XAT 2024 RC Passages | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) - CAT PDF Download

Passage - 1

Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows.
Fear is the greatest motivator of all time. Conflict born of fear is behind our every action, driving us forward like the cogs of a clock. Fear is desire’s dark dress, its doppelgänger. “Love and dread are brothers,” says Julian of Norwich. As desire is wanting and fear is not-wanting, they become inexorably linked; just as desire can be destructive (the desire for power), fear can be constructive (fear of hurting another); fear of poverty becomes desire for wealth.
Q1: Which of the following statements can be BEST concluded from the paragraph?
A. A positive action generally has a foundation of fear underneath.
B. The interplay of fear and desire helps in guiding one’s action.
C. Fear is a powerful motivator that leads to extraordinary achievements.
D. While fear is perceived as negative, it can be a force for good.
E. Fear paves the way to positive transformation when paired with desire

Ans: D
Sol: The paragraph emphasizes the constructive nature of fear despite its negative perception. The author begins by describing fear as a powerful motivator that influences all our actions. While fear is often viewed as dark and undesirable, the paragraph illustrates how it can lead to positive outcomes.
For instance, the "fear of hurting another" encourages compassion, and the "fear of poverty" motivates individuals to strive for wealth. This dual nature of fear—being seen as negative but acting as a force for good—is central to the discussion.
Let's look at the other options as well:
Option A: The claim is not that positive actions have a foundation of fear. This is simply not implied in the paragraph.
Option B: The paragraph talks only about the role of fear, not the interplay of fear and desire.
Option C: While this might be true, this is not what the paragraph says; the "extraordinary achievements" is an extreme of what is presented.
Option E: This again talks about both fear and desire together, while the paragraph only talks about the role of fear.
Therefore, option D is the correct answer.

Passage - 2

Read the following paragraphs and answer the question that follows.
Paragraph 1: Here are some handy rules of thumb. Anyone who calls themselves a thought leader is to be avoided. A man who does not wear socks cannot be trusted. And a company that holds an employee-appreciation day does not appreciate its employees.
Paragraph 2: It is not just that the message sent by acknowledging staff for one out of 260-odd working days is a bit of a giveaway (there isn’t a love-your-spouse day ... for the same reason). It is also that the ideas are usually so tragically unappreciative. You have worked hard all year so you get a slice of cold pizza or a rock stamped with the words “You rock”?

Which of the following BEST describes the relationship of the first paragraph with the second paragraph?
A. The first paragraph is redundant, in the presence of the second paragraph.
B. The first paragraph is humorous, while the second paragraph is sarcastic.
C. The second paragraph gives evidence to the claims made by the first paragraph.
D. Without the second paragraph the first paragraph is meaningless.
E. The first paragraph evokes interest, the second paragraph elaborates.

Ans: E
Sol: Option E is the correct answer.
In the first paragraph, the author introduces intriguing and somewhat humorous rules of thumb, such as avoiding self-proclaimed thought leaders and distrusting sockless men. These rules pique the reader’s curiosity and create interest. 
The second paragraph expands upon the topic, providing a more detailed critique of employee appreciation days and their lack of genuine appreciation. Thus, the second paragraph elaborates on the initial interest generated by the first paragraph.
Therefore, The first paragraph evokes interest, the second paragraph elaborates.

Passage - 3

Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.
How do we choose one discovery over any other? The physician Lewis Thomas made a choice. He bluntly asserts: “The greatest of all the accomplishments of 20th-century science has been the discovery of human ignorance.”
The science writer Timothy Ferris agrees: “Our ignorance, of course, has always been with us, and always will be. What is new is our awareness of it, our awakening to its fathomless dimensions, and it is this, more than anything else, that marks the coming of age of our species.”
It is an odd, unsettling thought that the culmination of our greatest century of discovery should be the confirmation of our ignorance. How did such a thing come about?
Which of the following statements can be BEST concluded from the above passage?
A. Humans know more when they know they know very little
B. Humans became scientists when they realized that they were ignorant.
C. Humans progressed because they knew that they knew very little.
D. The realization that humans are ignorant led them to invent new things.
E. That they do not know enough make humans seek to know more.

Ans: E
Sol: The passage emphasizes that recognizing our ignorance, or what we don’t know, has been a significant discovery. This ignorance awareness drives us to learn more, which aligns with option E. The other options, while they might seem related, do not capture the main idea of the passage as accurately as option e does.
Option A: This is not the point being made. The option implies a direct causal relationship, which distorts the idea presented.
Option B: The origin of "scientists" is not something discussed in the passage, and hence, this option can easily be eliminated.
Option C: This statement distorts the paragraph's idea in a negative tone, contrary to its positive and appreciative tone.
Option D: The paragraph is more about reflection rather than ignorance leading to direct new inventions.
Therefore, Option E is the correct answer.

Passage - 4

Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows.
You may accumulate a vast amount of knowledge but it will be of far less value to you than a much smaller amount if you have not thought it over for yourself; because only through ordering what you know by comparing every truth with every other truth can you take complete possession of your knowledge and get it into your power.
Based on the above information, which of the following statements MUST be true?
A. If she wants to master knowledge, she must reflect on the information.
B. If she reflects on the information, she will master the knowledge.
C. If she has not mastered knowledge, she must have not reflected on information.
D. If she has mastered the knowledge, she might have reflected on the information.
E. If she is a master of knowledge, it is because she is a reflector of information.

Ans: A
Sol: Option A is the correct answer.
The paragraph emphasizes that simply accumulating knowledge is not enough. It suggests that one must think over the information for oneself and compare every truth with every other truth to fully possess the knowledge and get it into one’s power. This process of thinking over and comparing truths can be interpreted as reflecting on the information. Therefore, if she wants to master knowledge, she must reflect on the information.
The other options (B, C, D, E) are not necessarily true based on the given paragraph. Reflecting on the information is presented as a necessary condition for mastering knowledge, but it’s not stated as a sufficient condition. That is, while reflection is necessary, the paragraph does not guarantee that reflection alone will result in mastery of knowledge. Therefore, statements suggesting that reflection will definitely lead to mastery (Options B and E), that lack of mastery implies lack of reflection (Option C), or that mastery implies reflection (Option D) are not necessarily true based on the given information.

Passage - 5

Read the following passage and answer the TWO questions that follow.
Beauty has an aesthetic, but it is not the same as aesthetics, not when it can be embodied, controlled by powerful interests, and when it can be commodified. Beauty can be manners, also a socially contingent set of traits. Whatever power decides that beauty is, it must always be more than reducible to a single thing. Beauty is a wonderful form of capital in a world that organizes everything around gender and then requires a performance of gender that makes some of its members more equal than others.
Beauty would not be such a useful distinction were it not for the economic and political conditions. It is trite at this point to point out capitalism, which is precisely why it must be pointed out. Systems of exchange tend to generate the kind of ideas that work well as exchanges.  Because it can be an idea and a good and a body, beauty serves many useful functions for our economic system. Even better, beauty can be political. It can exclude and include, one of the basic conditions of any politics. Beauty has it all. It can be political, economic, external, individualized, generalizing, exclusionary, and perhaps best of all a story that can be told. Our dominant story of beauty is that it is simultaneously a blessing, of genetics or gods, and a site of conversion. You can become beautiful if you accept the right prophets and their wisdoms with a side of products thrown in for good measure. Forget that these two ideas—unique blessing and earned reward—are antithetical to each other. That makes beauty all the more perfect for our (social and political) time, itself anchored in paradoxes like freedom and property, opportunity and equality.

Q1: Based on the passage, which of the following CANNOT be inferred about beauty?
A. Beauty is no longer an abstract concept.
B. Beauty has become an aspirational good.
C. Different powers and influences delineate beauty for us.
D. Beauty is defined and appreciated by the perceiver.
E. The beautiful does not define the standards of beauty.

Ans: D
Sol: 
Option D is the correct answer.
The passage emphasizes that beauty is socially constructed, shaped by economic, political, and social systems. It argues that beauty is commodified, controlled by powerful interests, and used as a form of capital, suggesting that beauty is not merely a matter of individual perception or appreciation. Instead, it is influenced and defined by external forces, making D inconsistent with the passage.
Option A: The passage discusses how beauty has been embodied and commodified, making it a tangible form of capital rather than an abstract idea. Thus, this can be inferred.
Option B: The passage describes how beauty is presented as something to aspire to, achieved through the "right prophets and their wisdoms with a side of products," making this inference valid.
Option C: The passage explicitly states that beauty is defined by "whatever power decides" and is influenced by economic and political conditions.
Option E: The passage supports this by emphasizing that beauty is determined by external factors like politics and economics, rather than by those who are considered beautiful themselves.

Q2: Based on the passage, which of the following BEST explains beauty to be simultaneously a “blessing” and a “site of conversion?”
A. Both are narratives, with one supporting the other.
B. When properly communicated people will believe anything.
C. Because beauty is a blessing everyone wants to possess it by converting to the standards.
D. A blessing, when sought, results in a provider of the blessing, in a capitalistic society
E. Though beauty is a unique blessing, one can become beautiful by imitating beautiful people.

Ans: D
Sol: 
Option D is the correct answer. In the passage, beauty is described as both a “blessing” (something inherent, perhaps genetic or divine) and a “site of conversion” (something that can be attained through effort, typically involving products and societal standards). This duality fits with the idea that beauty, though seen as a natural gift, is commodified and sold in capitalist society.
The "blessing" becomes something that people strive to achieve, and in doing so, they often rely on the "providers" — those who sell beauty products, offer beauty standards, or promote transformation. This connection between beauty as a blessing and a site of conversion, particularly in capitalism, is captured well in option D.

Passage - 6

Read the following passage and answer the THREE questions that follow.
What I call fast political thinking is driven by simplified moral frames. These moral frames give us the sense that those who agree with us have the right answer, while those who disagree are unreasonable, or worse.
Each moral frame sets up an axis of favorable and unfavorable. Progressives use the oppressor-oppressed axis. Progressives view most favorably those groups that can be regarded as oppressed or standing with the oppressed, and they view most unfavorably those groups that can be regarded as oppressors. Conservatives use the civilization-barbarism axis. Conservatives view most favorably the institutions that they believe constrain and guide people toward civilized behavior, and they view most unfavorably those people who they see as trying to tear down such institutions. Libertarians use the liberty-coercion axis. Libertarians view most favorably those people who defer to decisions that are made on the basis of personal choice and voluntary agreement, and they view most unfavorably those people who favor government interventions that restrict personal choice.
If you have a dominant axis, I suggest that you try to learn the languages spoken by those who use the other axes. Don’t worry—learning other languages won’t make it easy for others to convert you to their point of view. By the same token, it will not make it easy to convert others to your point of view. However, you may become aware of assumptions your side makes that others might legitimately question.
What learning the other languages can do is enable you to understand how others think about political issues. Instead of resorting to the theory that people with other views are crazy or stupid or evil, you may concede that they have a coherent point of view. In fact, their point of view could be just as coherent as yours. The problem is that those people apply their point of view in circumstances where you are fairly sure that it is not really appropriate.
Consider that there may be situations in which one frame describes the problem much better than the others. For example, I believe that the civil rights movement in the United States is best described using the progressive heuristic of the oppressed and the oppressor. In the 1950s and the early 1960s, the people who had the right model were the people who were fighting for black Americans to have true voting rights, equal access to housing, and an end to the Jim Crow laws. The civilization-barbarism axis and the liberty-coercion axis did not provide the best insight into the issue….

Q1: Which of the following BEST describes the civilization-barbarism axis?
A. The way we are trained to behave affects our peace in life
B. Some people are barbaric and should be restrained from public life.
C. It is how you behave, not who you are, that makes you acceptable.
D. Government should play a very heavy role in maintaining law and order.
E. Every society has to have a harmonious mix of civilized and the barbaric for it to survive.

Ans: C
Sol:
The civilization-barbarism axis, as described in the passage, is best represented by option C: “It is how you behave, not who you are, that makes you acceptable.”
This axis is used by conservatives who view most favourably the institutions that they believe constrain and guide people toward civilized behaviour, and they view most unfavourably those people who they see as trying to tear down such institutions. Therefore, it’s more about behaviour (civilized vs barbaric) than about who the person is.
Options A, B, D and E cannot be inferred from the passage. 

Q2: Which of the following BEST explains the author’s usage of the term moral frames?
A. The frames give those who believe in them the right to question others’ behaviours.
B. The frames define what the believer believes as right or wrong.
C. A frame is a belief and cannot be rationally explained.
D. What is right to the believer is wrong to those who do not share that belief.
E. It makes easy for the believer to declare others as wrong.

Ans: B
Sol:
Option B best explains the author’s use of the term “moral frames: “The frames define what the believer believes as right or wrong.
According to the passage, moral frames are simplified perspectives that people use to interpret political issues. Based on the axis of the frame (oppressor-oppressed, civilization-barbarism, or liberty-coercion), they create a sense of right and wrong, favourable and unfavourable. These frames guide the believer’s views and judgments about different groups and issues.
Option A is incorrect because the passage doesn’t suggest that moral frames give believers the right to question others’ behaviours.
Option C is not correct, as the passage clearly explains the concept of moral frames, indicating they can be rationally explained.
Option D is incorrect because the passage doesn’t state that what is right to the believer is wrong to those who do not share that belief.
Option E is incorrect because the passage doesn’t suggest that moral frames make it easy for the believer to declare others as wrong.

Q3: Which of the following can BEST be concluded from the above passage?
A. Knowing why you think the way you think, enables you to understand others’ perspectives.
B. Most controversial issues in the world can be simplified into three axes.
C. The assumptions we hold leads to our dominant axis.
D. Issues can be solved by looking at them from the right axis and questioning the assumptions.
E. Most problems in the world are because of applying the wrong axis to a particular problem.

Ans: A
Sol: 
The best conclusion from the passage is option A.
The passage emphasizes the importance of understanding different moral frames or axes (oppressor-oppressed, civilization-barbarism, liberty-coercion) that people use to form their political views. By learning these “languages”, one can better understand others’ perspectives, even if they don’t agree with them.
Option B is incorrect. The passage doesn’t suggest that all controversial issues can be simplified into the three axes, but rather these axes represent different perspectives.
Option C is incorrect. The passage doesn’t state that our assumptions lead to our dominant axis, but it does suggest that understanding these axes can help us understand others’ perspectives.
Option D is incorrect. While the passage does mention that certain problems might be better understood through a specific axis, it doesn’t claim that issues can be solved by looking at them from the right axis and questioning assumptions.
Option E is incorrect. The passage doesn’t state that most problems are caused by applying the wrong axis to a particular problem but rather that different perspectives might be more or less applicable in different situations.

Passage - 7

Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow.
In the darkened room
a woman
cannot find her reflection in the mirror
waiting as usual
at the edge of sleep
In her hands she holds
the oil lamp
whose drunken yellow flames
know where her lonely body hides

Q1: Which of the following statements BEST conveys the theme of the poem?
A. The poem explores the quality of life of a woman.
B. The poem laments the suffering and frustration of a woman.
C. The poem celebrates the woman’s futile and meaningless life.
D. The poem revolves around a woman whose liberty has been throttled.
E. The poem revolves around the woman’s feeling of alienation.

Ans: E
Sol:
Let's consider each option individually:
Option A: This would be too literal interpretation of the poem, the poem must have a theme much deeper than living conditions of a woman.
Option B: While this is more subtextual, the poem does not show any feelings of "frustration" by the woman. We can look for a better option.
Option C: It would be incorrect to say the poem "celebrates' and calls the woman's life meaningless.
Option D: While this comes close, none of the aspects hint at the woman's liberty being controlled in some manner.
Option E: This would best convey the poem's theme. It is conveyed through the imagery of her inability to find her reflection in the mirror, symbolizing a disconnect with herself or her identity. The imagery of the “darkened room”, the “mirror” where she can’t see her reflection, and the “drunken yellow flames” of the oil lamp that “know where her lonely body hides” all suggest a sense of isolation and alienation.
Therefore, Option E is the correct answer.

Q2: What do the lines “the drunken yellow flames/know where her lonely body hides” BEST represent?
A. The lines represent flames as forces that are aware of her solitude.
B. The lines represent flames as turbulent emotions of a nameless woman.
C. The lines represent flames that highlight the location of her body
D. The lines represent flames as distorted memories that preserve her identity.
E. The lines represent flames as her desperate pursuit for her lost self.

Ans: D
Sol:
It can be understood that these drunken flames that the woman holds truly know her, how she got there, and her current condition. We need to look at the options to see which would fit the best.
Option A: This is too literal an interpretation. Further, the "forces" do not convey anything that the yellow flames would want to represent.
Option B: This is a viable option. We can look at other options and come back to compare it with any other suitable ones we might have.
Option C: This is taking the flames in a literal sense and hence can be eliminated
Option D: This is the best option so far; the memories also connect with how the woman can not find her reflection the mirror as she has lost her real identity somewhere, so now she lies, holding the memories of her identity to preserve what little she remembers of herself.
Option E: This while in line with option D, is slightly incorrect, the flames are not the pursuit but the memories themselves, her action of holding them is the pursuit. Making E the better choice
Option B might make sense in a vacuum but D fits better with the overall theme of the poem about the lost identity of a nameless woman.
Therefore, Option D is the correct answer.

Passage - 8

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

Because it’s so easy to judge the idiocy of others, it may be sorely tempting to think this doesn’t apply to you. But the problem of unrecognized ignorance is one that visits us all. And over the years, I’ve become convinced of one key, overarching fact about the ignorant mind. One should not think of it as uninformed. Rather, one should think of it as misinformed.

An ignorant mind is precisely not a spotless, empty vessel, but one that’s filled with the clutter of irrelevant or misleading life experiences, theories, facts, intuitions, strategies, algorithms, heuristics, metaphors, and hunches that regrettably have the look and feel of useful and accurate knowledge. This clutter is an unfortunate by-product of one of our greatest strengths as a species. We are unbridled pattern recognizers and profligate theorizers. Often, our theories are good enough to get us through the day, or at least to an age when we can procreate. But our genius for creative storytelling, combined with our inability to detect our own ignorance, can sometimes lead to situations that are embarrassing, unfortunate, or downright dangerous—especially in a technologically advanced, complex democratic society that occasionally invests mistaken popular beliefs with immense destructive power. As the humorist Josh Billings once put it, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” (Ironically, one thing many people “know” about this quote is that it was first uttered by Mark Twain or Will Rogers—which just ain’t so.)

Because of the way we are built, and because of the way we learn from our environment, we are all engines of misbelief. And the better we understand how our wonderful yet kludge-ridden, Rube Goldberg engine works, the better we—as individuals and as a society—can harness it to navigate toward a more objective understanding of the truth.

Q1: Which of the following statement is NOT true about an ignorant mind?
A. An ignorant mind is often filled with unfounded and misguided distractions.
B. An ignorant mind succumbs to illusionary pattern detection.
C. An ignorant mind theorizes without robust evidence.
D. An ignorant mind is unaware of its own limitations.
E. An ignorant mind often fuels scepticism.

Ans: E
Sol:
Option E is the correct answer.
According to the passage, this statement is not true about an ignorant mind. The passage describes how an ignorant mind is filled with clutter of irrelevant or misleading experiences, theories, facts, etc., and it emphasizes the tendency of the ignorant mind to be unaware of its own limitations and to succumb to illusionary pattern detection and theorizing without robust evidence. However, it doesn't suggest that an ignorant mind often fuels scepticism. Instead, it suggests that the clutter in the ignorant mind can lead to situations that are embarrassing, unfortunate, or dangerous.
Options A, B, C and D could be inferred from the passage and hence true.

Q2: Based on the passage, what does the author BEST mean when he says, “we are all engines of misbelief?”
A. Driven by misbelief, we blend our creativity and ignorance.
B. Our brains are wired with certain heuristics that can lead to systematic errors in judgement.
C. We are prone to holding beliefs that are not necessarily true.
D. We are naturally inclined to form, and often share, misleading and inaccurate beliefs.
E. We are always fuelled by our ignorance to spread information.

Ans: D
Sol:
Option D is the correct answer.
This choice reflects the author's idea that we tend to create and spread beliefs, even when they're not entirely accurate because we often don't realize our own ignorance. The passage emphasizes how our minds can be cluttered with misleading information, leading us to accept and share beliefs that may not be true. So, when the author says "we are all engines of misbelief," it means that we have a natural inclination to form and spread beliefs that can be misleading or inaccurate.

Q3: With which of the following statements will the author agree the MOST?
A. We must try not to see patterns in everything that we observe.
B. We must be aware that the patterns we see may not necessarily reflect the truth.
C. We must be sceptical of the beliefs we have, regardless how true they seem to us.
D. The more we are sure of something, the more we are wrong about it.
E. Our desire to see patterns in everything makes us unable to detect misbeliefs in others.

Ans: C
Sol:
Option A is opposite to what the author would agree with; it negates pattern recognition entirely, while the author clearly mentions it as one of the species' strengths.
Option B: This option is close; however, while the author's main focus is on checking beliefs, the options focus on patterns. The author's main argument is not about keeping the pattern recognition/formation in check but not about making belie based on our intuitive pattern recognition.
Option C: This option better represents the author's idea about how our beliefs need to be checked.
Option D: This statement is too general and extreme; the author does not discuss all certainty; some beliefs could be accurate. The author is just asking us to check how prone we are to being misinformed; he would not say that all our beliefs are wrong.
Option E: The author is concerned with misbeliefs in ourselves; this idea of detecting misbeliefs in "others" is beyond the scope of the discussion.
Thus, Options B and C are close, but the author would agree with C more.
Therefore, Option C is the correct answer.

Passage - 9

Read the following passage and answer the THREE questions that follow.
If we imagine the action of a vaccine not just in terms of how it affects a single body, but also in terms of how it affects the collective body of a community, it is fair to think of vaccination as a kind of banking of immunity. Contributions to this bank are donations to those who cannot or will not be protected by their own immunity. This is the principle of herd immunity, and it is through herd immunity that mass vaccination becomes far more effective than individual vaccination.
Any given vaccine can fail to produce immunity in an individual, and some vaccines, like the influenza vaccine, are less effective than others. But when enough people are vaccinated with even a relatively ineffective vaccine, viruses have trouble moving from host to host and cease to spread, sparing both the unvaccinated and those in whom vaccination has not produced immunity. This is why the chances of contracting measles can be higher for a vaccinated person living in a largely unvaccinated community than they are for an unvaccinated person living in a largely vaccinated community.
The unvaccinated person is protected by the bodies around her, bodies through which disease is not circulating. But a vaccinated person surrounded by bodies that host disease is left vulnerable to vaccine failure or fading immunity. We are protected not so much by our own skin, but by what is beyond it. The boundaries between our bodies begin to dissolve here. Donations of blood and organs move between us, exiting one body and entering another, and so too with immunity, which is a common trust as much as it is a private account. Those of us who draw on collective immunity owe our health to our neighbors.
Q1: Based on the passage, which of the following CANNOT be concluded?
A. A vaccine cannot guarantee immunity in an individual.
B. Our survival, as a community, is largely based on herd immunity.
C. A vaccinated person may get infected if her surroundings are largely unvaccinated.
D. Collective immunity protects those with compromised immune systems.
E. Even, relatively, ineffective vaccines can stop the spread of viruses if enough people are vaccinated

Ans: B
Sol:
Option B cannot be exactly concluded. While the passage discusses the concept of herd immunity, it does not explicitly state that our survival as a community is largely based on it. Therefore, it could be argued that option B cannot be exactly inferred from the passage.
Option A can be inferred from: “Any given vaccine can fail to produce immunity in an individual, and some vaccines, like the influenza vaccine, are less effective than others.
Option C can be inferred from: “But a vaccinated person surrounded by bodies that host disease is left vulnerable to vaccine failure or fading immunity.”
Option D can be inferred from: "The unvaccinated person is protected by the bodies around her, bodies through which disease is not circulating."
Option E can be inferred from: “But when enough people are vaccinated with even a relatively ineffective vaccine, viruses have trouble moving from host to host and cease to spread…”

Q2: Why does the author think about vaccination as a “banking of immunity?”
A. Because it creates a reserve of immunity within a person’s immune system.
B. Because when somebody is vaccinated, it is a deposit of protection against a particular disease.
C. Because different vaccines contribute to a diverse portfolio of immune defences.
D. Because it is like providing a safety net for those who are more vulnerable to diseases.
E. Because it is a way to mitigate health risks for those who may not have access to vaccination.

Ans: D
Sol:
The term "banking of immunity" refers to the idea that there is something we could rely upon, this immunity and sort of storing this into the system of society as a whole 
Option A is not what the author is saying. The idea of herd immunity is not that people will get a reserve of immunity but that the virus will spread less. 
Option B: This, too, is incorrect, as the passage does not state that when somebody is vaccinated, it is a "deposit of protection against a particular disease".
Option C: The idea of multiple vaccines preventing multiple diseases is also not in the passage. 
Option D: This is the closest to what the author means by the banking of immunity, that although someone who themselves might not be immune, would benefit from the increased immunity of others and could rely on them to some extent. 
Option E: This is a bit extreme of what is presented in D, the idea of herd immunity is not presented as a way to mitigate but likely to prevent or reduce the chances of a disease getting hold. 
Therefore, Option D is the correct answer. 

Q3: Based on the last paragraph of the passage, which of the following would the author BEST agree with?
A. In times of health crises, communities should come together to support and protect each other.
B. It is important to express gratitude to those who contribute to the herd immunity by getting vaccinated.
C. It is an ethical obligation of individuals to get vaccinated for the greater good.
D. In any community, immunity is transactional.
E. Immunity of a community is interconnected, and everyone plays a role to keep each other healthy

Ans: E
Sol:
Option E is the correct answer.
Based on the last paragraph of the passage, the author would best agree with Option E.
The author emphasizes the interconnectedness of immunity within a community and the role each individual plays in maintaining it. The author states, “We are protected not so much by our own skin, but by what is beyond it,” and “Those of us who draw on collective immunity owe our health to our neighbors,” which underscores the importance of each individual’s role in a community’s health.
Option A is incorrect, as the passage does not specifically discuss the need for communities to come together during health crises.
Option B is incorrect as the author does not explicitly mention the importance of expressing gratitude to those who contribute to herd immunity.
Option C is incorrect. While the passage implies the importance of vaccination, it does not state that it is an ethical obligation of individuals.
Option D is incorrect. In the passage, the author does not describe immunity as transactional.

Passage - 10

Read the following passage and answer the TWO questions that follow.
But as the behavioral economists like to remind us, we are already prone to all sorts of reductions as a species. It’s not just the scientists. We compress complex reality down into abbreviated heuristics that often work beautifully in everyday life for high-frequency, low-significance decisions. Because we are an unusually clever and self-reflective species, we long ago realized that we needed help overcoming those reductive instincts when it really matters. And so we invented a tool called storytelling. At first, some of our stories were even more reductive than the sciences would prove to be: allegories and parables and morality plays that compressed the flux of real life down to archetypal moral messages. But over time the stories grew more adept at describing the true complexity of lived experience, the whorls and the threadlike pressures. One of the crowning achievements of that growth is the realist novel. That, of course, is the latent implication of Prince Andrei’s question: “innumerable conditions made meaningful only in unpredictable moments” would fare well as a description of both War and Peace and Middlemarch, arguably the two totemic works in the realist canon. What gives the novel the grain of truth lies precisely in the way it doesn’t quite run along the expected grooves, the way it dramatizes all the forces and unpredictable variables that shape the choices humans confront at the most meaningful moments of their lives.
When we read those novels—or similarly rich biographies of historical figures—we are not just entertaining ourselves; we are also rehearsing for our own real-world experiences….
Q1: Which of the following is the BEST interpretation regarding reductive instincts?
A. Reductive instincts tell us to reduce every situation to a heuristic.
B. After the invention of storytelling, humans have overcome their reductive instincts.
C. Reductive instincts can help us in handling uncertainty
D. Reductive instincts have to be overcome for survival in the real world
E. Reductive instincts led to compression of complex reality to moral messages.

Ans: D
Sol: 
The main essence of the text can be understood from the lines: "Because we are an unusually clever and self-reflective species, we long ago realized that we needed help overcoming those reductive instincts when it really matters. And so we invented a tool called storytelling. "
This suggests that while reduction might be helpful in some places, in more complex and relevant situations, we need to look for detail, hence the invention of storytelling. 
Looking at the options:
(A) This statement is extreme; while the reductive instincts are implied to simplify a complex situation, this is neither the main point nor does it apply to everything. 
(B) This option suggests humans overcoming their reductive instincts after the invention of storytelling, although nothing of the sort has been mentioned in the text. 
(C) While true, the text's main focus is on where the reductive instincts are harmful rather than pointing out its benefits in moments of "uncertainty"
(D)This comes closest to capturing the main idea that there was a need to do away with this instinct of reducing everything into a simplistic context. 
(E) This also is somewhat true, but the passage isn't about how reductive instinct has led to the compression of stories into fables and how storytelling keeps away the reductive instinct. 
Therefore, Option D is the correct answer. 

Q2: Why would a realist novel consist of “innumerable conditions made meaningful only in unpredictable moments?”
A. To keep the reader engaged till the end of the novel.
B. To bring in as much content as possible without making it seem forced.
C. To showcase unexpected complexity while making it seem relevant in the given context.
D. To show to the reader that realist novel does not work on expected lines.
E. To engage the reader with realism and fantasy at the same time

Ans: C
Sol: 
Option C is the correct answer.
A realist novel aims to depict life as it is, including the complexities, uncertainties, and unpredictability of human existence. By presenting "innumerable conditions made meaningful only in unpredictable moments," the novel captures the intricacies of human experience and the multifaceted nature of decision-making. This approach allows the reader to engage with the story on a deeper level, as it mirrors the complexities of real life and presents a more authentic representation of human behaviour and choices.