RCs: 1 to 10 Questions for CAT with Answers PDF

Passage

Read the following passage and answer the questions given below:
Suspicious as they are of American intentions, and bolstered by court rulings that seem to give them license to seek out and publish any and all government secrets, the media's distrust of our government, combined with their limited understanding of the world at large, damages our ability to design and conduct good policy in ways that the media rarely imagine.

The leak through which sensitive information flows from the government to the press is detrimental to policy insofar as it almost completely precludes the possibility of serious discussion. Leaders often say one thing in public and quite another thing in private conversation. The fear that anything they say, even in what is construed as a private forum, may appear in print, makes many people, whether our own government officials or the leaders of foreign countries, unwilling to speak their minds. 

Must we be content with the restriction of our leaders' policy discussions to a handful of people who trust each other, thus limiting the richness and variety of ideas that could be brought forward through a larger group because of the nearly endemic nature of this problem? And along with the limitation of ideas, we have less reliable information to analyse. It is vitally important for the leaders of the United States to know the real state of affairs internationally, and this can occur only if foreign leaders feel free to speak their minds to our diplomats. This cannot occur when leaders are fearful of finding their private thoughts published in newspapers, and therefore do not share their real beliefs (let alone their secrets) unless they are certain that confidences will be respected.

Until recently, it looked as if the media had convinced the public that journalists were more reliable than the government; thus, many citizens came to believe that the media were the best sources of information. When the media challenged a governmental official, the public presumed that the official was in the wrong. However, this may be changing. With the passage of time, the media have lost lustre. They—having grown large and powerful—provoke the same public scepticism that other large institutions in the society do. A series of media scandals has contributed to this. Many Americans have concluded that the media are no more credible than the government, and public opinion surveys reflect much ambivalence about the press.

While leaks are generally defended by media officials on the grounds of the public's "right to know, " in reality, they are part of the Washington political power game, as well as part of the policy process. The "leaker " may be currying favour with the media, or may be planting information to influence policy. In the first case, he is helping himself by enhancing the prestige of a journalist; in the second, he is using the media as a stage for his preferred policies. In either instance, it closes the circle: the leak begins with a political motive, is advanced by a politicised media, and continues because of politics. Although some of the journalists think they are doing the work, they are more often than not instruments of the process, not prime movers. The media must be held accountable for their activities, just like every other significant institution in our society, and the media must be forced to earn the public's trust.

Q1: Based on the passage, when the media now challenge the actions of a public official, the public assumes that:
(a) the official is wrong.
(b) the media are always wrong.
(c) the media may be wrong.
(d) the official and the media may both be wrong.

View Answer  

Ans: (c)

The correct answer is (c) "the media may be wrong." The passage states that the public once trusted the media over the government, assuming officials were wrong when challenged. However, due to media scandals and growing skepticism, the public now views the media as no more credible than the government. Thus, when the media challenge an official, the public believes the media may be wrong, aligning with option (c).

• (a) is outdated, as the public no longer assumes officials are always wrong.
• (b) is too extreme, as the passage doesn't say the media are always wrong.
• (d) is less precise, as the passage focuses on skepticism toward the media, not both parties.

Q2: Leaked information typically comes to journalists anonymously since the government official leaking the information fears reprisal. What relevance does this have to the passage?
(a) It supports the claim that the leaker plants information to influence policy.
(b) It supports the claim that journalists are more reliable than the government.
(c) It weakens the claim that the media can be used as a stage for an official's preferred policies.
(d) It weakens the claim that a leaker can curry favor with a journalist.

View Answer  

Ans: (a)

The passage states that leaks are often part of a "political power game" or the "policy process," where the leaker may be "planting information to influence policy." The fact that leakers provide information anonymously to avoid reprisal aligns with this, as it suggests they are strategically using the media to advance their preferred policies while protecting themselves. This supports option (a).

• (b) is incorrect because the passage argues the media are not necessarily more reliable than the government, especially as public trust in the media has declined.
• (c) is incorrect because anonymous leaks do not weaken the claim that the media can be a stage for an official’s policies; rather, they enable it by allowing discreet influence.
• (d) is incorrect because anonymous leaks can still curry favor with journalists by providing exclusive information, even if the leaker’s identity is hidden.

Q3: In the context of the fifth paragraph, the term prime movers would most accurately refer to:
(a) U.S. officials who pass on sensitive information to the media.
(b) journalists who are attempting to enhance their own prestige.
(c) media executives who use their own journalists to further political causes.
(d) the unwritten rules that govern the flow of leaked information in Washington.

View Answer  

Ans: (c)

In the fifth paragraph, the term "prime movers" is used in the context of journalists being described as "more often than not instruments of the process, not prime movers." This suggests that journalists are typically not the primary drivers of the leaking process but are instead used by others with political motives. The passage explains that leaks often originate from political actors (e.g., leakers with political motives) and are advanced by a "politicised media," implying that those in control of the media's actions—such as media executives who direct coverage to serve political agendas—are the true "prime movers." Thus, option (c), "media executives who use their own journalists to further political causes," best fits this description.

• (a) is incorrect because U.S. officials who leak information are described as leakers with political motives, not as the primary orchestrators of the media's role in the process.
• (b) is incorrect because journalists seeking prestige are portrayed as instruments, not the main drivers or "prime movers."
• (d) is incorrect because the "unwritten rules" are not entities that actively drive the process, whereas "prime movers" implies active agents, such as media executives.

Q4: Implicit in the author's argument that leaks result in far more limited and unreliable policy discussions with foreign leaders is the idea that:
(a) leaks should be considered breaches of trust and therefore immoral.
(b) leaks have occurred throughout the history of politics.
(c) foreign and U.S. leaders discussed policy without inhibition before the rise of the mass media.
(d) leaders fear the public would react negatively if it knew the real state of affairs.

View Answer  

Ans: (a)

The passage argues that leaks hinder open policy discussions because leaders fear their private thoughts will be published, preventing them from speaking freely. This implies that leaks violate the trust necessary for candid diplomatic conversations, as foreign leaders are reluctant to share their true beliefs if confidences are not respected. The idea that leaks are breaches of trust, and thus morally problematic, is implicit in this argument, supporting option (a).

• (b) is incorrect because the passage does not discuss the historical prevalence of leaks, focusing instead on their current impact.
• (c) is incorrect because the passage does not claim leaders discussed policy without inhibition before mass media, only that leaks currently restrict open dialogue.
• (d) is incorrect because the passage does not suggest leaders fear public reaction to the "real state of affairs," but rather that they avoid sharing sensitive information due to the risk of it being leaked.

Q5: Imagine you are an opponent of the author and disagree with his conclusions. In an upcoming written rebuttal you want to address the author's best—supported claims first. For which of the following claims does the passage provide some supporting evidence or explanation?
(a) The media rarely understand that their actions damage America's ability to conduct foreign policy.
(b) Leaks can be an intentional part of the policy process.
(c) Every significant institution in society besides the media is held accountable for their activities.
(d) The media is suspicious of the intentions of the American government.

View Answer  

Ans: (b)
Review the author's main points before looking for an answer choice that is both a claim made in the passage and supported by evidence. This question is harder than some of the same type because all the answer choices are claims made by the passage. However, three claims are simply made, with no support. (b) alone is a claim made (in paragraph 5) and supported by explanation that makes up the bulk of the paragraph.

• (a)  While this claim is made in paragraph 1 when the author says that the media cause "damage...in ways they rarely imagine, " it's given no support before the author moves on to discussing leaks.
• (c) The author makes this claim in the end of the last paragraph, but provides no support.
• (d) This is a claim made in paragraph 1, again without support.