Direction for Reading Comprehension: The passages given here are followed by some questions that have four answer choices; read the passage carefully and pick the option whose answer best aligns with the passage The claims advanced here may be condensed into two assertions: [first, that visual] culture is what images, acts of seeing, and attendant intellectual, emotional, and perceptual sensibilities do to build, maintain, or transform the worlds in which people live. [And second, that the] study of visual culture is the analysis and interpretation of images and the ways of seeing (or gazes) that configure the agents, practices, conceptualities, and institutions that put images to work. . . . Accordingly, the study of visual culture should be characterized by several concerns. First, scholars of visual culture need to examine any and all imagery – high and low, art and non art.. . . They must not restrict themselves to objects of a particular beauty or aesthetic value. Indeed, any kind of imagery may be found to offer up evidence of the visual construction of reality. . . . Second, the study of visual culture must scrutinize visual practice as much as images themselves, asking what images do when they are put to use. If scholars engaged in this enterprise inquire what makes an image beautiful or why this image or that constitutes a masterpiece or a work of genius, they should do so with the purpose of investigating an artist’s or a work’s contribution to the experience of beauty, taste, value, or genius. No amount of social analysis can account fully for the existence of Michelangelo or Leonardo. They were unique creators of images that changed the way their contemporaries thought and felt and have continued to shape the history of art, artists, museums, feeling, and aesthetic value. But study of the critical, artistic, and popular reception of works by such artists as Michelangelo and Leonardo can shed important light on the meaning of these artists and their works for many different people. And the history of meaning-making has a great deal to do with how scholars as well as lay audiences today understand these artists and their achievements. Third, scholars studying visual culture might properly focus their interpretative work on lifeworlds by examining images, practices, visual technologies, taste, and artistic style as constitutive of social relations. The task is to understand how artifacts contribute to the construction of a world. . . . Important methodological implications follow: ethnography and reception studies become productive forms of gathering information, since these move beyond the image as a closed and fixed meaning-event. . . . Fourth, scholars may learn a great deal when they scrutinize the constituents of vision, that is, the structures of perception as a physiological process as well as the epistemological frameworks informing a system of visual representation. Vision is a socially and a biologically constructed operation, depending on the design of the human body and how it engages the interpretive devices developed by a culture in order to see intelligibly. . . . Seeing . . . operates on the foundation of covenants with images that establish the conditions for meaningful visual experience. Finally, the scholar of visual culture seeks to regard images as evidence for explanation, not as epiphenomena.
Question for CAT 2020 Reading Comprehension Questions- 8
Try yourself:“No amount of social analysis can account fully for the existence of Michelangelo or Leonardo.” In light of the passage, which one of the following interpretations of this sentence is the most accurate?
Explanation
Let's look at the options one by one.
Option A states that, "Socially existing beings cannot be analysed, unlike the art of Michelangelo or Leonardo which can." Twisted option. The excerpt from the passage states that "no amount of social analysis is enough for Michelangelo and Leonardo, because they were such vast artists" However other beings could be socially analysed because not everyone is like Michelangelo or Leonardo.
Option B states that, "Michelangelo or Leonardo cannot be subjected to social analysis because of their genius." This is an entirely wrong option. These artists can be subjected to social analysis, but nothing will do justice to them.
Option C states that, "No analyses exist of Michelangelo’s or Leonardo’s social accounts.". This is beyond the scope of the pasaage, as nothing has been mentioned about this.
Option D is the correct answer.
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Question for CAT 2020 Reading Comprehension Questions- 8
Try yourself:Which set of keywords below most closely captures the arguments of the passage?
Explanation
This was an easy question. Two keywords are very important, one is visual images or imagery, and the other is visual culture or practices. Both these are important as per the first paragraph of the passage and only in choice 3 can we find these two keywords. Thus 3 is the best choice. 4 misses on imagery or visual images. 2 misses on the visual culture. 1 misses both visual culture and images.
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Question for CAT 2020 Reading Comprehension Questions- 8
Try yourself:All of the following statements may be considered valid inferences from the passage, EXCEPT:
Explanation
Option A states "studying visual culture requires institutional structures without which the structures of perception cannot be analysed".
Look at the penultimate paragraph of the question," Vision is a socially and a biologically constructed operation, depending on the design of the human body and how it engages the interpretive devices developed by a culture in order to see intelligibly"
Studying visual culture thus depends on the design of human body and interpretative devices developed by the culture. Nowhere it is mentioned that, without institutional structures of culture vision can't be analysed as it also depends on the design of human body. Hence this is a wrong inference. Remaining all three options are correct.
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Question for CAT 2020 Reading Comprehension Questions- 8
Try yourself:“Seeing . . . operates on the foundation of covenants with images that establish the conditions for meaningful visual experience.” In light of the passage, which one of the following statements best conveys the meaning of this sentence?
Explanation
This question asks us to interpret a phrase given in the passage. For meaningful visual experience, we need the conditions, which operate on the foundation of covenants. 3 precisely captures that meaning. In fact, the question asks us to pick the option that is similar in content to the one given in the question. 1 could have been close but it distorts the idea by saying “when there is foundational condition established in images”. It suggests that the foundation is established in images. Only 3 correctly rephrases the whole idea given in the question
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Question for CAT 2020 Reading Comprehension Questions- 8
Try yourself:Which one of the following best describes the word “epiphenomena” in the last sentence of the passage?
Explanation
This is a vocab question. Epiphenomena means "a secondary effect or byproduct". The option "Phenomena supplemental to the evidence", is the closest one. Hence it is the correct answer.
1. What is the format of the PassageCAT 2020 Reading Comprehension exam?
Ans. The PassageCAT 2020 Reading Comprehension exam consists of a series of reading passages followed by multiple-choice questions that test your understanding of the passage.
2. How many passages are included in the PassageCAT 2020 Reading Comprehension exam?
Ans. The PassageCAT 2020 Reading Comprehension exam includes a varying number of passages, typically ranging from 3 to 5 passages.
3. What is the difficulty level of the PassageCAT 2020 Reading Comprehension exam?
Ans. The difficulty level of the PassageCAT 2020 Reading Comprehension exam can vary, but it is designed to assess your ability to comprehend and analyze texts at a moderate to advanced level.
4. How much time is given to complete the PassageCAT 2020 Reading Comprehension exam?
Ans. The time given to complete the PassageCAT 2020 Reading Comprehension exam may vary, but it is typically around 60 minutes to 90 minutes, depending on the number of passages and questions.
5. Can I skip passages and come back to them later during the PassageCAT 2020 Reading Comprehension exam?
Ans. Yes, you can skip passages and come back to them later during the PassageCAT 2020 Reading Comprehension exam. However, it is important to manage your time effectively to ensure you have enough time to complete all the passages and questions.
