Verbal for CAT 2024(Slot-1) | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) PDF Download

Q1: There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide where (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.
Sentence: Comprehending a wide range of emotions, Renaissance music nevertheless portrayed all emotions in a balanced and moderate fashion.
Paragraph: A volume of translated Italian madrigals were published in London during the year of 1588. This sudden public interest facilitated a surge of English Madrigal writing as well as a spurt of other secular music writing and publication. ___(1)___. This music boom lasted for thirty years and was as much a golden age of music as British literature was with Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I. ___(2)___. The rebirth in both literature and music originated in Italy and migrated to England; the English madrigal became more humorous and lighter in England as compared to Italy. Renaissance music was mostly polyphonic in texture. ___(3)___. Extreme use of and contrasts in dynamics, rhythm, and tone colour do not occur. ___(4)___. The rhythms in Renaissance music tend to have a smooth, soft flow instead of a sharp, well-defined pulse of accents.
(a) Option 2
(b) Option 4
(c) Option 1
(d) Option 3

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Ans: (d)
The missing sentence describes the nature of Renaissance music, so we have to look for the blank that relates to this idea.
The paragraph begins by describing how public interest in music bloomed during the Renaissance. Blank 1 is placed between two sentences that are tightly linked, as both relate to the music boom seen during the said period. So, blank 1 is ruled out.
Blank 2, too, is placed between two sentences that relate to history and are logically connected. So, blank 2 is out.
Now, the sentence before blank 3 describes the nature of Renaissance music- it was mostly polyphonic in nature. The sentence after 3 also describes how the music was. So, blank 3 is a good fit for the missing sentence.
Moving on, we see that blank 4 is also between two sentences that describe Renaissance music. But looking at the tenses of the sentences before and after blank 4, we see that these are in the simple present tense while the missing sentence is in the past tense (same as the sentence before blank 3). So, the missing sentence fits better in blank 3 than 4.

Q2: The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage. 
Cartographers design and create maps to communicate information about phenomena located somewhere on our planet. In the past, cartographers did not worry too much about who was going to read their maps. Although some simple "usability" research was done—like comparing whether circle or bar symbols worked best—cartographers knew how to make maps. This has changed now, however, due to all kinds of societal and technological developments. Today, map readers are more demanding—mostly because of the tools they use to read maps. Cartographers, who are also influenced by these trends, are now more interested in seeing if their products are efficient, effective, and appreciated.
(a) New technological developments have prompted cartographers to experiment with their maps by applying these new innovations.
(b) Modern mapmakers evaluate a map's effectiveness efficiency and satisfaction of the user through a series of experiments.
(c) Today, cartographers also need to look into the usability of maps because of the new technological developments.
(d) Maps are being used for a variety of reasons and therefore map readers have become more demanding.

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Ans: (c)
The main idea of the paragraph is that while cartographers in the past did not worry too much about map readers, the cartographers of today are influenced by societal and technological developments which have made map readers more demanding.
Options 2 and 4 are easily eliminated. The paragraph does not say map readers use a series of experiments to evaluate maps, nor does it say map readers have become demanding as maps are being used for a variety of reasons.
Options 1 and 3, however, look close. Of these, 3 is better than 1. Option 1 simply says cartographers have been prompted by new technological developments to experiment with their maps. Option 3, on the other hand, touches upon the idea of usability of maps-- the fact that map users/readers have influenced the work of cartographers. So, 3 is the better choice.
Hence, the answer is 'Today, cartographers also need to look into the usability of maps because of the new technological developments.'
Choice C is the correct answer.

Q3: Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.
1. Animals have an interest in fulfilling their basic needs, but also in avoiding suffering, and thus we ought to extend moral consideration.
2. Singer viewed himself as a utilitarian, and presents a direct moral theory concerning animal rights, in contrast to indirect positions, such as welfarist views.
3. He argued for extending moral consideration to animals because, similar to humans, animals have certain significant interests.
4. The event that publicly announced animal rights as a legitimate issue within contemporary philosophy was Peter Singer's Animal Liberation text in 1975.
5. As such, we ought to view their interests alongside and equal to human interests, which results in humans having direct moral duties towards animals.

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Ans: (a)
4 is the opening sentence of the paragraph, as it is a general statement describing what the paragraph is about. 4 introduces Singer's Animal Liberation text. 2 explain Singer's view. So, 2 follows 4. We see that 3, too, relates to Singer's views on extending moral consideration to animals. So, 3 follows 2. Singer argues that animals deserve direct moral consideration as, just like humans, they have certain significant interests. Now, between 1 and 5, we see that 5 makes better sense after 3 than 1 as 5, too, is about animal and human interests and it ties in with Singer's idea of humans having direct moral duties towards animals. 5 is a good concluding sentence. On the other hand, we see that option 3 says animals have 'certain significant interests' whereas 1 blandly states only two specific interests of animals while not relating this to humans having 'direct' moral duties towards animals.

Q4 to 7: The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question.
Landing in Australia, the British colonists weren't much impressed with the small-bodied, slender-snooted marsupials called bandicoots. "Their muzzle, which is much too long, gives them an air exceedingly stupid," one naturalist noted in 1805. They nicknamed one type the "zebra rat" because of its black-striped rump.
Silly-looking or not, though, the zebra rat—the smallest bandicoot, more commonly known today as the western barred bandicoot—exhibited a genius for survival in the harsh outback, where its ancestors had persisted for some 26 million years. Its births were triggered by rainfall in the bone-dry desert. It carried its breath-mint-size babies in a backward-facing pouch so mothers could forage for food and dig shallow, camouflaged shelters.
Still, these adaptations did not prepare the western barred bandicoot for the colonial-era transformation of its ecosystem, particularly the onslaught of imported British animals, from cattle and rabbits that damaged delicate desert vegetation to ravenous house cats that soon developed a taste for bandicoots. Several of the dozen-odd bandicoot species went extinct, and by the 1940s the western barred bandicoot, whose original range stretched across much of the continent, persisted only on two predator-free islands in Shark Bay, off Australia's western coast.
"Our isolated fauna had simply not been exposed to these predators," says Reece Pedler, an ecologist with the Wild Deserts conservation program.
Now Wild Deserts is using descendants of those few thousand island survivors, called Shark Bay bandicoots, in a new effort to seed a mainland bandicoot revival. They've imported 20 bandicoots to a preserve on the edge of the Strzelecki Desert, in the remote interior of New South Wales. This sanctuary is a challenging place, desolate much of the year, with one of the world's most mercurial rainfall patterns—relentless droughts followed by sudden drenching floods.
The imported bandicoots occupy two fenced "exclosures," cleared of invasive rabbits (courtesy of Pedler's sheepdog) and of feral cats (which slunk off once the rabbits disappeared). A third fenced area contains the program's Wild Training Zone, where two other rare marsupials (bilbies, a larger type of bandicoot, and mulgaras, a somewhat fearsome fuzzball known for sucking the brains out of prey) currently share terrain with controlled numbers of cats, learning to evade them. It's unclear whether the Shark Bay bandicoots, which are perhaps even more predator-naive than their now-extinct mainland bandicoot kin, will be able to make that kind of breakthrough.
For now, though, a recent surge of rainfall has led to a bandicoot joey boom, raising the Wild Deserts population to about 100, with other sanctuaries adding to that number. There are also signs of rebirth in the landscape itself. With their constant digging, the bandicoots trap moisture and allow for seed germination so the cattle-damaged desert can restore itself.
They have a new nickname—a flattering one, this time. "We call them ecosystem engineers," Pedler says.

Q4: According to the text, the western barred bandicoots now have a flattering name because they have
(a) grown fivefold in terms of population.
(b) led a revival in preserving the species.
(c) aided in altering an arid environment.
(d) led to a surge and increase of rainfall.

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Ans: (c)
The western barred bandicoots have earned a new nickname due to their constant digging aiding the desert restore itself: “With their constant digging, the bandicoots trap moisture and allow for seed germination so the cattle-damaged desert can restore itself. They have a new nickname—a flattering one, this time.” So, option 3 is the correct choice.

Q5: Which one of the following options does NOT represent the characteristics of the western barred bandicoot?
(a) Look of a rat but with a baby pouch and a slender snout
(b) Shallow diggers having an elongated muzzle
(c) Long thin nose, black striped back, pouch for joeys
(d) Smallest black striped marsupial that uses camouflage and dig

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Ans: (d)
Tricky question. Note the terms/phrases used to describe the western barred bandicoot: 'small-bodied', 'slender-snooted', 'muzzle, which is much too long', 'black-striped rump', 'the smallest bandicoot', 'breath-mint-size babies', 'backward-facing pouch', 'mothers..forage for food and dig shallow, camouflaged shelters'.
Options 1, 2 and 3 are all true based on the given description. Option 4, on the other hand, says the western barred bandicoot 'uses camouflage' and digs. This is not what the passage says. The passage says the western barred bandicoot digs camouflaged shelters, not that it uses camouflage and digs. So, option 4 does not represent the characteristics of the western barred bandicoot.

Q6: The text uses the word 'exclosures' because Wild Deserts has adopted a measure of
(a) restoring cattle damaged deserts to green landscapes.
(b) excluding animals to make the islands predator-free.
(c) ridding the main desert of feral cats and large bilbies.
(d) barring the entry of invasive species.

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Ans: (d)
Again, a tricky question as two options are close. The passage says that 20 Shark Bay bandicoots have been imported to a preserve on the edge of the desert where they occupy two fenced exclosures cleared of invasive rabbits and of feral cats.
While option 1 is easily eliminated and option 3 ruled out as it talks of the 'main' desert being rid of certain animals, options 2 and 4 look close. But of these, 4 is more precise, as it contains the keyword mentioned in the passage- the exclosures have been cleared of 'invasive' species. Option 2 is incorrect as the islands are not predator-free as such, it is only the two fenced exclosures that have been rid of invasive rabbits and feral cats. A third fenced area in the island contains cats. So, option 2 is incorrect.

Q7: Which one of the following statements provides a gist of this passage?
(a) The negligent attitude of the British colonists towards these bandicoots evidenced by the names given to them led to their annihilation.
(b) A type of bandicoots was nearly wiped out by invasive species but rescuers now pin hopes on a remnant island population.
(c) Marsupials are going extinct due to the colonial era transformation of the ecosystem which also destroyed natural vegetation.
(d) The onslaught of animals, such as cattle, rabbits and housecats, brought in by the British led to the extinction of the western barred bandicoot.

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Ans: (b)
The passage describes how the colonial-era transformation of the ecosystem led to the dwindling of the western barred bandicoot and the effort by Wild Deserts to seed a mainland bandicoot revival. Option 2 is a good summary of what the passage is about. None of the other options talk about the revival effort, so they are easily ruled out.

Q8: There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide where (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.
Sentence: The brain isn't organized the way you might set up your home office or bathroom medicine cabinet.
Paragraph: ___(1)___. You can't just put things anywhere you want to. The evolved architecture of the brain is haphazard and disjointed, and incorporates multiple systems, each of which has a mind of its own. ___(2)___. Evolution doesn't design things and it doesn't build systems—it settles on systems that, historically, conveyed a survival benefit. There is no overarching, grand planner engineering the systems so that they work harmoniously together. ___(3)___. The brain is more like a big, old house with piecemeal renovations done on every floor, and less like new construction. ___(4)___.
(a) Option 1
(b) Option 4
(c) Option 2
(d) Option 3

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Ans: (a)
Easy question. The missing sentence says the brain is not organized on the lines of a home office or bathroom medicine cabinet. The line that follows blank 1 explains why the analogy does not work. Unlike a home office or cabinet, in the brain, you can't put things anywhere you want to. Blank 1 is a good fit for the missing sentence.
Further, we see that the paragraph cannot begin with the line 'You can’t just put things anywhere you want to' as it is about the brain and not about organizing things. So, blank 1 is the correct choice; there is no need to rule out other options.

Q9 to 12: The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question.
Oftentimes, when economists cross borders, they are less interested in learning from others than in invading their garden plots. Gary Becker, for instance, pioneered the idea of human capital. To do so, he famously tackled topics like crime and domesticity, applying methods honed in the study of markets to domains of nonmarket life. He projected economics outward into new realms: for example, by revealing the extent to which humans calculate marginal utilities when choosing their spouses or stealing from neighbors. At the same time, he did not let other ways of thinking enter his own economic realm: for example, he did not borrow from anthropology or history or let observations of nonmarket economics inform his homo economicus. Becker was a picture of the imperial economist in the heyday of the discipline's bravura.
Times have changed for the once almighty discipline. Economics has been taken to task, within and beyond its ramparts. Some economists have reached out, imported, borrowed, and collaborated—been less imperial, more open. Consider Thomas Piketty and his outreach to historians. The booming field of behavioral economics—the fusion of economics and social psychology—is another case. Having spawned active subfields, like judgment, decision-making and a turn to experimentation, the field aims to go beyond the caricature of Rational Man to explain how humans make decisions….
It is important to underscore how this flips the way we think about economics. For generations, economists have presumed that people have interests—"preferences," in the neoclassical argot—that get revealed in the course of peoples' choices. Interests come before actions and determine them. If you are hungry, you buy lunch; if you are cold, you get a sweater. If you only have so much money and can't afford to deal with both your growling stomach and your shivering, which need you choose to meet using your scarce savings reveals your preference.
Psychologists take one look at this simple formulation and shake their heads. Increasingly, even some mainstream economists have to admit that homo economicus doesn't always behave like the textbook maximizer; irrational behavior can't simply be waved away as extra-economic expressions of passions over interests, and thus the domain of other disciplines…. This is one place where the humanist can help the economist. If narrative economics is going to help us understand how rivals duke it out, who wins and who loses, we are going to need much more than lessons from epidemiological studies of viruses or intracranial stimuli.
Above all, we need politics and institutions. Shiller [the Nobel prize winning economist] connects perceptions of narratives to changes in behavior and thence to social outcomes. He completes a circle that was key to behavioral economics and brings in storytelling to make sense of how perceptions get framed. This cycle (perception to behavior to society) was once mediated or dominated by institutions: the political parties, lobby groups, and media organizations that played a vital role in legitimating, representing, and excluding interests. Yet institutions have been stripped from Shiller's account, to reveal a bare dynamic of emotions and economics, without the intermediating place of politics.
Q9: In the first paragraph the author is making the point that economists like Becker
(a) tended to guard their discipline from poaching by academics from other subject areas.
(b) benefitted from the application of their principles and concepts to non-economic phenomena.
(c) used economics to analyse non-market behaviour, without incorporating perspectives from other areas of inquiry.
(d) had begun to borrow concepts from other disciplines but were averse to the latter applying economic principles.

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Ans: (c)
Of Becker, the passage says that he “projected economics outward into new realms: for example, by revealing the extent to which humans calculate marginal utilities when choosing their spouses or stealing from neighbors. At the same time, he did not let other ways of thinking enter his own economic realm: for example, he did not borrow from anthropology or history or let observations of nonmarket economics inform his homo economicus." Option 3 is the correct choice.

Q10: "Times have changed for the once almighty discipline." We can infer from this statement and the associated paragraph that the author is being
(a) disparaging of economists' inability to precisely predict market behaviour, and are now borrowing from other disciplines to remedy this.
(b) sarcastic about how economists, who earlier shunned other disciplines, are now beginning to incorporate them in their analyses.
(c) critical of economists' openly borrowing and collaborating across disciplines to explain how humans make decisions.
(d) judgemental about the ability of economic tools to accurately manage crises leading to the downfall of this lofty science.

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Ans: (b)
In the first paragraph, the author talks of 'imperial' economists 'invading' nonmarket realms while not letting in other ways of thinking enter their own field. Then he remarks that times have changed for 'the once almighty' discipline'. Clearly, the author is being sarcastic while explaining how economists have, with time, been forced to incorporate other disciplines in their analyses. Option 2 is the correct choice.
Option 1 is easily ruled out; the author is not being disparaging of economists’ inability to precisely predict market behaviour. Option 3 is the exact opposite of the author's stand. Option 4 is not related to the author's point.

Q11: The author critiques Schiller's approach to behavioural economics for
(a) relying excessively on storytelling as the main influence on the formation of perceptions.
(b) denigrating the role of institutions while creating a link between behavioural economics and perceptions.
(c) linking emotions and rational behaviour without considering the mediation of social institutions.
(d) ignoring the marginal role that media and politics play in influencing people's behaviour.

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Ans: (c)
Refer to the last paragraph: “This cycle (perception to behavior to society) was once mediated or dominated by institutions: the political parties, lobby groups, and media organizations that played a vital role in legitimating, representing, and excluding interests. Yet institutions have been stripped from Shiller’s account, to reveal a bare dynamic of emotions and economics, without the intermediating place of politics.” In other words, Schiller’s approach to behavioural economics does not take the mediation of social institutions into account while connecting perceptions of narratives to changes in behavior and thereon to social outcomes. Option 3 is the correct choice.
Options 1 and 4 are easily eliminated, as neither relates to what the author says about Shiller. Option 2 is incorrect as, according to the passage, Shiller does not denigrate or belittle the role of institutions; he does not even consider their role.

Q12: We can infer from the passage that the term ''homo economicus" refers to someone who
(a) makes rational decisions based on their own preferences.
(b) is not influenced by the preferences and choices of others.
(c) maximises their opportunities based on nonmarket choices.
(d) believes in borrowing and collaborating with other disciplines in their work.

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Ans: (a)
Refer to the context in which the passage mentions homo economicus: "For generations, economists have presumed that people have interests—“preferences,” in the neoclassical argot—that get revealed in the course of peoples’ choices. Interests come before actions and determine them. If you are hungry, you buy lunch; if you are cold, you get a sweater. If you only have so much money and can’t afford to deal with both your growling stomach and your shivering, which need you choose to meet using your scarce savings reveals your preference. Psychologists take one look at this simple formulation and shake their heads. Increasingly, even some mainstream economists have to admit that homo economicus doesn’t always behave like the textbook maximizer..." In other words, homo economicus refers to someone who is rational and makes decisions based on their own preferences.

Q13: The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
Certain codes may, of course, be so widely distributed in a specific language community or culture, and be learned at so early an age, that they appear not to be constructed – the effect of an articulation between sign and referent – but to be 'naturally' given. Simple visual signs appear to have achieved a 'near-universality' in this sense: though evidence remains that even apparently 'natural' visual codes are culture specific. However, this does not mean that no codes have intervened; rather, that the codes have been profoundly naturalized. The operation of naturalized codes reveals not the transparency and 'naturalness' of language but the depth, the habituation and the near-universality of the codes in use. They produce apparently 'natural' recognitions. This has the (ideological) effect of concealing the practices of coding which are present.
(a) Learning linguistic and visual signs at an early age makes all such codes appear natural. This naturalization of codes is the effect of ideology.
(b) Language and visual signs are codes. However, some of the codes are so widespread that they not only seem naturally given but also hide the mechanism of coding behind the signs.
(c) All codes, linguistic and visual, have a natural origin but some are so widespread that they become universal. This is what hides the mechanism of coding behind signs.
(d) Not all codes are natural but certain codes are naturalized and made to appear universal. Ideology aims to hide the mechanism of coding behind signs.

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Ans: (b)
Tricky question, as the paragraph is dense and difficult to read. However, the correct choice - 2- can be identified fairly easily by eliminating the other options.
The paragraph says that while certain codes, especially simple visual signs, may appear to be 'naturally given' and not constructed (that is, indicating the relationship between a sign and referent), 'natural' recognitions are not attributable to the transparency and ‘naturalness’ of language but to the depth, the habituation and the near-universality of the codes in use.
Option 1 is easily eliminated. The paragraph does not say naturalization of codes is the effect of ideology.
Option 2 sums up the main idea: it is only because some codes are so widespread that they seem naturally given.
Option 3 is ruled out as it says all codes have a 'natural' origin. This is incorrect.
Option 4 can also be easily eliminated as the paragraph does not say that ideology aims to hide the mechanism of coding behind signs.
So, option 2 is the correct choice.

Q14 to 17: The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question.
. . . [T]he idea of craftsmanship is not simply nostalgic. . . . Crafts require distinct skills, an all-round approach to work that involves the whole product, rather than individual parts, and an attitude that necessitates devotion to the job and a focus on the communal interest. The concept of craft emphasises the human touch and individual judgment.
Essentially, the crafts concept seems to run against the preponderant ethos of management studies which, as the academics note, have long prioritised efficiency and consistency. . . . Craft skills were portrayed as being primitive and traditionalist.
The contrast between artisanship and efficiency first came to the fore in the 19th century when British manufacturers suddenly faced competition from across the Atlantic as firms developed the "American system" using standardised parts. . . . the worldwide success of the Singer sewing machine showed the potential of a mass-produced device. This process created its own reaction, first in the form of the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th century, and then again in the "small is beautiful" movement of the 1970s. A third crafts movement is emerging as people become aware of the environmental impact of conventional industry.
There are two potential markets for those who practise crafts. The first stems from the existence of consumers who are willing to pay a premium price for goods that are deemed to be of extra quality. . . . The second market lies in those consumers who wish to use their purchases to support local workers, or to reduce their environmental impact by taking goods to craftspeople to be mended, or recycled.
For workers, the appeal of craftsmanship is that it allows them the autonomy to make creative choices, and thus makes a job far more satisfying. In that sense, it could offer hope for the overall labour market. Let the machines automate dull and repetitive tasks and let workers focus purely on their skills, judgment and imagination. As a current example, the academics cite the "agile" manifesto in the software sector, an industry at the heart of technological change. The pioneers behind the original agile manifesto promised to prioritise "individuals and interactions over processes and tools". By bringing together experts from different teams, agile working is designed to improve creativity.
But the broader question is whether crafts can create a lot more jobs than they do today. Demand for crafted products may rise but will it be easy to retrain workers in sectors that might get automated (such as truck drivers) to take advantage? In a world where products and services often have to pass through regulatory hoops, large companies will usually have the advantage.
History also suggests that the link between crafts and creativity is not automatic. Medieval craft guilds were monopolies which resisted new entrants. They were also highly hierarchical with young men required to spend long periods as apprentices and journeymen before they could set up on their own; by that time the innovative spirit may have been knocked out of them. Craft workers can thrive in the modern era, but only if they don't get too organised.
Q14: We can infer from the passage that medieval crafts guilds resembled mass production in that both
(a) discouraged innovation by restricting entry through strict rules.
(b) focused excessively on product quality.
(c) did not necessarily promote creativity.
(d) did not always employ egalitarian production processes.

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Ans: (c)
The passage says that the mass-produced Singer machines brought "the contrast between artisanship and efficiency to the fore". Artisanship allows creativity while mass production prioritizes efficiency.
Refer to what the passage says about medieval crafts guilds: "They were also highly hierarchical with young men required to spend long periods as apprentices and journeymen before they could set up on their own; by that time the innovative spirit may have been knocked out of them."
So, we can infer from the passage that medieval crafts guilds resembled mass production in that both did not necessarily promote creativity.
Option 1 is incorrect. While the passage says medieval crafts guilds resisted new entrants, the same is not true of mass production.
Option 2 is easily ruled out.
Option 4 seems a tempting choice but the passage does not state or imply anywhere that mass production does not always employ egalitarian production processes. So, this option is not correct.

Q15: The most recent revival in interest in the crafts is a result of the emergence of all of the following EXCEPT:
(a) support for individual creations as opposed to mass-produced objects.
(b) a greater interest in buying locally produced goods.
(c) a niche market for discerning buyers of quality products.
(d) concerns about the environmental impact of mass production.

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Ans: (a)
Refer to the fourth paragraph: "There are two potential markets for those who practise crafts. The first stems from the existence of consumers who are willing to pay a premium price for goods that are deemed to be of extra quality. . . . The second market lies in those consumers who wish to use their purchases to support local workers, or to reduce their environmental impact by taking goods to craftspeople to be mended, or recycled."
All options except 1 are stated in the passage.

Q16: The author questions the ability of crafts to create substantial employment opportunities presently because
(a) regulatory requirements could make it difficult for small crafts outfits to compete.
(b) workers made redundant by automation are unlikely to opt for crafts-related work.
(c) crafts guilds tend to resist new entrants and are unlikely to accept large numbers of trainees.
(d) the low scale of crafts production will not be able to absorb the mass of redundant labour.

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Ans: (a)
Note the lines, "But the broader question is whether crafts can create a lot more jobs than they do today...In a world where products and services often have to pass through regulatory hoops, large companies will usually have the advantage". In other words, due to regulatory constraints, small crafts outfits will find it difficult to compete with large companies.
Option 3 is easily ruled out. But options 2 and 4 seem reasonable at first glance. But note that while the author questions whether it will be easy to retrain workers in sectors that might get automated to take advantage of crafts, he does not say such workers are 'unlikely' to opt for crafts-related work. Nor does he comment on the scale of craft production and the mass of redundant labour. So, options 2 and 4 are incorrect.

Q17: Which one of the following statements is NOT inconsistent with the views stated in the passage?
(a) Creativity in the crafts could be stifled if the market for artisan goods becomes too organised.
(b) The Arts and Crafts movement was initially inspired by the "American system" of production.
(c) The agile movement in software is a throwback to the tenets of the medieval crafts guilds.
(d) We need to support the crafts; only then can we retain the creativity intrinsic to their production.

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Ans: (a)
Trickily-worded question with a double negative.
Which statement is NOT inconsistent with the author's views = which statement is consistent with the author's views
Option 1 rewords the last line of the passage, "Craft workers can thrive in the modern era, but only if they don’t get too organised." So, this is the correct choice.
According to the passage, the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th century was a "reaction" to the “American system” of production, not inspired by it. So, option 2 is incorrect.
The passage does not relate agile development with the tenets of the medieval crafts guilds. So, option 3 is incorrect.
Option 4 is also inconsistent with the contents of the passage. Note the line, "History also suggests that the link between crafts and creativity is not automatic."

Q18 to 21: The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question.
In the summer of 2022, subscribers to the US streaming service HBO MAX were alarmed to discover that dozens of the platform's offerings – from the Covid-themed heist thriller Locked Down to the recent remake of The Witches – had been quietly removed from the service . . . The news seemed like vindication to those who had long warned that streaming was more about controlling access to the cultural commons than expanding it, as did reports (since denied by the show's creators) that Netflix had begun editing old episodes of Stranger Things to retroactively improve their visual effects.
What's less clear is whether the commonly prescribed cure for these cultural ills – a return to the material pleasures of physical media – is the right one. While the makers of Blu-ray discs claim they have a shelf life of 100 years, such statistics remain largely theoretical until they come to pass, and are dependent on storage conditions, not to mention the continued availability of playback equipment. The humble DVD has already proved far less resilient, with many early releases already beginning to deteriorate in quality Digital movie purchases provide even less security. Any film "bought" on iTunes could disappear if you move to another territory with a different rights agreement and try to redownload it. It's a bold new frontier in the commodification of art: the birth of the product recall. After a man took to Twitter to bemoan losing access to Cars 2 after moving from Canada to Australia, Apple clarified that users who downloaded films to their devices would retain permanent access to those downloads, even if they relocated to a hemisphere where the [content was] subject to a different set of rights agreements. Thanks to the company's ironclad digital rights management technology, however, such files cannot be moved or backed up, locking you into watching with your Apple account.
Anyone who does manage to acquire Digital Rights Management free (DRM-free) copies of their favourite films must nonetheless grapple with ever-changing file format standards, not to mention data decay – the gradual process by which electronic information slowly but surely corrupts. Only the regular migration of files from hard drive to hard drive can delay the inevitable, in a sisyphean battle against the ravages of digital time.
In a sense, none of this is new. Charlie Chaplin burned the negative of his 1926 film A Woman of the Sea as a tax write-off. Many more films have been lost through accident, negligence or plain indifference. During a heatwave in July 1937, a Fox film vault in New Jersey burned down, destroying a majority of the silent films produced by the studio.
Back then, at least, cinema was defined by its ephemerality: the sense that a film was as good as gone once it left your local cinema. Today, with film studios keen to stress the breadth of their back catalogues (or to put in Hollywood terms, the value of their IPs), audiences may start to wonder why those same studios seem happy to set the vault alight themselves if it'll help next quarter's numbers.
Q18: Which of the following statements is suggested by the sentence "Back then, at least, cinema was defined by its ephemerality: the sense that a film was as good as gone once it left your local cinema"?
(a) Today, films are expected to be available for a long time, since they are no longer tied solely to their stay at the local cinema.
(b) Cinema is now no longer as ephemeral as it used to be earlier, because the technology used for creating and preserving films has improved manifold.
(c) Presently, there is no reason why film studios should remove access to films once they have left the local cinema.
(d) Around a century ago, people were more accepting of not having access to films once they left the local cinema.

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Ans: (a)
Refer to the context in which the given statement is made. The author discusses instances of films lost through accident, negligence or plain indifference in the past and remarks that back then, cinema was thought to be as good as gone when it was no longer playing in the local cinema whereas now film studios are keen to stress the breadth of their back catalogues. What is implied by the given statement is that now, films are expected to be available for a long time, since they are no longer tied solely to their stay at the local cinema.
There is no mention of the technology used for creating and preserving films in the given context. So, option 2 is ruled out.
The issue discussed is not related to the deliberate removal of access to films that have left the local cinema. So, options 3 is incorrect.
Option 4 restates the idea in the given sentence but is not as apt as option 1, as the question asks what the given sentence suggests. “Back then, at least ..." implies the situation is different now. Option 1 expands on this.

Q19: "Netflix had begun editing old episodes of Stranger Things to retroactively improve their visual effects." What is the purpose of this example used in the passage?
(a) To show a practice that justifies the fears of people who feel streaming services cannot be trusted to be custodians of cultural artefacts like film.
(b) To show how unsubstantiated reports are leading to an increase in the level of distrust towards streaming services.
(c) To show that art in the digital age, specifically film, is no longer sacrosanct, and may be changed to suit changing tastes or technology.
(d) To show that streaming services are controlling access to the cultural commons rather than expanding it.

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Ans: (a)
The passage is all about preserving digital content against the ravages of time. The author says the news of the removal of content on HBO Max "seemed like vindication to those who had long warned that streaming was more about controlling access to the cultural commons than expanding it, as did reports (since denied by the show’s creators) that Netflix had begun editing old episodes of Stranger Things to retroactively improve their visual effects." The Netflix example relates to a streaming service retroactively editing content. This is given to substantiate the idea that streaming services cannot be expected to be custodians of cultural commons like films and other digital content.
While option 2 is easily eliminated, the other options seem close.
Consider option 3. While it is true that the Netflix example shows that art in the digital age is no longer sacrosanct, and may be changed to suit changing tastes or technology, this option does not touch upon the role of streaming services like Netflix and the idea that they are not reliable custodians of past content. Option 1 is better than option 3.
Option 4, again, seems a strong contender, at the outset. But the Netflix example is not about streaming services controlling access to the cultural commons and not expanding it. It is about streaming services not preserving cultural content in the original state but altering it to suit their interests. Option 4 actually relates to the HBO example, not the Netflix one. So, this option too, is incorrect.

Q20: Which one of the following statements, if true, would best invalidate the main argument of the passage?
(a) Improved cloud storage services have made it possible for movie collections to now be preserved in perpetuity, without the need to keep migrating the files.
(b) Studios and streaming services have committed to giving customers perpetual and platform-independent access to the original digital content they have paid for.
(c) Recent research has irrefutably proven that Blu-Ray discs have a shelf life of at least 100 years.
(d) When moving to a different geographical location, customers can easily use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to bypass geo-blocking and regain access to their content on any streaming service.

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Ans: (b)
The passage argues that preserving cultural artefacts such as film against the ravages of time is a sisyphean battle. Customers struggle to retain access to content they pay for, as they cannot rely on streaming providers to be custodians of the content. Nor is the use of physical media or acquiring digital rights a good solution due to complications posed by technological advancements, changing file formats, data decay and so on.
If option 2 were true, that is, studios and streaming services have committed to giving customers perpetual and platform-independent access to the original digital content they have paid for, then the central argument of the passage would be invalidated. So, option 2 is the correct choice.
Option 1, if true, would be a solution to one problem discussed in the passage, that is, perpetual access to content paid for, but it does not address the other issues, such as access to original content being tied to the platform and to the location of access. Similarly, the other options, too, narrowly address one aspect of the problem whereas option 2 is broader and so it is the right choice.

Q21: Which one of the following statements about art best captures the arguments made in the passage?
(a) Works of art belong to the cultural commons and hence must remain available in perpetuity, irrespective of who pays for access to them.
(b) In the age of online subscription services, it is time to change our understanding of classic works of art being primarily immutable and easily available to the public.
(c) As art is increasingly created, stored and distributed digitally, access to it is counterintuitively likely to be made more difficult by the rapid churn in technology and the whims of host platforms.
(d) Accepting retroactive changes to works of art is dangerous because it will encourage creators to not put enough effort into the original attempt, given that they can always edit or update their work later.

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Ans: (c)
With regard to art, key ideas mentioned in the passage include that of cultural commons, the commodification of art with advancement in technology and the difficulty in preserving access to it over time. Option C, which touches upon the problem of technology-driven complications in access to art, best captures the essence of these arguments.
Consider option 1. While the author is likely to agree with the view that works of art belong to the cultural commons, there is no argument put forth in the passage that art must be available in perpetuity, irrespective of who pays for access to it. So, this option is ruled out.
Option 2 overstates the author's point about streaming service providers controlling access to and altering classic works of art. The author does not argue that it is time to change our understanding of classic works of art as being primarily immutable and easily available. Option 2 is hence not a good choice.
Option 4, too, is incorrect for a similar reason. The Netflix example is given by the author to make a point about streaming service providers not being reliable custodians of work of art, but to say that retroactive changes to works of art is dangerous is overstating the author's arguments.

Q22: The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
Scientific research shows that many animals are very intelligent and have sensory and motor abilities that dwarf ours. Dogs are able to detect diseases such as cancer and diabetes and warn humans of impending heart attacks and strokes. Elephants, whales, hippopotamuses, giraffes, and alligators use low-frequency sounds to communicate over long distances, often miles. Many animals also display wide-ranging emotions, including joy, happiness, empathy, compassion, grief, and even resentment and embarrassment. It's not surprising that animals share many emotions with us because we also share brain structures, located in the limbic system, that are the seat of our emotions.
(a) Animals can show emotions which are typically associated with humans.
(b) The similarity in brain structure explains why animals show emotions typically associated with humans.
(c) The advanced sensory and motor abilities of animals is the reason why they can display wide-ranging emotions.
(d) Animals are more intelligent than us in sensing danger and detecting diseases.

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Ans: (b)
The paragraph discusses the ability of animals to sense, communicate and display emotions and states that this ability is not surprising as both animals and humans share brain structures. Option 2 sums up the main idea and is hence the right choice.
Option 1, while true, is incomplete, as it does not mention similarity in brain structure of humans and animals.
Option 3 is factually incorrect based on the contents of the paragraph.
Option 4 misses the main idea. The paragraph does not say animals are more intelligent than us.

Q23: Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.
1. Urbanites also have more and better options for getting around: Uber is ubiquitous; easy-to-rent dockless bicycles are spreading; battery-powered scooters will be next.
2. When more people use buses or trains the service usually improves because public-transport agencies run more buses and trains.
3. Worsening services on public transport, terrorist attacks in some urban metros and a rise in fares have been blamed for this trend.
4. It seems more likely that public transport is being squeezed structurally as people's need to travel is diminishing as a result of smartphones, video-conferencing, online shopping and so on.
5. There has been a puzzling decline in the use of urban public transport in many countries in the west, despite the growth in urban populations and rising employment.

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Ans: 2
If the sentences were to be arranged in a paragraph, 5 would clearly be the opening sentence, as it states the main idea of the paragraph- the puzzling decline in the use of urban public transport in the West despite urban population growth and rising employment. 3 is the best choice to follow 5 as it lists a few issues blamed for the trend. 4 follows 3 as it offers a different possible reason for the decline in use of public transport- a diminished need for travel with advancement in technology. So, we have the order 534.
Between 1 and 2, we can see that 1 is a better concluding sentence for the paragraph than 2 as it offers yet another reason for the decline in use of urban public transport- the availability of more and better options for the urban public to get around.
Option 2, on the other hand, is about how public transport service can be improved. This is an unrelated idea.

Q24: There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide where (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.
Sentence: Understanding central Asia's role helps developments make more sense not only across Asia but in Europe, the Americas and Africa.
Paragraph: The nations of the Silk Roads are sometimes called 'developing countries', but they are actually some of the world's most highly developed countries, the very crossroads of civilization, in advanced states of disrepair. ___(1)___. These countries lie at the centre of global affairs: they have since the beginning of history. Running across the spine of Asia, they form a web of connections fanning out in every direction, routes along which pilgrims and warriors, nomads and merchants have travelled, goods and produce have been bought and sold, and ideas exchanged, adapted and refined. ___(2)___ .They have carried not only prosperity, but also death and violence, disease and disaster. ___(3)___. The Silk Roads are the world's central nervous system, connecting otherwise far-flung peoples and places…. ___(4)___. It allows us to see patterns and links, causes and effects that remain invisible if one looks only at Europe, or North America.
(a) Option 1
(b) Option 4
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 2

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Ans: (b)
The missing sentence is about the importance of understanding Central Asia's role to make sense of developments across not only Asia but also Europe, Americas and Africa. The line before blank 1 is about nations of the Silk Roads and the one that follows is also about these countries. These sentences are tightly linked; so blank 1 is not the correct choice. Again, the sentence before blank 2 and the one following it both relate to nations of the Silk Roads. So, blank 2 is also ruled out. The missing sentence does not fit in blank 3 either, as the sentence that follows blank 3 is about the Silk Roads and this does not help explain the point made in the missing sentence. The last line of the given paragraph is the only one that mentions Europe and North America. The missing sentence fits well in blank 4 as the line that follows helps explain why understanding Central Asia's role is important to make sense of global developments. So, blank 4 is the correct choice.