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DIRECTIONS for the question: Read the passage and answer the question based on it.
Until I was 35 years old I thought talking about the weather was for losers. A waste of time, insulting even. No one can do anything about the weather anyway. I believed that any comment  that does not offer new insight or otherwise advance the cause of humanity is just so much hot air. I might make an exception for intimate friends, but I sure did not want that kind of intimacy with the man on the street, or the one in my office.
Then something happened. Alone for the first time in a long time, living in challenging circumstances, experiencing a cold winter in New England, I noticed the weather. It affected me deeply and directly, every single day. Slowly it dawned on me that the weather affected everyone else, too. Maybe talking about it wasn't totally vacuous after all.
I started with the cashier at a gas station. I figured I'd never see her again, so it was pretty safe. She has no clue that I was a smart person with a lot of potential. Years of cynicism made me almost laugh as I said. 'Sure got a lot of snow this year so far. Yep, was her reply. Then she said, I could barely get my car out of the lot, be careful driving. Talking about the weather was easy, even effortless. An entree to at least one person on the planet who apparently cared about me, at least enough to share her small challenge and want me safe on the road.
Next time I tried it at work. It turned out to be even more effective with people I already knew. Talking about the weather acted as a little bridge, sometimes to further conversation and sometimes just to the mutual acknowledgment of shared experience. Whether it was rainy or snowy or sunny or damp for everyone, each had their own relationship with the weather. They might be achy, delighted, burdened, grumpy, relieved or simply cold or hot. Like anything of personal importance, most were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it.
Then something else happened. As talking about the weather became more natural, I found myself talking about a whole lot more. I found out about people's families, their frustrations at work, their plans and aspirations. Plus, I found out that the weather is not the same for everyone! And it's only one of many factors dependent on location that you'll never know about without engaging in casual conversation.
For a businessperson, there may be no better way to make a connection, continue a thread, or open a deeper dialogue. Honoring the simple reality of another person's experience is an instant link to the bigger world outside one's self. It's the seed of empathy, and it's free.
Q. Why does the author call a discussion about weather ‘a seed of empathy’?
  • a)
    When your feelings about the weather match that of the other person, a permanent rapport is built
  • b)
    Showing sympathy generates a feeling of fellowship with the customer
  • c)
    Letting others vent their feeling in the form of reactions to the weather, helps to calm down the person
  • d)
    By getting the other person to talk, you are making an effort at understanding him
Correct answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?
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DIRECTIONSfor the question:Read the passage and answer the question ba...
The author uses the phrase “ a seed of empathy” when he is referring to a businessperson and states that talking about the weather creates a connection or leads to a deeper dialogue. It is a way to understand the other person and his plans, aspirations, family and frustrations. It is not only about the customer, hence option 2 is incorrect.
Moreover sympathy and empathy are different. Whether the rapport is permanent or not cannot be ascertained. Whether talking about the weather has a calming effect or not is not mentioned.
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DIRECTIONSfor the question:Read the passage and answer the question based on it.Until I was 35 years old I thought talking about the weather was for losers. A waste of time, insulting even. No one can do anything about the weather anyway. I believed that any comment that does not offer new insight or otherwise advance the cause of humanity is just so much hot air. I might make an exception for intimate friends, but I sure did not want that kind of intimacy with the man on the street, or the one in my office.Then something happened. Alone for the first time in a long time, living in challenging circumstances, experiencing a cold winter in New England, I noticed the weather. It affected me deeply and directly, every single day. Slowly it dawned on me that the weather affected everyone else, too. Maybe talking about it wasnt totally vacuous after all.I started with the cashier at a gas station. I figured Id never see her again, so it was pretty safe. She has no clue that I was a smart person with a lot of potential. Years of cynicism made me almost laugh as I said. Sure got a lot of snow this year so far. Yep, was her reply. Then she said, I could barely get my car out of the lot, be careful driving. Talking about the weather was easy, even effortless. An entree to at least one person on the planet who apparently cared about me, at least enough to share her small challenge and want me safe on the road.Next time I tried it at work. It turned out to be even more effective with people I already knew. Talking about the weather acted as a little bridge, sometimes to further conversation and sometimes just to the mutual acknowledgment of shared experience. Whether it was rainy or snowy or sunny or damp for everyone, each had their own relationship with the weather. They might be achy, delighted, burdened, grumpy, relieved or simply cold or hot. Like anything of personal importance, most were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it.Then something else happened. As talking about the weather became more natural, I found myself talking about a whole lot more. I found out about peoples families, their frustrations at work, their plans and aspirations. Plus, I found out that the weather is not the same for everyone! And its only one of many factors dependent on location that youll never know about without engaging in casual conversation.For a businessperson, there may be no better way to make a connection, continue a thread, or open a deeper dialogue. Honoring the simple reality of another persons experience is an instant link to the bigger world outside ones self. Its the seed of empathy, and its free.Q.In the fourth paragraph, what is meant by the phrase each had their own relationship with the weather?

DIRECTIONSfor the question:Read the passage and answer the question based on it.Until I was 35 years old I thought talking about the weather was for losers. A waste of time, insulting even. No one can do anything about the weather anyway. I believed that any comment that does not offer new insight or otherwise advance the cause of humanity is just so much hot air. I might make an exception for intimate friends, but I sure did not want that kind of intimacy with the man on the street, or the one in my office.Then something happened. Alone for the first time in a long time, living in challenging circumstances, experiencing a cold winter in New England, I noticed the weather. It affected me deeply and directly, every single day. Slowly it dawned on me that the weather affected everyone else, too. Maybe talking about it wasnt totally vacuous after all.I started with the cashier at a gas station. I figured Id never see her again, so it was pretty safe. She has no clue that I was a smart person with a lot of potential. Years of cynicism made me almost laugh as I said. Sure got a lot of snow this year so far. Yep, was her reply. Then she said, I could barely get my car out of the lot, be careful driving. Talking about the weather was easy, even effortless. An entree to at least one person on the planet who apparently cared about me, at least enough to share her small challenge and want me safe on the road.Next time I tried it at work. It turned out to be even more effective with people I already knew. Talking about the weather acted as a little bridge, sometimes to further conversation and sometimes just to the mutual acknowledgment of shared experience. Whether it was rainy or snowy or sunny or damp for everyone, each had their own relationship with the weather. They might be achy, delighted, burdened, grumpy, relieved or simply cold or hot. Like anything of personal importance, most were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it.Then something else happened. As talking about the weather became more natural, I found myself talking about a whole lot more. I found out about peoples families, their frustrations at work, their plans and aspirations. Plus, I found out that the weather is not the same for everyone! And its only one of many factors dependent on location that youll never know about without engaging in casual conversation.For a businessperson, there may be no better way to make a connection, continue a thread, or open a deeper dialogue. Honoring the simple reality of another persons experience is an instant link to the bigger world outside ones self. Its the seed of empathy, and its free.Q.As used in the third paragraph, the wordentreemost likely stands for

DIRECTIONSfor the question:Read the passage and answer the question based on it.Until I was 35 years old I thought talking about the weather was for losers. A waste of time, insulting even. No one can do anything about the weather anyway. I believed that any comment that does not offer new insight or otherwise advance the cause of humanity is just so much hot air. I might make an exception for intimate friends, but I sure did not want that kind of intimacy with the man on the street, or the one in my office.Then something happened. Alone for the first time in a long time, living in challenging circumstances, experiencing a cold winter in New England, I noticed the weather. It affected me deeply and directly, every single day. Slowly it dawned on me that the weather affected everyone else, too. Maybe talking about it wasnt totally vacuous after all.I started with the cashier at a gas station. I figured Id never see her again, so it was pretty safe. She has no clue that I was a smart person with a lot of potential. Years of cynicism made me almost laugh as I said. Sure got a lot of snow this year so far. Yep, was her reply. Then she said, I could barely get my car out of the lot, be careful driving. Talking about the weather was easy, even effortless. An entree to at least one person on the planet who apparently cared about me, at least enough to share her small challenge and want me safe on the road.Next time I tried it at work. It turned out to be even more effective with people I already knew. Talking about the weather acted as a little bridge, sometimes to further conversation and sometimes just to the mutual acknowledgment of shared experience. Whether it was rainy or snowy or sunny or damp for everyone, each had their own relationship with the weather. They might be achy, delighted, burdened, grumpy, relieved or simply cold or hot. Like anything of personal importance, most were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it.Then something else happened. As talking about the weather became more natural, I found myself talking about a whole lot more. I found out about peoples families, their frustrations at work, their plans and aspirations. Plus, I found out that the weather is not the same for everyone! And its only one of many factors dependent on location that youll never know about without engaging in casual conversation.For a businessperson, there may be no better way to make a connection, continue a thread, or open a deeper dialogue. Honoring the simple reality of another persons experience is an instant link to the bigger world outside ones self. Its the seed of empathy, and its free.Q.What is the main theme of the passage?

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions with the most appropriate choice.Every living creature was at some stage of its life nothing more than a single cell. It is generally known that human beings result from the union of an egg-cell and a sperm-cell, but it is not so universally understood that these germ-cells are part of a continuous stream of germ-plasm which has been in existence ever since the appearance of life on the globe, and which is destined to continue in existence as long as life remains on the globe. The corollaries of this fact are of great importance.Early investigators tended naturally to look on the germ-cells as a product of the body. Being supposedly products of the body, it was natural to think that they would in some measure reproduce the character of the body which created them; and Darwin elaborated an ingenious hypothesis to explain how the various characters could be represented in the germ-cell. The idea held by him, in common with most other thinkers of his period, is still held more or less unconsciously by those who have not given particular attention to the subject. Generation is conceived as a direct chain: the body produces the germ-cell which produces another body which in turn produces another germ-cell, and so on.But a generation ago this idea fell under suspicion. August Weismann, professor of zoölogy in the University of Freiburg, Germany, made himself the champion of the new idea, about 1885, and developed it so effectively that it is now a part of the creed of nearly every biologist. Weismann caused a general abandonment of the idea that the germ-cell is produced by the body in each generation, and popularized the conception of the germ-cell as a product of a stream of undifferentiated germ-plasm, not only continuous but (potentially at least) immortal. The body does not produce the germ-cells, he pointed out; instead, the germ-cells produce the body.The basis of this theory can best be understood by a brief consideration of the reproduction of very simple organisms. "Death is the end of life," is the belief of many other persons than the Lotus Eaters. It is commonly supposed that everything which lives must eventually die. But study of a one-celled animal, an Infusorian, for example, reveals that when it reaches a certain age it pinches in two, and each half becomes an Infusorian in all appearance identical with the original cell. Has the parent cell then died? It may rather be said to survive, in two parts. Each of these daughter cells will in turn go through the same process of reproduction by simple fission, and the process will be continued in their descendants. The Infusorian can be called potentially immortal, because of this method of reproduction.The immortality, as Weismann pointed out, is not of the kind attributed by the Greeks to their gods, who could not die because no wound could destroy them. On the contrary, the Infusorian is extremely fragile, and is dying by millions at every instant; but if circumstances are favorable, it can live on; it is not inevitably doomed to die sooner or later, as is Man. "It dies from accident often, from old age never." Now the single-celled Infusorian is in many respects comparable with the single-celled germ of the higher animals. The analogy has often been carried too far; yet it remains indisputable that the germ-cells of men reproduce in the same way - by simple fission - as the Infusorian and other one-celled animals and plants, and that they are organized on much the same plan. Given favorable circumstances, the germ-cell should be expected to be equally immortal. Does it ever find these favorable circumstances?The author of the passage would agree with the statement

Read the following passage and answer the questions associated with each of them.Pieces of behavior, beliefs, arguments, policies, and other exercises of the human mind may all be described as rational. To accept something as rational is to accept it as making sense, as appropriate, or required, or in accordance with some acknowledged goal, such as aiming at truth or aiming at the good.The contrast between "rational coherence" and "reason", might be questioned. In principle, the answer to this question might perfectly coincide: that what agents have reason, or ought, to do just is what it would be rationally coherent for them to do, and vice versa. In several ways, however, the answers might be expected to diverge.First, even if what one ought to do is just to make one's responses globally coherent, what it takes to make one's responses locally coherent might differ from what it takes to make them globally coherent. By Subjective Desire-Based Theory, what agents have reason, or ought, to do or intend is just what, liven what they believe their circumstances to be, would best satisfy their strongest, present intrinsic desires. Suppose that the agent's strongest, present intrinsic desire is for health. Nevertheless, he intends to have a smoke, believing that lighting up is a necessary means. By Subjective Desire-Based Theory Theory, it is not the case that he ought to intend to light up. If he were globally coherent, the agent would not intend to light up. But if he does form an intention to light up, he achieves a kind local coherence.Second, what the agent has reason, or ought, to do or intend may depend not on what she believes her circumstances to be, but on something more "objective." What an agent has reason, or ought, to do, might be what the evidence (where this depends on something other than her attitudes) available to the agent suggests about her circumstances, what the evidence of the person making the reason- or ought-claim suggests about the agent's circumstances, what the evidence of the person assessing the claim suggests about the agent's circumstances, or all of the relevant facts about the agent's circumstances. Consider the Objective Desire-Based Theory-agents have reason, or ought, to do or intend just what, given what their circumstances actually are, would best satisfy their strongest, present intrinsic desires taken as a whole. Suppose the agent's strongest, present intrinsic desire is to drink a gin and tonic, and she so intends. However, she mistakenly believes that the stuff in this bottle is gin, when it is in fact petrol. So she believes that mixing the stuff with tonic is a means to drinking a gin and tonic. According to the Objective Desire-Based Theory, she does not have reason to intend to mix the stuff with tonic and drink it. But if she does so intend, she might be said to have achieved a kind of rational coherence, both local and global.Third, one might hold not a Desire-Based Theory, but a Value-Based Theory-whatever ultimate ends an agent has reason, or ought, to achieve depend not on what she desires or wills, but instead on what is of independent value. Suppose the madman's strongest, present intrinsic desire is to set off a nuclear war, and he so intends. Moreover, the madman knows that intending to press this button is a necessary and sufficient means to setting off a nuclear war. In intending to press this button, the madman would achieve a kind of coherence, both local and global. By Desire-Based Theories, the madman ought so to intend. By Value-Based Theory, this is not the case.There are several reasons to expect at least some divergence between what one has reason, or ought, to do or intend, and what it would be rationality coherent for one to do or intend. But that is perfectly compatible with partial convergence. Among the things that agents have reason, or ought, to do or intend is precisely to make their responses rationally coherent. Just as we ought not to torture, or ought to care for our children, we ought to be rationally coherent.Q. What is the. difference between rational local coherence and rational global coherence?

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DIRECTIONSfor the question:Read the passage and answer the question based on it.Until I was 35 years old I thought talking about the weather was for losers. A waste of time, insulting even. No one can do anything about the weather anyway. I believed that any comment that does not offer new insight or otherwise advance the cause of humanity is just so much hot air. I might make an exception for intimate friends, but I sure did not want that kind of intimacy with the man on the street, or the one in my office.Then something happened. Alone for the first time in a long time, living in challenging circumstances, experiencing a cold winter in New England, I noticed the weather. It affected me deeply and directly, every single day. Slowly it dawned on me that the weather affected everyone else, too. Maybe talking about it wasnt totally vacuous after all.I started with the cashier at a gas station. I figured Id never see her again, so it was pretty safe. She has no clue that I was a smart person with a lot of potential. Years of cynicism made me almost laugh as I said. Sure got a lot of snow this year so far. Yep, was her reply. Then she said, I could barely get my car out of the lot, be careful driving. Talking about the weather was easy, even effortless. An entree to at least one person on the planet who apparently cared about me, at least enough to share her small challenge and want me safe on the road.Next time I tried it at work. It turned out to be even more effective with people I already knew. Talking about the weather acted as a little bridge, sometimes to further conversation and sometimes just to the mutual acknowledgment of shared experience. Whether it was rainy or snowy or sunny or damp for everyone, each had their own relationship with the weather. They might be achy, delighted, burdened, grumpy, relieved or simply cold or hot. Like anything of personal importance, most were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it.Then something else happened. As talking about the weather became more natural, I found myself talking about a whole lot more. I found out about peoples families, their frustrations at work, their plans and aspirations. Plus, I found out that the weather is not the same for everyone! And its only one of many factors dependent on location that youll never know about without engaging in casual conversation.For a businessperson, there may be no better way to make a connection, continue a thread, or open a deeper dialogue. Honoring the simple reality of another persons experience is an instant link to the bigger world outside ones self. Its the seed of empathy, and its free.Q.Why does the author call a discussion about weather ‘a seed of empathy’?a)When your feelings about the weather match that of the other person, a permanent rapport is builtb)Showing sympathy generates a feeling of fellowship with the customerc)Letting others vent their feeling in the form of reactions to the weather, helps to calm down the persond)By getting the other person to talk, you are making an effort at understanding himCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?
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DIRECTIONSfor the question:Read the passage and answer the question based on it.Until I was 35 years old I thought talking about the weather was for losers. A waste of time, insulting even. No one can do anything about the weather anyway. I believed that any comment that does not offer new insight or otherwise advance the cause of humanity is just so much hot air. I might make an exception for intimate friends, but I sure did not want that kind of intimacy with the man on the street, or the one in my office.Then something happened. Alone for the first time in a long time, living in challenging circumstances, experiencing a cold winter in New England, I noticed the weather. It affected me deeply and directly, every single day. Slowly it dawned on me that the weather affected everyone else, too. Maybe talking about it wasnt totally vacuous after all.I started with the cashier at a gas station. I figured Id never see her again, so it was pretty safe. She has no clue that I was a smart person with a lot of potential. Years of cynicism made me almost laugh as I said. Sure got a lot of snow this year so far. Yep, was her reply. Then she said, I could barely get my car out of the lot, be careful driving. Talking about the weather was easy, even effortless. An entree to at least one person on the planet who apparently cared about me, at least enough to share her small challenge and want me safe on the road.Next time I tried it at work. It turned out to be even more effective with people I already knew. Talking about the weather acted as a little bridge, sometimes to further conversation and sometimes just to the mutual acknowledgment of shared experience. Whether it was rainy or snowy or sunny or damp for everyone, each had their own relationship with the weather. They might be achy, delighted, burdened, grumpy, relieved or simply cold or hot. Like anything of personal importance, most were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it.Then something else happened. As talking about the weather became more natural, I found myself talking about a whole lot more. I found out about peoples families, their frustrations at work, their plans and aspirations. Plus, I found out that the weather is not the same for everyone! And its only one of many factors dependent on location that youll never know about without engaging in casual conversation.For a businessperson, there may be no better way to make a connection, continue a thread, or open a deeper dialogue. Honoring the simple reality of another persons experience is an instant link to the bigger world outside ones self. Its the seed of empathy, and its free.Q.Why does the author call a discussion about weather ‘a seed of empathy’?a)When your feelings about the weather match that of the other person, a permanent rapport is builtb)Showing sympathy generates a feeling of fellowship with the customerc)Letting others vent their feeling in the form of reactions to the weather, helps to calm down the persond)By getting the other person to talk, you are making an effort at understanding himCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? for CAT 2025 is part of CAT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the CAT exam syllabus. Information about DIRECTIONSfor the question:Read the passage and answer the question based on it.Until I was 35 years old I thought talking about the weather was for losers. A waste of time, insulting even. No one can do anything about the weather anyway. I believed that any comment that does not offer new insight or otherwise advance the cause of humanity is just so much hot air. I might make an exception for intimate friends, but I sure did not want that kind of intimacy with the man on the street, or the one in my office.Then something happened. Alone for the first time in a long time, living in challenging circumstances, experiencing a cold winter in New England, I noticed the weather. It affected me deeply and directly, every single day. Slowly it dawned on me that the weather affected everyone else, too. Maybe talking about it wasnt totally vacuous after all.I started with the cashier at a gas station. I figured Id never see her again, so it was pretty safe. She has no clue that I was a smart person with a lot of potential. Years of cynicism made me almost laugh as I said. Sure got a lot of snow this year so far. Yep, was her reply. Then she said, I could barely get my car out of the lot, be careful driving. Talking about the weather was easy, even effortless. An entree to at least one person on the planet who apparently cared about me, at least enough to share her small challenge and want me safe on the road.Next time I tried it at work. It turned out to be even more effective with people I already knew. Talking about the weather acted as a little bridge, sometimes to further conversation and sometimes just to the mutual acknowledgment of shared experience. Whether it was rainy or snowy or sunny or damp for everyone, each had their own relationship with the weather. They might be achy, delighted, burdened, grumpy, relieved or simply cold or hot. Like anything of personal importance, most were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it.Then something else happened. As talking about the weather became more natural, I found myself talking about a whole lot more. I found out about peoples families, their frustrations at work, their plans and aspirations. Plus, I found out that the weather is not the same for everyone! And its only one of many factors dependent on location that youll never know about without engaging in casual conversation.For a businessperson, there may be no better way to make a connection, continue a thread, or open a deeper dialogue. Honoring the simple reality of another persons experience is an instant link to the bigger world outside ones self. Its the seed of empathy, and its free.Q.Why does the author call a discussion about weather ‘a seed of empathy’?a)When your feelings about the weather match that of the other person, a permanent rapport is builtb)Showing sympathy generates a feeling of fellowship with the customerc)Letting others vent their feeling in the form of reactions to the weather, helps to calm down the persond)By getting the other person to talk, you are making an effort at understanding himCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for CAT 2025 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for DIRECTIONSfor the question:Read the passage and answer the question based on it.Until I was 35 years old I thought talking about the weather was for losers. A waste of time, insulting even. No one can do anything about the weather anyway. I believed that any comment that does not offer new insight or otherwise advance the cause of humanity is just so much hot air. I might make an exception for intimate friends, but I sure did not want that kind of intimacy with the man on the street, or the one in my office.Then something happened. Alone for the first time in a long time, living in challenging circumstances, experiencing a cold winter in New England, I noticed the weather. It affected me deeply and directly, every single day. Slowly it dawned on me that the weather affected everyone else, too. Maybe talking about it wasnt totally vacuous after all.I started with the cashier at a gas station. I figured Id never see her again, so it was pretty safe. She has no clue that I was a smart person with a lot of potential. Years of cynicism made me almost laugh as I said. Sure got a lot of snow this year so far. Yep, was her reply. Then she said, I could barely get my car out of the lot, be careful driving. Talking about the weather was easy, even effortless. An entree to at least one person on the planet who apparently cared about me, at least enough to share her small challenge and want me safe on the road.Next time I tried it at work. It turned out to be even more effective with people I already knew. Talking about the weather acted as a little bridge, sometimes to further conversation and sometimes just to the mutual acknowledgment of shared experience. Whether it was rainy or snowy or sunny or damp for everyone, each had their own relationship with the weather. They might be achy, delighted, burdened, grumpy, relieved or simply cold or hot. Like anything of personal importance, most were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it.Then something else happened. As talking about the weather became more natural, I found myself talking about a whole lot more. I found out about peoples families, their frustrations at work, their plans and aspirations. Plus, I found out that the weather is not the same for everyone! And its only one of many factors dependent on location that youll never know about without engaging in casual conversation.For a businessperson, there may be no better way to make a connection, continue a thread, or open a deeper dialogue. Honoring the simple reality of another persons experience is an instant link to the bigger world outside ones self. Its the seed of empathy, and its free.Q.Why does the author call a discussion about weather ‘a seed of empathy’?a)When your feelings about the weather match that of the other person, a permanent rapport is builtb)Showing sympathy generates a feeling of fellowship with the customerc)Letting others vent their feeling in the form of reactions to the weather, helps to calm down the persond)By getting the other person to talk, you are making an effort at understanding himCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?.
Solutions for DIRECTIONSfor the question:Read the passage and answer the question based on it.Until I was 35 years old I thought talking about the weather was for losers. A waste of time, insulting even. No one can do anything about the weather anyway. I believed that any comment that does not offer new insight or otherwise advance the cause of humanity is just so much hot air. I might make an exception for intimate friends, but I sure did not want that kind of intimacy with the man on the street, or the one in my office.Then something happened. Alone for the first time in a long time, living in challenging circumstances, experiencing a cold winter in New England, I noticed the weather. It affected me deeply and directly, every single day. Slowly it dawned on me that the weather affected everyone else, too. Maybe talking about it wasnt totally vacuous after all.I started with the cashier at a gas station. I figured Id never see her again, so it was pretty safe. She has no clue that I was a smart person with a lot of potential. Years of cynicism made me almost laugh as I said. Sure got a lot of snow this year so far. Yep, was her reply. Then she said, I could barely get my car out of the lot, be careful driving. Talking about the weather was easy, even effortless. An entree to at least one person on the planet who apparently cared about me, at least enough to share her small challenge and want me safe on the road.Next time I tried it at work. It turned out to be even more effective with people I already knew. Talking about the weather acted as a little bridge, sometimes to further conversation and sometimes just to the mutual acknowledgment of shared experience. Whether it was rainy or snowy or sunny or damp for everyone, each had their own relationship with the weather. They might be achy, delighted, burdened, grumpy, relieved or simply cold or hot. Like anything of personal importance, most were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it.Then something else happened. As talking about the weather became more natural, I found myself talking about a whole lot more. I found out about peoples families, their frustrations at work, their plans and aspirations. Plus, I found out that the weather is not the same for everyone! And its only one of many factors dependent on location that youll never know about without engaging in casual conversation.For a businessperson, there may be no better way to make a connection, continue a thread, or open a deeper dialogue. Honoring the simple reality of another persons experience is an instant link to the bigger world outside ones self. Its the seed of empathy, and its free.Q.Why does the author call a discussion about weather ‘a seed of empathy’?a)When your feelings about the weather match that of the other person, a permanent rapport is builtb)Showing sympathy generates a feeling of fellowship with the customerc)Letting others vent their feeling in the form of reactions to the weather, helps to calm down the persond)By getting the other person to talk, you are making an effort at understanding himCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? in English & in Hindi are available as part of our courses for CAT. Download more important topics, notes, lectures and mock test series for CAT Exam by signing up for free.
Here you can find the meaning of DIRECTIONSfor the question:Read the passage and answer the question based on it.Until I was 35 years old I thought talking about the weather was for losers. A waste of time, insulting even. No one can do anything about the weather anyway. I believed that any comment that does not offer new insight or otherwise advance the cause of humanity is just so much hot air. I might make an exception for intimate friends, but I sure did not want that kind of intimacy with the man on the street, or the one in my office.Then something happened. Alone for the first time in a long time, living in challenging circumstances, experiencing a cold winter in New England, I noticed the weather. It affected me deeply and directly, every single day. Slowly it dawned on me that the weather affected everyone else, too. Maybe talking about it wasnt totally vacuous after all.I started with the cashier at a gas station. I figured Id never see her again, so it was pretty safe. She has no clue that I was a smart person with a lot of potential. Years of cynicism made me almost laugh as I said. Sure got a lot of snow this year so far. Yep, was her reply. Then she said, I could barely get my car out of the lot, be careful driving. Talking about the weather was easy, even effortless. An entree to at least one person on the planet who apparently cared about me, at least enough to share her small challenge and want me safe on the road.Next time I tried it at work. It turned out to be even more effective with people I already knew. Talking about the weather acted as a little bridge, sometimes to further conversation and sometimes just to the mutual acknowledgment of shared experience. Whether it was rainy or snowy or sunny or damp for everyone, each had their own relationship with the weather. They might be achy, delighted, burdened, grumpy, relieved or simply cold or hot. Like anything of personal importance, most were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it.Then something else happened. As talking about the weather became more natural, I found myself talking about a whole lot more. I found out about peoples families, their frustrations at work, their plans and aspirations. Plus, I found out that the weather is not the same for everyone! And its only one of many factors dependent on location that youll never know about without engaging in casual conversation.For a businessperson, there may be no better way to make a connection, continue a thread, or open a deeper dialogue. Honoring the simple reality of another persons experience is an instant link to the bigger world outside ones self. Its the seed of empathy, and its free.Q.Why does the author call a discussion about weather ‘a seed of empathy’?a)When your feelings about the weather match that of the other person, a permanent rapport is builtb)Showing sympathy generates a feeling of fellowship with the customerc)Letting others vent their feeling in the form of reactions to the weather, helps to calm down the persond)By getting the other person to talk, you are making an effort at understanding himCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? defined & explained in the simplest way possible. Besides giving the explanation of DIRECTIONSfor the question:Read the passage and answer the question based on it.Until I was 35 years old I thought talking about the weather was for losers. A waste of time, insulting even. No one can do anything about the weather anyway. I believed that any comment that does not offer new insight or otherwise advance the cause of humanity is just so much hot air. I might make an exception for intimate friends, but I sure did not want that kind of intimacy with the man on the street, or the one in my office.Then something happened. Alone for the first time in a long time, living in challenging circumstances, experiencing a cold winter in New England, I noticed the weather. It affected me deeply and directly, every single day. Slowly it dawned on me that the weather affected everyone else, too. Maybe talking about it wasnt totally vacuous after all.I started with the cashier at a gas station. I figured Id never see her again, so it was pretty safe. She has no clue that I was a smart person with a lot of potential. Years of cynicism made me almost laugh as I said. Sure got a lot of snow this year so far. Yep, was her reply. Then she said, I could barely get my car out of the lot, be careful driving. Talking about the weather was easy, even effortless. An entree to at least one person on the planet who apparently cared about me, at least enough to share her small challenge and want me safe on the road.Next time I tried it at work. It turned out to be even more effective with people I already knew. Talking about the weather acted as a little bridge, sometimes to further conversation and sometimes just to the mutual acknowledgment of shared experience. Whether it was rainy or snowy or sunny or damp for everyone, each had their own relationship with the weather. They might be achy, delighted, burdened, grumpy, relieved or simply cold or hot. Like anything of personal importance, most were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it.Then something else happened. As talking about the weather became more natural, I found myself talking about a whole lot more. I found out about peoples families, their frustrations at work, their plans and aspirations. Plus, I found out that the weather is not the same for everyone! And its only one of many factors dependent on location that youll never know about without engaging in casual conversation.For a businessperson, there may be no better way to make a connection, continue a thread, or open a deeper dialogue. Honoring the simple reality of another persons experience is an instant link to the bigger world outside ones self. Its the seed of empathy, and its free.Q.Why does the author call a discussion about weather ‘a seed of empathy’?a)When your feelings about the weather match that of the other person, a permanent rapport is builtb)Showing sympathy generates a feeling of fellowship with the customerc)Letting others vent their feeling in the form of reactions to the weather, helps to calm down the persond)By getting the other person to talk, you are making an effort at understanding himCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?, a detailed solution for DIRECTIONSfor the question:Read the passage and answer the question based on it.Until I was 35 years old I thought talking about the weather was for losers. A waste of time, insulting even. No one can do anything about the weather anyway. I believed that any comment that does not offer new insight or otherwise advance the cause of humanity is just so much hot air. I might make an exception for intimate friends, but I sure did not want that kind of intimacy with the man on the street, or the one in my office.Then something happened. Alone for the first time in a long time, living in challenging circumstances, experiencing a cold winter in New England, I noticed the weather. It affected me deeply and directly, every single day. Slowly it dawned on me that the weather affected everyone else, too. Maybe talking about it wasnt totally vacuous after all.I started with the cashier at a gas station. I figured Id never see her again, so it was pretty safe. She has no clue that I was a smart person with a lot of potential. Years of cynicism made me almost laugh as I said. Sure got a lot of snow this year so far. Yep, was her reply. Then she said, I could barely get my car out of the lot, be careful driving. Talking about the weather was easy, even effortless. An entree to at least one person on the planet who apparently cared about me, at least enough to share her small challenge and want me safe on the road.Next time I tried it at work. It turned out to be even more effective with people I already knew. Talking about the weather acted as a little bridge, sometimes to further conversation and sometimes just to the mutual acknowledgment of shared experience. Whether it was rainy or snowy or sunny or damp for everyone, each had their own relationship with the weather. They might be achy, delighted, burdened, grumpy, relieved or simply cold or hot. Like anything of personal importance, most were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it.Then something else happened. As talking about the weather became more natural, I found myself talking about a whole lot more. I found out about peoples families, their frustrations at work, their plans and aspirations. Plus, I found out that the weather is not the same for everyone! And its only one of many factors dependent on location that youll never know about without engaging in casual conversation.For a businessperson, there may be no better way to make a connection, continue a thread, or open a deeper dialogue. Honoring the simple reality of another persons experience is an instant link to the bigger world outside ones self. Its the seed of empathy, and its free.Q.Why does the author call a discussion about weather ‘a seed of empathy’?a)When your feelings about the weather match that of the other person, a permanent rapport is builtb)Showing sympathy generates a feeling of fellowship with the customerc)Letting others vent their feeling in the form of reactions to the weather, helps to calm down the persond)By getting the other person to talk, you are making an effort at understanding himCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? has been provided alongside types of DIRECTIONSfor the question:Read the passage and answer the question based on it.Until I was 35 years old I thought talking about the weather was for losers. A waste of time, insulting even. No one can do anything about the weather anyway. I believed that any comment that does not offer new insight or otherwise advance the cause of humanity is just so much hot air. I might make an exception for intimate friends, but I sure did not want that kind of intimacy with the man on the street, or the one in my office.Then something happened. Alone for the first time in a long time, living in challenging circumstances, experiencing a cold winter in New England, I noticed the weather. It affected me deeply and directly, every single day. Slowly it dawned on me that the weather affected everyone else, too. Maybe talking about it wasnt totally vacuous after all.I started with the cashier at a gas station. I figured Id never see her again, so it was pretty safe. She has no clue that I was a smart person with a lot of potential. Years of cynicism made me almost laugh as I said. Sure got a lot of snow this year so far. Yep, was her reply. Then she said, I could barely get my car out of the lot, be careful driving. Talking about the weather was easy, even effortless. An entree to at least one person on the planet who apparently cared about me, at least enough to share her small challenge and want me safe on the road.Next time I tried it at work. It turned out to be even more effective with people I already knew. Talking about the weather acted as a little bridge, sometimes to further conversation and sometimes just to the mutual acknowledgment of shared experience. Whether it was rainy or snowy or sunny or damp for everyone, each had their own relationship with the weather. They might be achy, delighted, burdened, grumpy, relieved or simply cold or hot. Like anything of personal importance, most were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it.Then something else happened. As talking about the weather became more natural, I found myself talking about a whole lot more. I found out about peoples families, their frustrations at work, their plans and aspirations. Plus, I found out that the weather is not the same for everyone! And its only one of many factors dependent on location that youll never know about without engaging in casual conversation.For a businessperson, there may be no better way to make a connection, continue a thread, or open a deeper dialogue. Honoring the simple reality of another persons experience is an instant link to the bigger world outside ones self. Its the seed of empathy, and its free.Q.Why does the author call a discussion about weather ‘a seed of empathy’?a)When your feelings about the weather match that of the other person, a permanent rapport is builtb)Showing sympathy generates a feeling of fellowship with the customerc)Letting others vent their feeling in the form of reactions to the weather, helps to calm down the persond)By getting the other person to talk, you are making an effort at understanding himCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice DIRECTIONSfor the question:Read the passage and answer the question based on it.Until I was 35 years old I thought talking about the weather was for losers. A waste of time, insulting even. No one can do anything about the weather anyway. I believed that any comment that does not offer new insight or otherwise advance the cause of humanity is just so much hot air. I might make an exception for intimate friends, but I sure did not want that kind of intimacy with the man on the street, or the one in my office.Then something happened. Alone for the first time in a long time, living in challenging circumstances, experiencing a cold winter in New England, I noticed the weather. It affected me deeply and directly, every single day. Slowly it dawned on me that the weather affected everyone else, too. Maybe talking about it wasnt totally vacuous after all.I started with the cashier at a gas station. I figured Id never see her again, so it was pretty safe. She has no clue that I was a smart person with a lot of potential. Years of cynicism made me almost laugh as I said. Sure got a lot of snow this year so far. Yep, was her reply. Then she said, I could barely get my car out of the lot, be careful driving. Talking about the weather was easy, even effortless. An entree to at least one person on the planet who apparently cared about me, at least enough to share her small challenge and want me safe on the road.Next time I tried it at work. It turned out to be even more effective with people I already knew. Talking about the weather acted as a little bridge, sometimes to further conversation and sometimes just to the mutual acknowledgment of shared experience. Whether it was rainy or snowy or sunny or damp for everyone, each had their own relationship with the weather. They might be achy, delighted, burdened, grumpy, relieved or simply cold or hot. Like anything of personal importance, most were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it.Then something else happened. As talking about the weather became more natural, I found myself talking about a whole lot more. I found out about peoples families, their frustrations at work, their plans and aspirations. Plus, I found out that the weather is not the same for everyone! And its only one of many factors dependent on location that youll never know about without engaging in casual conversation.For a businessperson, there may be no better way to make a connection, continue a thread, or open a deeper dialogue. Honoring the simple reality of another persons experience is an instant link to the bigger world outside ones self. Its the seed of empathy, and its free.Q.Why does the author call a discussion about weather ‘a seed of empathy’?a)When your feelings about the weather match that of the other person, a permanent rapport is builtb)Showing sympathy generates a feeling of fellowship with the customerc)Letting others vent their feeling in the form of reactions to the weather, helps to calm down the persond)By getting the other person to talk, you are making an effort at understanding himCorrect answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice CAT tests.
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