CAT 2023 Slot 1: Past Year Question Paper - CAT MCQ

• Option C cannot be directly inferred from the passage. The passage does discuss the influence of both geographic factors (such as biogeography) and non-geographic factors (culture, history, individual decisions) on human phenomena. However, the passage does not explicitly quantify or compare the prevalence of these influences by stating that "most human phenomena result from culture and individual choice."
• Option A: The author discusses the development of warm fur clothes among the Inuit living north of the Arctic Circle and asserts that it was not due to a specific individual decision or historical contingency in 1783 but rather a response to environmental factors.
• Option B: The author discusses the current state of agricultural practices in Australia, stating that the crops and domestic animals that make Australia a food and wool exporter today are all non-native species (mainly Eurasian) brought to Australia by overseas colonists. The use of the term "non-native" implies a change in agricultural practices from what was originally present in the Australian continent.
• Option D: The author mentions that some geographic explanations advanced a century ago were racist, causing all geographic explanations to become tainted by racist associations in the minds of many scholars.

• Option D is not explicitly presented by the author as a reason why non-geographers disregard geographic influences. The author suggests that scholars often react negatively to explanations involving a geographic role by denouncing "geographic determinism." However, the specific idea of dismissal is not explicitly outlined in the passage.
• The other options on the other hand, can be inferred from the passage:
• Option A can be inferred from the following lines: “ One reason is that some geographic explanations advanced a century ago were racist, thereby causing all geographic explanations to become tainted.”
• Option B can be inferred from the following lines: “Another reason for reflex rejection of geographic explanations is that historians have a tradition, in their discipline, of stressing the role of contingency (a favorite word among historians) based on individual decisions and chance.”
• Option C can be inferred from the last paragraph of the passage:” Geographic explanations usually depend on detailed technical facts of geography and other fields of scholarship . . . Most historians and economists don’t acquire that detailed knowledge as part of the professional training.”

The passage does not explicitly mention the criticism of scholars for having outdated interpretations of past cultural and historical phenomena. The primary focus of the author's criticism, as discussed in the passage, centers on scholars' tendencies to dismiss geographic factors, label geographic explanations as deterministic, and associate geographic analyses with past racism.Therefore Option B is the correct answer.

• Option B is the correct answer because the passage uses examples like the Inuit and Aboriginal Australians to illustrate the influence of physical circumstances, particularly environmental factors, on human behavior and cultural practices. The discussion about the development of warm fur clothes among the Inuit due to the Arctic environment and the absence of indigenous farming in Aboriginal Australia because of the lack of domesticable native species underscores how physical circumstances dictate certain aspects of human behavior and shape cultural adaptations. Therefore, Option B accurately captures the main idea conveyed by the examples provided in the passage.
• Option A is not explicitly emphasized in the passage; the focus is more on how environmental factors influence behavior and cultures.
• Option C: The passage doesn't explicitly highlight self-sufficiency but rather the impact of specific environmental factors on the development of societies.
• Option D is not entirely incorrect, but Option B more precisely captures the emphasis on physical circumstances dictating human behavior and cultures in the context of the examples provided in the passage.

• The passage focuses on the interconnectedness within the global south in the context of the Indian Ocean world's migration networks. It emphasizes historical connections between the coasts of East Africa, the Arab coasts, and South and East Asia. The passage does not specifically highlight migration networks connecting the Indian Ocean world with the global north. Instead, it underscores the significance of geographical location, religious histories, and commercial interactions within the region, pointing to a more localized and regional perspective on migration. Therefore, Option A is not true according to the passage. Additionally, the passage mentioned the Indian Ocean as “a term used to describe the very long-lasting connections among the coasts of East Africa, the Arab coasts, and South and East Asia.” and not north and south.
• Option B is correct as the passage mentions that for much of history, travel by sea in the Indian Ocean was easier than by land, emphasizing the importance of geographical location.
• Option C is correct as the passage indicates that the novels in the book draw on and shape a wider sense of Indian Ocean space through themes, images, metaphors, and language, including religious and commercial aspects.
• Option D is correct as the passage notes that migration is often portrayed as abandonment rather than adventure, indicating a complex and ambivalent nature of the migration experience in the Indian Ocean world.

• Options A, C and D have the following format World/Novels : Characteristic of that particular world/novel. Option B is the odd one out as the characteristic of Border-crossing does not belong to the Postcolonial novels world. 
• From the passage, we can infer that the Indian Ocean novels were "outward-looking - full of movement, border-crossing and south-south interconnection". At the same time, they showcased elements of the global south like Slavery, Forced Migration etc. Hence, A and C showcase valid elements of the Indian Ocean Novels World.
• On the other hand, postcolonial novels were usually [concerned with] national questions, land-focused and inward-looking. They featured anti-colonial nationalism. Hence, option D is also a valid Theme:Characteristic combination.
• However, we note that Border-crossing is an element of the Indian Ocean novel world and not the Postcolonial novel world. Hence, option B is not a valid combination and thus is the odd one out.

• “For their part Ghosh, Gurnah, Collen and even Conrad reference a different set of histories and geographies than the ones most commonly found in fiction in English. Those [commonly found ones] are mostly centred in Europe or the US, assume a background of Christianity and whiteness, and mention places like Paris and New York. “
• The passage argues that the novels discussed in "Writing Ocean Worlds" diverge from the common representations found in English fiction, which often center on Europe or the US, assume a background of Christianity and whiteness, and mention places like Paris and New York. If Option D were true, it would support the passage's claim rather than weaken it. Therefore, Option D is the correct answer.
• Through the passage, the author claims that the Indian Ocean novels provide a more realistic picture of the Indian Ocean space, particularly in the representation of Africa. The author claims that the depiction is more authentic and free from Eurocentricity that is seen in other novels.
• Option A weakens the passage by contradicting these claims and suggesting that the depiction of Africa is influenced by postcolonial nostalgia.
• Option B weakens the passage by suggesting a potential bias or negative stereotyping in the portrayal of Africa in Indian Ocean novels.
• Option C weakens the author's claim by disputing that there is eurocentric perspective in other novels.

• Option C is the correct answer because it contradicts the idea of "remapping" discussed in the passage. The passage emphasizes that the novels under consideration challenge the common representations found in English fiction, particularly those centered in the West. Option C, suggesting that cosmopolitanism originated in the West and traveled to the East through globalization, aligns with the conventional Western-centric narrative rather than the passage's argument of reshaping perspectives and centralizing the interconnected global south, particularly the Indian Ocean world, as a key space in the reimagined literary landscape.
• Option A aligns with the passage's discussion of the novels focusing on the Indian Ocean world, contributing to the "remapping" beyond national concerns.
• Option B aligns with the passage's emphasis on the interconnected Indian Ocean world, challenging the Eurocentric perspective on trade and commerce.
• Option D supports the passage's claim that historical evidence suggests that globalization first appeared in the Indian Ocean, contributing to the "remapping" of the world's historical and geographical perspectives.

• The passage emphasizes that Marshall Sahlins's main goal in writing his essay was to hold a mirror to an acquisitive society (contemporary economic life and bourgeois individualism). The essay accomplishes this by providing examples of foraging societies that made real choices to prioritize values such as leisure, mobility, and freedom over material accumulation. Sahlins contrasts the Zen road to affluence, where affluence is achieved by wanting less, with the capitalist pursuit of wealth through material production and consumerism. Therefore, Sahlins's goal, as portrayed in the passage, aligns with the idea of presenting examples of communities that have successfully chosen non-materialistic paths as a critique of acquisitive societies. So, Option C is the correct answer.
• Option A: While Sahlins's essay acknowledges growing inequality and social hierarchies resulting from the Neolithic Revolution, it is more focused on contrasting foraging societies with contemporary economic life.
• Option B: The primary emphasis is on showcasing foraging societies' choices and values rather than asserting a progressive degeneration of society.
• Option D: Even though Sahlins's essay critiques aspects of contemporary economic views, its primary focus is not explicitly countering Galbraith's pessimistic view but rather presenting alternative possibilities through examples of non-materialistic societies.

• Option C is the correct answer because the passage uses the example of Tanzania's Hadza community to illustrate that forager communities, like the Hadza, do not conform to a simple narrative of human diversity or victimhood. Instead, they actively make choices about their way of life. The passage mentions that the Hadza, despite being surrounded by farmers, knew they had alternatives and consciously rejected them. This example serves to emphasize that forager communities are not constrained by ignorance about alternatives; rather, their lifestyles derive from their own choices. Therefore, Option C accurately captures the essence of the Hadza illustration in the passage.
• Option A: The passage doesn't specifically highlight the survival techniques of hunter-gatherer communities into contemporary times, but rather emphasizes their choices and values.
• Option B: The passage doesn't discuss the Hadza community in the context of agrarian practices in contiguous communities, making this option irrelevant to the illustration.
• Option D: The passage does not suggest that the Hadza community coexisted with vastly different ways of living and working for centuries

• The passage explicitly mentions that Sahlins's essay, "The Original Affluent Society," brought a critical perspective to contemporary consumerism and inequality, echoing the themes found in John Kenneth Galbraith's work, "The Affluent Society." The passage notes that Sahlins's essay contrasts the values of foraging societies with the capitalist pursuit of wealth, and it suggests that the essay complements Galbraith's skeptical portrait of postwar prosperity and inequality. Therefore, Option D accurately reflects the information presented in the passage regarding the relationship between Sahlins's views and Galbraith's criticism of contemporary society.
• The passage does not suggest that Galbraith’s theories refute Sahlins’s thesis but rather highlights their complementarity (Option A) nor does it focus on contrasting foragers' ways of living with Galbraith's views on contemporary growth paths (Option B).
• The passage does not document the influence of Galbraith’s views on Sahlins’s analysis; instead, it emphasizes how Sahlins's essay complements Galbraith’s critical perspective on contemporary society. Therefore Option C is incorrect too.

"Viewed in today’s context, of course, not every aspect of the essay has aged well. While acknowledging the violence of colonialism, racism, and dispossession, it does not thematize them as heavily as we might today."

• Option A is the correct answer because the passage explicitly mentions that, when viewed in today's context, not every aspect of Sahlins's essay has aged well, and it acknowledges that the essay does not thematize issues like racism, colonialism, and dispossession as heavily as might be expected today. The term "cursory treatment" suggests that the essay provides only a brief or superficial examination of the effects of racism and colonialism on societies, and the passage criticizes this aspect of the essay for not giving these important issues more comprehensive attention.

• The passage mentions that as early as the ninth century, the royal office of the Luparii, or wolf-catchers, was created in France to tackle the predators. However, this office became redundant as it had finished it’s job (kill the last wolf). So the resurgence of the wolfs can’t be attributed to it shutting down. The other options on the other hand, can be clearly inferred.
• Option A: “Various factors explain the changes of the past few decades. Rural depopulation is part of the story. In Lozère, for example, farming and a once-flourishing mining industry supported a population of over 140,000 residents in the mid-19th century. Today the department has fewer than 80,000 people, many in its towns. “
• Option B: “As humans withdraw, forests are expanding. In France, between 1990 and 2015, forest cover increased by an average of 102,000 hectares each year, as more fields were given over to trees. Now, nearly one-third of mainland France is covered by woodland of some sort. “
• Option D: “The mostly protected status of the wolf in Europe—hunting them is now forbidden, other than when occasional culls are sanctioned by the state—plus the efforts of NGOs to track and count the animals, also contribute to the recovery of wolf populations.”

• Considering the first paragraph: “RESIDENTS of Lozère, a hilly department in southern France, recite complaints familiar to many rural corners of Europe. In remote hamlets and villages, with names such as Le Bacon and Le Bacon Vieux, mayors grumble about a lack of local schools, jobs, or phone and internet connections. Farmers of grazing animals add another concern: the return of wolves. Eradicated from France last century, the predators are gradually creeping back to more forests and hillsides. “The wolf must be taken in hand,” said an aspiring parliamentarian, Francis Palombi, when pressed by voters in an election campaign early this summer. Tourists enjoy visiting a wolf park in Lozère, but farmers fret over their livestock and their livelihoods. .”
• Options A, B and C can be clearly inferred from the highlighted part.
• The passage mentions that the number of people holding hunting licenses is still high but the number of people who still actively hunt is low. So Option D which states that there is decline in the number of hunting licences is incorrect.

• The author's claims seem to be focused on the conflicts between farmers and the return of wolves, the economic implications, and the coexistence challenges. If wolf attacks on tourists were on the rise, it might shift the narrative and suggest a broader safety concern beyond the impact on farmers, potentially weakening the author's emphasis on the positive economic aspects of wolf-related tourism. Therefore Option C, if true, would weaken the author’s argument.
• Option A supports the author's claims about the return of wolves to Lozère.
• Option B is not directly related to the author's claims about conflicts between farmers and wolves or the economic implications of wolf-related tourism.
• Option D , if true, would not necessarily weaken the author's claims but might be seen as providing additional information about land use in Lozère.

• “As the lupine population of Europe spreads westwards, with occasional reports of wolves seen closer to urban areas, expect to hear of more clashes between farmers and those who celebrate the predators’ return. Farmers’ losses are real, but are not the only economic story. Tourist venues, such as parks where wolves are kept and the animals’ spread is discussed, also generate income and jobs in rural areas.”
• The passage mentions that farmers in Lozère are concerned about the return of wolves causing losses in livestock. On the other hand, environmentalists view the presence of wolves as a sign of wider ecological health. The suggested economic solution involves tourist venues related to wolves, such as parks, which not only address the economic concerns of farmers by generating income but also align with the interests of environmentalists who appreciate the return of the predators. Therefore, Option C accurately captures the collaboration between farmers and environmentalists in the proposed solution.

• The sentence best fits in Blank 2 because it provides a continuation and elaboration on the disquieting experience mentioned before Blank 2. Before Blank 2, the passage introduces the disquieting nature of reading philosophy, and the sentence builds on that by explaining that the philosophical examination challenges the values around which one has organized their life, making them appear provincial, flatly wrong, or even evil. The sentence in question serves to articulate the difficulty and discomfort associated with this profound philosophical scrutiny, logically following the initial statement about the disquieting experience of reading philosophy.
• We can also see that the sentence ends with “...and way of life is difficult enough.” This is immediately followed by the passage highlighting what’s worse “What’s worse, philosophers admonish each other to remain unsutured until such time as a defensible new answer is revealed or constructed.”. So we can see that Sentence 2 serves as a preceding sentence to this.

• The sentence best fits in Blank 3 because it logically follows the mention of the unexpected genetic link between Native Americans and Japanese people mentioned in the sentence preceding Blank 3. After establishing this genetic connection, the sentence provides additional context by explaining the archaeological implications of the discovery. It suggests that the shared genetic link has archaeological manifestations, leading to similarities in the Paleolithic peoples of China, Japan, and the Americas. Placing the sentence here helps to connect the genetic findings to broader archaeological and cultural aspects.
• Blank 1: The sentence before Blank 1 introduces the unexpected genetic link between Native Americans and Japanese people. Placing this sentence in Blank 1 would disrupt the logical progression of information, as Blank 1 should provide information that directly connects with or follows from the mention of the unexpected genetic link, and the sentence is more relevant to explaining the broader context after the genetic link has been introduced.
• Blank 2: Putting the sentence here makes no sense as there has been no mention of any discovery before.
• Blank 4: Placing the sentence here would disrupt the flow of the passage as before Blank 4 the passage mentions how there were similarities between them and After Blank 4, the passage states “ This suggests..”. “This” clearly refers to the similarities mentioned before Blank 4.

Sentence 3 is the odd one out because it introduces a different topic compared to the other sentences. While the other sentences focus on the naming patterns of numbers in English, especially the irregularities and variations in the system, sentence 3 shifts the focus to the learning process of children and their understanding of the differences between numbers like "fourteen" and "forty." The other sentences contribute to the discussion about the intricacies of English number naming, making sentence 3 less aligned with the central theme of the paragraph.

Sentence 2 is the odd one out because it introduces a term, "theory of mind," and discusses scholars' preferences for alternative terms like "mentalizing" or "mindreading." Unlike the other sentences, which focus on explaining and elaborating on the concept of understanding others' mental states, sentence 2 provides more of a meta-discussion about the terminology used to describe this capacity rather than directly contributing to the explanation of the topic. The other sentences contribute to the substantive discussion of the capacity to perceive and interpret other people's behavior in terms of their mental states, making sentence 2 the odd one out in the context of forming a coherent paragraph.

• Sentence 4 introduces the idea that biased decisions made by humans have a localized impact, but with AI's emergence, the impact scale becomes much broader. This sets the context for the discussion to be followed.
• Now, if we consider Sentences 1 and 2 we can see that Sentence 1 is expanding on the impact of biased decisions in the context of AI, highlighting that algorithms hosted on the internet, accessed by many, result in more significant adverse effects on larger groups of people.Sentence 2 is providing a clarification on the term "algorithmic bias," emphasizing that the foundation of bias lies in the data rather than the algorithms themselves. It explains that algorithms reflect persistent patterns present in the training data. Therefore we can say that Sentence 2 must be following 1.
• Sentence 3 is pointing out that despite the widespread impact of AI biases, it is comparatively easier to fix them than human-generated biases, as it is simpler to identify and address biases in algorithms than to make people unlearn behaviors learned over generations. This logically follows the point made in Sentence 2. Therefore Sentence 3 must be following Sentence 2.
• Therefore the correct order is 4-1-2-3.

• Sentence 4 introduces the central question about the enduring fascination with certain crimes and the perpetual re-examination of some cases.
• Sentence 1 builds on this question by specifically asking about the "unusual elements" that make a particular case attractive to a certain audience, providing a more focused inquiry.
• Sentence 2 follows by suggesting possible reasons, such as a particularly savage or unfathomable level of depravity, and the role of mystery in drawing attention to these cases.
• Sentence 3 then generalizes the idea, stating that unsolved and perhaps unsolvable cases offer something unique that "ordinary" murder cases don't, emphasizing the enduring allure of unresolved mysteries in the realm of crime.

• The passage discusses the historical use of misinformation for political purposes, dating back to ancient Rome with Octavian's smear campaign against Antony. It then highlights how the 21st century has seen an unprecedented scale of information weaponization, facilitated by powerful technology and amplified through social networks. Option C effectively conveys the continuity of using misinformation for power throughout history, now fueled by modern technology. Therefore, Option C is the correct answer.
• Option A: While the passage acknowledges the historical aspect of disinformation, it emphasizes the unprecedented scale in the 21st century, which is not captured in this option.
• Option B focuses on the need for critical reading without explicitly highlighting the historical context and the weaponization of information for power.
• Option D does not emphasize the broader historical and contemporary context of misinformation for political purposes.

• Option C is the correct answer because it accurately captures the main idea of the passage. It highlights how technological advancements in navigation during the sixteenth century transformed colonialism by enabling Europeans to establish settlements and exert political dominance over distant regions, including the Americas, Australia, and parts of Africa and Asia.
• Option A focuses on the displacement of indigenous populations, which is not the central point of the passage.
• While Option B mentions the expansion of territories and political power, it does not emphasize the technological advancements in navigation.
• Option D introduces the concept of British settlements, which is narrower than the broader context of European colonialism discussed in the passage.

(x² + 12) = 4
This means, x² + 12 = x⁴
Let k = x²
k + 12 = k²
k² – k – 12 = 0
k² – 4k + 3k – 12 = 0
k(k – 4) + 3(k – 4) = 0
k = 4 or k = -3
But since k = x², k is always non-negative.
∴ k = 4
∴ x² = 4
Since x is the base of the log function, it can should always be positive.
∴ x = 2
3x=1
x³ = 1
x³  = y1
y = x³  = 2³ = 8
∴ x + y = 2 + 8 = 10

Given, x² +(x - 2y - 1)² = -4y(x + y)
⇒ x² + 4xy + 4y² + (x - 2y - 1)² = 0
⇒ (x + 2y)² +(x - 2y - 1)² = 20

For the L.H.S. of the equation to be 0, each of the square terms should be 0 (as squares cannot be negative)
⇒ x - 2y - 10 ⇒ x - 2y = 1

The prime factorizations of 168 and 1134 are as follows:
168 = 2³ × 3 × 7
1134 = 2 × 3⁴ × 7
Clearly, the smallest positive integral value of n, such that 168 is a factor of 1134ⁿ is 3.
1134ⁿ = 1134³ = 2³ × 3¹² × 7³
Clearly, the smallest positive integral value of m, such that 1134³ is a factor of 168^m is 12.
Therefore, m + n = 12 + 3 = 15

2 |x| (x² + 1)= 5x² 
Let |x| = k
2k (k² + 1) = 5k² 
Either k = 0; or 2(k² + 1) = 5k
2k² – 5k + 2 = 0
2k² – 4k – k + 2 = 0
2k(k – 2) –1(k – 2) = 0
(2k – 1)(k – 2) = 0
k = 0.5 or k = 2
Therefore, k which is |x|, can take the values 0, 0.5 or 2
So, x can take the values 0, -0.5, 0.5, -2, 2
Since we are looking for integral solutions, x can only take the values 0, 0.5 or 2
Therefore, there are only 3 integral solutions to 2 |x| (x² + 1) = 5x².