CAT Previous Year Questions: Para Summary - 2 (July 20) - CAT MCQ

The passage is about the 'inherent vice' or the natural tendency of certain artworks to deteriorate over time due to various factors such as discolouration of pigments, cracking of varnishes, and warping of canvases. The passage also mentions an example of Damien Hirst's artwork, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, which began to decompose quickly due to the use of the wrong preserving liquid. In this regard, Option D offers an apt summary of the passage because it accurately captures the main idea of the passage, which is that artworks may not last forever and may deteriorate with time. Option A is incorrect because the passage does not mention any moral responsibility of museums to restore and preserve artworks. Similarly, Option B can be eliminated since the passage does not specifically mention museums guarding art treasures from intrinsic defects. Option C is also inaccurate because the discussion does not present the evolution of the role of museums in preserving artworks forever.

Hence, Option D is the correct choice. 

The passage discusses the ways in which big data and targeted online content can potentially influence and manipulate behaviour, leading to concerns over freedom and privacy in the digital age. This is reflected in the statements that "behavioural control" in the age of big data echoes Cold War-era anxieties about "brainwashing" and "repression," and that the use of targeted online content can enable "influence to take place on a pre-reflexive level." The passage also mentions the fear that the digital age has not liberated us, but rather exposed us by making personal and behavioural data available to machine-learning algorithms. Option B accurately reflects this central theme of the passage by stating that the debate on the nature of freedom and privacy has resurfaced due to the availability of personal information through big data. Option A is incorrect because it goes beyond the scope of the passage by stating that digital technology is "enslaving" us, which is not explicitly stated in the text. Similarly, Option C is inaccurate since the author only mentions the Cold War as a reference point for similar debates on behavioural control, but does not focus on the Cold War itself. Option D is wrong because the passage does not mention artificial intelligence specifically, but rather machine-learning algorithms.

Hence, Option B is the correct choice. 

The passage is about the limitations of our understanding of the universe and how it is connected. It suggests that our understanding of the distinction between animate and inanimate objects may be flawed because of our limited perspective, and that quantum mechanics reveals a different understanding of this distinction; it also suggests that there may be a pattern to the universe that we cannot fully grasp with our brains. Option D correctly captures these points.

Options A and B are incorrect because the passage does not state that the effect of stimuli is similar in inanimate objects compared to living beings or mention astigmatism or an erroneous view of reality. Option C is not understood since the passage does not suggest that inanimate objects are sentient or cognizant; it only highlights that the distinction between animate and inanimate objects disappears at the quantum scale.

Hence, Option D is the correct choice. 

The passage is about the political and civic organization of ancient cities. It states that some ancient cities were organized along egalitarian lines, without any indication of temples or palaces (which suggests a lack of a ruling class or administrators), and that in other cities, temples and palaces never emerged at all. Option D correctly summarizes this information by stating that there was evidence of an egalitarian urban life in some ancient cities, where the political and civic organization was less hierarchical. Option A is incorrect because it only mentions the absence of temples and palaces, but does not mention the fact that some ancient cities were organized along egalitarian lines. On a similar note, Option B presents an exaggeration by suggesting that 'all' ancient cities were organized along egalitarian lines, which is not stated in the passage. Option C is also inaccurate since it asserts that ancient cities were transformed from egalitarian to hierarchical, but the passage only states that some ancient cities were egalitarian and does not mention any transformation. 

Hence, Option D is the correct choice. 

The main ideas of the passage are:

i) The job of a joke is to offend its target(victim) irrespective of its status.

ii) The cancel culture deems it inappropriate to joke about people deemed lower in society.

Option A: This option includes both the main points and hence is the correct answer.

Option B: This is a distorted option. The ideas in the paragraph are not intended to persuade to include people from the lower class in the joke. Thus, this is not the correct answer.

Option C: Again, this is a distorted option and can be eliminated based on the explanation given in option B.

Option D: This is also a distorted option, as nowhere in the passage the duties of a comedian are mentioned. Thus, this is not the correct option.

 Thus, the correct option is A.

The main points of the paragraph are:

1. A multisensory illusion, dubbing a different visual cue to audio, makes the subject perceive a different sound. (Important point)

2. This illusion is called McGurk effect. (Important point. Related to 1)

3. An impactful subject of research as it demonstrates multisensory integration. (Secondary point. 1 and 2 can stand without this point)

Option A: Covers 1 and 2. Hence, a plausible option.

Option B: It distorts what the author is trying to say. It draws a conclusion out of the results of the study instead of paraphrasing the passage.

Option C: Option C covers only 3. It does not mention 1 and hence is not a good summary.

Option D: Mentions only 1. Not an apt summary.

Hence, the answer is Option A.

The main points of the paragraph are:
1. As compared to physicists, biologists are more conservative when it comes to the subject of preprints.
2. Preprints allow faster dissemination of knowledge.

A: Misses out the comparison between biologists and physicists.

B: Captures both the points appropriately and is the answer.

C: Also misses out the comparison between biologists and physicists.

D: Factually incorrect, physicists and not biologists are open to the idea of preprints.

The main points of the paragraph are:

1. The peacekeeping forces often exist in a bubble. Though there are valid reasons behind this, this also results in the locals feeling antipathy towards them.

2. The solution to this problem is to build rapport with the locals too instead of focusing only on the government officials.

Option A: Not implied in the paragraph. The paragraph suggests building relationships with the locals. Appointing only locals as peacekeepers has not been implied.

Option B: This option distorts what is being presented in the paragraph. The paragraph suggests that the bubble is justified sometimes and also suggest measures to counter that. The option implicates the country's environment as being responsible for that bubble, hence the blame is shifted completely. Also, the option fails to mention the antipathy and the measures suggested to counter the bubble.

Option C: This option is distorted. Where the paragraph says that the aloof attitude is justified sometimes, the option blames the peacekeeping forces and their 'extravagant lifestyles' for the antipathy they face. Hence, can be eliminated.

Option D: Option D correctly captures the main points and is the answer.

The main points of the passage are:

1. People increasingly view idleness as sin and industriousness as a virtue, pushing them into meaningless jobs.

2. On the other hand, this has also saved us from many of life's drudgeries.

A: Misses out on point 1.

B: A distortion. The author does not advocate idleness. Also, 1 is not covered properly.

C: Incorrect. 'led to greater idleness' is not implied anywhere in the passage.

D: Covers both the points aptly and is the answer.

The main points of the paragraph are:

1. The value of creativity to economic progress has been realised, with serious investment being done to study/promote it.

2. But this success fires back. Policing its meaning can lead to obsession, hampering creativity itself.

A: It is extreme in approach. The paragraph does not imply that it has become impossible to define the concept, but it becomes difficult to practice creativity when it is being forced on oneself.

B: It is also extreme. The obsession hampers, not completely destroys the creative process.

C: This option is a distortion and fails to capture the above points.

D: Comes the closest to capturing the above two points, and hence, is the answer.