CAT PREVIOUS YEAR PARAJUMBLE-

Question 1

The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) 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:

(1) Fish skin collagen has excellent thermo-stability and tensile strength making it ideal for use as bandage that adheres to the skin and adjusts to body movements.

(2) Collagen, one of the main structural proteins in connective tissues in the human body, is well known for promoting skin regeneration.

(3) Fish skin swims in here as diseases and bacteria that affect fish are different from most human pathogens.

(4) The risk of introducing disease agents into other species through the use of pig and cow collagen proteins for wound healing has inhibited its broader applications in the medical field.

4321
2431
4213
3241

Explanation

Correct answer- 2431

2 is the obvious opener. It is the topic sentence and introduces the theme of the discussion – collagen. ‘The risk – fish skin swims in here’ makes 43 a pair (problem-likely solution). 1 closes the paragraph by elaborating on the benefits of fish skin collagen.

Collagen is one of the main structural proteins in connective tissues in the human body. Pig and cow collagen proteins have been used to promote wound healing successfully in the past, but the risk of introducing disease agents from these mammalian species inhibits broader applications in the medical field. And that’s where fish skin swims in. Diseases and bacteria that affect fish are different from most human pathogens, and fish skin is also a cheap, readily available material for bandage production.

In considering the versatility of fish skin collagen, the researchers noted that the protein had excellent thermo-stability and tensile strength. This allows the bandage to adhere to the skin and adjust to body movements.

Question 2

(1) The creative element in product design has become of paramount importance as it is one of the few ways a firm or industry can sustain a competitive advantage over its rivals.

(2) In fact, the creative element in the value of world industry would be larger still, if we added the contribution of the creative element in other industries, such as the design of tech accessories.

(3) The creative industry is receiving a lot of attention today as its growth rate is faster than that of the world economy as a whole.

(4) It is for this reason that today’s trade issues are increasingly involving intellectual property, as Western countries have an interest in protecting their revenues along with freeing trade in nontangible.

Explanation

Correct answer- 3214

Sentences 3 and 2 talk about the creative industry and so, they form a mandatory pair. Note the transition words ‘in fact’. So, sentence 2 logically follows sentence 3. Sentences 1 and 4 form another mandatory pair as well because sentence 4 provides additional information on product design mentioned in sentence 1.

Question 3

(1) Some company leaders are basing their decisions on locating offices to foster innovation and growth, as their best-performing inventors suffered the greatest productivity losses when their commutes grew longer.

(2) Shorter commutes support innovation by giving employees more time in the office and greater opportunities for in-person collaboration, while removing the physical strain of a long commute.

(3) This is not always the case: remote work does not automatically lead to greater creativity and productivity as office water-cooler conversations are also very important for innovation.

(4) Some see the link between long commutes and productivity as support for work-from-home scenarios, as many workers have grown accustomed to their commute-free arrangements during the pandemic.

1- 1243

2- 2143

3- 4132

4- 1234

Explanation

Correct answer- 2143

Sentences 2 and 1 form a mandatory pair because it provides information about shorter commutes. Sentences 4 and 3 form a mandatory pair as well because both sentences present the pros and cons of working from home and working at office.

Question 4-

The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) 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:

(1) From chemical pollutants in the environment to the damming of rivers to invasive species transported through global trade and travel, every environmental issue is different and there is no single tech solution that can solve this crisis.

(2) Discourse on the threat of environmental collapse revolves around cutting down emissions, but biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are caused by myriad and diverse reasons.

(3) This would require legislation that recognises the rights of future generations and other species that allows the judiciary to uphold a much higher standard of environmental protection than currently possible.

(4) Clearly, our environmental crisis requires large political solutions, not minor technological ones, so, instead of focusing on infinite growth, we could consider a path of stable-state economies, while preserving markets and healthy competition.

1- 1234

2- 2143

3- 3142

4- 2134

Explanation

Correct answer- 2143

2 is the opening statement as it argues ecosystem collapse is caused by myriad of factors. 1 further strengthens the claim of 2. Thus, 21 is a meaningful pair. 43 is a mandatory pair as 3 describes how the solutions stated in 4 would be enforced. 4 states the solution of the problem highlighted in 21. Therefore, the correct sequence is 2143.

Question 5-

The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) 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:

(1) Women may prioritize cooking because they feel they alone are responsible for mediating a toxic and unhealthy food system.

(2) Food is commonly framed through the lens of individual choice: you can choose to eat healthily.

(3) This is particularly so in a neoliberal context where the state has transferred the responsibility for food onto individual consumers.

(4) The individualized framing of choice appeals to a popular desire to experience agency, but draws away from the structural obstacles that stratify individual food choices.

Explanation

Correct answer- 2431

2 is the opening sentence as it is a general statement introducing the argument that is centered around food. 2 states that food is framed through the lens of individual choice; 4 begins with ‘the individualized framing of choice’ and explains what this leads to. Therefore, 24 is a mandatory pair. 3 further supports 4 by stating the case in which the argument of 4 stands true. 3 and 1 make a logical pair. Therefore, 2431 is the correct sequence.

Question 6-

The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) 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:

(1) The trajectory of cheerfulness through the self is linked to the history of the word ‘cheer’ which comes from an Old French meaning ‘face’.

(2) Translations of the Bible into vernacular languages, expanded the noun ‘cheer’ into the more abstract ‘cheerful-ness’, something that circulates as an emotional and social quality defining the self and a moral community.

(3) When you take on a cheerful expression, no matter what the state of your soul, your cheerfulness moves into the self: the interior of the self is changed by the power of cheer.

(4) People in the medieval ‘Canterbury Tales’ have a ‘piteous’ or a ‘sober’ cheer; ‘cheer’ is an expression and a body part, lying at the intersection of emotions and physiognomy.

Explanation

Correct answer- 3142

‘Cheerfulness travelling through the self’ in 1 refers to the idea implied in 3. Therefore, 31 is a mandatory pair. 4 provides further explains 1 through illustrations. 2, then, describes how ‘cheer’ gave rise to ‘cheerful’. Thus, 3142 is the correct sequence.

Question 7-

(1) Various industrial sectors including retail, transit systems, enterprises, educational institutions, event organizing, finance, travel etc. have now started leveraging these beacons solutions to track and communicate with their customers.

(2) A beacon fixed on to a shop wall enables the retailer to assess the proximity of the customer, and come up with a much targeted or personalized communication like offers, discounts and combos on products in each shelf.

(3) Smart phones or other mobile devices can capture the beacon signals, and distance can be estimated by measuring received signal strength.

(4) Beacons are tiny and inexpensive, micro-locationbased technology devices that can send radio frequency signals and notify nearby Bluetooth devices of their presence and transmit information.

Explanation

Correct answer- 4312

4 opens the paragraph. It defines beacons. 3 and 1 form a mandatory pair staging the devices where beacons are used. 2 follows 1 projecting another use of beacon.

Question 8-

(1) The more we are able to accept that our achievements are largely out of our control, the easier it becomes to understand that our failures, and those of others, are too.

(2) But the raft of recent books about the limits of merit is an important correction to the arrogance of contemporary entitlement and an opportunity to reassert the importance of luck, or grace, in our thinking.

(3) Meritocracy as an organising principle is an inevitable function of a free society, as we are designed to see our achievements as worthy of reward.

(4) And that in turn should increase our humility and the respect with which we treat our fellow citizens, helping ultimately to build a more compassionate society.

Explanation

Correct answer- 3214

3 opens the paragraph by defining meritocracy and how “…as an organising principle is an inevitable function of a free society”. 2 and 1 form a mandatory pair by portraying the side effects of this function. 4 closes the paragraph sequentially.

Question 9-

(1) If I wanted to sit indoors and read, or play Sonic the Hedgehog on a red-hot Sega Mega Drive, I would often be made to feel guilty about not going outside to “enjoy it while it lasts”.

(2) My mum, quite reasonably, wanted me and my sister out of the house, in the sun.

(3) Tales of my mum’s idyllic-sounding childhood in the Sussex countryside, where trees were climbed by 8 am and streams navigated by lunchtime, were passed down to us like folklore.

(4) To an introverted kid, that felt like a threat – and the feeling has stayed with me.

Explanation

Correct answer- 2314

2 opens the paragraph stating that the mother wants her children to play outside. 3 follows 2 sequentially stating why their mother insists that they should go outside. 1 and 4 form a mandatory pair.

Question 10-

The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) 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:

1. In the central nervous systems of other animal species, such a comprehensive regeneration of neurons has not yet been proven beyond doubt.

2. Biologists from the University of Bayreuth have discovered a uniquely rapid form of regeneration in injured neurons and their function in the central nervous system of zebrafish.

3. They studied the Mauthner cells, which are solely responsible for the escape behaviour of the fish, and previously regarded as incapable of regeneration.

4. However, their ability to regenerate crucially depends on the location of the injury.

Explanation

Correct answer- 2341

2 opens the discussion by introducing the theme of the paragraph. ‘They’ in 3 refers to the ‘biologists’ in 2. ‘However’ in 4 points to a caveat in this ability and 1 closes the discussion by drawing a parallel.

Question 11-

1. The work is more than the text, for the text only takes on life, when it is realized and furthermore the realization is by no means independent of the individual disposition of the reader.

2. The convergence of text and reader brings the literary work into existence and this convergence is not to be identified either with the reality of the text or with the individual disposition of the reader.

3. From this polarity it follows that the literary work cannot be completely identical with the text, or with the realization of the text, but in fact must lie halfway between the two.

4. The literary work has two poles, which we might call the artistic and the aesthetic; the artistic refers to the text created by the author, and the aesthetic to the realization accomplished by the reader.

Explanation

Correct answer – 4321

4 is the opening sentence as it talks about the two aspects of a literary work. ‘This polarity’ in 3 makes it the next sentence in the sequence. 1 talks about the interdependence between the reader and the text and 2 closes the discussion by talking about the impact of this convergence.

Question 12

1. A popular response is the exhortation to plant more trees.

2. It seems all but certain that global warming will go well above two degrees—quite how high no one knows yet.

3. Burning them releases it, which is why the scale of forest fires in the Amazon basin last year garnered headlines.

4. This is because trees sequester carbon by absorbing carbon dioxide.

Explanation

Correct answer- 2143

The correct order is: It seems all but certain that global warming will go well above two degrees— quite how high no one knows yet. A popular response is the exhortation to plant more trees. This is because trees sequester carbon by absorbing carbon dioxide. Burning them releases it, which is why the scale of forest fires in the Amazon basin last year garnered headlines.

Question 13-

The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) 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:

1. The US has long maintained that the Northwest Passage is an international strait through which its commercial and military vessels have the right to pass without seeking Canada’s permission.

2. Canada, which officially acquired the group of islands forming the Northwest Passage in 1880, claims sovereignty over all the shipping routes through the Passage.

3. The dispute could be transitory, however, as scientists speculate that the entire Arctic Ocean will soon be ice-free in summer, so ship owners will not have to ask for permission to sail through any of the Northwest Passage routes.

4. The US and Canada have never legally settled the question of access through the Passage, but have an agreement whereby the US needs to seek Canada’s consent for any transit.

Explanation

Correct answer- 2143

Sentences 2 and 1 present divergent views of the US and Canada on the same issue. So, sentences 2 and 1 form a mandatory pair. Sentence 4 talks about the dispute mentioned in sentences 2 and 1 and so, sentences 214 form a mandatory sequence. Sentence 3 comes last and concludes the paragraph.

Question 14-

1. But today there is an epochal challenge to rethink and reconstitute the vision and practice of development as a shared responsibility – a sharing which binds both the agent and the audience, the developed world and the developing, in a bond of shared destiny.

2. We are at a crossroads now in our vision and practice of development.

3. This calls for the cultivation of an appropriate ethical mode of being in our lives which enables us to realize this global and planetary situation of shared living and responsibility.

4. Half a century ago, development began as a hope for a better human possibility, but in the last fifty years, this hope has lost itself in the dreary desert of various kinds of hegemonic applications.

Explanation

Correct answer- 2413

Sentence 4 is telling us why we are at a crossroads (mentioned in sentence 2). Therefore, sentences 2 and 4 form a mandatory pair. Sentence 1 logically follows next. Note the relation between what happened half a century back and today. Therefore, 241 can form a mandatory sequence. 3 closes the paragraph.

Question 15-

1. Look forward a few decades to an invention which can end the energy crisis, change the global economy and curb climate change at a stroke: commercial fusion power.

2. To gain meaningful insights, logic has to be accompanied by asking probing questions of nature through controlled tests, precise observations and clever analysis.

3. The greatest of all inventions is the über-invention that has provided the insights on which others depend: the modern scientific method.

4. This invention is inconceivable without the scientific method; it will rest on the application of a diverse range of scientific insights, such as the process transforming hydrogen into helium to release huge amounts of energy.

Explanation

Correct answer- 3214

Sentence 3 opens the paragraph. Sentence 2 talks about the insights mentioned in sentence 3. So, Sentences 3 and 2 form a mandatory pair. Sentences 1 and 4 form a mandatory pair because both talk about an invention.

Question 16-

1. It is regimes of truth that make certain relationships speakable – relationships, like subjectivities, are constituted through discursive formations, which sustain regimes of truth.

2. Relationships are nothing without the communication that brings them into being; interpersonal communication is connected to knowledge shared by interlocutors, and scholars should attend to relational histories in their analyses.

3. A Foucauldian approach to relationships goes beyond these conceptions of discourse and history to macrolevel regimes of truth as constituting relationships.

4. Reconsidering micropractices within relationships that are constituted within and simultaneously contributors to regimes of truth acknowledges the central position of power/knowledge in the constitution of what has come to be considered true and real.

Explanation

Correct answer- 2314

2 introduces the argument that relationships are nothing without communication and “is connected to knowledge shared by interlocutors, and scholars…” It is followed by 3 where the topic is expanded on the basis of regimes of truth. 1 therefore logically follows 3 extending the argument.

Question 17-

1. Restitution of artefacts to original cultures could faces legal obstacles, as many Western museums are legally prohibited from disposing off their collections.

2. This is in response to countries like Nigeria, which are pressurising European museums to return their precious artefacts looted by colonisers in the past.

3. Museums in Europe today are struggling to come to terms with their colonial legacy, some taking steps to return artefacts but not wanting to lose their prized collections.

4. Legal hurdles notwithstanding, politicians and institutions in France and Germany would now like to defuse the colonial time bombs, and are now backing the return of part of their holdings.

Explanation

Correct answer- 3214

3 opens the paragraph stating that the Museums in Europe want to return the artifacts to their then colonised countries but do not want to lose their prized possessions. It is logically followed by 2 which provides the reason behind this. 1 and 4 form a logical pair depicting the obstacles faced while returning the artifacts.

Question 18

1. Businesses find automation, such as robotic employees, a big asset in terms of productivity and efficiency.

2. But in recent years, robotics has had increasing impacts on unemployment, not just of manual labour, as computers are rapidly handling some white-collar and service-sector work.

3. For years politicians have promised workers that they would bring back their jobs by clamping down on trade, offshoring and immigration.

4. Economists, based on their research, say that the bigger threat to jobs now is not globalisation but automation.

Explanation

Correct answer- 3412

3 opens the paragraph. 4 and 1 form a mandatory pair discussing how automation is a greater threat than globalisation. The sue of ‘But’ in 2 makes it follow 1.

Question 19

(1) Tensions and sometimes conflict remain an issue in and between the 11 states in South East Asia (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam).

(2) China’s rise as a regional military power and its claims in the South China Sea have become an increasingly pressing security concern for many South East Asian states.

(3) Since the 1990s, the security environment of South East Asia has seen both continuity and profound changes.

(4) These concerns cause states from outside the region to take an active interest in South East Asian security.

Explanation

Correct answer- 3124

3 and 1 form a mandatory pair. 3 opens the paragraph and 1 gives the details of the South East Asian countries that have witnessed tension and conflict. 4 sums up the paragraph because it talks about the concerns of the conflicts present in the South East Asian nations and China’s rise as a regional military power.

Question 20

(1) Man has used poisons for assassination purposes ever since the dawn of civilization, against individual enemies but also occasionally against armies.

(2) These dangers were soon recognized, and resulted in two international declarations—in 1874 in Brussels and in 1899 in The Hague—that prohibited the use of poisoned weapons.

(3) The foundation of microbiology by Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch offered new prospects for those interested in biological weapons because it allowed agents to be chosen and designed on a rational basis.

(4) Though treaties were all made in good faith, they contained no means of control, and so failed to prevent interested parties from developing and using biological weapons.

Explanation

Correct answer- 1324

1 opens the paragraph because it gives the readers an idea of what the paragraph is all about. 3 and 2 form a mandatory pair. 3 talks about biological weapons while 2 talks about the dangers that the biological weapons presented. Sentence 4 sums up the paragraph because the sentence talks about the treaties mentioned in the preceding sentence 2. Therefore, 324 can be said to be a mandatory sequence.

Question- 21

(1) Relying on narrative structure alone, indigenous significances of nineteenth century San folktales are hard to determine.

(2) Using their supernatural potency, benign shamans transcend the levels of the San cosmos in order to deal with social conflict and to protect material resources and enjoy a measure of respect that sets them apart from ordinary people.

(3) Selected tales reveal that they deal with a form of spiritual conflict that has social implications and concern conflict between people and living or dead malevolent shamans.

(4) Meaning can be elicited, and the tales contextualized, by probing beneath the narrative of verbatim, original-language records and exploring the connotations of highly significant words and phrases.

Explanation

Correct answer- 1432

Sentences 1 and 4 form a mandatory pair. Sentence 1 talks about how significances of San folktales are hard to determine. Sentence 4 says that their meanings can be elicited. Sentence 3 explains the significances of San folktales further. Sentence 2 sums up the paragraph by providing details of the significance of San folktales.

Question 22

1. 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.

2. Psychologists use the term ‘change blindness’ to describe this tendency of people to be blind to changes though they are in the immediate environment.

3. It cannot be aware of every single thing that happens in the world around you.

4. Sometimes big shifts happen in front of your eyes and you are not at all aware of these changes.

Explanation

Correct answer- 1342

‘It’ in sentence 3 refers to ‘your brain’ in sentence 1 making 13 a mandatory pair and also making 1 the opening sentence. The brain not being aware of every single thing that happens in the world around you, is furthered by “not at all aware of” in sentence 4. This is followed by 2. Hence, the correct sequence is 1342.

Question 23

(1) 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.

(2) 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.

(3) The danger to humanity created by the so-called peaceful uses of atomic energy may, however, be much greater.

(4) 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.

Explanation

Correct answer- 2413

‘But’ in sentence 1 and ‘The resultant…’ in sentence 4 clearly show that neither of these two sentences can be the opening sentence. Of the remaining two sentences, sentence 2 can be the opening sentence. ‘The resultant ionizing radiation’ in sentence 4 springs from ‘large-scale nuclear fission…’ in sentence 2, making 24 a mandatory pair. Sentence 1 talks about atom bomb unlike sentences 2 and 4 which talk about nuclear fission and the resultant radiation. ‘Atomic energy’ in sentence 3 refers to ‘atom bomb’ in sentence 1. Hence, the correct sequence is 2413.

Question-24

(1) It also has four movable auxiliary telescopes 1.8 m in diameter.

(2) 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.

(3) This configuration enables one to distinguish an astronaut on the Moon.

(4) 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.

Explanation

Correct answer- 2143

‘It’ in sentence 1, ‘This configuration’ in sentence 3 and ‘When these are…’ in sentence 4 clearly indicate that none of these sentences can be the opening sentence. Thus, sentence 2 is the obvious opening sentence. ‘It’ in sentence 1 refers back to ‘the Very Large Telescope (VLT)’ in sentence 2 making 21 a mandatory pair. ‘These’ in sentence 4 refers back to the Very Large Telescope (VLT) with four reflecting telescopes mentioned in sentence 2 and ‘four movable auxiliary telescopes 1.8 m in diameter’ mentioned in sentence 1. This is followed by sentence 3. Hence, the correct sequence is 2143.

Question-25

(1) Complex computational elements of the CNS are organized according to a “nested” hierarchic criterion; the organization is not permanent and can change dynamically from moment to moment as they carry out a computational task.

(2) Echolocation in bats exemplifies adaptation produced by natural selection; a function not produced by natural selection for its current use is exaptation — feathers might have originally arisen in the context of selection for insulation.

(3) From a structural standpoint, consistent with exaptation, the living organism is organized as a complex of “Russian Matryoshka Dolls” — smaller structures are contained within larger ones in multiple layers.

(4) The exaptation concept, and the Russian-doll organization concept of living beings deduced from studies on evolution of the various apparatuses in mammals, can be applied for the most complex human organ: the central nervous system (CNS).

Explanation

Correct answer- 2431

Exaptation is mentioned in 2 and elaborated upon in 4. Thus, 24 is a mandatory pair. Also, 2 is the opening sentence since it introduces the topic. Similarly, the reference to Russian dolls in 3 indicates that 3 follows next and the paragraph concludes with 1. Thus, the correct sequence is 2431.

Question-26

(1) It advocated a conservative approach to antitrust enforcement that espouses faith in efficient markets and voiced suspicion regarding the merits of judicial intervention to correct anticompetitive practices.

(2) Many industries have consistently gained market share, the lion’s share – without any official concern; the most successful technology companies have grown into veritable titans, on the premise that they advance ‘public interest’.

(3) That the new anticompetitive risks posed by tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Amazon, necessitate new legal solutions could be attributed to the dearth of enforcement actions against monopolies and the few cases challenging mergers in the USA.

(4) The criterion of ‘consumer welfare standard’ and the principle that antitrust law should serve consumer interests and that it should protect competition rather than individual competitors was an antitrust law introduced by, and named after, the ‘Chicago school’.

Explanation

Correct answer- 4123

‘It’ in 1 refers to the criterion of consumer welfare standard in 4. Thus, 41 becomes a pair. ‘many industries’ in 2 and the names of these industries in 3 makes 23 a pair. Since, 23 elaborates on the idea introduced in 4 and 1, 4123 becomes the correct sequence.

Question- 27

(1) Each one personified a different aspect of good fortune.

(2) The others were versions of popular Buddhist gods, Hindu gods and Daoist gods.

(3) Seven popular Japanese deities, the Shichi Fukujin, were considered to bring good luck and happiness.

(4) Although they were included in the Shinto pantheon, only two of them, Daikoku and Ebisu, were indigenous Japanese gods.

Explanation

Correct answer- 3142

This is a relatively easy question. The mention of the seven deities in 3 and ‘each’ in 1 makes 31 a pair. The reference to two of them in 4 and the others in 2 makes 3142 the right order.

Question- 28

The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) given below, when properly sequenced would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequence of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer.

1. Metaphors may map to similar meanings across languages, but their subtle differences can have a profound effect on our understanding of the world.

2. Latin scholars point out carpe diem is a horticultural metaphor that, particularly seen in the context of its source, is more accurately translated as “plucking the day,” evoking the plucking and gathering of ripening fruits or flowers, enjoying a moment that is rooted in the sensory experience of nature, unrelated to the force implied in seizing.

3. The phrase carpe diem, which is often translated as “seize the day and its accompanying philosophy, has gone on to inspire countless people in how they live their lives and motivates us to see the world a little differently from the norm

4. It’s an example of one of the more telling ways that we mistranslate metaphors from one language to another, revealing in the process our hidden assumptions about what we really value.

Explanation

Correct answer- 3241

Sentence 3 introduces the phrase ‘carpe diem’ so it comes in beginning. It is followed by statement 2 which further explains the meaning of the phrase. 4 and 1 form a mandatory pair as they talk about metaphors. Thus, the correct sequence is 3241.

Question- 29

1. If you’ve seen a little line of text on websites that says something like “customers who bought this also enjoyed that” you have experienced this collaborative filtering firsthand.

2. The problem with these algorithms is that they don’t take into account a host of nuances and circumstances that might interfere with their accuracy.

3. If you just bought a gardening book for your cousin, you might get a flurry of links to books about gardening, recommended just for you! – the algorithm has no way of knowing you hate gardening and only bought the book as a gift.

4. Collaborative filtering is a mathematical algorithm by which correlations and co-occurrences of behaviors are tracked and then used to make recommendations.

Explanation

Correct answer- 4123

Sentence 4 is clearly the introductory line as it introduces the concept of collaborative filtering. Sentence 1 further discusses the experience of collaborative filtering, so it comes after 4. 2 and 3 form a mandatory pair as they throw light on the problems in collaborative filtering. So, the correct sequence is 4123.

Question- 30

1. We’ll all live under mob rule until then, which doesn’t help anyone.

2. Perhaps we need to learn to condense the feedback we receive online so that 100 replies carry the same weight as just one.

3. As we grow more comfortable with social media conversations being part of the way we interact every day, we are going to have to learn how to deal with legitimate criticism.

4. A new norm will arise where it is considered unacceptable to reply with the same point that dozens of others have already.

Explanation

Correct answer- 3241

Statement 3 acts as an introductory statement as it talks about dealing with legitimate criticism. It is followed by statement 2. Statement 4 and 1 form a mandatory pair, which is evident from the phrase “until then”. So, the correct sequence is 3241.

Question-31

1. People with dyslexia have difficulty with printreading, and people with autism spectrum disorder have difficulty with mind-reading.

2. An example of a lost cognitive instinct is mindreading: our capacity to think of ourselves and others as having beliefs, desires, thoughts and feelings.

3. Mind-reading looks increasingly like literacy, a skill we know for sure is not in our genes, since scripts have been around for only 5,000-6,000 years.

4. Print-reading, like mind-reading varies across cultures, depends heavily on certain parts of the brain, and is subject to developmental disorders.

Explanation

Correct answer- 2341

Statement 2 is clearly the introductory line as it introduces the concept of mind-reading. It is followed by 3 which further elaborates on the concept. Statements 4 and 1 form a mandatory pair as they talk about the concept of print-reading, which is very similar to mind-reading. Thus, the correct sequence is 2341.

Question- 32

(1) Such a belief in the harmony of nature requires a purpose presumably imposed by the goodness and wisdom of a deity.

(2) These parts, all fit together into an integrated, well-ordered system that was created by design.

(3) Historically, the notion of a balance of nature is part observational, part metaphysical, and not scientific in any way.

(4) It is an example of an ancient belief system called teleology, the notion that what we call nature has a predetermined destiny associated with its component parts.

Explanation

Correct answer- 3421

Sentence 4 explains sentence 3. Hence, 3 and 4 can be defined as a mandatory pair. 2 and 1 also form a mandatory pair because sentence 1 talks about harmony of nature which is an explanation of ‘integrated, well-ordered system’ mentioned in sentence 2.

Question- 33

(1) To the uninitiated listener, atonal music can sound like chaotic, random noise.

(2) Atonality is a condition of music in which the constructs of the music do not ‘live’ within the confines of a particular key signature, scale, or mode.

(3) After you realize the amount of knowledge, skill, and technical expertise required to compose or perform it, your tune may change, so to speak.

(4) However, atonality is one of the most important movements in 20th century music.

Explanation

Correct answer- 2143

Sentence 2 mentions atonality and it is further explained in sentence 1. Sentence 4 follows and sentence 3 mentions how to compose or perform atonal music. Hence, sentence 3 closes the paragraph effectively.

Question- 34

(1) Living things—animals and plants—typically exhibit correlational structure.

(2) Adaptive behaviour depends on cognitive economy, treating objects as equivalent.

(3) The information we receive from our senses, from the world, typically has structure and order, and is not arbitrary.

(4) To categorize an object means to consider it equivalent to other things in that category, and different—along some salient dimension—from things that are not.

Explanation

Correct answer- 2431

2 and 4 form a mandatory pair. In sentence 2, there is the mention of ‘treating objects as equivalent.’ The same idea is explained further in sentence 4. Sentence 3 talks about structure and order and sentence 1 explains the word ‘structure’ further.’

Question- 35

(1) Conceptualisations of ‘women’s time’ as contrary to clock-time and clock-time as synonymous with economic rationalism are two of the deleterious results of this representation.

(2) While dichotomies of ‘men’s time’, ‘women’s time’, clock-time, and caring time can be analytically useful, this article argues that everyday caring practices incorporate a multiplicity of times; and both men and women can engage in these multiple-times

(3) When the everyday practices of working sole fathers and working sole mothers are carefully examined to explore conceptualisations of gendered time, it is found that caring time is often more focused on the clock than generally theorised.

(4) Clock-time has been consistently represented in feminist literature as a masculine artefact representative of a ‘time is money’ perspective.

Explanation

Correct answer- 4132

Sentence 1 talks about a certain representation and this representation is given in sentence 4. Hence, 4 and 1 form a mandatory pair. Sentence 3 talks about caring practices and time that is further elaborated in sentence 2.

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