Para Jumbles- 1 CAT Previous Year Questions with Answer PDF

Q1: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) given below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer.
1. Algorithms hosted on the internet are accessed by many, so biases in AI models have resulted in much larger impact, adversely affecting far larger groups of people.
2. Though "algorithmic bias" is the popular term, the foundation of such bias is not in algorithms, but in the data; algorithms are not biased, data is, as algorithms merely reflect persistent patterns that are present in the training data.
3. Despite their widespread impact, it is relatively easier to fix AI biases than human-generated biases, as it is simpler to identify the former than to try to make people unlearn behaviors learnt over generations.
4. The impact of biased decisions made by humans is localised and geographically confined, but with the advent of AI, the impact of such decisions is spread over a much wider scale.    [2023]
Sol: Sentence 4 is the best one to start the paragraph, as it is the most general one and also because it talks of the 'advent of AI'.
41 is a strong link: 4 states that with the advent of AI, the impact of biased decisions is 'spread over a much wider scale'. 1 explains why this is so.
23 is also a strong link. 2 explains that the foundation of bias is not in algorithms, but in the data. 3 adds to 2, stating that AI biases are easier to fix than human-generated biases.
So, 4123 is the correct order.

Q2: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) given below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer.
1. What precisely are the "unusual elements" that make a particular case so attractive to a certain kind of audience?
2 . It might be a particularly savage or unfathomable level of depravity, very often it has something to do with the precise amount of mystery involved.
3. Unsolved, and perhaps unsolvable cases offer something that "ordinary" murder doesn't.
4. Why are some crimes destined for perpetual re-examination and others locked into permanent obscurity?   [2023] 
Sol: 41 is a strong link. Both of these are questions related to why some crimes are destined for perpetual re-examination while others aren't. 4 goes before 1 as it is more general.
The answers to the question in 1 is given in 2. The "unusual elements" that make a particular case so attractive to a certain kind of audience may be a particularly savage or unfathomable level of depravity, something to do with the precise amount of mystery involved.
3 concludes the paragraph stating that unsolved or unsolvable cases offer something that "ordinary" murder does not.
4123 is the correct choice.

Q3: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) given below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer.
1. Contemporary African writing like 'The Bottled Leopard' voices this theme using two children and two backgrounds to juxtapose two varying cultures.
2. Chukwuemeka Ike explores the conflict, and casts the Western tradition as condescending, enveloping and unaccommodating towards local African practice.
3. However, their views contradict the reality, for a rich and sustaining local African cultural ethos exists for all who care, to see and experience.
4. Western Christian concepts tend to deny or feign ignorance about the existence of a genuine and enduring indigenous African tradition.   [2023]  
Sol: Sentence 4 is the best opening sentence.
43 is a strong link: 4 states the Western Christian concepts tend to deny or ignore the existence of an indigenous African tradition. 3 explains that this view contradicts reality.
Sentence 1 offers an example to support 3 and sentence 2 adds to 1.
4312 is the correct order.

Q4: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) given below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer.
1. Like the ants that make up a colony, no single neuron holds complex information like self-awareness, hope or pride.
2. Although the human brain is not yet understood enough to identify the mechanism by which emergence functions, most neurobiologists agree that complex interconnections among the parts give rise to qualities that belong only to the whole.
3. Nonetheless, the sum of all neurons in the nervous system generate complex human emotions like fear and joy, none of which can be attributed to a single neuron.
4. Human consciousness is often called an emergent property of the human brain.   [2023]  
Sol: 4 is the best starting sentence.
13 is a strong link: 1 states that no single neuron holds complex information like self-awareness, hope or pride. 3 explains that, nonetheless, the sum of all neurons in the nervous system generates complex human emotions like fear and joy.
2 concludes the paragraph stating that though the mechanism by which emergence functions is not yet understood, most neurobiologists agree that complex interconnections among the parts give rise to qualities of the whole.
4132 is the correct order.

Q5: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) given below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer.
1. Veena Sahajwalla, a materials scientist at the University of New South Wales, believes there is a new way of solving this problem.
2. Her vision is for automated drones and robots to pick out components, put them into a small furnace and smelt them at specific temperatures to extract the metals one by one before they are sent off to manufacturers for reuse.
3. E-waste contains huge quantities of valuable metals, ceramics and plastics that could be salvaged and recycled, although currently not enough of it is.
4. She plans to build microfactories that can tease apart the tangle of materials in mobile phones, computers and other e-waste.   [2023]   
Sol: 3 is a general statement that outlines the main idea of the paragraph. So, 3 is the starting sentence. All other sentences relate to Veena Sahajwalla's approach to solve the problem of e-waste. So, 1, which introduces Veena, follows 3. 4 outlines Veena's plan and 2 adds to 4, explaining how she plans to separate, extract and reuse the tangle of materials in e-waste.
3142 is the correct order.

Q6: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) given below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer.
1. Centuries later formal learning is still mostly based on reading, even with the widespread use of other possible education-affecting technologies such as film, radio, and television.
2. One of the immediate and recognisable impacts of the printing press was on how people learned; in the scribal culture it primarily involved listening, so memorization was paramount.
3. The transformation of learners from listeners to readers was a complex social and cultural phenomenon, and it was not until the industrial era that the concept of universal literacy took root.
4. The printing press shifted the learning process, as listening and memorisation gradually gave way to reading and learning no longer required the presence of a mentor; it could be done privately.   [2023]    
Sol: The paragraph explains how the process of learning has transformed over time. 2 is the best sentence to start the paragraph, as it talks about how the printing press transformed the learning process from listening and memorisation to reading. 4 adds to 2 and so it follows 2. 3 follows 4 as it relates to the idea in 24 and adds to this with a new idea- the concept of universal literacy that took root in the industrial era. 1 concludes the paragraph with the situation today, centuries later. So, 2431 is the correct order.

Q7: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:
1. Some company leaders are basing their decisions on locating offices to foster innovation and growth, as their best-performing inventors suffered the greatest productivity losses when their commutes grew longer.
2. Shorter commutes support innovation by giving employees more time in the office and greater opportunities for in-person collaboration, while removing the physical strain of a long commute.
3. This is not always the case: remote work does not automatically lead to greater creativity and productivity as office water-cooler conversations are also very important for innovation.
4. Some see the link between long commutes and productivity as support for work-from-home scenarios, as many workers have grown accustomed to their commute-free arrangements during the pandemic.    [2022]     
Sol: There is a clear link between sentences 1 and 2: both these sentences are about the positive effect of shorter commutes on employee performance.
Similarly, 43 is a strong link: sentence 4 says commute-free working is seen as key to improving productivity by some; 3 states that this is not always the case and explains why.
There is also a link between sentences 1 and 4: Sentence 4 starts with the pronoun 'some'. This clearly refers to some company leaders, the subject of sentence 1. So, 4 follows immediately after 1.
Given these links, we see that 2143 is the most logical order.

Q8: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:
1. The creative element in product design has become of paramount importance as it is one of the few ways a firm or industry can sustain a competitive advantage over its rivals.
2. In fact, the creative element in the value of world industry would be larger still, if we added the contribution of the creative element in other industries, such as the design of tech accessories.
3. The creative industry is receiving a lot of attention today as its growth rate is faster than that of the world economy as a whole.
4. It is for this reason that today's trade issues are increasingly involving intellectual property, as Western countries have an interest in protecting their revenues along with freeing trade in non-tangibles.   [2022]      
Sol: 3 is the best starting sentence as it is the most general. 32 is a clear link: Sentence 3 states the creative industry is growing faster than the world economy and 2 adds to this saying that if the  creative element in other industries is taken into consideration, the creative element in the value of world industry would be larger still.
Sentence 1 carries forward the idea in 32, explaining how the creative element in product design can help sustain a competitive advantage. Sentence 4 concludes the paragraph saying that this is reason why today's trade issues are focused on intellectual property.
3214 is the most logical order.

Q9: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:
1. Fish skin collagen has excellent thermo-stability and tensile strength making it ideal for use as bandage that adheres to the skin and adjusts to body movements.
2. Collagen, one of the main structural proteins in connective tissues in the human body, is well known for promoting skin regeneration.
3. Fish skin swims in here as diseases and bacteria that affect fish are different from most human pathogens.
4. The risk of introducing disease agents into other species through the use of pig and cow collagen proteins for wound healing has inhibited its broader applications in the medical field.   [2022]      
Sol: 2 is the best starting sentence. 24 is a strong link: 2 states that collagen promotes skin regeneration; 4 explains why, despite this, collagen has not been applied widely in the medical field.
43 is also a link: 4 is about pig and cow collagen proteins; 3 contrasts these with fish collagen.
1 adds to 3 and completes the paragraph.
So, 2431 is the correct order.

Q10: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) below, when properly sequenced would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:
1. A popular response is the exhortation to plant more trees.
2. It seems all but certain that global warming will go well above two degrees—quite how high no one knows yet.
3. Burning them releases it, which is why the scale of forest fires in the Amazon basin last year garnered headlines.
4. This is because trees sequester carbon by absorbing carbon dioxide.
Sol: The given collection of statements appears to correlate trees and global warming. Statements 4 and 3 form a logical block since they emphasise the significance of trees.
The author states that trees help in reducing carbon dioxide while burning trees leads to the release of carbon dioxide {'it' in statement 3 refers to carbon dioxide}. Statements 2 and 1 form a pair since 2 introduces a general belief and 1 mentions a 'popular response' to the same. People respond to the news about the increase in temperatures (due to global warming) by suggesting that we should plant more trees. The statement pair 4-3 then justifies this familiar exhortation. Hence, the correct arrangement is 2143.

Q11: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) below, when properly sequenced would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:
1. In the central nervous systems of other animal species, such a comprehensive regeneration of neurons has not yet been proven beyond doubt.
2. Biologists from the University of Bayreuth have discovered a uniquely rapid form of regeneration in injured neurons and their function in the central nervous system of zebrafish.
3. They studied the Mauthner cells, which are solely responsible for the escape behaviour of the fish, and previously regarded as incapable of regeneration.
4. However, their ability to regenerate crucially depends on the location of the injury.
Sol: A preliminary read gives us a crude idea about the subject: regeneration of neurons in zebrafish. The discovery is introduced in Statement 2 {'a uniquely rapid form of regeneration in injured neurons and their function in the central nervous system of zebrafish.'} Additional information is presented in statement 3 {what kind of cells were studied? how has the status quo changed?}. Statement 4 presents further clarification concerning the zebrafish {location of the injury is an essential variable} and Statement 1 transitions into an opinion about the regeneration phenomena in other animal species. Hence, arrangement 2341 forms a coherent paragraph.  

Q12: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) below, when properly sequenced would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:
1. The work is more than the text, for the text only takes on life, when it is realized and furthermore the realization is by no means independent of the individual disposition of the reader.
2. The convergence of text and reader brings the literary work into existence and this convergence is not to be identified either with the reality of the text or with the individual disposition of the reader.
3. From this polarity it follows that the literary work cannot be completely identical with the text, or with the realization of the text, but in fact must lie halfway between the two.
4. The literary work has two poles, which we might call the artistic and the aesthetic; the artistic refers to the text created by the author, and the aesthetic to the realization accomplished by the reader.
Sol: A brief reading of the sentences shows that the paragraph must be about the interplay of the artistic and aesthetic in determining the impact of artistic work. 4 properly introduces these two components and builds a foundation for further discussion. 3 refers to the polarity mentioned in 4, and then asserts that neither of the two components alone suffices to determine the value of a work. 2 builds on this assertion and says that the convergence of the two brings the literary work into existence. 1 then further talks about the matter saying that the realization aspect further depends upon the individual disposition of the reader. Thus 4321 is a coherent paragraph.

Q13: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) below, when properly sequenced would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:
1. But today there is an epochal challenge to rethink and reconstitute the vision and practice of development as a shared responsibility - a sharing which binds both the agent and the audience, the developed world and the developing, in a bond of shared destiny.
2. We are at a crossroads now in our vision and practice of development.
3. This calls for the cultivation of an appropriate ethical mode of being in our lives which enables us to realize this global and planetary situation of shared living and responsibility.
4. Half a century ago, development began as a hope for a better human possibility, but in the last fifty years, this hope has lost itself in the dreary desert of various kinds of hegemonic applications.
Sol: A brief reading of the sentences suggests that the paragraph is about the change needed in the way we go about development. 2 introduces the topic at hand, that this is a watershed moment when it comes to the subject of development. 41 make a mandatory pair, which talks about what the purpose of development was at the beginning and how it needs to be altered to suit the needs of today. 3 then aptly ends the paragraph, suggesting the measures that could be taken to counter the same. Hence, he proper sequence would be 2413.

Q14: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) below, when properly sequenced would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:
1. Look forward a few decades to an invention which can end the energy crisis, change the global economy and curb climate change at a stroke: commercial fusion power.
2. To gain meaningful insights, logic has to be accompanied by asking probing questions of nature through controlled tests, precise observations and clever analysis.
3. The greatest of all inventions is the über-invention that has provided the insights on which others depend: the modern scientific method.
4. This invention is inconceivable without the scientific method; it will rest on the application of a diverse range of scientific insights, such as the process transforming hydrogen into helium to release huge amounts of energy.
Sol: A brief reading of the sentences suggests that the paragraph is about great inventions, focusing on the importance of scientific method and how it forms the foundation for other great inventions. 32 forms an introductory pair that claims that the modern scientific method must be the greatest of all inventions and then talks about its mode of inquiry.
1 then presents an invention that could solve many problems in the future. 4 then claims that the invention would have been impossible if the scientific method did not precede it. Hence, the coherent arrangement is 3214.

Q15: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) below, when properly sequenced would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:
1. The US has long maintained that the Northwest Passage is an international strait through which its commercial and military vessels have the right to pass without seeking Canada’s permission.
2. Canada, which officially acquired the group of islands forming the Northwest Passage in 1880, claims sovereignty over all the shipping routes through the Passage.
3. The dispute could be transitory, however, as scientists speculate that the entire Arctic Ocean will soon be ice-free in summer, so ship owners will not have to ask for permission to sail through any of the Northwest Passage routes.
4. The US and Canada have never legally settled the question of access through the Passage, but have an agreement whereby the US needs to seek Canada’s consent for any transit.
Sol: A brief reading of the sentences suggests that the paragraph is about the dispute between the US and Canada over the Northwest passage.
2 is a better opening sentence than 1 as 21 forms a good introduction into the dispute. 2 mentions that Canada claims ownership over the passage, and 1 then mentions the counterclaim the US offers: the passage is an international route.
43 becomes a mandatory pair which follows 21. 4 mentions the historical development in the dispute: it has not been legally settled yet. 3 then hints about the future of this dispute: the dispute itself would vanish once the entire Arctic begins to stay ice-free in summer.
Hence, the coherent arrangement is 2143.