CAT Previous Year Questions: Para Completion | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) PDF Download

2024

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: 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 deat (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 3
(b) Option 1
(c) Option 2
(d) Option 4

Ans: d

Sol: The sentence, “Understanding central Asia’s role helps developments make more sense not only across Asia but in Europe, the Americas, and Africa,” provides a concluding thought. The paragraph builds on Central Asia’s historical and geographical importance, and the sentence ties it to a broader perspective, making Position 4 the most appropriate placement.

Q2: 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 4
(b) Option 2 
(c) Option 1
(d) Option 3

Ans: c

Sol: The sentence, “The brain isn’t organized the way you might set up your home office or bathroom medicine cabinet,” serves as an introductory statement, setting up the discussion about the brain’s haphazard architecture:

"The evolved architecture of the brain is haphazard and disjointed, and incorporates multiple systems."

Placing it at the beginning (Position 1) provides a logical lead-in to the subsequent details.

Q3: 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. . Extrem 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 1
(b) Option 3
(c) Option 4
(d) Option 2

Ans: b

Sol: The correct placement is C.

The missing sentence describes Renaissance music’s balanced portrayal of emotions. It fits logically after: “Renaissance music was mostly polyphonic in texture,” because it expands on Renaissance music’s characteristics.

Placing it at Position C ensures coherence with the following sentence, which continues the discussion of Renaissance music’s dynamics: “Extreme use of and contrasts in dynamics, rhythm, and tone colour do not occur.” Positions A, B, and D disrupt the logical flow of ideas.

Q4: 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: Science has officially crowned us superior to our early-rising brethren.
Paragraph: My fellow night owls, grab a strong cup of coffee and gather around: I have great news. ___(1)___. For a long time, our kind has been unfairly maligned. Stereotyped as lazy and undisciplined. Told we ought to be morning larks. Advised to go to bed early so we can wake before 5am and run a marathon before breakfast like all high-flyers seem to do. Now, however, we are having the last laugh. ___(2)___. It may be a tad more complicated than that. A study published last week, which you may have already seen while scrolling at 1am, suggests that staying up late could be good for brain power. ___(3)___. Is this study a thinly veiled PR exercise conducted by a caffeine-pill company? Nope, it’s legit. ___(4)___. Research led by academics at Imperial College London studied data on more than 26,000 people and found that “self-declared ‘night owls’ generally tend to have higher cognitive scores”.
(a) Option 1
(b) Option 4
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 2

Ans: d
Sol: The correct placement for the sentence is 2.
The sentence, “Science has officially crowned us superior to our early-rising brethren,” fits best at position 2 because it directly follows the contrast between night owls and morning larks, as mentioned in the preceding sentences: “My fellow night owls, grab a strong cup of coffee and gather around: I have great news. For a long time, our kind has been unfairly maligned.” This placement emphasizes the shift from societal bias against night owls to scientific validation of their cognitive strengths.
Positions 1, 3, and 4 disrupt the logical progression of the argument, which builds toward presenting the scientific study later in the paragraph.

Q5: 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: Yet each day the flock produced eggs with calcareous shells though they apparently had not ingested any calcium from land which was entirely lacking in limestone.
Paragraph: Early in this century a young Breton schoolboy who preparing himself for a scientific career began to notice a strange fact about hens in his father's poultry yard. ___(1) ___. As they scratched the soil they constantly seemed to be pecking at specks of mica, a siliceous material dotting the ground. ___(2)___. No one could explain to Louis Kervran why the chickens selected the mica, or why each time a bird was killed for the family cooking pot no trace of the mica could be found in its gizzard. ___(3) ___. It took Kervran many years to establish that the chickens were transmuting one element into another. ___(4)___.
(a) Option 3
(b) Option 1
(c) Option 2
(d) Option 4

Ans: a
Sol: The correct placement for the sentence is 3.
The missing sentence discusses how hens continued producing eggs with calcium-based shells despite the apparent absence of calcium in their environment. This observation fits best after the mention that no mica was found in the birds’ gizzards, providing a transition to Kervran’s discovery of elemental transmutation. Placing the sentence at position 3 creates a logical flow, connecting the mystery of the hens’ calcium source to Kervran’s eventual findings.

Positions 1 and 2 focus on the hens’ behavior and observations without delving into the scientific mystery. Position 4 transitions to Kervran’s conclusion, making it too late for this sentence.

Q6: 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 Europeans did not invent globalization.
Paragraph: The first phase of globalization occurred long before the introduction of either steam or electric power…Chinese consumers at all social levels consumed vast quantities of spices, fragrant woods and unusual plants. The peoples of Southeast Asia who lived in forests gave up their traditional livelihoods and completely reoriented their economies to supply Chinese consumers….___(1)___. These exchanges of the year 1000 opened some of the routes through which goods and peoples continued to travel after Columbus traversed the mid-Atlantic. ___(2)___. Yet the world of 1000 differed from that of 1492 in important ways….the travellers who encountered one another in the year 1000 were much closer technologically. ___(3)___. They changed and augmented what was already there since 1000. ___(4)___. If globalization hadn’t yet begun, Europeans wouldn’t have been able to penetrate the markets in so many places as quickly as they did after 1492.
(a) Option 3
(b) Option 2
(c) Option 4
(d) Option 1

Ans: a
Sol: The correct placement for the missing sentence is Option 3. The paragraph discusses globalization's first phase, emphasizing how Southeast Asian economies reoriented to meet Chinese consumer demands. The missing sentence, which states that Europeans did not invent globalization, fits after the discussion of technological closeness in the year 1000 and before the statement that Europeans augmented pre-existing trade networks post-1492. This placement highlights that globalization predates European colonial expansion and connects the historical context to the subsequent European involvement.

Q7: 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: Many have had to leave their homes behind, with more than 1.3 million people being displaced due to the drought.
Passage: Somalia has been dealing with an enormous humanitarian catastrophe, driven by the longest and most severe drought the country has experienced in at least 40 years. ___(1)___. Five consecutive rainy seasons have failed, causing more than 8 million people - almost half of the country’s population – to experience acute food insecurity. ___(2)___. More than 43,000 people are believed to have lost their lives, with half of the lives lost likely being children under five. The damage the drought has caused is far-reaching. ___(3)___. Farmers have lost all their agricultural income, while pastoralists have lost more than 3 million livestock, impoverishing entire communities, and leaving them on the brink of famine. ___(4)___. Some, like the pastoralists, may never be able to go back as their livelihoods have been irreversibly wiped out.
(a) Option 3
(b) Option 2
(c) Option 4
(d) Option 1

Ans: c
Sol: The correct placement is 4.
The missing sentence describes the displacement of over 1.3 million people due to the drought. This fits logically after the discussion of the drought’s far-reaching impact on livelihoods, such as the loss of agricultural income and livestock: "Farmers have lost all their agricultural income, while pastoralists have lost more than 3 million livestock, impoverishing entire communities." Placing it at position 4 ensures a smooth transition to the conclusion about irreversible changes for displaced populations.

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: This reality is putting stress on employees who have to pay for transport, desk lunches, more childcare, clothing and that after-work socialisation – costs they haven’t incurred for nearly two years.
Paragraph: ___(1)___. Prices are rising at their fastest rate in 40 years, consequently, return-to-office-related costs have shot up – think petrol and food, for instance. ___(2)___. Yet wages haven’t kept up with inflation – even despite the salary growth many workers have enjoyed during a favourable pandemic labour market. ___(3)___. This is especially jarring for workers who were able to save during remote work, when these expenditures weren’t a factor. ___(4)___. In April 2022, Umus, a London university lecturer, told BBC Worklife that they were spending nearly a quarter of what they made every day on return-to-work costs.
(a) Option 1
(b) Option 4
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 2

Ans: c
Sol:
The correct placement is 3.
The missing sentence discusses the added financial burden on employees returning to the office, such as transport and childcare costs. It connects well after the mention of inflation and stagnant wages:
"Yet wages haven’t kept up with inflation … This is especially jarring for workers who were able to save during remote work."
Placing it at position 3 bridges the ideas of rising costs (position 2) and the contrasting savings during remote work (position 4), maintaining logical continuity.

Q9: 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: Taken outside the village of Trang Bang on June 8, 1972, the picture captured the trauma and indiscriminate violence of a conflict that claimed, by some estimates, a million or more civilian lives.
Paragraph: The horrifying photograph of children fleeing a deadly napalm attack has become a defining image not only of the Vietnam War but the 20th century. ___(1)___. Dark smoke billowing behind them, the young subjects’ faces are painted with a mixture of terror, pain and confusion. ___(2)___. Soldiers from the South Vietnamese army’s 25th Division follow helplessly behind. ___(3)___. The picture was officially titled “The Terror of War,” but the photo is better known by the nickname given to naked 9-year-old at its centre “Napalm Girl”. ___(4)___.
(a) Option 2
(b) Option 1
(c) Option 4
(d) Option 3

Ans: d
Sol: The correct placement is 3.
The missing sentence provides specific contextual details about the iconic photograph, such as its origin and historical significance. It fits best before the description of the photo’s title and the central figure, "Napalm Girl." Placing it at position 3 ensures logical continuity between the visual description in Sentence 2 and the naming of the photo in Sentence 4.

2023

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: This philosophical cut at one’s core beliefs, values, and way of life is difficult enough.
Paragraph: The experience of reading philosophy is often disquieting. When reading philosophy, the values around which one has heretofore organised one’s life may come to look provincial, flatly wrong, or even evil. ___(1)___. When beliefs previously held as truths are rendered implausible, new beliefs, values, and ways of living may be required. ___(2)___. What’s worse, philosophers admonish each other to remain unsutured until such time as a defensible new answer is revealed or constructed. Sometimes, philosophical writing is even strictly critical in that it does not even attempt to provide an alternative after tearing down a cultural or conceptual citadel. ___(3)___. The reader of philosophy must be prepared for the possibility of this experience. While reading philosophy can help one clarify one’s values, and even make one self-conscious for the first time of the fact that there are good reasons for believing what one believes, it can also generate unremediated doubt that is difficult to live with. ___(4)___.
(a) Option 1
(b) Option 4
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 2

Ans: d
Sol: 

• The sentence best fits in Blank 2 because it provides a continuation and elaboration on the disquieting experience mentioned before Blank 2. Before Blank 2, the passage introduces the disquieting nature of reading philosophy, and the sentence builds on that by explaining that the philosophical examination challenges the values around which one has organized their life, making them appear provincial, flatly wrong, or even evil. The sentence in question serves to articulate the difficulty and discomfort associated with this profound philosophical scrutiny, logically following the initial statement about the disquieting experience of reading philosophy.
• We can also see that the sentence ends with “...and way of life is difficult enough.” This is immediately followed by the passage highlighting what’s worse “What’s worse, philosophers admonish each other to remain unsutured until such time as a defensible new answer is revealed or constructed.”. So we can see that Sentence 2 serves as a preceding sentence to this.

Q2: 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 discovery helps to explain archeological similarities between the Paleolithic peoples of China, Japan, and the Americas.
Paragraph: The researchers also uncovered an unexpected genetic link between Native Americans and Japanese people. ___(1)___. During the deglaciation period, another group branched out from northern coastal China and travelled to Japan. ___(2)___. "We were surprised to find that this ancestral source also contributed to the Japanese gene pool, especially the indigenous Ainus," says Li. ___(3)___. They shared similarities in how they crafted stemmed projectile points for arrowheads and spears. ___(4)___. "This suggests that the Pleistocene connection among the Americas, China, and Japan was not confined to culture but also to genetics," says senior author Qing-Peng Kong, an evolutionary geneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
(a) Option 2
(b) Option 3
(c) Option 1
(d) Option 4

Ans: b
Sol: 

• The sentence best fits in Blank 3 because it logically follows the mention of the unexpected genetic link between Native Americans and Japanese people mentioned in the sentence preceding Blank 3. After establishing this genetic connection, the sentence provides additional context by explaining the archaeological implications of the discovery. It suggests that the shared genetic link has archaeological manifestations, leading to similarities in the Paleolithic peoples of China, Japan, and the Americas. Placing the sentence here helps to connect the genetic findings to broader archaeological and cultural aspects.
• Blank 1: The sentence before Blank 1 introduces the unexpected genetic link between Native Americans and Japanese people. Placing this sentence in Blank 1 would disrupt the logical progression of information, as Blank 1 should provide information that directly connects with or follows from the mention of the unexpected genetic link, and the sentence is more relevant to explaining the broader context after the genetic link has been introduced.
• Blank 2: Putting the sentence here makes no sense as there has been no mention of any discovery before.
• Blank 4: Placing the sentence here would disrupt the flow of the passage as before Blank 4 the passage mentions how there were similarities between them and After Blank 4, the passage states “ This suggests..”. “This” clearly refers to the similarities mentioned before Blank 4.

Q3: 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: And probably much earlier, moving the documentation for kissing back 1,000 years compared to what was acknowledged in the scientific community.
Paragraph: Research has hypothesised that the earliest evidence of human lip kissing originated in a very specific geographical location in South Asia 3,500 years ago.___(1)___. From there it may have spread to other regions, simultaneously accelerating the spread of the herpes simplex virus 1. According to Dr Troels Pank Arbøll and Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen, who in a new article in the journal Science draw on a range of written sources from the earliest Mesopotamian societies, kissing was already a well-established practice 4,500 years ago in the Middle East.___(2)___. In ancient Mesopotamia, people wrote in cuneiform script on clay tablets.___(3)___. Many thousands of these clay tablets have survived to this day, and they contain clear examples that kissing was considered a part of romantic intimacy in ancient times.___(4)___. "Kissing could also have been part of friendships and family members' relations," says Dr Troels Pank Arbøll, an expert on the history of medicine in Mesopotamia.
(a) Option 4
(b) Option 3
(c) Option 1
(d) Option 2

Ans: d
Sol: The given sentence begins with 'and probably much earlier...', so the sentence before must have some reference to time. This narrows down the options to 1 and 2. Of these options 2 makes better sense as the given sentence talks about documentation for kissing and the sentence before 2 talks about written sources that confirm new research findings.

Q4: 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: Dualism was long held as the defining feature of developing countries in contrast to developed countries, where frontier technologies and high productivity were assumed to prevail.
Paragraph: ___(1)___. At the core of development economics lies the idea of 'productive dualism': that poor countries' economies are split between a narrow 'modern' sector that uses advanced technologies and a larger 'traditional' sector characterized by very low productivity.___(2)___. While this distinction between developing and advanced economies may have made some sense in the 1950s and 1960s, it no longer appears to be very relevant. A combination of forces have produced a widening gap between the winners and those left behind.___(3)___. Convergence between poor and rich parts of the economy was arrested and regional disparities widened.___(4)___. As a result, policymakers in advanced economies are now grappling with the same questions that have long preoccupied developing economies: mainly how to close the gap with the more advanced parts of the economy.
(a) Option 1
(b) Option 2
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 4

Ans: b
Sol: The given sentence is about dualism, long held as a distinction between developing and developed countries. The sentence before option 2 introduces dualism and the sentence after it begins with 'while this distinction between developing and advanced economies..', making option 2 the best choice for fitting in the given sentence.

2022

Q1: There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide in which blank
 (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.
Sentence: Having made citizens more and less knowledgeable than their predecessors, the Internet has proved to be both a blessing and a curse.
Paragraph: Never before has a population, nearly all of whom has enjoyed at a least a secondary school education, been exposed to so much information, whether in newspapers and magazines or through YouTube, Google, and Facebook. ____(1) ____. Yet it is not clear that people today are more knowledgeable than their barely literate predecessors. Contemporary advances in technology offered more serious and inquisitive students access to realms of knowledge previously unimaginable and unavailable. ____ (2) ____. But such readily available knowledge leads many more students away from serious study, the reading of actual texts, and toward an inability to write effectively and grammatically. ____ (3) ____. It has let people choose sources that reinforce their opinions rather than encouraging them to question inherited beliefs. ____ (4) ____.

(a) Option 1
(b) Option 2
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 4

Ans: d
Sol: The sentence would best fit in Blank 4 because it ties together the ideas presented in the paragraph. The paragraph states that people today have access to a vast amount of information, but it is not clear if they are more knowledgeable as a result. It also mentions that the readily available knowledge can lead students away from serious study and towards an inability to write effectively. The missing sentence introduces the idea that the Internet has both positive and negative effects on knowledge and learning. It fits well in Option 4 because it connects to the idea that the Internet has let people choose sources that reinforce their opinions rather than encouraging them to question inherited beliefs, which is the final point presented in the paragraph.

Q2: There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide in which blank (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.
Sentence: Easing the anxiety and pressure of having a “big day” is part of the appeal for many couples who marry in secret.
Paragraph: Wedding season is upon us and – after two years of Covid chaos that saw nuptials scaled back– you may think the temptation would be to go all out. ____(1) ____. But instead of expanding the guest list, many couples are opting to have entirely secret ceremonies. With Covid case numbers remaining high and the cost of living crisis meaning that many couples are feeling the pinch, it’s no wonder that some are less than eager to send out invites. ____(2) ____. Plus, it can’t hurt that in celebrity circles getting married in secret is all the rage. ____ (3) ____. “I would definitely say that secret weddings are becoming more common,” says Landis Bejar, the founder of a therapy practice, which specialises in helping brides and grooms manage wedding stress. “People are looking for ways to get out of the spotlight and avoid the pomp and circumstance of weddings. ____ (4) ____. They just want to get to the part where they are married.”
(a) Option 1
(b) Option 2
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 4

Ans: b
Sol: Consider option 1. The transition of ideas from the previous sentence to the next is smooth here. Despite the Covid chaos pointing to a temptation to go all out, wedding lists are not expanding and couples are having secret ceremonies instead. So, we rule out this option.
The missing line explains why couples want to marry in secret. If you place this sentence in option 2, it fits right in with the idea in the previous sentence and transitions well into the next sentence, which gives one more reason why couples marry in secret. Also the 'anxiety' mentioned here relates to couples 'feeling the pinch', which the previous sentence refers to.
If the missing sentence is placed in option 3, it would follow a sentence which begins with 'plus'. The transition from celebrities marrying in secret to easing the anxiety and pressure of having a "big day" is not smooth.
The missing sentence does not fit in well at option 4. There is already a smooth transition of ideas from people wanting to avoid the spotlight and pomp to them wanting to get to the part where they are married.
 So, option 2 is the best place to put the missing sentence.

Q3: There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide in which blank (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.
Sentence: This was years in the making but fast-tracked during the pandemic, when “people started being more mindful about their food”, he explained.
Paragraph: For millennia, ghee has been a venerated staple of the subcontinental diet, but it fell out of favour a few decades ago when saturated fats were largely considered to be unhealthy. ____(1)____ But more recently, as the thinking around saturated fats is shifting globally, Indians are finding their own way back to this ingredient that is so integral to their cuisine. ____(2)____ For Karmakar, a renewed interest in ghee is emblematic of a return-tobasics movement in India. ____(3)____ This movement is also part of an overall trend towards “slow food”. In keeping with the movement’s philosophy, ghee can be produced locally (even at home) and has inextricable cultural ties. ____(4)____ At a basic level, ghee is a type of clarified butter believed to have originated in India as a way to preserve butter from going rancid in the hot climate. 
(a) Option 1
(b) Option 2
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 4

Ans: c
Sol:
The sentence consists of a statement made by a person (referred to as ‘he’). That person is Karmakar, introduced only after the 2nd blank. So, our answer will either be 3 or 4. The given sentence complements the line before blank 3 (“emblematic of a return-to-basics movement in India.”) i.e., the return to basics movement was years in the making. The next line which contains the word “also” is an addition to the given sentence. So, Option 3 is correct.

Q4: There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide in which blank (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.
Sentence: Most were first-time users of a tablet and a digital app.
Paragraph: Aage Badhein’s USP lies in the ethnographic research that constituted the foundation of its development process. Customizations based on learning directly from potential users were critical to making this self-paced app suitable for both a literate and non-literate audience. ____(1)____ The user interface caters to a Hindi-speaking audience who have minimal to no experience with digital services and devices. ____(2)____ The content and functionality of the app are suitable for a wide audience. This includes youth preparing for an independent role in life or a student ready to create a strong foundation of financial management early in her life. ____(3)____ Household members desirous of improving their family’s financial strength to reach their aspirations can also benefit. We piloted Aage Badhein in early 2021 with over 400 women from rural areas. ____(4)____ The digital solution generated a large amount of interest in the communities.
(a) Option 1
(b) Option 2
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 4

Ans: d
Sol:
The usage of the word “most” in the sentence indicates that it is directed towards a more specific group of people. The line preceding (1) is generic. The line preceding (2) has mismatched tense with the given sentence. (3) doesn’t make any logical connection. The best fit is blank 4. 

Q5: There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide in which blank (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.
Sentence: This has meant alot of uncertainty around what a wide-scale return to office might look like in practice.
Paragraph: Bringing workers back to their desks has been a rocky road for employers and employees alike. The evolution of the pandemic has meant that best laid plans have often not materialised. ____(1)____ The flow of workers back into offices has been more of a trickle than a steady stream. ____(2)____ Yet while plenty of companies are still working through their new policies, some employees across the globe are now back at their desks, whether on a full-time or hybrid basis. ____(3)____ That means we’re beginning to get some clarity on what return-to-office means – what’s working, as well as what has yet to be settled. ____(4)____
(a) Option 1
(b) Option 2
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 4

Ans: b
Sol: 
The given sentence has ‘uncertainty’ and a negative connotation to it. This makes blanks 3 and 4 unsuitable for the given sentence as they have a ‘hopeful, positive’ connotation. So, either (1) or (2) would be the answer. The line before (1) has “has meant” and the given sentence also has “This has meant”. Two consecutive sentences having this same phrase isn’t a good English-writing practice.
There is uncertainty around a wide-scale return to office because the flow of workers back into offices has been more of a trickle than a steady stream, hence option (2) is the correct answer. 

Q6: There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide in which blank (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.
Sentence: When people socially learn from each other, they often learn without understanding why what they’re copying—the beliefs and behaviours and technologies and know-how—works.
Paragraph: ____(1)____. The dual-inheritance theory ....says....that inheritance is itself an evolutionary system. It has variation. What makes us a new kind of animal, and so different and successful as a species, is we rely heavily on social learning, to the point where socially acquired information is effectively a second line of inheritance, the first being our genes.... ____(2)____. People tend to home in on who seems to be the smartest or most successful person around, as well as what everybody seems to be doing—the majority of people have something worth learning. ____(3)____. When you repeat this process over time, you can get, around the world, cultural packages—beliefs or behaviours or technology or other solutions—that are adapted to the local conditions. People have different psychologies, effectively. ____(4)____.
(a) Option 1
(b) Option 2
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 4

Ans: b
Sol:
The given sentence is on ‘social learning’. The 2nd line in the paragraph (“What makes us a new…”) introduces ‘social learning’ and the line after that (‘People tend to home in…’) is an extension of the given sentence. Hence, the sentence should fit in Option (2).