Practice Doc: CAT 2019 For Verbal (Slot - 2) | Additional Study Material for CAT PDF Download

Instructions 
Comprehension: 
For two years, I tracked down dozens of . . . Chinese in Upper Egypt [who were] selling lingerie. In a deeply conservative region, where Egyptian families rarely allow women to work or own businesses, the Chinese flourished because of their status as outsiders. They didn’t gossip, and they kept their opinions to themselves. In a New Yorker article entitled “Learning to Speak Lingerie,” I described the Chinese use of Arabic as another non-threatening characteristic. I wrote, “Unlike Mandarin, Arabic is inflected for gender, and Chinese dealers, who learn the language strictly by ear, often pick up speech patterns from female customers. I’ve come to think of it as the lingerie dialect, and there’s something disarming about these Chinese men speaking in the feminine voice.” . . .
When I wrote about the Chinese in the New Yorker, most readers seemed to appreciate the unusual perspective. But as I often find with topics that involve the Middle East, some people had trouble getting past the black-and-white quality of a byline. “This piece is so orientalist I don’t know what to do,” Aisha Gani, a reporter who worked at The Guardian, tweeted. Another colleague at the British paper, Iman Amrani, agreed: “I wouldn’t have minded an article on the subject written by an Egyptian woman—probably would have had better insight.” . . .
As an MOL (man of language), I also take issue with this kind of essentialism. Empathy and understanding are not inherited traits, and they are not strictly tied to gender and race. An individual who wrestles with a difficult language can learn to be more sympathetic to outsiders and open to different experiences of the world. This learning process—the embarrassments, the frustrations, the gradual sense of understanding and connection—is invariably transformative. In Upper Egypt, the Chinese experience of struggling to learn Arabic and local culture had made them much more thoughtful. In the same way, I was interested in their lives not because of some kind of voyeurism, but because I had also experienced Egypt and Arabic as an outsider. And both the Chinese and the Egyptians welcomed me because I spoke their languages. My identity as a white male was far less important than my ability to communicate.
And that easily lobbed word—“Orientalist”—hardly captures the complexity of our interactions. What exactly is the dynamic when a man from Missouri observes a Zhejiang native selling lingerie to an Upper Egyptian woman? . . . If all of us now stand beside the same river, speaking in ways we all understand, who’s looking east and who’s looking west? Which way is Oriental?
For all of our current interest in identity politics, there’s no corresponding sense of identity linguistics. You are what you speak—the words that run throughout your mind are at least as fundamental to your selfhood as is your ethnicity or your gender. And sometimes it’s healthy to consider human characteristics that are not inborn, rigid, and outwardly defined. After all, you can always learn another language and change who you are.
1. According to the passage, which of the following is not responsible for language’s ability to change us?
(A) The ups and downs involved in the course of learning a language.
(B) Language’s ability to mediate the impact of identity markers one is born with.
(C) The twists and turns in the evolution of language over time.
(D) Language’s intrinsic connection to our notions of self and identity.
Ans. (C)
Solution: 
"This learning process—the embarrassments, the frustrations, the gradual sense of understanding and connection—is invariably transformative." From this sentence, the option A can be inferred. Hence it is incorrect.
"After all, you can always learn another language and change who you are." From this line, option B can be inferred. Hence it is incorrect.
"You are what you speak—the words that run throughout your mind are at least as fundamental to your selfhood as is your ethnicity or your gender" From this option D can be inferred. Hence it is incorrect.
The author makes no mention about the inherent ability of language to evolve over time to change a person. Hence, it is not responsible for language's ability to change us. Option C is the correct answer.

2. A French ethnographer decides to study the culture of a Nigerian tribe. Which of the following is most likely to be the view of the author of the passage?
(A) The author would discourage the ethnographer from conducting the study as Nigerian ethnographers can better understand the tribe.
(B) The author would encourage the ethnographer, but ask him/her to first learn the language of the Nigerian tribe s/he wishes to study.
(C) The author would encourage the ethnographer, but ask him/her to be mindful of his/her racial and gender identity in the process.
(D) The author would encourage the ethnographer and recommend him/her to hire a good translator for the purpose of holding interviews.
Ans. (B)
Solution: 
The author is of the opinion that learning the language of local cultures would help bridge cultural barriers.
Option D is against the author's point of view. Hence it is definitely incorrect.
Option A is incorrect. The author is of the opinion that the ability to communicate is far more important than the racial divide between two people. Hence it is unlikely to be the view of the author.
Option C is incorrect as the author, in the passage is much more concerned about the ability to communicate that racial and gender identity of the person.
Option B falls in line with the viewpoint of the author. Hence it is the correct answer.

3. Which of the following can be inferred from the author’s claim, “Which way is Oriental?”
(A) Globalisation has mitigated cultural hierarchies and barriers.
(B) Orientalism is a discourse of the past, from colonial times, rarely visible today.
(C) Goodwill alone mitigates cultural hierarchies and barriers.
(D) Learning another language can mitigate cultural hierarchies and barriers.
Ans. (D)
Solution: 
"And that easily lobbed word—“Orientalist”—hardly captures the complexity of our interactions. What exactly is the dynamic when a man from Missouri observes a Zhejiang native selling lingerie to an Upper Egyptian woman? . . . If all of us now stand beside the same river, speaking in ways we all understand, who’s looking east and who’s looking west? Which way is Oriental?"
From the above passage, it is clear that the author consider the word Orientalist an easily lobbied word that does not capture the complex nature of interactions between people of different cultures. The author is of the opinion that if people in different parts of the world all speak in tongues that all of them understand, then the east west divide would be broken.
The author is of the opinion that learning new languages would help bridge the east west divide. There is no information provided in the passage that globalization has enabled people learn more languages and thereby mitigated cultural hierarchies and barriers. Hence, option A is incorrect.
Option B is incorrect. The author never makes the claim that Orientalism has disappeared for the most part.
The author makes no claim about goodwill. Hence option C is incorrect.
Option D correctly encapsulates the arguments made by the author. Hence it is the correct answer.

4. The author’s critics would argue that:
(A) Language is insufficient to bridge cultural barriers.
(B) Empathy can overcome identity politics.
(C) Linguistic politics can be erased.
(D) Orientalism cannot be practiced by Egyptians.
Ans. (A)
Solution: 
The major idea put forth by the author is that cultural barriers can be broken down and an outsider can ingrain himself with the local culture by learning the language of the culture.
The author himself says that an individual who wrestles with a difficult language would learn to be more sympathetic to outsiders. He also says that empathy is not tied to gender and race, and therefore a individual who learns languages is usually empathetic to different races in the world. Thus option B can be inferred from the passage and is incorrect.
The passage makes no mention of linguistic politics. Also he is of the opinion that a person's characteristics can be changed for the good by learning another language. Hence option C can be inferred from the author's argument and is incorrect.
The word orientalism itself means looking down upon middle eastern countries by the US and European countries. Hence, option D does not make sense.
Option A is directly in conflict with the author's main point and that would be the major criticism by the author's critics. Hence it is the correct answer.

Instructions
Comprehension: 
British colonial policy . . . went through two policy phases, or at least there were two strategies between which its policies actually oscillated, sometimes to its great advantage. At first, the new colonial apparatus exercised caution and occupied India by a mix of military power and subtle diplomacy, the high ground in the middle of the circle of circles. This, however, pushed them into contradictions. For, whatever their sense of the strangeness of the country and the thinness of colonial presence, the British colonial state represented the great conquering discourse of Enlightenment rationalism, entering India precisely at the moment of its greatest unchecked arrogance. As inheritors and representatives of this discourse, which carried everything before it, this colonial state could hardly adopt for long such a self-denying attitude. It had restructured everything in Europe—the productive system, the political regimes, the moral and cognitive orders—and would do the same in India, particularly as some empirically inclined theorists of that generation considered the colonies a massive laboratory of utilitarian or other theoretical experiments. Consequently, the colonial state could not settle simply for eminence at the cost of its marginality; it began to take initiatives to introduce the logic of modernity into Indian society. But this modernity did not enter a passive society.
Sometimes, its initiatives were resisted by pre-existing structural forms. At times, there was a more direct form of collective resistance.
Therefore the map of continuity and discontinuity that this state left behind at the time of independence was rather complex and has to be traced with care.
Most significantly, of course, initiatives for modernity came to assume an external character. The acceptance of modernity came to be connected, ineradicably, with subjection. This again points to two different problems, one theoretical, the other political. Theoretically, because modernity was externally introduced, it is explanatorily unhelpful to apply the logical format of the ‘transition process’ to this pattern of change. Such a logical format would be wrong on two counts. First, however subtly, it would imply that what was proposed to be built was something like European capitalism. (And, in any case, historians have forcefully argued that what it was to replace was not like feudalism, with or without modificatory adjectives.) But, more fundamentally, the logical structure of endogenous change does not apply here. Here transformation agendas attack as an external force. This externality is not something that can be casually mentioned and forgotten. It is inscribed on every move, every object, every proposal, every legislative act, each line of causality. It comes to be marked on the epoch itself. This repetitive emphasis on externality should not be seen as a nationalist initiative that is so well-rehearsed in Indian social science. . . .
Quite apart from the externality of the entire historical proposal of modernity, some of its contents were remarkable. . . . Economic reforms, or rather alterations . . . did not foreshadow the construction of a classical capitalist economy, with its necessary emphasis on extractive and transport sectors. What happened was the creation of a degenerate version of capitalism —what early dependency theorists called the ‘development of underdevelopment’.
5. “Consequently, the colonial state could not settle simply for eminence at the cost of its marginality; it began to take initiatives to introduce the logic of modernity into Indian society.” Which of the following best captures the sense of this statement?
(A) The cost of the colonial state’s eminence was not settled; therefore, it took the initiative of introducing modernity into Indian society.
(B) The colonial enterprise was a costly one; so to justify the cost it began to take initiatives to introduce the logic of modernity into Indian society.
(C) The colonial state’s eminence was unsettled by its marginal position; therefore, it developed Indian society by modernising it.
(D) The colonial state felt marginalised from Indian society because of its own modernity; therefore, it sought to address that marginalisation by bringing its modernity to change Indian society.
Ans. (D)
Solution: 
From the passage it can be inferred that though the British enjoyed political eminence in India, they felt that they were still marginalised from Indian society, and hence, to bring the Indian state to the same footing, they sought to introduce modernity, which they felt was the next logical step into Indian society.
It cannot be inferred from the passage that the British introduced modernity because they believed that the cost of their eminence was not settled. Hence, option A is incorrect.
The colonial enterprise tried to introduce the logic of modernity because it felt marginalized, rather than to justify the cost of colonization.
Hence option B is incorrect.
Option C states that the introduction of modernity developed Indian society. However, the last paragraph states that the exercise proved counterproductive, and there was a development of underdevelopment. Option C is incorrect.
Option D best explains the reason for the author introducing the statement mentioned in the question. Hence, option D is the correct answer.

6. All of the following statements, if true, could be seen as supporting the arguments in the passage, EXCEPT:
(A) throughout the history of colonial conquest, natives have often been experimented on by the colonisers.
(B) modernity was imposed upon India by the British and, therefore, led to underdevelopment.
(C) the change in British colonial policy was induced by resistance to modernity in Indian society.
(D) the introduction of capitalism in India was not through the transformation of feudalism, as happened in Europe.
Ans. (C)
Solution:
".....empirically inclined theorists of that generation considered the colonies a massive laboratory of utilitarian or other theoretical experiments." From the aforementioned lines, option A can be inferred.
"What happened was the creation of a degenerate version of capitalism —what early dependency theorists called the ‘development of underdevelopment’. "From these lines it can be inferred that, because modernity was imposed upon India by the British, it led to the development of underdevelopment. Option B ca be inferred.
From the passage, it can be understood that feudalism underwent a transformative process into capitalism, unlike the Indian transition which happened inorganically through external factors. Hence, option D can be inferred as well.
The change in British colonial policy was not induced by resistance to modernity in Indian society, but due to the perception that the British were marginalised in the context of the Indian society. Hence, option C, which cannot be inferred is the correct answer.

7. All of the following statements about British colonialism can be inferred from the first paragraph, EXCEPT that it:
(A) allowed some to consider the colonies as experimental sites.
(B) faced resistance from existing structural forms of Indian modernity.
(C) was at least partly an outcome of Enlightenment rationalism.
(D) was at least partly shaped by the project of European modernity.
Ans. (B)
Solution:
".....empirically inclined theorists of that generation considered the colonies a massive laboratory of utilitarian or other theoretical experiments" From these lines option A can be inferred.
Consider the lines, "e British colonial state represented the great conquering discourse of Enlightenment rationalism, entering India precisely at the moment of its greatest unchecked arrogance. As inheritors and representatives of this discourse, which carried everything before it, this colonial state could hardly adopt for long such a self-denying attitude." Option C can be inferred from it.
Consider the lines , " It had restructured everything in Europe—the productive system, the political regimes, the moral and cognitive orders —and would do the same in India, " Option D can be inferred from these lines.
It is nowhere mentioned in the passage, that British colonialism faces resistance from the existing structural forms of Indian modernity.
Hence , option B is the correct answer.

8. Which one of the following 5-word sequences best captures the flow of the arguments in the passage?
(A) Colonial policy—Enlightenment—external modernity—subjection — underdevelopment.
(B) Military power—colonialism—restructuring—feudalism—capitalism.
(C) Military power—arrogance—laboratory—modernity—capitalism.
(D) Colonial policy—arrogant rationality—resistance—independence—development.
Ans. (A)
Solution: 
The first part of the passage talks about British colonial policy, which went through two policy phases.
Hence, the options B and C which have military power as the introductory idea are incorrect.
The second idea mentioned in the passage is about Enlightenment rationalism, of which the British colonizers were inheritors and representatives of.
The subsequent ideas are about how modernity was inorganically injected into India by subjecting it to external forces. The passage further talks about how these economic alterations did not give rise to the construction of a classical capitalist economy, but rather led to the development of underdevelopment.
Option A mentions all the ideas correctly and hence it is the correct answer.

9. Which of the following observations is a valid conclusion to draw from the author’s statement that “the logical structure of endogenous change does not apply here. Here transformation agendas attack as an external force”?
(A) Colonised societies cannot be changed through logic; they need to be transformed with external force.
(B) The transformation of Indian society did not happen organically, but was forced by colonial agendas.
(C) The endogenous logic of colonialism can only bring change if it attacks and transforms external forces.
(D) Indian society is not endogamous; it is more accurately characterised as aggressively exogamous.
Ans. (B)
Solution: 
". Theoretically,because modernity was externally introduced, it is explanatorily unhelpful to apply the logical format of the ‘transition process’ to this pattern of change."
From the given lines it can be understood that the general endogeneous method of the process of transition could not be accepted to British colonialisation of India, because modernity did not occur naturally but was externally introduced.
The passage only states that initiatives for modernity were introduced to India through external sources. It does not state that all colonised societies cannot be changed by logic. Hence this option is incorrect.
In the case of India, the transformational agents themselves are inorganic external forces. Hence, option C cannot be inferred.
The passage nowhere states that Indian society is exogamous. Hence option D is incorrect.
Option B best describes the conclusion that can be drawn from the author's statement. Hence it is the correct answer.

Instructions
Comprehension: 
Around the world, capital cities are disgorging bureaucrats. In the post-colonial fervour of the 20th century, coastal capitals picked by trade-focused empires were spurned for “regionally neutral” new ones. But decamping wholesale is costly and unpopular; governments these days prefer piecemeal dispersal. The trend reflects how the world has changed. In past eras, when information travelled at a snail’s pace, civil servants had to cluster together. But now desk-workers can ping emails and video-chat around the world. Travel for face-to face meetings may be unavoidable, but transport links, too, have improved.
Proponents of moving civil servants around promise countless benefits. It disperses the risk that a terrorist attack or natural disaster will cripple an entire government. Wonks in the sticks will be inspired by new ideas that walled-off capitals cannot conjure up. Autonomous regulators perform best far from the pressure and lobbying of the big city. Some even hail a cure for ascendant cynicism and populism.
The unloved bureaucrats of faraway capitals will become as popular as firefighters once they mix with regular folk.
Beyond these sunny visions, dispersing central-government functions usually has three specific aims: to improve the lives of both civil servants and those living in clogged capitals; to save money; to redress regional imbalances. The trouble is that these goals are not always realised.
The first aim—improving living conditions—has a long pedigree. After the second world war, Britain moved thousands of civil servants to “agreeable English country towns” as London was rebuilt. But swapping the capital for somewhere smaller is not always agreeable.
Attrition rates can exceed 80%. . . . The second reason to pack bureaucrats off is to save money. Office space costs far more in capitals.
Agencies that are moved elsewhere can often recruit better workers on lower salaries than in capitals, where well-paying multinationals mop up talent.
The third reason to shift is to rebalance regional inequality. Norway treats federal jobs as a resource every region deserves to enjoy, like profits from oil. Where government jobs go, private ones follow. Sometimes the aim is to fulfil the potential of a country’s second-tier cities. Unlike poor, remote places, bigger cities can make the most of relocated government agencies, linking them to local universities and businesses and supplying a better-educated workforce. The decision in 1946 to set up America’s Centres for Disease Control in Atlanta rather than Washington, D.C., has transformed the city into a hub for health-sector research and business.
The dilemma is obvious. Pick small, poor towns, and areas of high unemployment get new jobs, but it is hard to attract the most qualified workers; opt for larger cities with infrastructure and better-qualified residents, and the country’s most deprived areas see little benefit.
Others contend that decentralisation begets corruption by making government agencies less accountable. A study in America found that state-government corruption is worse when the state capital is isolated—journalists, who tend to live in the bigger cities, become less watchful of those in power.
10. According to the passage, colonial powers located their capitals:
(A) based on political expediency.
(B) to promote their trading interests.
(C) where they had the densest populations.
(D) to showcase their power and prestige.
Ans. (B)
Solution:
"In the post-colonial fervour of the 20th century, coastal capitals picked by trade-focused empires were spurned for “regionally neutral” new ones".
From these lines, it can be inferred that the colonial empires had their capitals in the coasts as the empires were mostly focused on trade. It goes on to say that, post - colonisation, empires had their capitals changed to regionally neutral areas.
Hence, it can be directly inferred that colonies had capitals in coasts to promote their trading interests.
Option B is the correct answer.

11. According to the author, relocating government agencies has not always been a success for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
(A) a rise in pollution levels and congestion in the new locations.
(B) the difficulty of attracting talented, well-skilled people in more remote areas.
(C) increased avenues of corruption away from the capital city.
(D) high staff losses, as people may not be prepared to move to smaller towns.
Ans. (A)
Solution: 
Option B is a problem of relocating government agencies and it can be inferred from this line " Pick small, poor towns, and areas of high unemployment get new jobs, but it is hard to attract the most qualified workers". Hence, option B is incorrect.
Option C is true with respect to the passage. It can be inferred from the line " Others contend that decentralisation begets corruption by making government agencies less accountable ." Hence it is incorrect.
Option D is also mentioned in the passage. Qualified workers do not want to live in smaller cities. Hence, it is also a reason for relocation not being a success.
Option A is not mentioned in the passage and hence it is the correct answer.

12. The “long pedigree” of the aim to shift civil servants to improve their living standards implies that this move:
(A) has become common practice in several countries worldwide.
(B) is supported by politicians and the ruling elites.
(C) takes a long time to achieve its intended outcomes.
(D) is not a new idea and has been tried in the past.
Ans. (D)
Solution: 
The word pedigree has a meaning, " history of an idea or an activity". The term long pedigree indicates that the idea has been touted with a lot of times in the past.
Option D is the only option that conveys this meaning and hence it is the correct answer.

13. Based on the passage, people who support decentralising central government functions are LEAST likely to cite which of the following reasons for their view?
(A) It could weaken the nexus between bureaucrats and media in the capital.
(B) More independence could be enjoyed by regulatory bodies located away from political centres.
(C) Policy makers may benefit from fresh thinking in a new environment.
(D) It reduces expenses as infrastructure costs and salaries are lower in smaller cities.
Ans. (A)
Solution:
The passage states that regulators perform best if they are far from the lobbying of a big city. Hence, the people who support decentralizing central government functions are likely to cite the above reason for their view. Option B and C are incorrect for this reason.
Option D is incorrect as the passage states that infrastructure costs and salaries would become lower in smaller cities. The argument is used in the passage. Hence it is correct.
The nexus between bureaucrats and media is not mentioned in the passage. Hence the argument is least likely to be used by people who support the decentralising of central government functions.
Option A is the correct answer.

14. The “dilemma” mentioned in the passage refers to:
(A) keeping government agencies in the largest city with good infrastructure or moving them to a remote area with few amenities.
(B) relocating government agencies to boost growth in remote areas with poor amenities or to relatively larger cities with good amenities.
(C) encouraging private enterprises to relocate to smaller towns or not incentivising them in order to keep government costs in those towns low.
(D) concentrating on decongesting large cities or focusing on boosting employment in relatively larger cities.
Ans. (B)
Solution:
"The dilemma is obvious. Pick small, poor towns, and areas of high unemployment get new jobs, but it is hard to attract the most qualified workers; opt for larger cities with infrastructure and better-qualified residents, and the country’s most deprived areas see little benefit"
Option A is incorrect. The passage makes no mention of having the government agencies in the "largest" city. It talks about having them in "larger cities". Hence it is incorrect.
Option C talks about the relocation of private enterprises. This is not mentioned in the passage as the passage is primarily about the relocation of government bureaucrats.
Option D makes no mention of decongesting large cities. Hence it is incorrect.
Option B makes the right comparison. It compares the hard task of relocating qualified workers to smaller towns, to allocating workers to larger cities, which would result in smaller towns receiving little benefit.
Option B is the correct answer.

Instructions
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions given below:
The magic of squatter cities is that they are improved steadily and gradually by their residents. To a planner’s eye, these cities look chaotic. I trained as a biologist and to my eye, they look organic. Squatter cities are also unexpectedly green. They have maximum density—1 million people per square mile in some areas of Mumbai—and have minimum energy and material use. People get around by foot, bicycle, rickshaw, or the universal shared taxi.
Not everything is efficient in the slums, though. In the Brazilian favelas where electricity is stolen and therefore free, people leave their lights on all day. But in most slums recycling is literally a way of life. The Dharavi slum in Mumbai has 400 recycling units and 30,000 ragpickers. Six thousand tons of rubbish are sorted every day. In 2007, the Economist reported that in Vietnam and Mozambique, “Waves of gleaners sift the sweepings of Hanoi’s streets, just as Mozambiquan children pick over the rubbish of Maputo’s main tip. Every city in Asia and Latin America has an industry based on gathering up old cardboard boxes.” . . .
In his 1985 article, Architect Peter Calthorpe made a statement that still jars with most people: “The city is the most environmentally benign form of human settlement. Each city dweller consumes less land, less energy, less water, and produces less pollution than his counterpart in settlements of lower densities.” “Green Manhattan” was the inflammatory title of a 2004 New Yorker article by David Owen. “By the most significant measures,” he wrote, “New York is the greenest community in the United States and one of the greenest cities in the world . . . The key to New York’s relative environmental benignity is its extreme compactness. . . . Placing one and a half million people on a twenty - three-square-mile island sharply reduces their opportunities to be wasteful.” He went on to note that this very compactness forces people to live in the world’s most energy-efficient apartment buildings. . . .
Urban density allows half of humanity to live on 2.8 per cent of the land. . . . Consider just the infrastructure efficiencies. According to a 2004 UN report: “The concentration of population and enterprises in urban areas greatly reduces the unit cost of piped water, sewers, drains,roads, electricity, garbage collection, transport, health care, and schools. . .
”The nationally subsidised city of Manaus in northern Brazil “answers the question” of how to stop deforestation: give people decent jobs. Then they can afford houses, and gain security. One hundred thousand people who would otherwise be deforesting the jungle around Manaus are now prospering in town making such things as mobile phones and televisions. . . .
Of course, fast-growing cities are far from an unmitigated good. They concentrate crime, pollution, disease and injustice as much as business, innovation, education and entertainment. . . . But if they are overall a net good for those who move there, it is because cities offer more than just jobs. They are transformative: in the slums, as well as the office towers and leafy suburbs, the progress is from hick to metropolitan to cosmopolitan . . .
15. We can infer that Calthorpe’s statement “still jars” with most people because most people:
(A) do not consider cities to be eco-friendly places.
(B) consider cities to be very crowded and polluted.
(C) do not regard cities as good places to live in.
(D) regard cities as places of disease and crime.
Ans. (A)
Solution: 
"The city is the most environmentally benign form of human settlement. Each city dweller consumes less land, less energy, less water, and produces less pollution than his counterpart in settlements of lower densities.”
Calthrope's major contention is that cites are eco-friendly as they consume less resources than people living in places that have lower population densities.
Options B,C,D does not directly contradict Calthrope's statement. Hence , they cannot be the reason why the statement that jars with most people.
Option A is directly opposed to Calthrope's viewpoints. Hence, this option is most likely to jar with most people.
Option A is the correct answer.

16. In the context of the passage, the author refers to Manaus in order to: 
(A) explain how urban areas help the environment.
(B) describe the infrastructure efficiencies of living in a city.
(C) promote cities as employment hubs for people.
(D) explain where cities source their labour for factories.
Ans. (A)
Solution: 
The author gives the example of Manaus to show how an entire community of people whose major job was deforestation of the jungle have now been able to prosper by making things such as mobile phones and televisions.
Option A is the correct answer. It is the major reason for the author giving out the example of Manaus.
Options D is incorrect and is not mentioned in the passage.
Option B and C are the pros of being in a squatter city, but it is not the reason why the author gives the example of Manaus.
Option A is the correct answer.

17. According to the passage, squatter cities are environment-friendly for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
(A) they recycle material.
(B) their transportation is energy efficient.
(C) their streets are kept clean.
(D) they sort out garbage.
Ans. (C)
Solution: 
Option A would help keep squatter cities environment friendly, as recycling material would reduce the amount of non-biodegradable materials present in the environment.
Option B would also help squatter cities be more environment friendly by reducing pollution.
Option D would also help squatter cities be more environment friendly as sorting garbage and treating them would go a long way in preventing soil and water pollution.
Option C is incorrect. This is because, keeping the streets clean would mean that the wastes are somewhere in dumped in the environment near the local community.
Hence, option C cannot be inferred from the passage and is the correct answer.

18. Which one of the following statements would undermine the author’s stand regarding the greenness of cities?
(A) Sorting through rubbish contributes to the rapid spread of diseases in the slums.
(B) The high density of cities leads to an increase in carbon dioxide and global warming.
(C) The compactness of big cities in the West increases the incidence of violent crime.
(D) Over the last decade the cost of utilities has been increasing for city dwellers.
Ans. (B)
Solution: 
The rapid spread of diseases in the slum would only affect the people in the slums and not the greenness of the cities. Hence it is incorrect.
Option C is incorrect as the incidence of crime in the West would not impact the greenness of the cities.
Increasing cost of utilities , in the same way would not affect the flora of the cities.
An increase in carbon-di-oxide and global warming, however, would contribute greatly to the change in climate. A change in climate would adversely affect the greenery in the cities. Hence, this would greatly undermine the author's stand that cities are indeed green.

19. From the passage it can be inferred that cities are good places to live in for all of the following reasons EXCEPT that they:
(A) help prevent destruction of the environment.
(B) contribute to the cultural transformation of residents.
(C) offer employment opportunities.
(D) have suburban areas as well as office areas.
Ans. (D)
Solution: 
From the sentence, "One hundred thousand people who would otherwise be deforesting the jungle around Manaus are now prospering in town making such things as mobile phones and televisions" given in the passage, option A can be inferred.
"But if they are overall a net good for those who move there, it is because cities offer more than just jobs. They are transformative" From this line, option B can be inferred.
The entire second paragraph of the passage mentions how multiple people have got jobs in squatter cities. Hence, option C can be inferred.
Option D is not a reason for cities being a good place to live in. Hence, this option cannot be inferred and is the correct answer.

Instructions
Comprehension: 
War, natural disasters and climate change are destroying some of the world's most precious cultural sites. Google is trying to help preserve these archaeological wonders by allowing users access to 3D images of these treasures through its site. But the project is raising questions about Google's motivations and about who should own the digital copyrights. Some critics call it a form of "digital colonialism." When it comes to archaeological treasures, the losses have been mounting. ISIS blew up parts of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria and an earthquake hit Bagan, an ancient city in Myanmar, damaging dozens of temples, in 2016.
In the past, all archaeologists and historians had for restoration and research were photos, drawings, remnants and intuition. But that's changing. Before the earthquake at Bagan, many of the temples on the site were scanned. . . . [These] scans . . . are on Google's Arts & Culture site. The digital renditions allow viewers to virtually wander the halls of the temple, look up-close at paintings and turn the building over, to look up at its chambers. . . . [Google Arts & Culture] works with museums and other nonprofits . . . to put high-quality images online. The images of the temples in Bagan are part of a collaboration with CyArk, a nonprofit that creates the 3D scanning of historic sites. . . . Google . . . says [it] doesn't make money off this website, but it fits in with Google's mission to make the world's information available and useful.
Critics say the collaboration could be an attempt by a large corporation to wrap itself in the sheen of culture. Ethan Watrall, an archaeologist, professor at Michigan State University and a member of the Society for American Archaeology, says he's not comfortable with the arrangement between CyArk and Google. . . . Watrall says this project is just a way for Google to promote Google. "They want to make this material accessible so people will browse it and be filled with wonder by it," he says. "But at its core, it's all about advertisements and driving traffic." Watrall says these images belong on the site of a museum or educational institution, where there is serious scholarship and a very different mission. . . . [There's] another issue for some archaeologists and art historians. CyArk owns the copyrights of the scans — not the countries where these sites are located. That means the countries need CyArk's permission to use these images for commercial purposes.
Erin Thompson, a professor of art crime at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, says it's the latest example of a Western nation appropriating a foreign culture, a centuries-long battle. . . . CyArk says it copyrights the scans so no one can use them in an inappropriate way. The company says it works closely with authorities during the process, even training local people to help. But critics like Thompson are not persuaded. . . . She would prefer the scans to be owned by the countries and people where these sites are located.
20. Which of the following, if true, would most strongly invalidate Dr. Watrall’s objections?
(A) Google takes down advertisements on its website hosting CyArk’s scanned images.
(B) There is a ban on CyArk scanning archeological sites located in other countries.
(C) CyArk uploads its scanned images of archaeological sites onto museum websites only.
(D) CyArk does not own the copyright on scanned images of archaeological sites.
Ans. (C)
Solution: 
"They want to make this material accessible so people will browse it and be filled with wonder by it," he says. "But at its core, it's all about advertisements and driving traffic." Watrall says these images belong on the site of a museum or educational institution, where there is serious scholarship and a very different mission".
From the above mentioned lines it can be reasonably inferred that Dr. Watrall is not critical if the digitally scanned images are on official museum websites and archaeological sites.
Watrall's objections do not touch upon the ownership of the copyright of the scanned images. His objections are mainly about the uneasy relationship between Cyark and Google, and the profit based motive of Google. Hence, option D is incorrect.
Option C mentions the case when CyArk uploads the scanned images on museum sites only. This would invalidate the arguments made by Dr.Watrall.
Option A is incorrect as Dr. Watrall considers the venture as a medium to promote Google itself. Just taking down advertisements would not invalidate the professor's claim.
Option B is incorrect as a ban in certain locations would certainly not prevent promotion of and commercialization by Google. The same reason can be attributed to option D. CyArk not owning the copyright of the archaeological sites would not prevent using it for commercial purposes.
Hence, option C is the correct answer.

21. By “digital colonialism”, critics of the CyArk-Google project are referring to the fact that:
(A) the scanning process can damage delicate frescos and statues at the sites.
(B) CyArk and Google have not shared the details of digitisation with the host countries.
(C) countries where the scanned sites are located do not own the scan copyrights.
(D) CyArk and Google have been scanning images without copyright permission from host countries.
Ans. (C)
Solution: 
From the lines, " [There's] another issue for some archaeologists and art historians. CyArk owns the copyrights of the scans — not the countries where these sites are located. That means the countries need CyArk's permission to use these images for commercial purposes", it can be seen that critics view the Google-CyArk project as one that appropriates the copyrights of the digital scans in such a way even the countries in which the sites are located need CyArk's permission to use the images.
Option A, D , B are not mentioned anywhere in the passage.
Option C is describes perfectly why the critics of the Google-CyArk project term it as digital colonialism and hence it is the correct answer.

22. Of the following arguments, which one is LEAST likely to be used by the companies that digitally scan cultural sites?
(A) It helps preserve precious images in case the sites are damaged or destroyed.
(B) It enables people who cannot physically visit these sites to experience them.
(C) It provides images free of cost to all users.
(D) It allows a large corporation to project itself as a protector of culture.
Ans. (D)
Solution: 
The option that would not help a company that digitally scans cultural sites would be the given answer.
Option A is incorrect as preserving images of sites in case they are damaged would be one of the foremost arguments made by these companies.
Option B and C would surely help the cause of companies that scan cultural sites. Hence,they are incorrect.
Option D is the correct answer. A company that digitally scans cultural sites would not give the reason of being able to project itself as a protector of culture as a reason to scan the cultural sites. This is a self centered goal such a company and hence is the least likely of the arguments that would be used in this case.
Hence, option D is the correct answer.

23. Based on his views mentioned in the passage, one could best characterise Dr. Watrall as being: 
(A) uneasy about the marketing of archaeological images for commercial use by firms such as Google and CyArk.
(B) dismissive of laypeople’s access to specialist images of archaeological and cultural sites.
(C) critical about the links between a non-profit and a commercial tech platform for distributing archaeological images.
(D) opposed to the use of digital technology in archaeological and cultural sites in developing countries.
Ans. (C)
Solution: 
From the passage, it can be inferred that Dr. Watrall is not comfortable with the arrangement between Cyark and Google. He is of the opinion that though the material is promoted as a means for people to view the artifacts, the ulterior motive is for advertisements and commercial purposes.
Option A is incorrect. The professor is uneasy about the arrangement between a non-profit organisation and a commercial organisation, whose values are, in reality, different from what they portray.
Option B is incorrect. The professor is not in dismissive of laypeople's access to specialist images and such information is not given in the passage.
Option D is incorrect. The professor is only dismissive of the commercial agreement between two organisations that portray themselves to be involved in non-profit work. He is not against the use of digital technology in archaeological and cultural sites in developing countries.
Option C is correct and it correctly represents the views of professor Dr. Watrall.

24. In Dr. Thompson’s view, CyArk owning the copyright of its digital scans of archaeological sites is akin to:
(A) tourists uploading photos of monuments onto social media.
(B) the seizing of ancient Egyptian artefacts by a Western museum.
(C) the illegal downloading of content from the internet.
(D) digital platforms capturing users’ data for market research.
Ans. (B)
Solution: 
After reading the lines, "Erin Thompson, a professor of art crime at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, says it's the latest example of a Western nation appropriating a foreign culture, a centuries-long battle." it can be inferred that professor accuses CyArk of appropriating a foreign culture.
The only option present that is an example of a western nation appropriating a foreign culture would be the seizing of ancient Egyptian artefacts by a Western museum. Hence, option B is the correct answer.

Instructions
The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) given below, when properly sequenced would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequence of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer.
25.
1. To the uninitiated listener, atonal music can sound like chaotic, random noise.
2. Atonality is a condition of music in which the constructs of the music do not ‘live’ within the confines of a particular key signature, scale, or mode. 
3. After you realize the amount of knowledge, skill, and technical expertise required to compose or perform it, your tune may change, so to speak. 
4. However, atonality is one of the most important movements in 20th century music.
Ans. 2143
Solution: 
After reading all the sentences , it can be inferred that though atonal music can sometimes sound random and chaotic, there is a lot of knowledge and skill that is required to perform atonal music.
Sentence 2 talks about what exactly atonal music is. Hence, this sentence must be the first sentence of the paragraph. Sentence 1 talks about the misconceptions of atonal music that the uninitiated make. This sentence must be the second sentence of the passage.
Sentence 4, now clears the misconception about atonality and states that it is one of the most important movements in music. Sentence 3 gives the reason why atonality is music is so difficult to attain and says that the untrained listener would change his mind when he understands the amount of knowledge and skill required to produce atonality. Therefore, sentences 4 and 3 form a block.
Therefore the correct sequence of sentences is 2-1-4-3.

26
1. Living things—animals and plants—typically exhibit correlational structure.
2. Adaptive behaviour depends on cognitive economy, treating objects as equivalent.
3. The information we receive from our senses, from the world, typically has structure and order, and is not arbitrary.
4. To categorize an object means to consider it equivalent to other things in that category, and different—along some salient dimension —from things that are not.
Ans. 2431
Solution: 
After reading all the sentences, it can be inferred that the passage talks about how comparisons are made between objects in different aspects, and how such comparisons are important facets of cognitive ability and consequently our adaptive behaviour.
Sentence 2 introduces how adaptive behavior depends on cognitive economy. Hence, it is the first sentence of the paragraph.
Sentence 4 elaborates on how different objects are compared. This sentence logically follows sentence 2. Sentence 3 shows how such comparisons have structure and order, and how they are not arbitrary. Hence, sentence 3 follows sentence 4. Sentence 1 is completes the passage in a way that elucidates how animals and plats are equivalent to each other by exhibiting correlational structure.
The correct sequence is 2-4-3-1.

27.
1. Conceptualisations of ‘women’s time’ as contrary to clock-time and clock-time as synonymous with economic rationalism are two of the deleterious results of this representation. 
2. While dichotomies of ‘men’s time’, ‘women’s time’, clock-time, and caring time can be analytically useful, this article argues that everyday caring practices incorporate a multiplicity of times; and both men and women can engage in these multiple-times
3. When the everyday practices of working sole fathers and working sole mothers are carefully examined to explore conceptualisations of gendered time, it is found that caring time is often more focused on the clock than generally theorised. 
4. Clock-time has been consistently represented in feminist literature as a masculine artefact representative of a ‘time is money’ perspective.
Ans. 4132
Solution:
After reading all the lines it can be seen that the paragraph talks about the deleterious results of introducing the concept of women's time, and how the everyday practices of both men and women incorporate a multiplicity of times.
Sentence 4 introduces the concept of clock time which has been represented in feminist literature and it is the introductory sentence of the paragraph. The passage goes on to say that the concept of 'women's time' as is deleterious.Hence, sentence 1 follows sentence 4.
Sentence 3 explains how the concept of clock time actually works out for working sole fathers and working sole mothers. It follows sentence 1. Sentence 2 gives a summary of the paragraph which states that the everyday caring practices involve a multiplicity of times hence it would be the last sentence of the paragraph.
The correct order of sequence is 4-1-3-2.

Instructions
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
28.
Language is an autapomorphy found only in our lineage, and not shared with other branches of our group such as primates. We also have no definitive evidence that any species other than Homo sapiens ever had language. However, it must be noted straightaway that ‘language’ is not a monolithic entity, but rather a complex bundle of traits that must have evolved over a significant time frame….
Moreover, language crucially draws on aspects of cognition that are long established in the primate lineage, such as memory: the language faculty as a whole comprises more than just the uniquely linguistic features.
(A) Language evolved with linguistic features building on features of cognition such as memory.
(B) Language, a derived trait found only in humans, has evolved over time and involves memory.
(C) Language is not a single, uniform entity but the end result of a long and complex process of linguistic evolution.
(D) Language is a distinctively human feature as there is no evidence of the existence of language in any other species.
Ans. (A)
Solution:
The passage states that language is only found in humans and not among any other primates. The passage also states that language is a bundle of traits such as memory that evolved over a period of time.
The passage does not talk about language that has evolved over time. Hence, option B is incorrect.
Option C does not completely summarise the passage. Hence, it incorrect.
Option D talks only about language being a distinctive human feature. It does not talk about language having evolved from a complex bundle of traits. Hence it is incorrect.
Option A correctly summarises the main idea of the passage and is the correct answer.

29. Privacy-challenged office workers may find it hard to believe, but open-plan offices and cubicles were invented by architects and designers who thought that to break down the social walls that divide people, you had to break down the real walls, too. Modernist architects saw walls and rooms as downright fascist. The spaciousness and flexibility of an open plan would liberate homeowners and office dwellers from the confines of boxes. But companies took up their idea less out of a democratic ideology than a desire to pack in as many workers as they could. The typical open-plan office of the first half of the 20th century was a white-collar assembly line.
Cubicles were interior designers’ attempt to put some soul back in.
(A) Wall-free office spaces could have worked out the way their utopian inventors intended had companies cared for workers' satisfaction.
(B) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as desired and therefore cubicles came into being.
(C) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out the way their utopian inventors intended, as they became tools for exploitation of labor.
(D) Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out as companies don’t believe in democratic ideology.
Ans. (C)
Solution: 
After reading the entire paragraph, it can be inferred that the main idea of the passage is that while the inventors of the open-plan offices had the liberation of office dwellers from boxes in mind, the companies used it to pack as much people as possible inside.
Option A is incorrect as the passage makes no mentions about workers satisfaction.
Option B is incorrect as it misrepresents the timeline given in the passage. Cubicles existed earlier and only later were wall free office spaces invented.
Option D is incorrect as it could not be inferred from the passage that the companies that did not believe in democratic ideology Option C correctly encapsulates the main idea of the passage and hence it is the correct answer.

30. Social movement organizations often struggle to mobilize supporters from allied movements in their efforts to achieve critical mass.
Organizations with hybrid identities—those whose organizational identities span the boundaries of two or more social movements, issues, or identities—are vital to mobilizing these constituencies. Studies of the post-9/11 U.S. antiwar movement show that individuals with past involvement in non-anti-war movements are more likely to join hybrid organizations than are individuals without involvement in non-anti-war movements. In addition, they show that organizations with hybrid identities occupy relatively more central positions in inter-organizational contact networks within the antiwar movement and thus recruit significantly more participants in demonstrations than do non hybrid organizations.
(A) Movements that work towards social change often find it difficult to mobilize a critical mass of supporters.
(B) Organizations with hybrid identities are able to mobilize individuals with different points of view.
(C) Post 9/11 studies show that people who are involved in non anti-war movements are likely to join hybrid organizations.
(D) Hybrid organizations attract individuals that are deeply involved in anti-war movements.
Ans. (B)
Solution:
After reading all the lines of the paragraph, it is evident that social movement organisations depend on organisations with hybrid identities because , within them they contain individuals with multiple points of views on different movements and issues. The example gives shows how people who are campaigning for non-anti-war movements are more likely to join hybrid organisations. It also says that organisations with hybrid identities occupy more central positions within organisations that are involved in anti-war movements.
Option A is incorrect. The passage talks more about why hybrid organisations are vital to providing participants in social movements.
Option C is just an illustration of the idea that the paragraph is trying to make. Hence, it would not be the most appropriate summary of the paragraph.
Option D is incorrect. From the paragraph we can infer that hybrid organisations attract individuals that are deeply involved in non-antiwar movements.
Option B is an appropriate summary of the passage and hence it is the correct answer.

Instructions
For the following questions answer them individually
31. Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph.
Identify the odd one out. Choose its number as your answer and key it in.
1. Ocean plastic is problematic for a number of reasons, but primarily because marine animals eat it.
2. The largest numerical proportion of ocean plastic falls in small size fractions.
3. Aside from clogging up the digestive tracts of marine life, plastic also tends to adsorb pollutants from the water column.
4. Plastic in the oceans is arguably one of the most important and pervasive environmental problems today.
5. Eating plastic has a number of negative consequences such as the retention of plastic particles in the gut for longer periods than normal food particles.
Ans. (2)
Solution: 
After reading all the sentences it can be inferred that the passage talks about the impact of ocean plastic on marine organisms.
Sentence 4 introduces the important and pervasive environmental problem of having plastic in the oceans.Hence it is the first sentence of the passage. Sentence 1 gives the reason behind why ocean plastic is problematic, elucidating that marine animals eat it. Hence it should follow sentence 4. Sentence 5 gives the consequences of marine animals eating ocean plastic. Sentence 3 further elaborates sentence 5 and follows it.
Hence the correct order of sentences is 4-1-5-3. Sentence 2 does not fit in with the rest of the passage and is the correct option.

32. The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) given below, when properly sequenced would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequence of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer.
1. Such a belief in the harmony of nature requires a purpose presumably imposed by the goodness and wisdom of a deity.
2. These parts, all fit together into an integrated, well-ordered system that was created by design.
3. Historically, the notion of a balance of nature is part observational, part metaphysical, and not scientific in any way.
4. It is an example of an ancient belief system called teleology, the notion that what we call nature has a predetermined destiny associated with its component parts.
Ans. 3421
Solution: 
After reading all the sentences it can be reasonably inferred that the passage talks about the ancient belief system called telelogy which describes how nature has a predetermined destiny associated with its component parts, and how these parts fit together into an ordered system.
Sentence 3 introduces the idea of the notion of balance of nature. Hence, this would serve as the introductory sentence. Sentence 4 gives an example of a system that tries to explain the balance in nature called telelogy. Hence, this sentence follows sentence 3. Sentence, 2 follows sentence 4 as it furthers the idea given in sentence 4. It explains about how the component parts explained in sentence 4 fit together. Sentence 1 would serve as the concluding sentence as it gives the necessary condition required to have a belief that has been explained in sentences 4 and 2.
Hence, the correct ordering of the sentences is 3-4-2-1.

33. Five sentences related to a topic are given below in a jumbled order. Four of them form a coherent and unified paragraph. Identify the odd sentence that does not go with the four. Key in the number of the option that you choose.
1. Socrates told us that ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’ and that to ‘know thyself’ is the path to true wisdom
2. It suggests that you should adopt an ancient rhetorical method favored by the likes of Julius Caesar and known as ‘illeism’ - or speaking about yourself in the third person.
3. Research has shown that people who are prone to rumination also often suffer from impaired decision making under pressure and are at a substantially increased risk of depression.
4. Simple rumination - the process of churning your concerns around in your head - is not the way to achieve self-realization.
5. The idea is that this small change in perspective can clear your emotional fog, allowing you to see past your biases.
Ans. (1)
Solution: 
After reading all the sentences, it can be reasonably inferred that the passage talks about how rumination is not the way to achieve-self realization, but another method favored by Caesar, 'illeism' would help a person see past his biases.
Sentence 4 introduces the idea of rumination. Hence this sentence would serve as the introductory sentence. Sentence 3 follows sentence 4 because it indicates the results of the research done on rumination. Sentence 2 would be the next logical progression, since it puts forth an alternative to rumination, known as illeism. Sentence 2 and sentence 5 would form a block as sentence 5 explains the consequences of adopting the ancient method of illeism, mentioned in sentence 2. 4-3-2-5 would be the correct ordering of the sentences. Sentence 1 does not fit in with the passage and hence, it is the correct answer.

34. Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph.
Identify the odd one out.Choose its number as your answer and key it in.
1. A particularly interesting example of inference occurs in many single panel comics. 
2. It’s the creator’s participation and imagination that makes the single-panel comic so engaging and so rewarding.
3. Often, the humor requires you to imagine what happened in the instant immediately before or immediately after the panel you’re being shown.
4. To get the joke, you actually have to figure out what some of these missing panels must be.
5. It is as though the cartoonist devised a series of panels to tell the story and has chosen to show you only one - and typically not even the funniest.
Ans. (2)
Solution: 
After reading all the sentences it is clear that the paragraph talks about how to understand the humor behind the single panel comics.
The sentence 1 sets the platform for the author to explain how to infer humour in a single panel comic.
Consider the sentences 3,4,5. Those sentences are aimed at the reader.
"3. Often, the humor requires you to imagine what happened in the instant immediately before or immediately after the panel you’re being shown."
"4.To get the joke, you actually have to figure out what some of these missing panels must be."
"5. It is as though the cartoonist devised a series of panels to tell the story and has chosen to show you only one - and typically not even the funniest."
Sentence 2 on the other hand is a stand alone sentence that does not fit in with the rest of the paragraph. Hence, it is the odd sentence.