CAT Previous Year Questions: Para Summary - 1 (July 19) - CAT MCQ

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.

The passage discusses the phenomenon of counterfactual thinking, highlighting that people spontaneously create counterfactual alternatives to reality for various reasons. These reasons include explaining the past, preparing for the future, implicating various relations (including causal ones), affecting emotions, and supporting moral judgments. Additionally, the passage mentions that the ability to create counterfactuals develops throughout childhood and contributes to reasoning about other people's beliefs. Option C effectively encompasses these key points, making it the most accurate summary of the passage.

Option A focuses primarily on the preparation for the future aspect, neglecting the broader reasons for creating counterfactual alternatives.

Option B does not emphasize the developmental aspect and various reasons for creating

Option D inaccurately suggests that counterfactual thinking helps reverse past and future actions, which is not the main point of the passage, and it oversimplifies the role of counterfactuals.

The passage contrasts the 1950s, where perfectionism meant conforming to societal norms, with contemporary times, where individuals feel pressured to stand out and gain attention through unique style and wit. This evolution from conformism to non-conformism is a key point in the passage, making Option B the most accurate summary. It effectively captures the changing nature of perfectionism in response to multifarious and contradictory societal expectations over the decades.

Option A focuses on the media's role and people adhering to ideals, which is not the primary emphasis of the passage that highlights the evolution of societal expectations over time.

Option C suggests tension and conflict related to the changing idea of perfection, but the passage emphasises the historical shift in expectations rather than conflict.

Option D overgeneralizes by stating that people are willing to go to any lengths to attract attention, which is not explicitly supported by the passage that highlights the changing nature of perfectionism.

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.

The passage discusses the increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves due to climate change, with vulnerable groups experiencing uneven impacts. It emphasizes that adaptation to heatwaves is a significant public policy concern. The research findings suggest that even vulnerable individuals may not perceive themselves as at risk of extreme heat, highlighting the importance of understanding how extreme heat is narrated. The passage specifically mentions the central role of the news media in warning people about the potential danger of heatwaves and their impacts on infrastructure and society. Option C effectively conveys the primary focus on heatwaves posing a substantial risk and the critical role of the media in alerting the public to this danger.

Option A implies a general importance of protection without specifically highlighting the role of the media in alerting people to the risks of heatwaves.

Option B acknowledges the vulnerability to heatwaves but it does not emphasize the role of the media in alerting people and suggests a broader critique of measures taken.

Option D mentions the need for news stories to become more effective but does not emphasize the central role of the media in alerting people to the risk of heatwaves, as the passage does.

The passage describes how life on the island is gradually improving, particularly for birds like Antarctic prions and white-headed petrels. It highlights that these birds are increasing in numbers as pests are controlled on the island. The absence of pests allows the birds to return, breed, and contribute to the ecosystem positively. The passage also mentions how bird droppings add nutrients to the soil, supporting plant growth. Overall, Option B effectively conveys the central theme of the passage - the revival and improvement of life on the island due to the absence of pests and the positive impact on birds and plants.

Option A incorrectly suggests an increase in the number of predatory birds, which contradicts the positive developments mentioned in the passage.
Option C is incorrect as the passage doesn't explicitly state that this protection is the primary cause of the positive changes.

Option D is more general and doesn't specifically address the absence of pests as a crucial factor in the positive transformation mentioned in the passage.

The main points of the paragraph are:

i) The copying of fashion ideas unique to particular cultures or heritages is rising in this age of social media.

ii) The original communities are not credited and compensated when their unique ideas are used.

Option A: This is a distorted option. It is generalizing that copying a fashion idea is tantamount to stealing(not specifying whether it is done with or without the consent of the original communities.).Thus, this is not the correct option.

Option B: Again, this is a very general and extreme option. Also, it is a distorted inference that the media has encouraged mass production. Thus, this is also not the correct option.

Option C: Since this includes both the main points, this is the correct option.

Option D: This is a distorted option and does not include the main ideas of the paragraph.

Thus, the correct option is C.

The given passage discusses the role of petitioning in democratic governance; it highlights how petitioning can shape political agendas, recruit citizens to causes, give voice to the voteless, and apply the discipline of rhetorical argument to clarify points of view. The passage also compares petitioning to elections, stating that petitioning supplements the electoral process and enables ongoing engagement with the government. The author does not make a judgment about the relative superiority of petitioning or elections, but rather focuses on the specific ways in which petitioning can contribute to democratic functioning. Option C accurately summarizes the points discussed above. 

Option A is incorrect because the passage does not state that petitioning is "an ideal form of representative democracy." It only mentions that petitioning can give voice to the voteless and apply the discipline of rhetorical argument, but it does not make a broader claim about the superiority of petitioning over other forms of democracy.

Option B is incorrect because the passage does not suggest that citizens are becoming less inclined to petitioning. In fact, the passage does not address the prevalence of petitioning in contemporary times at all.

Option D is incorrect because the passage does not state that petitioning is more representative of the collective voice than elections. It only mentions that petitioning can give voice to the voteless, but it does not make a comparison to elections in this regard. The passage also does not suggest that the functioning of democratic government would necessarily improve if we relied more on petitioning instead of holding periodic elections; it simply states that petitioning has been important to democratic functioning in the past, and that it supplements the electoral process by enabling ongoing engagement with the government.

The passage touches upon the historical relationship between Ethiopia and Europe during the medieval period. The traditional narrative of this relationship has portrayed Ethiopia as weak and in need of military assistance from Europe, but recent research has revealed that this narrative is not accurate and that Ethiopia was actually a well-connected and outward-looking culture that engaged in missions of diplomacy, faith, and commerce with Europe. The passage also notes that these new findings challenge historians to re-imagine the connections between Ethiopia and Europe during this period and to consider the role of Ethiopia as a more active participant in these relationships. Option C accurately reflects the main points made in the passage [that the traditional narrative of Ethiopia's relationship with Europe is inaccurate]

Option A is incorrect because it suggests that the connections between Ethiopia and Europe were primarily military and commercial in nature, which is not stated in the passage. Similarly, Option B implies that historians had a mistaken view of Ethiopia's relationship with Europe, which is not stated in the passage. The idea in Option D - which suggests that medieval texts were biased in favour of Europe and against Africa - cannot be understood from the discussion.

Hence, Option C is the correct choice. 

The main ideas of the paragraph are:

i) The alphabetical order did not directly follow the discovery of alphabets.

ii) Scholars were reluctant to categorize the alphabet in the middle ages because of the fear of rejection of the divine order.

iii) Only after the rediscovery of Greek and Roman classics and the Government bureaucracy in later centuries did the categorization happen.

Option A misses capturing the point of why scholars were reluctant to categorize things according to the alphabet.
Option C is factually incorrect in mentioning the ban on the use. Option D can be eliminated on the same grounds as option A.

Option B captures the essence of the main points most aptly and hence, is the best answer.

Thus, the correct option is B.