Q1. The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.

People spontaneously create counterfactual alternatives to reality when they think “if only” or “what if” and imagine how the past could have been different. The mind computes counterfactuals for many reasons. Counterfactuals explain the past and prepare for the future, they implicate various relations including causal ones, and they affect intentions and decisions. They modulate emotions such as regret and relief, and they support moral judgments such as blame. The ability to create counterfactuals develops throughout childhood and contributes to reasoning about other people’s beliefs, including their false beliefs.

1. Counterfactual alternatives to reality are created for a variety of reasons and is part of one’s developmental process.

2. Counterfactual thinking helps to reverse past and future actions and reason out false beliefs.
3. Counterfactuals help people to prepare for the future by understanding intentions and making decisions.
4. People create counterfactual alternatives to reality for various reasons, including reasoning about other people’s beliefs.

EXPLANATION

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Q2. The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.

Heatwaves are becoming longer, frequent and intense due to climate change. The impacts of extreme heat are unevenly experienced; with older people and young children, those with pre-existing medical conditions and on low incomes significantly more vulnerable. Adaptation to heatwaves is a significant public policy concern. Research conducted among at-risk people in the UK reveals that even vulnerable people do not perceive themselves as at risk of extreme heat; therefore, early warnings of extreme heat events do not perform as intended. This suggests that understanding how extreme heat is narrated is very important. The news media play a central role in this process and can help warn people about the potential danger, as well as about impacts on infrastructure and society.

1. News stories help in warning about heatwaves, but they have to become more effective.
2. Heatwaves pose an enormous risk; the media plays a pivotal role in alerting people to this danger.
3. People are vulnerable to heatwaves caused due to climate change, measures taken are ineffective.
4. Protection from heat waves is important but current reports and public policies seem ineffective.

EXPLANATION

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