Verbal For XAT 2020 - CAT MCQ

Which of the following is a grammatically CORRECT sentence?

Read the passage below and answer the 3 associated questions: 

Once, during a concert of cathedral organ music, as I sat getting gooseflesh amid that tsunami of sound, I was struck with a thought: for a medieval peasant, this must have been the loudest human-made sound they ever experienced, awe-inspiring in now-unimaginable ways. No wonder they signed up for the religion being proffered. And now we are constantly pummeled with sounds that dwarf quaint organs. Once, hunter-gatherers might chance upon honey from a beehive and thus briefly satisfy a hardwired food craving. And now we have hundreds of carefully designed commercial foods that supply a burst of sensation unmatched by some lowly natural food. Once, we had lives that, amid considerable privation, also offered numerous subtle, hard-won pleasures. And now we have drugs that cause spasms of pleasure and dopamine release a thousandfold higher than anything stimulated in our old drug-free world.

An emptiness comes from this combination of over-the-top non natural sources of reward and the inevitability of habituation; this is because unnaturally strong explosions of synthetic experience and sensation and pleasure evoke unnaturally strong degrees of habituation. This has two consequences. First, soon we barely notice the fleeting whispers of pleasure caused by leaves in autumn, or by the lingering glance of the right person, or by the promise of reward following a difficult, worthy task. And the other consequence is that we eventually habituate to even those artificial deluges of intensity. If we were designed by engineers, as we consumed more, we’d desire less. But our frequent human tragedy is that the more we consume, the hungrier we get. More and faster and stronger. What was an unexpected pleasure yesterday is what we feel entitled to today, and what won’t be enough tomorrow.

Q. Which of the following options BEST reflects the author’s understanding of human perception of pleasure?

Going by the author, which of the following options BEST answers the question “how can one sustain the pleasure derived from any experience?"

Which of the following options BEST describes “emptiness” as described in the passage?

Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows: 

“People who work in law, hotel and food services, and technology were found the most likely to skip breakfast daily, according to a recent study. As for people who do eat breakfast and prefer a savoury type (like an egg), the study found they tend to make more money, be night owls and prefer cats over dogs. If you prefer a sweet breakfast like a donut you tend to be a morning person, like romcoms and are a dog person”.

Which of the following can be BEST inferred based on the above paragraph?

Read the poem below and answer the questions:

Some say the world will end in fire, 

Some say in ice. 

From what I’ve tasted of desire 

I hold with those who favor fire. 

But, if it had to perish twice, 

I think I know enough of hate 

To know that for destruction ice 

Is also great 

And would suffice.

Q. Which of the following statements will the poet agree with the MOST?

Read the poem below and answer the questions:

Some say the world will end in fire, 

Some say in ice. 

From what I’ve tasted of desire 

I hold with those who favor fire. 

But, if it had to perish twice, 

I think I know enough of hate 

To know that for destruction ice 

Is also great 

And would suffice.

Q. Which is the MOST UNSUITABLE title of the poem?

Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows: 

In a 2017 survey of 3,915 American workers, my colleagues and I found that workers report experiencing a sizable “voice gap” at work — that is, a gap between how much say or influence they feel they ought to have and how much they actually have — on topics such as wages, working conditions, fair treatment, and input into how they do their work.

And now a second study, I have just completed with a new team, finds that today’s workers want forms of voice and representation that go well beyond traditional unions.

Q. Based on the above paragraph, which of the following options would you agree with the MOST?

Which of the following options is CLOSEST to the meaning of the phrase “labile sense of self”?

Based on the passage, which of the following will the author DISAGREE the MOST with?

Project Affected Families (PAF) are those that are physically displaced due to construction of a large project (dam, factory etc.) in an area where the PAF traditionally resided.

With insights from the passage, what would a project proponent, dealing with PAF, reading the following options agree the MOST with?

Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows: 

In Australia, jellyfish are most common between November and May. In Hawaii, jellyfish often show up on south-facing beaches eight days after a full moon. In the Mediterranean, blooms usually appear in the summer. Unfortunately for travellers, there is no worldwide database for recent jellyfish sightings, and tourism officials are sometimes reluctant to publicize jellyfish swarms out of fear that such news will scare off visitors.

Q. Which of the following can be BEST concluded from the above paragraph?

Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows: 

Global surface temperatures in 2019 are on track to be either the second or third warmest since records began in the mid-1800s, behind only 2016 and possibly 2017. On top of the long-term warming trend, temperatures in 2019 have been buoyed by a moderate El Niño event that is likely to persist through the rest of the year.

Q. Which of the following statements can be BEST inferred based on the above paragraph?

Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows: 

If we can send a human to the Moon, why can’t we build sustainable cities? Defeat cancer? Tackle climate change? So, go the rallying cries inspired by one of humanity’s greatest achievements, the US effort that put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon on 20 July 1969.

Q. Which of the following statements, if true, BEST communicates the intent of the paragraph?

Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows: 

When asked what the politician will do for the nation’s economy, he attacked the opponent by saying, “Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? I mean, she’s a woman, and I’m not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?

Nevertheless, we’re going to defeat ISIS. ISIS happened a number of years ago in a vacuum that was left because of bad judgment.

And I will tell you, I will take care of ISIS.” 

Q. Which of the following statements BEST describes the politician’s intent?

Which of the following statements BEST captures the essence of the passage?

Based on the passage, which of the following statements can be BEST inferred?

Which of the following options will the author agree the MOST with?

Which of the following options, if true, BEST makes the author’s assertion on pointless jobs erroneous?

Which of the following can be BEST inferred from the passage?

Which of the following statements will BEST explain the principle underlying the theme of the passage?

Go through the statements below and answer the question that follows: 

P. Fast food intake for more than three times a week is associated with greater odds of atopic disorders such as asthma, eczema or rhinitis. Thus, it should be definitely and strictly controlled in children as it does no good.

Q. Regular junk food intake can lead to physical and psychological issues among children.

R. Lack of Vitamins such as A and C, and minerals such as magnesium and calcium, encourage the development of deficiency diseases and osteoporosis, as well as dental caries due to higher intake.

S. Junk food, which are rich in energy with lots of fat and sugar, are relatively low in other important nutrients such as protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

T. Emotional and self-esteem problems, along with chronic illnesses in later life due to obesity, are the issues associated with junk food.

Which of the following combinations is the MOST logically ordered?

Go through the statements below and answer the question that follows: 

P. Surabhi’s Instagram profile has 1.4 million followers. It is filled with pictures of her posing in different settings.

Q. In India, reports suggest that WhatsApp (Much more than Facebook or Twitter) is the primary tool for the dissemination of political communication.

R. Political campaigns pay social media companies to promote their content.

S. Political advertising on social media comes in many forms and remains under examined in India.

T. Social media influencers are used for the dissemination of content.

Which of the following combinations is the MOST logically ordered?