Test: CAT Verbal & Reading Comprehension- 4 - CAT MCQ

The main concern of the author is that the process of de-extinction and its implications are varied and its potential benefits are highly debatable. It brings up a lot of questions, the answers to which are not always deeply delved into. Option 1 is incorrect because it is just a passing reference that the author makes in the first paragraph. The whole passage does not concern this. Option 2 is incorrect because the 'interest of scientists' is extraneous to the passage. Option 4 is incorrect because it demonises nature and is not what the entire passage talks about.

The premise of the essay is to weigh the pros and cons of de-extinction. Therefore, like Kornfeldt, the author also feels that de-extinction gives rise to more questions than it can answer. Option 1 is incorrect because it is the author's opinion and it cannot be inferred from the text that Kornfeldt expressed the same opinion. Option 2 is incorrect because the author does not reject her claim. Option 3 is incorrect because he agrees with the opposite of this which is Kornfeldt's opinion.

Option 3 is correct. It can be derived from "... part derives from a kind of species guilt. Scientists disagree over whether it was in fact humans, rather than early climate change, that killed off mammoths, giant sloths and other megafauna ..." and "... that nature itself cares much either way, being the most brutal engine of extinction on the planet."
Option 1 is incorrect because of the phrase 'duck soup' which means something that is easy to accomplish.
Option 2 is incorrect because the author does not state it as his opinion. He states this in line: "Part of the motivation is simply aesthetic, and part derives from a kind of species guilt."
Option 4 is incorrect because it is stated in the text in a different context.

Option 1, 2 and 3 can be derived from the lines: "Part of the motivation is simply aesthetic...", "...it diverts resources from the attempt to save species that have not yet become extinct" and "reviving them, to some minds, would be a kind of symbolic expiation for all our other environmental depredations, returning us to a prelapsarian innocence in our relationships with other animals." Option 4 is incorrect because it is too far-fetched. Reviving lost species is one thing, but recreating an entire world with "mammoths, giant sloths and other megafauna" is too extreme.

Option 1 is inferable from, 'This view is contingent upon an anachronistic view of music's public acceptance.' This means that the audience is first liable to understand the music and only then find it pleasurable. Not the other way around.
Option 2 is clearly stated in the text, '... it ignores social and economic factors of artistic production'.
Option 3 is correct as the writer states Adorno's view is based on unjustifiable set of aesthetic standards.
Option 4: Adorno suggests that the composers emphasise upon producing pleasurable music rather than meaningful music in order to please the audience. This indicates that the audience, according to Adorno, favours the pleasing qualities of music over its meaningfulness.

Option 2: It is clearly mentioned that 'Adorno claims that Schoenberg avoided pre-conceived forms'. This means that according to Adorno, Schoenberg was a musical pioneer.
Option 3: Refer to the lines, 'And while Adorno ... fails to acknowledge his implicit claim that the treatment of the subject in Bach and his successors is less ... valid when it focuses more on the cause by which the work arises rather than the purpose it serves. Adorno ... ignores Schoenberg's massive ideological departure from the western tradition.' These lines suggest that he refrains from addressing what his claims imply and altogether ignores certain factors that force him to do so.
Option 4: Refer to the lines, 'Adorno's essay is marked by indignation at Schoenberg's reputation for inaccessibility. According to Adorno ... 'if one does not understand something, it is customary to project one's own inadequacy on to the object, declaring it to be incomprehensible'.' So, according to Adorno, if one does not understand Schoenberg's work, then it is because they lack the intellectual faculty for it.

The main theme of the text is Adorno's critique of classical and romantic composers for deviating from Bach's philosophically constructive approach to music. (Refer to the lines, 'essentially he claims that Beethoven et al rejected Bach's challenging, philosophically constructive methodology in favor of 'a category existing prior to the subject-matter and oriented on external consensus', a category Adorno broadly defines as style.')

According to the question stem, all but one statement, if false, agree with the facts in the text.
We are to find the statement that is true as it is, according to the text.
Option 2: This is the correct answer. Refer to the lines, 'Debussy responded that his music was governed only by his pleasure-a remark that, while possibly hedonistic, reflects the same logic that led Schoenberg to abandon classical tonality.' This suggests that both Debussy and Schoenberg were driven by what they found most pleasurable.
Option 1: This is not true. Refer to the lines, 'Beethoven was one of the most controversial, avant-garde composers of his day. Reviews of his work constantly criticise the random chord and key changes, and absurd instrumentation ...'. This suggests that his work did not follow the musical norms of his time.
Option 3: This is not true. Refer to the line, 'Modern aesthetic standards cannot be retroactively applied.' This suggests that past musical works cannot be judged on the basis of modern standards.
Option 4: This is not true. Refer to the line, 'Reviews of his (Beethoven's) work constantly criticise the random chord and key changes, and absurd instrumentation-criticisms matched in character by only a few composers in history, Schoenberg probably foremost.'
This means that Schoenberg's work had marked similarities with Beethoven's music.

(c) Teaching percentages in isolation can improve a child's mathematical understanding. Option C is not a valid inference from the passage, as it contradicts the idea that teaching percentages, fractions, and decimals in isolation should be avoided. The passage emphasizes the importance of linking these topics to develop a deep mathematical understanding in children.

(a) This option is too narrow. The passage mentions the importance of understanding the relationship between percentages, fractions, and decimals but also includes ratios and proportions as being related, as stated by Reys et al. (2010).
(b) This option correctly captures the relationship between percentages, fractions, decimals, ratios, and proportions as described in the passage. Reys et al. (2010) believe that percentages are more closely linked with ratios and proportions, and understanding percentages requires no new skills beyond those used in identifying fractions, decimals, ratios, and proportions. 
(c) This option is alien to the passage. The passage emphasizes the importance of understanding the relationship between percentages, fractions, decimals, ratios, and proportions and does not suggest that they are unrelated.
(d) This option is too extreme. The passage explicitly states that understanding percentages requires no new skills beyond those used in identifying fractions, decimals, ratios, and proportions, as mentioned by Reys et al. (2010).
Option (a) and (d) can be eliminated using the BANE Theory, as they are too narrow and too extreme, respectively. Option (c) is alien to the passage and can also be eliminated. Option (b) is the most accurate representation of the passage's viewpoint on the relationship between percentages, fractions, decimals, ratios, and proportions.

The main argument of the fourth paragraph is about misconceptions that can occur due to the use of rules and recipes in teaching percentages, especially by teachers who are not fully confident with the topic. The paragraph also states that effective teaching can lead to better understanding and confidence in children.
(a) Misconceptions in mathematics are more damaging than difficulties in calculation - This statement is Alien to the main argument of the fourth paragraph, as it is a statement made in the third paragraph, not the fourth.
(b) Effective teaching of percentages is the sole responsibility of the teacher - This statement is too Extreme. The paragraph does mention that it is the teacher's responsibility for children's success in the subject area. However, it does not state that it is the sole responsibility of the teacher.
(c) The use of rules and recipes in teaching percentages can lead to misconceptions and is not a reliable method - This statement closely reflects the main argument of the fourth paragraph. The paragraph discusses how using rules and recipes can cause misconceptions if children forget or misapply them and that this method is not the most reliable for children.
(d) Teaching percentages in isolation can hinder children's deep mathematical understanding - This statement is Alien to the main argument of the fourth paragraph, as it is a statement made in the second paragraph, not the fourth.
Hence, the correct answer is option C: The use of rules and recipes in teaching percentages can lead to misconceptions and is not a reliable method.

The correct answer is (d). The passage identifies several potential difficulties children might encounter when learning percentages, such as misunderstanding the terms 'of' and 'out of', struggling to comprehend the percentage of a quantity, and finding it challenging to make the linkage between percentages and fractions or decimals. However, the passage does not suggest that children might prefer to learn percentages in isolation of fractions and decimals. Instead, it warns against teaching these topics in isolation to maintain a child’s deep mathematical understanding.
Analyzing the incorrect options: Option (a) is suggested in the first paragraph: "Research has shown that there has been one difficulty which is more common than others; the meaning of the terms ‘of’ and ‘out of’."
Option (b) is found in the second paragraph: "Killen and Hindhaugh (2018) state that a difficulty could occur when they are asking for a percentage of a quantity."
Option (c) is discussed in the third paragraph: "Hansen also comments that the key to succession in the understanding of percentages is the relationship and understanding the children have with fractions and decimals."
While options (a), (b), and (c) are potential difficulties presented in the passage, option (d) is not, hence, making it the correct answer.

The text mentions, 'We must also reject the already outdated idea that we as biological entities are unitary individuals. What constitutes us as biological organisms is actually not just our body mass ... the microorganisms living in symbiosis with our bodies.' It suggests that the old idea of consciousness is based on the unitary nature of humans.
Option 1: It is not supported by the text. It is nowhere mentioned that the old ideology fails to explain any features of consciousness.
Option 3 is incorrect. On the contrary, the old ideology is rather narrow in its approach. It advocates for a centralised origin (in brain) of consciousness.
Option 4: This cannot be inferred from anywhere in the text.

The main idea of the text is that consciousness emerges from the symbiotic relation between the mind and the gut microbes. So, option 4 is correct.

Option 2: The text states that just because two entities share a physical space, it does not mean that they are a single individual. They must also have a shared functionality to qualify as one.
Option 1: The text states that a vast majority of the symbiotic bacteria dwells in our gut and that microbes are responsible for our emotional states. So, it may be inferred that a healthy gut would promote a healthy state of mind.
Option 3: The text clearly states, '... the symbiotic microbiota can reflect changes in the environment faster and thus provide time for the host genome to evolve ... better chances to adapt to environmental changes and hence survive.' So, the gut microbes help the host in their evolutionary journey.
Option 4: Refer to the lines, 'Scientists call the biological entity referring to the host and its microbiota 'holobiont'. The holobiont concept of an individual applies to the vast majority of organisms on Earth.' These lines suggest that the host-microbiota relation is observed across several species.

(The typical example of symbiosis is the digestive process of cow. Cows are not capable of digesting grass themselves; it is the bacteria living in their stomachs doing the job.) So, according to the example, the cows (host) are dependent upon the microbes for a physiological process (digestion). The most similar relation is seen in option 3.
(1): It suggests a relation where a host is better off without its microbiota. A cow, however, would not be able to survive without its bacteria, as they help it in digestion.
(2): Though the cow depends on the bacteria for digestion, it uses its own digestive system.
(4): This relation is opposite to the relation mentioned in the text. Here, the microbiota is dependent upon the host.

Sentence 3 introduces the concept of 'gender based' categorisation and its impact on the way people 'interact with one another'. This acts as an introductory statement since the remaining sentences discuss the sort of interaction taking place. "These negative characteristics" in 4 were first introduced in 2. So 2 will come before 4. Sentence 1 will come at the end of this text since it can't come between 2 and 4 even though 'hegemonic masculinity' is mentioned in both 2 and 1. The sentence with "these" should follow immediately after its first reference. Moreover, the last sentence tends to go in a different direction and states that a new discussion about a film will be made. Thus, the correct sequence is 3241.

1. Not true. It is not the "pleasures" that lack "divinity"; it is the "man" who lacks something in him that he feels unhappy about despite the pleasures.
2. Not true. It is not "dissatisfaction" but the lack of complete satisfaction.
3. True. Man remains unhappy not because of indulgences but in spite of them, he partakes in them, and still cannot be happy. This means he has something in him that cannot be made happy by the material or worldly things. Thus, it may be inferred that some part in him is unworldly.
4. Not true. The author has not mentioned anywhere that man longs for something out of this world.

In Harold's dream, he encountered the loathsome creatures in "a land" where small slug-like animals with slimy tentacles lived on people's bodies. This indicates:

• Harold found the creatures in a different land, not in his village, house, or office.
• The dream's setting symbolizes an unfamiliar or abstract place, representing his feelings about societal pressures.

Therefore, the correct answer is B: in a different land.

1. Incorrect. 'Society' need not seek super social features. However, it, the society, is righteous, and this righteousness is a social feature.
2. Incorrect. Concept of 'super society' has not been discussed.
3. Incorrect. This is true, but not the essence of the passage.
4. Correct. A principled society sustains its morality by virtue of something that is not a part of the society. 'The stability of society does not rest with the society itself.'

1. Incorrect. Not true. Since 'spirit' is something that man cannot think about, it cannot be said that it compromises or impairs the ability of man to form thoughts.
2. Correct. What is spirit? In what form does it exist? These questions challenge the human mind. Since the challenge is about the nature of existence of the spirit, it is rightly termed as one of ontology.
3. Incorrect. Again, in no way is man challenged or compromised in his ability to think.
4. Incorrect. Though this is true according to the text, this does not capture the essence of the paragraph.

The text is about deepfakes and how they appear to be pretty convincing. Sentence 4 begins the paragraph. 'This is ...' may make the statement look like not an introductory statement. However, when compared to other statements, this introduces the 'other side' or another problem of deepfakes being too realistic around which all other statements revolve. "Uneasy feeling" in 4 is restated in sentence 3 as "sense of uneasiness". "Distrust" in 3 goes with "trust" in 2. So we have a 4-3-2 link. Sentence 2 should come before 1 as sentence 2 further explains how deepfakes "improve the convincingness" – by "represent[ing] people's image and voice" and "impersonation".

Sentence 2 appears to be an overarching statement as it talks about a question that is to be discussed further in the passage and also about what scientific community is doing to find out the answers. "How life began on Earth" in 2 is restated in 4 as "the origin of life" and gives an extension by way of "a variety of theories". One such theory is explained in 3 and 1 so they will come directly after 4. "Their" microbial communities in 1 refers to "Hot volcanic springs" which are "candidate for early life". Thus, the correct sequence is 2431

The given statement demands explanation for why the Japanese revulsion to tipping is obvious. This is available right after the second blank – the Japanese follow the philosophy of "the craftsmanship" and prefer to receive compliments in lieu of money as a way of appreciation. The only exception to this revulsion can be seen in Japan's traditional tatami-matted guesthouses – 'ryokans'. Option 2 is the answer.
Option 1 is incorrect. The following sentence ('It is also a place') does not find reference to a place in the question sentence.
Option 3 is incorrect, as it should reflect something contrary to the Japanese revulsion to tipping.
Option 4 is incorrect. The preceding sentence does not depict the Japanese revulsion to tipping, but mentions the method of receiving tips by them in 'ryokans'.