questions. Choose the
best answer to each question.
"Free of the taint of manufacture" – that phrase, in
particular, is heavily loaded with the ideology of what
the Victorian socialist William Morris called the "antiscrape",
or an anti-capitalist conservationism (not conservatism) that solaced itself with the vision of a
pre-industrial golden age. In Britain, folk may often appear
a cosy, fossilised form, but when you look more closely,
the idea of folk – who has the right to sing it, dance it,
invoke it, collect it, belong to it or appropriate it for political
or cultural ends – has always been contested territory.
. . .
In our own time, though, the word "folk" . . . has achieved
the rare distinction of occupying fashionable and
unfashionable status simultaneously. Just as the effusive
floral prints of the radical William Morris now cover genteel
sofas, so the revolutionary intentions of many folk
historians and revivalists have led to music that is
commonly regarded as parochial and conservative. And
yet – as newspaper columns periodically rejoice – folk
is hip again, influencing artists, clothing and furniture
designers, celebrated at music festivals, awards
ceremonies and on TV, reissued on countless record
labels. Folk is a sonic "shabby chic", containing
elements of the uncanny and eerie, as well as an antique
veneer, a whiff of Britain's heathen dark ages. The very
obscurity and anonymity of folk music's origins open up
space for rampant imaginative fancies. . . .
[Cecil Sharp, who wrote about this subject, believed
that] folk songs existed in constant transformation, a
living example of an art form in a perpetual state of
renewal. "One man sings a song, and then others sing
it after him, changing what they do not like" is the most
concise summary of his conclusions on its origins. He
compared each rendition of a ballad to an acorn falling
from an oak tree; every subsequent iteration sows the
song anew. But there is tension in newness. In the late
1960s, purists were suspicious of folk songs recast in
rock idioms. Electrification, however, comes in many
forms. For the early-20th-century composers such as
Vaughan Williams and Holst, there were thunderbolts
of inspiration from oriental mysticism, angular
modernism and the body blow of the first world war, as
well as input from the rediscovered folk tradition itself.
For the second wave of folk revivalists, such as Ewan
MacColl and AL Lloyd, starting in the 40s, the vital spark
was communism's dream of a post-revolutionary New
Jerusalem. For their younger successors in the 60s,
who thronged the folk clubs set up by the old guard, the
lyrical freedom of Dylan and the unchained melodies of
psychedelia created the conditions for folk-rock's own
golden age, a brief Indian summer that lasted from about
1969 to 1971. . . . Four decades on, even that progressive
period has become just one more era ripe for fashionable
emulation and pastiche. The idea of a folk tradition being
exclusively confined to oral transmission has become a much looser, less severely guarded concept. Recorded
music and television, for today's metropolitan generation,
are where the equivalent of folk memories are seeded. .
. .
Q. 20 The primary purpose of the reference to William
Morris and his floral prints is to show:
This is a simple question whose answer can be
easily inferred from the following lines - Just as
the effusive floral prints of the radical William Morris
now cover genteel sofas, so the revolutionary
intentions of many folk historians and revivalists
have led to music that is commonly regarded as
parochial and conservative. Option 4 distorts the
idea by reversing its order.
Q. 21 All of the following are causes for plurality and diversity
within the British folk tradition EXCEPT:
This question can be answered by reading the
options closely. A long history and varied influences
will contribute to the diversity of an art form.
Similarly, the presence of fluidity and oral traditions
will also introduce diversity. However, the popularity
and unpopularity of any art form has no correlation
with the presence of diversity. Hence, this is the
correct answer.
Q. 22 Which of the following statements about folk
revivalism of the 1940s and 1960s cannot be inferred
from the passage?
The question asks us to select an option that
cannot be inferred from the passage. The statement
that is made in the passage is: “In the late 1960s,
purists were suspicious of folk songs recast in rock
idioms. Electrification, however, comes in many
forms.” In other words, electrification need not
always come through rock alone. It might come
from any other form of music as well. Thus, this
option surely cannot be inferred.
“…the lyrical freedom of Bob Dylan…” this phrase
supports option 1.
Option 2 can be inferred because Cecil Sharp talks
about folk music’s ability to adapt. The music of
40s and 60s demonstrates that adaptation.
The passage says that in the late 1960s, Purists
were suspicious of folk songs recast in rock idioms,
this suggests that it had critics. Thus, option 4
can be inferred.
Q. 23 The author says that folk “may often appear a cosy,
fossilised form” because:
Fossilized refers to something belonging to/
associated with the past. Out of the options given,
only the second option comes close in meaning.
The other options don’t correlate with the word
fossilized.
Q. 24 At a conference on folk forms, the author of the
passage is least likely to agree with which one of
the following views?
The author appreciates how folk forms have been
used by modern musicians and the fusion of folk
with other forms of music throughout the passage.
Hence, he is likely to agree with all options except
4 because it says that folk music exhibits unusual
homogeneity.
If there is homogeneity, then the idea of adapting
and infusing with other kinds of music is not valid.
Thus, the author will not agree with this.
Q. 25 The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) given below,
when properly sequenced would yield a coherent
paragraph. Decide on the proper sequence of the
order of the sentences and key in the sequence of
the four numbers as your answer.
1. Metaphors may map to similar meanings across
languages, but their subtle differences can have
a profound effect on our understanding of the
world.
2. Latin scholars point out carpe diem is a
horticultural metaphor that, particularly seen in
the context of its source, is more accurately
translated as “plucking the day,” evoking the
plucking and gathering of ripening fruits or flowers,
enjoying a moment that is rooted in the sensory
experience of nature, unrelated to the force implied
in seizing.
3. The phrase carpe diem, which is often translated
as “seize the day and its accompanying
philosophy, has gone on to inspire countless
people in how they live their lives and motivates
us to see the world a little differently from the
norm
4. It’s an example of one of the more telling ways
that we mistranslate metaphors from one
language to another, revealing in the process our
hidden assumptions about what we really value.
Sentence 3 introduces the phrase ‘carpe diem’ so
it comes in beginning. It is followed by statement
2 which further explains the meaning of the phrase.
4 and 1 form a mandatory pair as they talk about
metaphors. Thus, the correct sequence is 3241.
Q. 26 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. Choose its number as your answer and key it
in.
1. One argument is that actors that do not fit within
a single, well-defined category may suffer an
“illegitimacy discount”.
2. Others believe that complex identities confuse
audiences about an organization’s role or purpose.
3. Some organizations have complex and
multidimensional identities that span or combine
categories, while other organizations possess
narrow identities.
4. Identity is one of the most important features of
organizations, but there exist opposing views
among sociologists about how identity affects
organizational performance.
5. Those who think that complex identities are
beneficial point to the strategic advantages of
ambiguity, and organizations’ potential to
differentiate themselves from competitors.
Statement 4 is the introductory statement as it
introduces the concept of complex identities. It
will be followed by statement 3 as it further explains
the phenomena of complex identities. Statements
2 and 5 form a pair because as they discuss two
conflicting ideas of complex identities. Only
statement 1 is the odd one out.
Q. 27 The passage given below is followed by four alternate
summaries. Choose the option that best captures
the essence of the passage.
Physics is a pure science that seeks to understand
the behavior of matter without regard to whether it
will afford any practical benefit. Engineering is the
correlative applied science in which physical theories
are put to some specific use, such as building a
bridge or a nuclear reactor. Engineers obviously rely
heavily on the discoveries of physicists, but an
engineer's knowledge of the world is not the same
as the physicist's knowledge. In fact, an engineer's
know-how will often depend on physical theories that,
from the point of view of pure physics, are false. There
are some reasons for this. First, theories that are
false in the purest and strictest sense are still
sometimes very good approximations to the true
ones, and often have the added virtue of being much
easier to work with. Second, sometimes the true
theories apply only under highly idealized conditions
which can only be created under controlled
experimental situations. The engineer finds that in
the real world, theories rejected by physicists yield
more accurate predictions than the ones that they
accept.
The passage discusses the difference between pure
and applied science and the difference between
the knowledge of an engineer and that of a
physicist. This is not captured by option 2. Option
4 cannot be considered as it is untrue. Option 3
has no mention of pure science, so it cannot be
considered. So, the correct answer is option 1 as
it clearly captures the essence of the passage.
Q. 28 The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) given below,
when properly sequenced would yield a coherent
paragraph. Decide on the proper sequence of the
order of the sentences and key in the sequence of
the four numbers as your answer.
1. If you’ve seen a little line of text on websites that
says something like "customers who bought this
also enjoyed that” you have experienced this
collaborative filtering firsthand.
2. The problem with these algorithms is that they
don’t take into account a host of nuances and
circumstances that might interfere with their
accuracy.
3. If you just bought a gardening book for your
cousin, you might get a flurry of links to books
about gardening, recommended just for you! –
the algorithm has no way of knowing you hate
gardening and only bought the book as a gift.
4. Collaborative filtering is a mathematical algorithm
by which correlations and co-occurrences of
behaviors are tracked and then used to make
recommendations.
Sentence 4 is clearly the introductory line as it
introduces the concept of collaborative filtering.
Sentence 1 further discusses the experience of
collaborative filtering, so it comes after 4. 2 and 3
form a mandatory pair as they throw light on the
problems in collaborative filtering. So, the correct
sequence is 4123.
Q. 29 Five sentences related to a topic are given below in
a jumbled order. Four of them form a coherent and
unified paragraph. Identify the odd sentence that does
not go with the four. Key in the number of the option
that you choose.
1. ‘Stat’ signaled something measurable, while
‘matic’ advertised free labour; but ‘tron’, above
all, indicated control.
2. It was a totem of high modernism, the intellectual
and cultural mode that decreed no process or
phenomenon was too complex to be grasped,
managed and optimized.
3. Like the heraldic shields of ancient knights, these
morphemes were painted onto the names of
scientific technologies to proclaim one’s history
and achievements to friends and enemies alike.
4. The historian Robert Proctor at Stanford University
calls the suffix ‘-tron’, along with ‘-matic’ and ‘-
stat’, embodied symbols.
5. To gain the suffix was to acquire a proud and
optimistic emblem of the electronic and atomic
age.
4 is the introductory sentence as it introduces
‘suffix’. The author then talks about what these
symbols mean in statement 1. This is followed by
statement 5 which talks about gaining suffix. It is
followed by statement 3 which throws light on how
these symbols are painted on the names of
scientific technologies. Statement 2 does not fit
entirely with the context of the passage and is
hence the odd one out.
Q. 30 The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) given below,
when properly sequenced would yield a coherent
paragraph. Decide on the proper sequence of the
order of the sentences and key in the sequence of
the four numbers as your answer.
1. We’ll all live under mob rule until then, which
doesn’t help anyone.
2. Perhaps we need to learn to condense the
feedback we receive online so that 100 replies
carry the same weight as just one.
3. As we grow more comfortable with social media
conversations being part of the way we interact
every day, we are going to have to learn how to
deal with legitimate criticism.
4. A new norm will arise where it is considered
unacceptable to reply with the same point that
dozens of others have already.
Statement 3 acts as an introductory statement as
it talks about dealing with legitimate criticism. It is
followed by statement 2. Statement 4 and 1 form a
mandatory pair, which is evident from the phrase
“until then”. So, the correct sequence is 3241.
Q. 31 The passage given below is followed by four alternate
summaries. Choose the option that best captures
the essence of the passage.
Vance Packard’s The Hidden Persuaders alerted the
public to the psychoanalytical techniques used by
the advertising industry. Its premise was that
advertising agencies were using depth interviews to
identify hidden consumer motivations, which were
then used to entice consumers to buy goods. Critics
and reporters often wrongly assumed that Packard
was writing mainly about subliminal advertising.
Packard never mentioned the word subliminal,
however, and devoted very little space to discussions
of “subthreshold” effects. Instead, his views largely
aligned with the notion that individuals do not always
have access to their conscious thoughts and can be
persuaded by supraliminal messages without their
knowledge.
Choices with respect to supraliminal and subliminal
have a clear difference. Also, the passage mentions
that Packard believed in supraliminal images, not
subliminal. This makes options 1 and 4 incorrect.
The passage mentions that people are not aware,
which is also indicated in option 3. Thus, the correct
answer is option 3.
Q. 32 The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) given below,
when properly sequenced would yield a coherent
paragraph. Decide on the proper sequence of the
order of the sentences and key in the sequence of
the four numbers as your answer.
1. People with dyslexia have difficulty with printreading,
and people with autism spectrum
disorder have difficulty with mind-reading.
2. An example of a lost cognitive instinct is mindreading:
our capacity to think of ourselves and
others as having beliefs, desires, thoughts and
feelings.
3. Mind-reading looks increasingly like literacy, a
skill we know for sure is not in our genes, since
scripts have been around for only 5,000-6,000
years.
4. Print-reading, like mind-reading varies across
cultures, depends heavily on certain parts of the
brain, and is subject to developmental disorders.
Statement 2 is clearly the introductory line as it
introduces the concept of mind-reading. It is
followed by 3 which further elaborates on the
concept. Statements 4 and 1 form a mandatory
pair as they talk about the concept of print-reading,
which is very similar to mind-reading. Thus, the
correct sequence is 2341.
Q. 33 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. Choose its number as your answer and key it
in.
1. His idea to use sign language was not a
completely new idea as Native Americans used
hand gestures to communicate with other tribes.
2. Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, for example,
observed that men who are deaf are incapable of
speech.
3. People who were born deaf were denied the right
to sign a will as they were “presumed to
understand nothing; because it is not possible
that they have been able to learn to read or write.”
4. Pushback against this prejudice began in the 16th
century when Pedro Ponce de León created a
formal sign language for the hearing impaired.
5. For millennia, people with hearing impairments
encountered marginalization because it was
believed that language could only be learned by
hearing the spoken word.
The five sentences discuss the issue of hearing
impairments and marginalization because of this.
Statements 5, 4, 1 and 3 revolve around the same
concept. Sentence 2 seems a little out of context.
Thus, the correct answer is option 2.
Q. 34 The passage given below is followed by four alternate
summaries. Choose the option that best captures
the essence of the passage.
A distinguishing feature of language is our ability to
refer to absent things, known as displaced reference.
A speaker can bring distant referents to mind in the
absence of any obvious stimuli. Thoughts, not limited
to the here and now, can pop into our heads for
unfathomable reasons. This ability to think about
distant things necessarily precedes the ability to talk
about them. Thought precedes meaningful referential
communication. A prerequisite for the emergence of
human-like meaningful symbols is that the mental
categories they relate to can be invoked even in the
absence of immediate stimuli.
Option 1 cannot be considered because it mentions
information that has not been described in the
passage. Options 3 and 4 are untrue as they distort
the information provided in the passage, so they
cannot be considered. Option 2 does not have any
distortions and clearly captures the essence of
the passage. Thus, the correct answer is option 2.
