The given sentence is missing in the paragraph below. Decide where it best fits among the options 1, 2, 3, or 4 indicated in the paragraph.

Mexican Traditional Techniques Para Completion CAT 2025 Slot 1 Medium

Sentence: “Everything is old-world, traditional techniques from Mexico,” Ava emphasizes.

Paragraph: The sisters embrace the ways their great-grandfather built and repaired instruments. ____(1) ____. When crafting a Mexican guitarrón used in mariachi music, they use tacote wood for the top of the instrument. Once the wood is cut, they carve the neck and heel from a single block using tools like hand saws, chisels and sandpaper rather than modern power tools — and believe that this traditional method improves the tone of the instrument. ____(2) ____. Their store has a three-year waitlist for instruments that take months to create. ____(3) ____. The family’s artisanship has attracted stars like Los Lobos, who own custom guitars made by all three generations of the Delgado family. ____(4) ____. For the sisters, involvement in the family business started at an early age. They each built their first instruments at age 9.

1. Option 3

2. Option 2

3. Option 4

4. Option 1

Answer

Correct Option: 4

Rationale:

The inserted sentence, “Everything is old-world, traditional techniques from Mexico,” serves as a broad, generalizing statement that defines the specific methods used by the sisters.

Position 1 is the most logical fit because it follows the introduction of the “ways their great-grandfather built and repaired instruments” and immediately precedes the specific details of those ways (using tacote wood, carving by hand, avoiding power tools). The flow of the paragraph moves from the general legacy (grandfather’s ways) to the definition of that legacy (the inserted sentence) to the specific evidence of that legacy (the manufacturing process).

Wrong Options:

Option 2 (Position 2) is incorrect because placing the sentence here would make it a repetitive summary after the specific details have already been given, disrupting the flow into the next topic (the waitlist).

Option 1 (Position 3) and Option 3 (Position 4) are incorrect because these sections of the paragraph discuss the business aspects (waitlist, celebrity clients) and personal history (childhood), not the technical manufacturing methods described in the inserted sentence.

Difficulty: Easy

Silver in London Para Completion CAT 2025 Slot 1: Medium

Sentence: Historically, silver has been, and still is, an important element in the business of ‘show’ visible in private houses, churches, government and diplomacy.

Paragraph: ____(1) ____. Timothy Schroder put it succinctly in suggesting that electric light and eating in the kitchen eroded this need. As he explained to the author, ‘Silver, when illuminated by flickering candlelight, comes alive and almost dances before the eyes, but when lit by electric light it becomes flat and dead.’ ____(2) ____. Domestic and economic changes may have worked against the market, but the London silver trade remained buoyant, thanks to the competition of collectors seeking grand display silver at the top end, and the buyers of ‘collectables’, like spoons and wine labels and ‘novelties’, at the bottom. ____(3) ____. Another factor that came into play was the systematic collection building of certain American museums over the period. Boston, Huntington Art Gallery and Williamsburg, among others, were largely supplied by London dealers. ____(4) ____.

1. Option 3

2. Option 1

3. Option 4

4. Option 2

Answer

Correct Option: 3

Rationale:

The paragraph discusses the resilience of the London silver market by listing factors that kept it buoyant despite changing domestic habits. Position 3 acts as an elaborative bridge between the first market factor (collectors and buyers) and the next factor (American museums).

The preceding text states the market was buoyant due to collectors seeking grand display silver. The missing sentence, which defines silver’s traditional role in the “business of ‘show’” (in houses, churches, etc.), elaborates on why this grand silver is sought, providing historical context for its high status. This elaboration is placed before the introduction of the next distinct factor: Another factor that came into play was the systematic collection building of certain American museums.

While placing the sentence at Option 1 is structurally justified for establishing the ‘need’ mentioned later, the intended answer places the sentence at Position 3 to function as a contextual link within the list of market drivers.

Difficulty: Hard