The passage below is accompanied by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
The claims advanced here may be condensed into two assertions: [first, that visual] culture is what images, acts of seeing, and attendant intellectual, emotional, and perceptual sensibilities do to build, maintain, or transform the worlds in which people live. [And second, that the] study of visual culture is the analysis and interpretation of images and the ways of seeing (or gazes) that configure the agents, practices, conceptualities, and institutions that put images to work. . . .
Accordingly, the study of visual culture should be characterized by several concerns. First, scholars of visual culture need to examine any and all imagery – high and low, art and nonart. . . . They must not restrict themselves to objects of a particular beauty or aesthetic value. Indeed, any kind of imagery may be found to offer up evidence of the visual construction of reality. . . .
Second, the study of visual culture must scrutinize visual practice as much as images themselves, asking what images do when they are put to use. If scholars engaged in this enterprise inquire what makes an image beautiful or why this image or that constitutes a masterpiece or a work of genius, they should do so with the purpose of investigating an artist’s or a work’s contribution to the experience of beauty, taste, value, or genius. No amount of social analysis can account fully for the existence of Michelangelo or Leonardo. They were unique creators of images that changed the way their contemporaries thought and felt and have continued to shape the history of art, artists, museums, feeling, and aesthetic value. But study of the critical, artistic, and popular reception of works by such artists as Michelangelo and Leonardo can shed important light on the meaning of these artists and their works for many different people. And the history of meaning-making has a great deal to do with how scholars as well as lay audiences today understand these artists and their achievements.
Third, scholars studying visual culture might properly focus their interpretative work on lifeworlds by examining images, practices, visual technologies, taste, and artistic style as constitutive of social relations. The task is to understand how artifacts contribute to the construction of a world. . . . Important methodological implications follow: ethnography and reception studies become productive forms of gathering information, since these move beyond the image as a closed and fixed meaning-event. . . .
Fourth, scholars may learn a great deal when they scrutinize the constituents of vision, that is, the structures of perception as a physiological process as well as the epistemological frameworks informing a system of visual representation. Vision is a socially and a biologically constructed operation, depending on the design of the human body and how it engages the interpretive devices developed by a culture in order to see intelligibly. . . . Seeing . . . operates on the foundation of covenants with images that establish the conditions for meaningful visual experience.
Finally, the scholar of visual culture seeks to regard images as evidence for explanation, not as epiphenomena
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2Which one of the following best describes the word “epiphenomena” in the last sentence of the passage?
- Phenomena amenable to analysis.
- Phenomena supplemental to the evidence.
- Overarching collections of images.
- Visual phenomena of epic proportions.
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Explanatory Answer
Note the context in which the word is used: “the scholar of visual culture seeks to regard images as evidence for explanation, not as epiphenomena”. Substituting each of the answer options instead of ‘epiphenomena’ in this sentence, we see that only option B makes sense. Epiphenomena are phenomena supplemental to the evidence.
The question is “Which one of the following best describes the word “epiphenomena” in the last sentence of the passage?”
Hence, the answer is, “Phenomena supplemental to the evidence.”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2All of the following statements may be considered valid inferences from the passage, EXCEPT:
- artifacts are meaningful precisely because they help to construct the meanings of the world for us.studying visual culture requires institutional structures without which the structures of perception cannot be analysed.understanding the structures of perception is an important part of understanding how visual cultures work.visual culture is not just about how we see, but also about how our visual practices can impact and change the world
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The passage does not mention ‘institutional structures’ or talk about these being essential to the study of visual culture.
From the line, “…task is to understand how artifacts contribute to the construction of a world”, we understand A is true. C is true, based on the line “..scholars may learn a great deal when they scrutinize the constituents of vision, that is, the structures of perception as a physiological process as well as the epistemological frameworks informing a system of visual representation”. D is also true, based on the first paragraph.
The question is “All of the following statements may be considered valid inferences from the passage, EXCEPT:”
Hence, the answer is, “studying visual culture requires institutional structures without which the structures of perception cannot be analysed.”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2“No amount of social analysis can account fully for the existence of Michelangelo or Leonardo.” In light of the passage, which one of the following interpretations of this sentence is the most accurate?
- Social analytical accounts of people like Michelangelo or Leonardo cannot explain their genius.
- Michelangelo or Leonardo cannot be subjected to social analysis because of their genius.
- No analyses exist of Michelangelo’s or Leonardo’s social accounts.
- Socially existing beings cannot be analysed, unlike the art of Michelangelo or Leonardo which can.
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Explanatory Answer
Note the line that follows the given line in the passage: “They were unique creators of images that changed the way their contemporaries thought and felt and have continued to shape the history of art, artists, museums, feeling, and aesthetic value.”In other words, social analysis cannot fully account for the existence of Michelangelo or Leonardo as it cannot explain their genius.
The answer is, “Social analytical accounts of people like Michelangelo or Leonardo cannot explain their genius.”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2“Seeing . . . operates on the foundation of covenants with images that establish the conditions for meaningful visual experience.” In light of the passage, which one of the following statements best conveys the meaning of this sentence?
- Sight becomes a meaningful visual experience because of covenants of meaningfulness that we establish with the images we see.
- The way we experience sight is through images operated on by meaningful covenants.
- Images are meaningful visual experiences when they have a foundation of covenants seeing them.
- Sight as a meaningful visual experience is possible when there is a foundational condition established in images of covenants
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Explanatory Answer
The given sentence implies sight works on the basis of covenants with images we see. These help establish a meaningful visual experience. Option A captures the meaning of the line best.
The answer is, “Sight becomes a meaningful visual experience because of covenants of meaningfulness that we establish with the images we see.
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2Which set of keywords below most closely captures the arguments of the passage?
- Visual Culture, Aesthetic Value, Lay Audience, Visual Experience.
- Scholars, Social Analysis, Michelangelo and Leonardo, Interpretive Devices.
- Imagery, Visual Practices, Lifeworlds, Structures of Perception.
- Visual Construction of Reality, Work of Genius, Ethnography, Epiphenomena.
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Explanatory Answer
All words in option C relate to key ideas in the passage.
Option A mentions ‘lay audience’ which is not a key idea. In the same way, options B and D mention ‘Michelangelo and Leonardo’ and ‘work of genius’ respectively. The passage mentions Michelangelo and Leonardo but that is to make a point about meaning-making.
The question is “Which set of keywords below most closely captures the arguments of the passage?”
Hence, the answer is, “Imagery, Visual Practices, Lifeworlds, Structures of Perception.”
The passage below is accompanied by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
174 incidents of piracy were reported to the International Maritime Bureau last year, with Somali pirates responsible for only three. The rest ranged from the discreet theft of coils of rope in the Yellow Sea to the notoriously ferocious Nigerian gunmen attacking and hijacking oil tankers in the Gulf of Guinea, as well as armed robbery off Singapore and the Venezuelan coast and kidnapping in the Sundarbans in the Bay of Bengal. For [Dr. Peter] Lehr, an expert on modern-day piracy, the phenomenon’s history should be a source of instruction rather than entertainment, piracy past offering lessons for piracy present. . . .
But . . . where does piracy begin or end? According to St Augustine, a corsair captain once told Alexander the Great that in the forceful acquisition of power and wealth at sea, the difference between an emperor and a pirate was simply one of scale. By this logic, European empire-builders were the most successful pirates of all time. A more eclectic history might have included the conquistadors, Vasco da Gama and the East India Company. But Lehr sticks to the disorganised small fry, making comparisons with the renegades of today possible.
The main motive for piracy has always been a combination of need and greed. Why toil away as a starving peasant in the 16th century when a successful pirate made up to £4,000 on each raid? Anyone could turn to freebooting if the rewards were worth the risk . . . .
Increased globalisation has done more to encourage piracy than suppress it. European colonialism weakened delicate balances of power, leading to an influx of opportunists on the high seas. A rise in global shipping has meant rich pickings for freebooters. Lehr writes: “It quickly becomes clear that in those parts of the world that have not profited from globalisation and modernisation, and where abject poverty and the daily struggle for survival are still a reality, the root causes of piracy are still the same as they were a couple of hundred years ago.” . . .
Modern pirate prevention has failed. After the French yacht Le Gonant was ransomed for $2 million in 2008, opportunists from all over Somalia flocked to the coast for a piece of the action. . . . A consistent rule, even today, is there are never enough warships to patrol pirate-infested waters. Such ships are costly and only solve the problem temporarily; Somali piracy is bound to return as soon as the warships are withdrawn. Robot shipping, eliminating hostages, has been proposed as a possible solution; but as Lehr points out, this will only make pirates switch their targets to smaller carriers unable to afford the technology.
His advice isn’t new. Proposals to end illegal fishing are often advanced but they are difficult to enforce. Investment in local welfare put a halt to Malaysian piracy in the 1970s, but was dependent on money somehow filtering through a corrupt bureaucracy to the poor on the periphery. Diplomatic initiatives against piracy are plagued by mutual distrust: the Russians execute pirates, while the EU and US are reluctant to capture them for fear they’ll claim asylum.
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2“A more eclectic history might have included the conquistadors, Vasco da Gama and the East India Company. But Lehr sticks to the disorganised small fry . . .” From this statement we can infer that the author believes that:
- colonialism should be considered an organised form of piracy.
- the disorganised piracy of today is no match for the organised piracy of the past.
- Lehr does not assign adequate blame to empire builders for their past deeds.
- Vasco da Gama and the East India Company laid the ground for modern piracy.
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Explanatory Answer
Note the context in which the given statement is made. In paragraph 2, the author asks where piracy begins or ends and says “European empire-builders were the most successful pirates of all time”. So, the author believes
The answer is, “colonialism should be considered an organised form of piracy.”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2We can deduce that the author believes that piracy can best be controlled in the long run:
- through international cooperation in enforcing stringent deterrents.
- if we eliminate poverty and income disparities in affected regions.
- through the extensive deployment of technology to track ships and cargo.
- through lucrative welfare schemes to improve the lives of people in affected regions.
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Explanatory Answer
According to the passage, the “root causes” of piracy are abject poverty and the daily struggle for survival (paragraph 4). The author also explains in the last two paragraphs that international cooperation in enforcing strict deterrents, investments in local welfare and using technology solutions like robot shipping have failed.
The question is “We can deduce that the author believes that piracy can best be controlled in the long run:”
Hence, the answer is, “if we eliminate poverty and income disparities in affected regions.”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2“Why toil away as a starving peasant in the 16th century when a successful pirate made up to £4,000 on each raid?” In this sentence, the author’s tone can best be described as being:
- facetious, about the hardships of peasant life in medieval England.
- ironic, about the reasons why so many took to piracy in medieval times.
- analytical, to explain the contrasts between peasant and pirate life in medieval England.
- indignant, at the scale of wealth successful pirates could amass in medieval times.
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Explanatory Answer
Clearly, the author’s tone here is sardonic/ironic, highlighting how much more rewarding it was to engage in piracy than toiling away as a peasant in medieval times.
The answer is, “ironic, about the reasons why so many took to piracy in medieval times.”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2The author ascribes the rise in piracy today to all of the following factors EXCEPT:
- the growth in international shipping with globalisation.
- colonialism’s disruption of historic ties among countries.
- the high rewards via ransoms for successful piracy attempts.
- decreased surveillance of the high seas.
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Explanatory Answer
The passage states that there are never enough warships to patrol pirate-infested waters, but this does not imply that the surveillance at the high seas is declining, just that the scale of the problem is large. All other reasons for rise in piracy today are mentioned in the lines “Increased globalisation has done more to encourage piracy than suppress it. European colonialism weakened delicate balances of power, leading to an influx of opportunists on the high seas.”
The question is “The author ascribes the rise in piracy today to all of the following factors EXCEPT:”
Hence, the answer is, “decreased surveillance of the high seas.”
The passage below is accompanied by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
In a low-carbon world, renewable energy technologies are hot business. For investors looking to redirect funds, wind turbines and solar panels, among other technologies, seem a straightforward choice. But renewables need to be further scrutinized before being championed as forging a path toward a low-carbon future. Both the direct and indirect impacts of renewable energy must be examined to ensure that a climate-smart future does not intensify social and environmental harm. As renewable energy production requires land, water, and labor, among other inputs, it imposes costs on people and the environment. Hydropower projects, for instance, have led to community dispossession and exclusion . . . Renewable energy supply chains are also intertwined with mining, and their technologies contribute to growing levels of electronic waste . . . Furthermore, although renewable energy can be produced and distributed through small-scale, local systems, such an approach might not generate the high returns on investment needed to attract capital.
Although an emerging sector, renewables are enmeshed in long-standing resource extraction through their dependence on minerals and metals . . . Scholars document the negative consequences of mining . . . even for mining operations that commit to socially responsible practices[:] “many of the world’s largest reservoirs of minerals like cobalt, copper, lithium, [and] rare earth minerals”—the ones needed for renewable technologies—“are found in fragile states and under communities of marginalized peoples in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.” Since the demand for metals and minerals will increase substantially in a renewable-powered future . . . this intensification could exacerbate the existing consequences of extractive activities.
Among the connections between climate change and waste, O’Neill . . . highlights that “devices developed to reduce our carbon footprint, such as lithium batteries for hybrid and electric cars or solar panels[,] become potentially dangerous electronic waste at the end of their productive life.” The disposal of toxic waste has long perpetuated social injustice through the flows of waste to the Global South and to marginalized communities in the Global North . . .
While renewable energy is a more recent addition to financial portfolios, investments in the sector must be considered in light of our understanding of capital accumulation. As agricultural finance reveals, the concentration of control of corporate activity facilitates profit generation. For some climate activists, the promise of renewables rests on their ability not only to reduce emissions but also to provide distributed, democratized access to energy . . . But Burke and Stephens . . . caution that “renewable energy systems offer a possibility but not a certainty for more democratic energy futures.” Small-scale, distributed forms of energy are only highly profitable to institutional investors if control is consolidated somewhere in the financial chain. Renewable energy can be produced at the household or neighborhood level. However, such small-scale, localized production is unlikely to generate high returns for investors. For financial growth to be sustained and expanded by the renewable sector, production and trade in renewable energy technologies will need to be highly concentrated, and large asset management firms will likely drive those developments.
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2All of the following statements, if true, could be seen as supporting the arguments in the passage, EXCEPT:
- Marginalised people in Africa, Asia and Latin America have often been the main sufferers of corporate mineral extraction projects.
- The example of agricultural finance helps us to see how to concentrate corporate activity in the renewable energy sector.
- One reason for the perpetuation of social injustice lies in the problem of the disposal of toxic waste.
- The possible negative impacts of renewable energy need to be studied before it can be offered as a financial investment opportunity.
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- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2Which one of the following statements, if false, could be seen as best supporting the arguments in the passage?
- Renewable energy systems are not as profitable as non-renewable energy systems.
- Renewable energy systems are as expensive as non-renewable energy systems.
- The production and distribution of renewable energy through small-scale, local systems is not economically sustainable.
- Renewable energy systems have little or no environmental impact.
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Statements A and C, if true, support the argument in the passage that the “disposal of toxic waste has long perpetuated social injustice through the flows of waste to the Global South and to marginalized communities in the Global North”.
According to the passage, “agricultural finance reveals the concentration of control of corporate activity facilitates profit generation”. Statement B is based on the same idea.
Statement D, however, is different from the arguments in the passage. According to the passage, though investment in renewable energy is a “straightforward choice“, further scrutiny is needed before declaring that it will lead to a low-carbon future.
The question is “All of the following statements, if true, could be seen as supporting the arguments in the passage, EXCEPT:”
Hence, the answer is, “The possible negative impacts of renewable energy need to be studied before it can be offered as a financial investment opportunity.”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2Which one of the following statements, if true, could be an accurate inference from the first paragraph of the passage?
- The author’s only reservation is about the profitability of renewable energy systems.
- The author does not think renewable energy systems can be as efficient as non-renewable energy systems.
- The author has reservations about the consequences of non-renewable energy systems.
- The author has reservations about the consequences of renewable energy systems.
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Explanatory Answer
“For investors looking to redirect funds, wind turbines and solar panels, among other technologies, seem a straightforward choice. But renewables need to be further scrutinized before being championed as forging a path toward a low-carbon future.” Clearly, the author has reservations about the consequences of renewable energy systems.
The question is “Which one of the following statements, if true, could be an accurate inference from the first paragraph of the passage?”
Hence, the answer is, “The author has reservations about the consequences of renewable energy systems.”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2Which one of the following statements best captures the main argument of the last paragraph of the passage?
- Renewable energy systems are not democratic unless they are corporate-controlled.
- Renewable energy produced at the household or neighbourhood level is more efficient than mass-produced forms of energy.
- The development of the renewable energy sector is a double-edged sword.
- Most forms of renewable energy are not profitable investments for institutional investors.
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Explanatory Answer
Option C is the main idea of the passage. All other options can be easily eliminated.
Option A is clearly incorrect, as it implies corporate control ensures democratic access. The last paragraph states the exact opposite of options B and C.
The question is “Which one of the following statements best captures the main argument of the last paragraph of the passage?”
Hence, the answer is, “The development of the renewable energy sector is a double-edged sword.
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2 Based on the passage, we can infer that the author would be most supportive of which one of the following practices?
- The study of the coexistence of marginalised people with their environments.
- Encouragement for the development of more environment-friendly carbon-based fuels.
- More stringent global policies and regulations to ensure a more just system of toxic waste disposal.
- The localised, small-scale development of renewable energy systems.
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xplanatory Answer
The author discusses the social injustice perpetuated through the disposal of toxic waste in the passage. He is hence likely to be supportive of more stringent global policies and regulations to ensure a more just system of toxic waste disposal.
The study of the coexistence of marginalized people with their environments is not related to the main idea of the passage. The author clearly states that small-scale renewable energy systems do not produce high returns. The author does not broach upon the idea of more environment-friendly carbon-based fuels in the passage.
The question is “Based on the passage, we can infer that the author would be most supportive of which one of the following practices?”
Hence, the answer is, “More stringent global policies and regulations to ensure a more just system of toxic waste disposal.
The passage below is accompanied by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
Aggression is any behavior that is directed toward injuring, harming, or inflicting pain on another living being or group of beings. Generally, the victim(s) of aggression must wish to avoid such behavior in order for it to be considered true aggression. Aggression is also categorized according to its ultimate intent. Hostile aggression is an aggressive act that results from anger, and is intended to inflict pain or injury because of that anger. Instrumental aggression is an aggressive act that is regarded as a means to an end other than pain or injury. For example, an enemy combatant may be subjected to torture in order to extract useful intelligence, though those inflicting the torture may have no real feelings of anger or animosity toward their subject. The concept of aggression is very broad, and includes many categories of behavior (e.g., verbal aggression, street crime, child abuse, spouse abuse, group conflict, war, etc.). A number of theories and models of aggression have arisen to explain these diverse forms of behavior, and these theories/models tend to be categorized according to their specific focus. The most common system of categorization groups the various approaches to aggression into three separate areas, based upon the three key variables that are present whenever any aggressive act or set of acts is committed. The first variable is the aggressor him/herself. The second is the social situation or circumstance in which the aggressive act(s) occur. The third variable is the target or victim of aggression.
Regarding theories and research on the aggressor, the fundamental focus is on the factors that lead an individual (or group) to commit aggressive acts. At the most basic level, some argue that aggressive urges and actions are the result of inborn, biological factors. Sigmund Freud (1930) proposed that all individuals are born with a death instinct that predisposes us to a variety of aggressive behaviors, including suicide (self directed aggression) and mental illness (possibly due to an unhealthy or unnatural suppression of aggressive urges). Other influential perspectives supporting a biological basis for aggression conclude that humans evolved with an abnormally low neural inhibition of aggressive impulses (in comparison to other species), and that humans possess a powerful instinct for property accumulation and territorialism. It is proposed that this instinct accounts for hostile behaviors ranging from minor street crime to world wars. Hormonal factors also appear to play a significant role in fostering aggressive tendencies. For example, the hormone testosterone has been shown to increase aggressive behaviors when injected into animals. Men and women convicted of violent crimes also possess significantly higher levels of testosterone than men and women convicted of non violent crimes. Numerous studies comparing different age groups, racial/ethnic groups, and cultures also indicate that men, overall, are more likely to engage in a variety of aggressive behaviors (e.g., sexual assault, aggravated assault, etc.) than women. One explanation for higher levels of aggression in men is based on the assumption that, on average, men have higher levels of testosterone than women.
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2“[A]n enemy combatant may be subjected to torture in order to extract useful intelligence, though those inflicting the torture may have no real feelings of anger or animosity toward their subject.” Which one of the following best explicates the larger point being made by the author here?
- In certain kinds of aggression, inflicting pain is not the objective, and is no more than a utilitarian means to achieve another end.
- When an enemy combatant refuses to reveal information, the use of torture can sometimes involve real feelings of hostility.
- Information revealed by subjecting an enemy combatant to torture is not always reliable because of the animosity involved.
- The use of torture to extract information is most effective when the torturer is not emotionally involved in the torture.
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Explanatory Answer
A rather easy question. As the line indicates, torturing an enemy combatant for intelligence may be just a means to an end.
The answer is, “In certain kinds of aggression, inflicting pain is not the objective, and is no more than a utilitarian means to achieve another end.”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2All of the following statements can be seen as logically implied by the arguments of the passage EXCEPT:
- Freud’s theory of aggression proposes that aggression results from the suppression of aggressive urges.
- the Freudian theory of suicide as self-inflicted aggression implies that an aggressive act need not be sought to be avoided in order for it to be considered aggression.
- a common theory of aggression is that it is the result of an abnormally low neural regulation of testosterone.
- if the alleged aggressive act is not sought to be avoided, it cannot really be considered aggression.
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Explanatory Answer
The passage states that an abnormally low neural regulation of aggressive impulses (not testosterone) in humans accounts for hostile behaviours.
Other statements are implied from the line “Sigmund Freud (1930) proposed that all individuals are born with a death instinct that predisposes us to a variety of aggressive behaviors, including suicide (self directed aggression)…”
The question is “All of the following statements can be seen as logically implied by the arguments of the passage EXCEPT:”
Hence, the answer is, “a common theory of aggression is that it is the result of an abnormally low neural regulation of testosterone.”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2The author identifies three essential factors according to which theories of aggression are most commonly categorised. Which of the following options is closest to the factors identified by the author?
- Extreme – Moderate – Mild.
- Hostile – Instrumental – Hormonal.
- Aggressor – Circumstances of aggression – Victim.
- Psychologically – Sociologically – Medically.
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Explanatory Answer
The last few lines of the first paragraph have the answer: “The first variable is the aggressor him/herself. The second is the social situation or circumstance in which the aggressive act(s) occur. The third variable is the target or victim of aggression.”
The answer is, “Aggressor – Circumstances of aggression – Victim.
“
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2The author discusses all of the following arguments in the passage EXCEPT that:
- aggression in most societies is kept under control through moderating the death instinct identified by Freud.
- the nature of aggression can vary depending on several factors, including intent.
- men in general are believed to be more hormonally driven to exhibit violence than women.
- several studies indicate that aggression may have roots in the biological condition of humanity.
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Explanatory Answer
Only the idea in option A is not mentioned in the passage.
From the first few lines of the passage we know option B is true and from the last few lines line, we know options C and D are true.
The question is “The author discusses all of the following arguments in the passage EXCEPT that:”
Hence, the answer is, “aggression in most societies is kept under control through moderating the death instinct identified by Freud.
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- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2The four sentences (labelled A, B, C, D) below, when properly sequenced would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:
A. But the attention of the layman, not surprisingly, has been captured by the atom bomb, although there is at least a chance that it may never be used again.
B. Of all the changes introduced by man into the household of nature, [controlled] large-scale nuclear fission is undoubtedly the most dangerous and most profound.
C. The danger to humanity created by the so-called peaceful uses of atomic energy may, however, be much greater.
D. The resultant ionizing radiation has become the most serious agent of pollution of the environment and the greatest threat to man’s survival on earth.
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Explanatory Answer
B is the best opening sentence. B states that large-scale nuclear fission is dangerous. D explains how so. So, BD is a sequence about the danger posed by large-scale nuclear fission. Statement A adds to BD, explaining that the attention of the layman, however, directed at the atom bomb instead. C talks of a danger that may be much greater: the danger to humanity by so-called “peaceful uses” of atomic energy. So, BDAC is the correct order.
The answer is, “BDAC”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2The four sentences (labelled A, B, C, D) below, when properly sequenced would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:
A. While you might think that you see or are aware of all the changes that happen in your immediate environment, there is simply too much information for your brain to fully process everything.
B. Psychologists use the term ‘change blindness’ to describe this tendency of people to be blind to changes though they are in the immediate environment.
C. It cannot be aware of every single thing that happens in the world around you.
B. Sometimes big shifts happen in front of your eyes and you are not at all aware of these changes
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Explanatory Answer
Sentence A is the best opening sentence as it explains the tendency being discussed in the paragraph. The pronoun ‘it’ in C clearly refers to the brain, mentioned in A. So, AC is a link. AC leads on to D. B, which labels the tendency, is the best concluding sentence.
The answer is, ” ACDB”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
With the Treaty of Westphalia, the papacy had been confined to ecclesiastical functions, and the doctrine of sovereign equality reigned. What political theory could then explain the origin and justify the functions of secular political order? In his Leviathan, published in 1651, three years after the Peace of Westphalia, Thomas Hobbes provided such a theory. He imagined a “state of nature” in the past when the absence of authority produced a “war of all against all.” To escape such intolerable insecurity, he theorized, people delivered their rights to a sovereign power in return for the sovereign’s provision of security for all within the state’s border. The sovereign state’s monopoly on power was established as the only way to overcome the perpetual fear of violent death and war.- Thomas Hobbes theorized the voluntary surrender of rights by people as essential for emergence of sovereign states.
- Thomas Hobbes theorized the emergence of sovereign states as a form of transactional governance to limit the power of the papacy.
- Thomas Hobbes theorized the emergence of sovereign states based on a transactional relationship between people and sovereign state that was necessitated by a sense of insecurity of the people.
- Thomas Hobbes theorized that sovereign states emerged out of people’s voluntary desire to overcome the sense of insecurity and establish the doctrine of sovereign equality.
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Explanatory Answer
The main point of the paragraph is that the secular political order emerged because people, in order to escape the insecurity of death and war, delivered their rights to a sovereign power in return for the sovereign’s provision of security. Option C captures all key ideas.
Option A does not mention the people’s sense of insecurity, which, according to the paragraph, was the main motive. Option B incorrectly states the motive as limiting the power of the papacy. Option D incorrectly attributes an additional motive–the establishment of the doctrine of sovereign equality– to the people.
The answer is, “Thomas Hobbes theorized the emergence of sovereign states based on a transactional relationship between people and sovereign state that was necessitated by a sense of insecurity of the people.”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
All humans make decisions based on one or a combination of two factors. This is either intuition or information. Decisions made through intuition are usually fast, people don’t even think about the problem. It is quite philosophical, meaning that someone who made a decision based on intuition will have difficulty explaining the reasoning behind it. The decision-maker would often utilize her senses in drawing conclusions, which again is based on some experience in the field of study. On the other side of the spectrum, we have decisions made based on information. These decisions are rational — it is based on facts and figures, which unfortunately also means that it can be quite slow. The decision-maker would frequently use reports, analyses, and indicators to form her conclusion. This methodology results in accurate, quantifiable decisions, meaning that a person can clearly explain the rationale behind it.- While decisions based on intuition can be made fast, the reasons that led to these cannot be spelt out.
- We make decisions based on intuition or information on the basis of the time available.
- It is better to make decisions based on information because it is more accurate, and the rationale behind it can be explained.
- Decisions based on intuition and information result in differential speed and ability to provide a rationale.
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Explanatory Answer
The given paragraph compares intuitive decisions to decisions made based on information, in terms of the speed of decision-making and the ability of the decision maker to explain the rationale behind the decision. Option D captures the essence of the paragraph. Options A and C are limited to intuitive decisions and decisions based on information respectively. Option B does not cover the idea of the ability of the decision maker to explain the rationale behind the decision.
The answer is, “Decisions based on intuition and information result in differential speed and ability to provide a rationale.”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
The rural-urban continuum and the heterogeneity of urban settings pose an obvious challenge to identifying urban areas and measuring urbanization rates in a consistent way within and across countries. An objective methodology for distinguishing between urban and rural areas that is based on one or two metrics with fixed thresholds may not adequately capture the wide diversity of places. A richer combination of criteria would better describe the multifaceted nature of a city’s function and its environment, but the joint interpretation of these criteria may require an element of human judgment.- Distinguishing between urban and rural areas might call for some judgement on the objective methodology being used to define a city’s functions.
- The difficulty of accurately identifying urban areas means that we need to create a rich combination of criteria that can be applied to all urban areas.
- Current methodologies used to define urban and rural areas are no longer relevant to our being able to study trends in urbanisation.
- With the diversity of urban landscapes, measurable criteria for defining urban areas may need to be supplemented with human judgement.
Details
Explanatory Answer
The main idea of the paragraph is that, given the rural-urban continuum, in order to identify urban areas and measure urbanization rates in a consistent manner we need not only a richer combination of measurable criteria but also some element of human judgement. Option D captures all key ideas.
Options A and B are limited to one idea, A to human judgement and B to the combination of criteria. Option C is too general and does not include key points.
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2 Five jumbled up sentences, related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd one out and key in the number of the sentence as your answer:
A. You can observe the truth of this in every e-business model ever constructed: monopolise and protect data.
B. Economists and technologists believe that a new kind of capitalism is being created – different from industrial capitalism as was merchant capitalism.
C. In 1962, Kenneth Arrow, the guru of mainstream economics, said that in a free market economy the purpose of inventing things is to create intellectual property rights.
D. There is, alongside the world of monopolised information and surveillance, a different dynamic growing up: information as a social good, incapable of being owned or exploited or priced.
E. Yet information is abundant. Information goods are freely replicable. Once a thing is made, it can be copied and pasted infinitely.
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Explanatory Answer
CA is a clear link. C states that the purpose of inventing things is to create intellectual property rights. Sentence A adds to C. Similarly, DE is a link. D talks of a different dynamic: information as a social good, incapable of being owned, expoited or priced. E adds to the point made in D. CADE is a possible sequence. Only option B is slightly different, about a new kind of capitalism being created.
The answer is, ” B”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2Five jumbled up sentences, related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd one out and key in the number of the sentence as your answer:
A. The victim’s trauma after assault rarely gets the attention that we lavish on the moment of damage that divided the survivor from a less encumbered past.
B. One thing we often do with narratives of sexual assault is sort their respective parties into different temporalities: it seems we are interested in perpetrators’ futures and victims’ pasts.
C. One result is that we don’t have much of a vocabulary for what happens in a victim’s life after the painful past has been excavated, even when our shared language gestures toward the future, as the term “survivor” does.
D. Even the most charitable questions asked about the victims seem to focus on the past, in pursuit of understanding or of corroboration of painful details.
E. As more and more stories of sexual assault have been made public in the last two years, the genre of their telling has exploded — crimes have a tendency to become not just stories but genres.
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Explanatory Answer
EBCA is a sequence: E talks about the new genre of stories of sexual assault. B adds to this, stating that the telling focuses on the perpetrators’ futures and victims’ pasts. C states the result of this: the lack of vocabulary for what happens in the victim’s future. Sentence A adds to C.
Option D is about “questions asked about victims”, a related but slightly different idea.
The answer is, ” D”
- CAT 2020 Question Paper Slot 2The four sentences (labelled A, B, C, D) below, when properly sequenced would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:
A. It also has four movable auxiliary telescopes 1.8 m in diameter.
B. Completed in 2006, the Very Large Telescope (VLT) has four reflecting telescopes, 8.2 m in diameter that can observe objects 4 billion times weaker than can normally be seen with the naked eye.
C. This configuration enables one to distinguish an astronaut on the Moon.
D. When these are combined with the large telescopes, they produce what is called interferometry: a simulation of the power of a mirror 16 m in diameter and the resolution of a telescope of 200 m.
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Explanatory Answer
Easy question. B is the best opening sentence. Sentence A adds to B, as it describes the telescope. D states the result of combining the telescopes mentioned in B and A with large telescopes, and C concludes the paragraph stating how this configuration helps.
