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Test Level 2: Main Idea - CAT MCQ


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Test Level 2: Main Idea for CAT 2024 is part of Level-wise Tests for CAT preparation. The Test Level 2: Main Idea questions and answers have been prepared according to the CAT exam syllabus.The Test Level 2: Main Idea MCQs are made for CAT 2024 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, notes, meanings, examples, exercises, MCQs and online tests for Test Level 2: Main Idea below.
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Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 1

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
But, indeed, the dictum that truth always triumphs over persecution, is one of those pleasant falsehoods which men repeat after one another till they pass into commonplaces, but which all experience refutes. History teems with instances of truth put down by persecution. If not suppressed forever, it may be thrown back for centuries . . . . It is a piece of idle sentimentality that truth, merely as truth, has any inherent power denied to error, of prevailing against the dungeon and the stake. Men are not more zealous for truth than they often are for error, and a sufficient application of legal or even of social penalties will generally succeed in stopping the propagation of either. The real advantage which truth has, consists in this, that when an opinion is true, it may be extinguished once, twice, or many times, but in the course of ages there will generally be found persons to rediscover it, until some one of its reappearances falls on a time when from favourable circumstances it escapes persecution until it has made such head as to withstand all subsequent attempts to suppress it.

What is the theme of the passage?

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 1

Two points have been emphasized in this passage. The statements "But ... of either" explains that at times truth has been put down by persecution. And the statement "the real advantage ... to suppress it" highlights that in course of time, someone rediscovers it and when rediscovered in a time in which it is subjected to little or no persecution, it will be established. Hence, (4) forms the answer.

Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 2

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
During the last two decades, physicians and mental health professionals have begun to discover the limitations of Western allopathic medicine. The focus is on pathology and disease rather than on prevention. The destructiveness of so many pharmaceutical and surgical remedies, the separation of physical and emotional problems, the assumptions of an asymmetrical relationship between an all powerful physician and a submissive patient have led clinics and researchers to look for answers in other cultures.
What is the theme of the passage?

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 2

Option (3) is by far the best answer choice as it covers the gist of the passage about narrow focus of allopathy forcing attention towards alternative systems. This marks option (3) as correct answer.

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Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 3

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
Thomas Alva Edison lit up the world with his invention of the electric light. Without him, the world might still be a dark place. However, the electric light was not his only invention. He also invented the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and over 1,200 other things. About every two weeks he created something new.
When he was 12 years old, he got his first job. He became a newsboy on a train that ran between Port Huron and Detroit. He set up a laboratory in a baggage care of the train so that he could continue his experiments in his spare time. Unfortunately, his first work experience did not end well. Thomas was fired when he accidentally set fire to the floor of the baggage car.
Thomas then worked for five years as a telegraph operator, but he continued to spend much of his time on the job conducting experiments. He got his first patent in 1868 for a vote recorder run by electricity. However, the vote recorder was not a success. In 1870, he sold another invention, a stock-ticker, for $40,000.
Thomas Edison was totally deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other, but thought of his deafness as a blessing in many ways. It kept conversations short, so that he could have more time for work. He called himself a "two-shift man" because he worked 16 out of every 24 hours.
What is the theme of the passage?

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 3

Option (1) could easily be used as a thesis statement for the passage. The passage focuses on Edison's continued interest in science and inventions, and on how his inventions helped the world. Hence, (1) is the answer.

Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 4

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
The Antarctic is the vast source of cold on our planet, just as the sun is the source of our heat, and it exerts tremendous control on our climate, [Jacques] Cousteau told the camera The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwelling help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened by human activity.
What is the theme of the passage?

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 4

Since none of the options fits in, the answer is “None of the above”.

Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 5

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
The tides are enormously more complicated than all this would suggest. The influence of sun and moon is constantly changing, varying with the phases of the moon, with the distance of moon and sun from the earth, and with the position of each to north or south of the equator. They are complicated further by the fact that every body of water, whether natural or artificial, has its own period of oscillation. Disturb its waters and they will move with a seesaw or rocking motion, with the most pronounced movement at the ends of the container, the least motion at the centre. Tidal scientists now believe that the ocean contains a number of 'basins', each with its own period of oscillation determined by its length and depth. The disturbance that sets the water in motion is the attracting force of the moon and sun. But the kind of motion, that is, the period of the swing of the water, depends upon the physical dimensions of the basin.
What is the theme of the passage?

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 5

Option 2 sums up the idea of the passage. The sun and the moon do cause the disturbance, but the kind of motion depends on the type of basin.

Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 6

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
The Human species, according to the best theory I can form of it, is composed of two distinct races, the men who borrow, and the men who lend. To these two original diversities may be reduced all those impertinent classifications of Gothic and Celtic tribes, white men, black men, red men. All the dwellers upon earth, “Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites,” flock hither, and do naturally fall in with one or other of these primary distinctions. The infinite superiority of the former, which I choose to designate as the great race, is discernible in their figure, port, and a certain instinctive sovereignty. The latter are born degraded. “He shall serve his brethren.” There is something in the air of one of this cast, lean and suspicious; contrasting with the open, trusting, generous manners of the other.
What is the theme of the passage?

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 6

“The two races” is the highlight of this passage (first sentence provides the clue) and according to another the greater race is that of borrowers (“The infinite ____ sovereignty gives the clue). Therefore (5) sums up the theme of passage, and hence is the answer.

Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 7

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
The government is reportedly reviewing the subsidy on postal services. The decision has come not a day too soon. With the position of the fiscal becoming more precarious by the day, the Finance Minister urgently needs to seek avenues where he can cut expenditure. Unfortunately, his choices are limited. Interest payments, defence expenditure and wages and salaries of government staff together account for more than 50% of government revenue and can't be touched. Cutting back on food subsidies is politically a tough act to follow.
What is the theme of the passage?

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 7

The central idea of the passage is to introduce the possibility of a reduction in subsidies (clue is provided by words 'Finance Minister urgently needs to seek avenues where he can cut expenditure') on postal services (refer to the first sentence) due to limited choices available. Hence, (1) is the answer.
The element of 'politics' is only an ancillary part related to 'food subsidies', hence options 2 and 4 are weak.

Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 8

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
Secondly, science by accelerating man's speed of movement has made the world into a single whole. Hence, any war which broke out anywhere will destroy the whole of civilization and not merely some part of it, the part affected by the war, as has been the case in the past. That is why the new powers conferred upon men by science increasingly demand a world government, if they are not to result in man's destruction.
What is the theme of the passage?

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 8

The author talks about powers conferred by science. This automatically limits our answer choices to (1) & (2). But there is no mention in passage about destructive nature of science (1). This makes option (2) as correct answer.

Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 9

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
The collapse of the USSR has led many to wonder whether Marxism too may come to the end of its tether. But Marxism, as we have seen, is essentially an interpretation of capitalism in which socialism and its final stage, communism, emerge as the still-unrealized potential within capitalism itself, as a way of resolving the main problems created by capitalism using means that have themselves come into existence during the capitalist era. What failed in the Soviet Union, then, Marxists will argue, is not Marxism but an effort to build socialism without any of the preconditions, such as developed industry, material plenty, democratic institutions, and a literate public, that arise with capitalism and which Marx considered absolutely necessary to the success of this effort.
What is the theme of the passage?

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 9

The main idea as discussed in most of the passage is about the absence of preconditions, which led to failure of Marxism in Soviet Union. It is in option (1) that the preconditions are referenced; therefore it is marked as the correct answer.

Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 10

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
Firefox is a classic overnight success, many years in the making. Published by the Mozilla Foundation, Firefox is a Web browser that is fast and filled with features that Microsoft's stodgy Internet Explorer lacks. Firefox installs in a snap, and it is free. Microsoft has always viewed Internet Explorer's tight integra`ion with Windows to be an attractive feature. That, h`wever, was before security became the unmet need of the day. Firefox sits lightly on top of Windows, in a separation from the underlying operating system that the Mozilla Foundation's president, Mitchell Baker, calls a natural defense.
What is the theme of the passage?

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 10

“Open source software” can be used by anyone and is independent of the hardware, i.e. not bound by a particular brand or system. This passage highlights the reasons for overnight success of Firefox. Hence, (3) is the answer.

Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 11

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
Most people do not know that Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts of America, was deaf. She began to lose her hearing when she was 17, and became almost totally deaf in her adulthood. Juliette married William Mackay Low and they went to England to live. Juliette became interested in the Girl Guides Association there. Juliette organized several Girl Guides troops in both England and Scotland. Since she could not do all the work herself, she had to ask other women to help her. Sometimes the women were reluctant to give their time due to family responsibilities. However, Juliette was a very determined woman. When the women refused, she would pretend that she didn't understand what they said. As a result, the women helped her in spite of being busy. When Juliette came back to America for a visit, she started the first Girl Guides troop in the country in her home town, Savannah. By the time she went back to England six months later, there were six Girl Guide troops in Savannah. At that time, the girls made their own uniforms. In 1913, the Girl Guides changed its name to the Girl Scouts. Juliette Low came back to Savannah that same year.
The main idea of this passage can best be stated as

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 11

The main idea of the story is that Juliette`s determination made Girls Scout troops possible. The correct answer is therefore (1).

Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 12

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
If we are right in what we have been saying, most of the greatest men, other than artists, have been actuated in their important activities by motives unconnected with sex. If such activities are to persist, and are, in their humbler forms, to become common, it is necessary that sex should not over-shadow the remainder of a man's emotional and passionate nature. The desire to understand the world and the desire to reform it are the two great engines of progress, without which human society would stand still or retrogress. It may be that too complete a happiness would cause the impulses to knowledge and reform to fade.
What is the theme of the passage?

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 12

Option (4) is the only statement connected to the passage. Human progress has been impelled by impulses unrelated to sex. None of the other options can be inferred from the passage. Therefore, option (4) is correct.

Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 13

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
There are two distinct vantage points from which a piece of work may be evaluated: according to the aesthetics of its medium, or according to its popularity in the market.That these distinctions are rarely made explicit causes no small mischief. As the economy grows more fiercely competitive, commercial evaluation ("Two thumbs up!") can all but silence aesthetic criticism. Several decades ago, before competition began to intensify, there were arbiters of taste - art critics, reviewers, essayists, educators, and graybeards - within the professions who continually passed judgment on the quality of work being done. They presided over a continuing discussion about standards, which reminded society about the difference between the good and the popular. But in a world of intensifying competition in which consumers can get exactly what they want - where software can even analyse their past purchases and advise them on what else they will enjoy or find interesting - such standard-bearers seem increasingly irrelevant.
What is the theme of the passage?

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 13

Option (3) not only satisfies both the vantage points discussed in the passage, the aesthetics and the popularity in the market, but also the relative disadvantage of the former in today`s materialistic world. Hence, (3) is the answer.

Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 14

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
Many of us use Grand Goals to deny our own freedom. We allow ourselves to become the slaves of our Goals. You know the story. Get up in the morning. Go to work. You confront the tasks in front of you. You experience each moment as a means to the next. One job leads to another. You become the tool of your tasks. This is slavery, not freedom. Slaves are chained to the goals of their masters. Many of us think we are free because we are not, technically speaking, slaves. We have not been bought on the slave trader`s block. We are free to run away any time we want. Or are we? We do not run away. What holds us? Our Goals. However exhilarating freedom can be, we are afraid to surrender those navigational aids that could steer us out of Dante`s dark wood. Goals and purposes are so good for giving a direction to life. They are such good organizers of actions. Single-mindedness, for what it`s worth, becomes possible.
What is the theme of the passage?

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 14

The passage discusses that our goals have made us slaves of our own selves and we are not able to run away from them. This is because "You become the tool of your tasks ". Option (5) is a cogent explanation of the passage and forms the answer.

Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 15

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
From the wealth of science we have selected certain parts. And our choice has in no way been influenced by a consideration of the higher interests of humanity. It has simply followed the direction of our natural tendencies. The principles of the greatest convenience and of the least effort, the pleasure procured by speed, change, and comfort, and also the need of escaping from ourselves, are the determining factors in the success of new inventions. But no one has ever asked himself how we would stand the enormous acceleration of the rhythm of life resulting from rapid transportation, telegraph, telephone, modern business methods, machines that write and calculate, and those that do all the housekeeping drudgery of former times. The tendency responsible for the universal adoption of the airplane, the automobile, the cinema, the telephone, the radio, and, in the near future, of television, is as natural as that which, in the night of the ages, led our ancestors to drink alcohol. Steam-heated houses, electric lighting, elevators, biological morals, and chemical adulteration of foodstuffs have been accepted solely because those innovations were agreeable and convenient. But no account whatever has been taken of their probable effect on human beings.
What is the theme of the passage?

Detailed Solution for Test Level 2: Main Idea - Question 15

Option (3) sums up the theme of the passage that the applications of scientific discoveries have transformed the material and mental worlds and they exert on us a profound influence. But this transformation has come without consideration for our nature, which emphasises on the need of a better knowledge for man. Hence, (3) is the answer.

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