Practice Test: Reading Comprehension- 2 - CAT MCQ

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 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 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.

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.”

• Option C is the correct answer because the mention of "the Davos elite" in the passage serves to illustrate the perceived hypocrisy of wealthy individuals who profess to adhere to liberal values while simultaneously amassing the majority of the wealth. The author points to the contradiction between the elite's participation in events like discussions on creating a shared future and their exclusive access to privileges, symbolized by the use of private planes. This highlights the critique that the liberal rich, represented by the Davos elite, may not align their actions with the egalitarian ideals they claim to support, emphasizing a discrepancy between rhetoric and behavior.
• Option A is incorrect because the passage does not explicitly connect the decline in liberal values to the rich benefiting, but rather to internal contradictions and hubris.
• Option B is incorrect as the passage does not focus on how the debate around liberalism is captured by the rich; instead, it critiques the actions of the Davos elite.
• Option D is incorrect because the passage does not suggest that the rise in liberalism has led to greater interest in shared futures from unlikely social classes; rather, it critiques the behavior of the Davos elite as hypocritical.

“The most characteristic romantic commitment is to the idea that the character of art and beauty and of our engagement with them should shape all aspects of human life. Being fundamental to human existence, beauty and art should be a central ingredient not only in a philosophical or artistic life, but also in the lives of ordinary men and women.”

According to the passage, the romantics rejected the idea of confining aesthetics to a specific domain separate from practical and theoretical aspects of life. Instead, they believed that aesthetics, encompassing the character of art and beauty, should permeate all aspects of human existence, not only in philosophical or artistic lives but also in the lives of ordinary men and women.Therefore Option D is the correct answer.

• All the options, other than A, are direct signs of declining or ineffective liberalism. 
• Option B: Creation of business aristocracy, the author in the first paragraph says that liberalism promoted a meritocratic aristocracy and then went ahead to argue why the meritocratic aristocracy is not a good replacement of the old aristocracy. Creation of a business aristocracy and the rise of vast companies are against the ideals of liberalism. 
• Option C: Democracy has degenerated into a theatre of the absurd, this clearly shows the non-functionality of liberalism and is a pretty valid argument for the decline of liberalism. 
• Option D: The gap between liberalism’s claims about itself and the lived reality of the citizenry’ is now so wide that ‘the lie can no longer be accepted, this lines says that the gap between want liberalism asked us to do and what is actually different are two very different thing. This too can be an evidence of liberalism's decline. 
• Option A: And technological advances are reducing ever more areas of work into meaningless drudgery, while this line does talk about the technological advancement in a negative sense, it does not necessarily provide evidence of the decline of liberalism per se. Instead, it highlights a potential consequence or critique within the context of technological advances. The negative impact of technology on certain types of work might be seen as a challenge that needs to be addressed within the liberal framework rather than direct evidence of the decline of liberalism.
• The same challenge could be seen at a time when liberalism was prospering and thus is not an evidence of its decline. 

The passage suggests that recent studies on romanticism do not seek to overlook the differences between national romanticisms but rather attempt to characterize romanticism in terms of particular philosophical questions and concerns. The focus is on understanding romanticism without ignoring the diversity among different national expressions of it. Therefore Option B is the correct answer as it is not supported by the passage.

Option A: Although the passage acknowledges the challenges in characterizing romantic aesthetics, it also argues that it is not impossible or undesirable. Scholars recognize the difficulty but still emphasize the importance of discovering the nature of romanticism.
Option C: The passage mentions that the views of romantics on art and beauty are often found in fragments, aphorisms, and poems rather than in fully developed theoretical accounts. This emphasizes the elusive and suggestive nature of their expressions.

Option D: The passage notes that many romantics rejected the identification of aesthetics with a circumscribed domain of human life that is separated from the practical and theoretical domains of life. Instead, they believed that the character of art and beauty should shape all aspects of human life.

• The author is likely to agree with the statement in Option C, as it aligns with the author's argument in the passage that liberalism has historically reformed itself in the face of challenges. The author emphasizes the ability of liberalism to address internal problems and reform rather than attributing its success to being the dominant ideal in the past century.
• Option A: While the author emphasizes the historical ability of liberalism to reform itself, there is an acknowledgment of its current challenges and failures. Therefore, the author might not fully endorse the idea that claims about liberalism's disintegration are merely exaggerated misunderstandings.
• Option B: The author may disagree with this statement as it suggests accepting liberalism's decline and seeking a substitute, which contradicts the call to reform liberalism.
• Option D:The author may disagree with this statement as it simplifies the essence of liberalism, which the author argues encompasses various intellectual traditions and responses to the trade-off between rights and responsibilities.

Option C is the correct answer because it accurately reflects the passage's explanation of why recent studies on romanticism avoid seeking "a single definition, a specific time, or a specific place." According to the passage, these studies opt to characterize romanticism in terms of "particular philosophical questions and concerns" rather than attempting to provide a singular, all-encompassing definition. The reason for this approach is to delve into the fundamental concerns of the romantics, recognizing that romanticism is a complex and multifaceted movement with diverse expressions in different nations and contexts.

The passage suggests that romanticism is not easily confined to a single, universally applicable definition due to the variety of romanticisms in different nations. Instead of discrediting or refuting Lovejoy's skepticism (Option D), recent studies acknowledge the challenges and complexities of defining romanticism but seek to understand it by focusing on the core philosophical questions and concerns that were central to the romantics' worldview.

Option D is the correct answer because the passage does not mention or suggest that the British don't buy second-hand clothing. Instead, the passage discusses challenges related to luxury brands and their reluctance to circulate their latest season stock globally at a cheaper price. The reasons mentioned include the financial aspect(Option A), concerns about brand image(Option B), and the desire to avoid devaluing their products(Option D). Therefore, the passage does not attribute the slow adoption of companies like ThredUP in the UK to the British not buying second-hand clothing.

“The main difficulty in studying the romantics, according to him, is the lack of any “single real entity, or type of entity” that the concept “romanticism” designates.”

Option B is the correct answer because it accurately captures the main difficulty highlighted in the passage when studying romanticism. The passage, particularly referencing Arthur Lovejoy, emphasizes the challenge posed by the lack of clear conceptual contours or a single, cohesive entity associated with the term "romanticism." Lovejoy's assertion that romanticism is the "scandal of literary history and criticism" underscores the difficulty in defining the boundaries and characteristics of this literary and artistic movement.

The elusive and suggestive nature of romantic aesthetics (Option A) is mentioned in the passage as a challenge, but it is not identified as the main difficulty. Similarly, the controversial and scandalous history of romantic literature (Option C) is not specified as the primary obstacle. The absence of written accounts by romantic poets and artists (Option D) is acknowledged as a challenge, but the primary difficulty highlighted in the passage is the lack of clear conceptual contours associated with romanticism.

• Option A is the correct answer because the passage emphasizes the environmental issues associated with fast fashion, including the wasteful disposal of garments in landfills. The opposite of this disposable and rapid turnover nature of fast fashion would be a more sustainable and durable approach, which aligns with the idea of "slow fashion."
• The passage suggests that buying high-quality items that last longer is a way to combat the negative environmental impact of the fashion industry. Therefore, 'slow fashion' can be inferred to refer to clothes that are of high quality and long-lasting, promoting a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to fashion consumption.

The irony of "thrifting," as discussed in the passage, is rooted in its unintended environmental consequences. While thrifting is commonly associated with sustainable and eco-friendly practices, the passage highlights a potential environmental issue linked to the act. Specifically, the passage mentions a study commissioned by Patagonia that reveals older clothes, often found in second-hand stores, tend to shed more microfibers. These microfibers can end up in rivers and oceans, contributing to microfiber pollution. Therefore, the seemingly environmentally conscious act of thrifting, aimed at reducing waste, may inadvertently result in environmental problems through the shedding of microfibers during the washing of older garments.Therefore Option A is the correct answer

• The central idea of the passage is the promotion of sustainable shopping practices, particularly second-hand shopping, as a means to combat the detrimental environmental effects of the fashion industry. But, the passage also discusses the need for consumers to be mindful of the environmental impact of their clothing choices, opting for high-quality items that last longer and shed fewer microfibers.
• The passage argues that opting for second clothing might not always be beneficial for the environment by highlighting the microfibre pollution that they can potentially cause. Now, if the second-hand clothes being sold were only of higher quality, it would take care of this problem ([They would be well advised to buy] high-quality items that shed less and last longer [as this] combats both microfibre pollution and excess garments ending up in landfills”)
• So, the correct answer is Option C.
• Option A is more about the purchasing channel than the nature of the clothes so it does not necessarily undermine the central idea of the passage.
• Option B supports the central idea by reducing environmental harm.
• Option D could align with the sustainability goal and support the central idea, so it doesn't necessarily undermine it.

The correct answer is:

d) decline in the number of hunting licences.

The passage outlines several issues faced by the residents of Lozère, including a lack of schools, poor communication infrastructure, and livestock losses due to wolves. However, while the passage mentions the decline in hunting participation, it does not state that this is a problem faced by the residents of Lozère directly. It is presented as part of the broader context of wolf population