RCs: 21 to 30 Questions for CAT with Answers PDF

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
The Bering Land Bridge, or Beringia, emerged in the Bering and Chukchi Seas following a gradual drop in sea level during the Quaternary period (the last 2 million years). About 20,000 years ago the land bridge extended from Unalaska Island of the Aleutian chain on the southeast, and from near the mouth of the Mackenzie River of Canada on the east to near the Kolyma and Indigirka rivers of eastern Siberia on the west, and northwestward to Cape Olyutorsky of the Koryak area north of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Archaeologists believe that the first humans to penetrate North America used this bridge, migrating from northeast Asia to northwestern Canada.
This migration probably occurred during the last major phase of the Wisconsin glaciation, a period that began approximately 30,000 years ago and lasted approximately 20,000 years. As this period ended, the two continents were separated as major continental ice sheets and other glaciers melted and caused the sea level to rise again. When the bridge existed, much of the area was not glaciated; it supported Arctic vegetation, particularly tundra, dry grasslands, marsh vegetation, and boreal forests.
These plants supplied ample food for grazing animals, including horses, reindeer, and such Ice Age species as mammoths, mastodons, and woolly rhinoceros. The presence of fish and bird fossils points to the possibility that Beringia could have supported human communities.
Q1: Which of the following is used by the author to bolster the conclusion that humans crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Asia to North America? Difficulty level: 4
(a) The existence of the remnants of now–extinct animals on both sides of the Bering Land Bridge
(b) Widely believed theories unfolding early human migratory habits
(c) Recent discoveries found of plant species which are considered to have made the basis of the diets of early humans
(d) The clear existence of animal life which was present during the years when Beringia was still above water
Ans: (d)
Sol: The passage states The Bering Land Bridge, or Beringia, emerged…following a gradual drop in sea level during the Quaternary period (the last 2 million years). The passage also states that archaeologists believe that the first humans to penetrate North America used this bridge, and the presence of fish and bird fossils points to the likelihood that Beringia could have been braced by human communities.

Q2: The passage is primarily concerned with
(a) presenting a proposition and then providing supporting data.
(b) debating against a traditional interpretation of a series of geological facts.
(c) discussing the history of human migration.
(d) offering several possible setups for a series of historical events.
Ans: (a)
Sol: The first paragraph provides information about The Bering Land Bridge, or Beringia, which emerged in the Bering and Chukchi Seas following a gradual drop in sea level during the Quaternary period (the last 2 million years). The author then describes a thesis by stating that archaeologists believe the first humans to penetrate North America used this bridge, migrating from northeast Asia to northwestern Canada. The author supports this claim by noting the presence of fish and bird fossils points to the possibility that Beringia could have supported human communities.

Q3: It can be inferred from the passage that before the Quaternary period,
(a) Animals might have crossed the Bering Land Bridge at various different intervals.
(b) Animals only crossed the Bering Land Bridge while there was the last phase of the glaciation of Wisconsin.
(c) Siberia was covered by continental ice sheets.
(d) Humans did not penetrate North America.
Ans: (d)
Sol: The first sentence of the paragraph states that archaeologists believe that the first humans to penetrate North America used this bridge, migrating from northeast Asia to northwestern Canada. If they were the first humans to penetrate North America, it is proof that there were not others before, and the bridge did not exist until after the Quaternary period.

Q4: Which of the following, if true, will strengthen the argument that Beringia could have supported human communities?
(a) The fossils of some birds had a rusted iron piece tied around their necks, which couldn’t have been possible without human dwelling.
(b) Fossils of birds have also been found in the neighbouring region of Beringia.
(c) David F. Wallace has found out that the fossils found of species of birds have long gone extinct.
(d) The Beringia region still thrives with various varieties of birds and fish.
Ans: (a)
Sol: Iron pieces could only be found if humans resided during that period. Hence, choice A clearly supports the argument presented in the last line of the passage.