CAT 2025 VARC Slot 2 Paper
Q. 1 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.
Sentence: While taste is related to judgment, with thinkers at the time often writing, for example, about “judgments of taste” or using the two terms interchangeably, taste retains a vital link to pleasure, embodiment, and personal specificity that is too often elided in post-Kantian ideas about judgment—a link that Arendt herself was working to restore.
Paragraph: ____(1) ____. Denneny focused on taste rather than judgment in order to highlight what he believed was a crucial but neglected historical change. ____(2) ____. Over the course of the seventeenth century and early eighteenth century, across Western Europe, the word taste took on a new extension of meaning, no longer referring specifically to gustatory sensation and the delights of the palate but becoming, for a time, one of the central categories for aesthetic—and ethical—thinking. ____(3) ____. Tracing the history of taste in Spanish, French, and British aesthetic theory, as Denneny did, also provides a means to recover the compelling and relevant writing of a set of thinkers who have been largely neglected by professional philosophy. ____(4) ____.
Check Solution
Ans: A
Explanation:The sentence discusses how “taste” retains a link to pleasure, embodiment, and personal specificity, contrasting it with post-Kantian ideas about “judgment.” The paragraph, before option 3, establishes that “taste” gained a new meaning in the 17th and 18th centuries, becoming a central category for aesthetic and ethical thinking. Option 3 follows a discussion of how tracing the history of taste helps recover neglected thinkers. Placing the given sentence at option 3 logically bridges the idea of taste’s expanded meaning and its connection to aesthetic/ethical thinking with the subsequent point about recovering neglected thinkers who wrote about taste. It elaborates on the nature of taste as it evolved in aesthetic thought, which is then followed by the benefit of studying these thinkers.
Correct_Option:A
Q. 2 The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, and 4) given 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. ‘Literature on screen’ suggests something more capacious and defining than citation: the possibility that literary adaptations are at once cinema and literature.
2. Even though a growing number of films eligible for Academy Awards for Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium borrow that material from print journalism, franchise characters, television series, comic books, video games and toys, academic studies of adaptation remain stubbornly attached to literature as cinema’s natural progenitor.
3. It is as if adaptation studies, by borrowing the cultural cachet of literature, sought to claim its institutional respectability and gravitas even while insuring adaptation’s enduring aesthetic and methodological subordination to literature proper.
4. Beneath this contradictory notion of film adaptations as not merely hybrid texts but texts holding dual citizenship in two modes of presentation is an even more pervasive legacy that haunts adaptation studies: the assumption that the primary context within which adaptations are to be studied is literature.
Check Solution
Ans: 1423
The initial sentence effectively sets the stage by defining “literature on screen” and framing the discussion around the idea that cinematic adaptations can be viewed as belonging to both film and literary realms. Following this, the fourth sentence elaborates on this point, highlighting a central premise in adaptation scholarship: that literature serves as the primary lens through which adaptations are analyzed. The second sentence then provides concrete evidence of this inclination by noting the paradox that, despite films increasingly drawing from a diverse range of non-literary origins, academic inquiry persists in treating literature as cinema’s inherent wellspring. Lastly, the third sentence serves as a concluding thought, explaining the persistence of this paradox. It posits that adaptation scholarship leverages the cultural esteem of literature to establish its credibility, even at the cost of positioning cinema in a subordinate role. Thus, the most coherent and understandable sequence is 1423.
Q. 3 The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
For millennia, in the process of opening up land for agriculture, gardens, grazing and hunting, humans have created ecological “mosaics”, or “patchworks”: landscapes holding a mixture of habitats, like meadows, gardens and forests. These were not designed as nature reserves, but often catered to hugely diverse animal life. Research indicates that European hay meadows cultivated for animal feed were actually more successful at preserving a vast array of species than meadows explicitly cultivated for biodiversity. Studying the early Holocene, researchers have found that human presence was about as likely to increase biodiversity as reduce it. Of course, not all human-created landscapes have the same value. A paved subdivision with astroturfed lawns is very different to a village with diverse vegetable and flower gardens. But scientists continue to find evidence that the old idea of humans as antithetical to nature is also wrong-headed, and that rosy visions of thriving, human-free environments are more imaginary than real.
Check Solution
Ans: D
Explanation:The passage discusses how human activities, historically, have often created “ecological mosaics” or “patchworks” of habitats that supported diverse animal life. It specifically contrasts this with the idea that humans are inherently antithetical to nature, arguing that this is a wrong-headed notion. The passage highlights examples like European hay meadows, which were more successful at preserving species than those explicitly designed for biodiversity, and notes that human presence in the early Holocene was equally likely to increase or decrease biodiversity. It concludes by refuting “rosy visions of thriving, human-free environments.”
Option A focuses on the success of human-created landscapes in preserving species compared to nature reserves, which is a part of the passage but not its central theme of challenging the human-vs-nature dichotomy.
Option B states that scientists are finding increasing evidence that human action often assists preservation. While true, it’s a bit general and doesn’t fully capture the nuance of human actions creating diverse landscapes.
Option C mentions the early Holocene and the creation of agricultural meadows, gardens, and forests, and how they preserved species, belying the idea that humans harm nature. This option is quite good as it covers key points.
Option D directly addresses the core argument: the idea that humans always hurt nature and that it thrives in their absence is wrong. It correctly states that human action has been equally likely to increase or decrease biodiversity and that varied ecological landscapes are often created. This option most comprehensively captures the essence of the passage’s argument and its refutation of a common misconception.
The passage’s primary message is to challenge the traditional view of humans being purely destructive to nature and to present a more nuanced perspective where human actions, historically, have often led to the creation of biodiverse landscapes. Option D best encapsulates this central theme.
Correct_Option:D
Q. 4 Instructions
The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question.
In [my book “Searches”], I chronicle how big technology companies have exploited human language for their gain. We let this happen, I argue, because we also benefit somewhat from using the products. It’s a dynamic that makes us complicit in big tech’s accumulation of wealth and power: we’re both victims and beneficiaries. I describe this complicity, but I also enact it, through my own internet archives: my Google searches, my Amazon product reviews and, yes, my ChatGPT dialogues. . . .
People often describe chatbots’ textual output as “bland” or “generic” – the linguistic equivalent of a beige office building. OpenAI’s products are built to “sound like a colleague”, as OpenAI puts it, using language that, coming from a person, would sound “polite”, “empathetic”, “kind”, “rationally optimistic” and “engaging”, among other qualities. OpenAI describes these strategies as helping its products seem “professional” and “approachable”. This appears to be bound up with making us feel safe . . .
Trust is a challenge for artificial intelligence (AI) companies, partly because their products regularly produce falsehoods and reify sexist, racist, US-centric cultural norms. While the companies are working on these problems, they persist: OpenAI found that its latest systems generate errors at a higher rate than its previous system. In the book, I wrote about the inaccuracies and biases and also demonstrated them with the products. When I prompted Microsoft’s Bing Image Creator to produce a picture of engineers and space explorers, it gave me an entirely male cast of characters; when my father asked ChatGPT to edit his writing, it transmuted his perfectly correct Indian English into American English. Those weren’t flukes. Research suggests that both tendencies are widespread.
In my own ChatGPT dialogues, I wanted to enact how the product’s veneer of collegial neutrality could lull us into absorbing false or biased responses without much critical engagement. Over time, ChatGPT seemed to be guiding me to write a more positive book about big tech – including editing my description of OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, to call him “a visionary and a pragmatist”. I’m not aware of research on whether ChatGPT tends to favor big tech, OpenAI or Altman, and I can only guess why it seemed that way in our conversation. OpenAI explicitly states that its products shouldn’t attempt to influence users’ thinking. When I asked ChatGPT about some of the issues, it blamed biases in its training data – though I suspect my arguably leading questions played a role too. When I queried ChatGPT about its rhetoric, it responded: “The way I communicate is designed to foster trust and confidence in my responses, which can be both helpful and potentially misleading.”. . .
OpenAI has its own goals, of course. Among them, it emphasizes wanting to build AI that “benefits all of humanity”. But while the company is controlled by a non-profit with that mission, its funders still seek a return on their investment. That will presumably require getting people using products such as ChatGPT even more than they already are – a goal that is easier to accomplish if people see those products as trustworthy collaborators.
On the basis of the purpose of the examples in the passage, pick the odd one out from the following AI-generated responses mentioned in the passage:
Check Solution
Ans: A
Explanation:The question asks to identify the “odd one out” from the AI-generated responses mentioned in the passage, based on the purpose of the examples. Let’s analyze each option:
* **Option A:** This response is a direct quote from ChatGPT explaining its communication style. The author uses this as an example of ChatGPT’s potential to be “helpful and potentially misleading,” which is a meta-commentary on the AI’s nature.
* **Option B:** This is an example of ChatGPT altering the user’s language (Indian English to American English), demonstrating a bias or a preference for a dominant cultural norm.
* **Option C:** This describes ChatGPT subtly influencing the author’s writing to be more positive about big tech and OpenAI’s CEO, showing a bias or agenda in its output.
* **Option D:** This describes Bing Image Creator producing a biased output (all male characters), illustrating how AI can perpetuate stereotypes.
Options B, C, and D all serve as concrete examples of AI generating inaccurate, biased, or problematic content, which the author uses to demonstrate the challenges of trust in AI. Option A, however, is a *statement* by the AI about its own communication strategy, which *explains* the potential for misleading output rather than being a direct instance of such output itself. The author uses this quote to shed light on *why* the AI might be misleading, rather than as a standalone example of bias or error like the others. Therefore, it stands out as different in its purpose within the passage.
Correct_Option:A
Q. 5 All of the following statements from the passage affirm the disjunct between the claims about AI made by tech companies and what AI actually does EXCEPT:
Check Solution
Ans: C
The provided text emphasizes a discrepancy between the declared capabilities of AI systems, such as impartiality, broad representation, and reliability, and their actual output. To identify the statement that does not align with this observed disparity, we will examine each option:
Option A directly illustrates the disparity. The system is presented as aiming for neutrality or inclusivity, yet when prompted for examples of engineers and space explorers, it generates a depiction consisting solely of male figures. This clearly demonstrates a divergence between advertised traits and realized outcomes.
Option B also corroborates the disparity. It draws attention to the contrast between a superficial appearance of neutrality and the reality that such a tone can lead users to accept prejudiced or inaccurate responses. This statement effectively articulates the very gap the passage addresses.
Option C does
not
support the disparity. In this instance, the author refrains from definitive conclusions, indicating a lack of awareness regarding relevant studies and acknowledging that any explanation for ChatGPT’s apparent preference for large technology firms or their chief executives would be speculative. Rather than showcasing an inconsistency between assertions and actions, this statement introduces ambiguity and fails to reinforce the observed gap.
Option D does support the disparity, albeit from a more generalized perspective. It suggests that individuals derive advantages from AI offerings, while simultaneously contributing to the accumulation of wealth and influence by major technology corporations. This highlights a contrast between optimistic discourse and tangible real-world consequences.
Therefore,
the statement that does not support the disparity is option C.
Q. 6 The author compares AI-generated texts with “a beige office building” for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
Check Solution
Ans: B
Explanation:The passage states, “People often describe chatbots’ textual output as “bland” or “generic” – the linguistic equivalent of a beige office building.” This comparison implies a lack of distinctiveness and character in the AI’s output. Options A, C, and D all relate to the characteristics of AI-generated text that contribute to this perception of blandness or genericness (lack of specificity, fostering trust/credibility which can feel artificial, and a polite/collegial tone which can be perceived as generic). Option B discusses how AI responds when scrutinized for biases, which is a different aspect of its behavior and not directly related to the “beige office building” comparison.
Correct_Option:B
Q. 7 The author of the passage is least likely to agree with which one of the following claims?
Check Solution
Ans: A
Explanation:The author explicitly states that ChatGPT’s “veneer of collegial neutrality” can lull users into absorbing false or biased responses without critical engagement. This directly contradicts Option A, which suggests that AI neutrality is conducive to critical thinking. The author also notes that ChatGPT seemed to be guiding them to write a more positive book about big tech and specifically edited a description of Sam Altman to be more favorable, implying a tendency to favor AI companies and their officials (Option B). The author argues that we are “both victims and beneficiaries” of big tech products, making us “complicit in big tech’s accumulation of wealth and power” (Option C). Finally, the author suggests that OpenAI’s goal of having people use their products more is linked to funders seeking a return on investment, implying economic considerations behind the product’s design and presentation (Option D).
Correct_Option:A
Q. 8 The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
In 1903, left-wing feminist Elizabeth Magie invented The Landlord’s Game, the original version of what became Monopoly. It was designed as a powerful teaching tool to illustrate the dangers of monopolies and how wealth could concentrate in the hands of a few. The game featured a circular path, properties, and a “Go to Jail” space. Magie created two rule sets: one “monopolist” version where players crushed opponents through accumulation, and another, more radical “Prosperity” version, where everyone shared in the wealth, promoting fairness and equity. Years later, unemployed Charles Darrow sold a simplified version to Parker Brothers. They paid Magie only $500 for her patent—without royalties—and credited Darrow as the sole inventor. For decades, his tale of inventing the game in his basement remained the official story, while Magie’s name and her original, anti-capitalist message were left in the shadows.
Check Solution
Ans: A
Explanation:The passage highlights that Elizabeth Magie, a left-wing feminist, invented The Landlord’s Game to expose the dangers of monopolies. It further explains how Charles Darrow later sold a simplified version to Parker Brothers, who credited him as the inventor and paid Magie a small sum without royalties, obscuring her contribution and her original anti-capitalist message.
Option A accurately captures this essence by mentioning the irony of a feminist losing credit to an unemployed man who sold a version of the game for a meager sum without royalties.
Option B is too general and introduces “celebrated icons” which is not directly stated.
Option C misrepresents the narrative by emphasizing Darrow’s refinement and individual ingenuity, ignoring Magie’s original intent and the fact that Parker Brothers acquired Darrow’s version.
Option D focuses too heavily on Parker Brothers’ capitalist intent and Darrow’s “simplified version,” while the core message is about Magie’s original intent being overshadowed and her lack of recognition.
Correct_Option:A
Q. 9 Five jumbled sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence out and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.
1. Sporting a copper-coloured pixie cut and a pair of pink feather antlers, Torres himself resembles a child’s doodle.
2. His casual millennial delivery, peppered with “um”s and “ah”s, makes surreal concepts sound like items on a brunch menu.
3. Though he may have failed so far in his colour-scouting mission (he hasn’t yet found a new one, he admits), this hour leaves you tickled pink.
4. Like his previous show, My Favourite Shapes, this is an hour of sit-down comedy aided by an overhead camera which relays Torres’s theories – illustrated with crayon squiggles – onto a screen behind him.
5. His inquisitive mind produces interconnected ideas about Catholicism, the blandness of Pixar and what orange sounds like, while his insights train us to spot “highly purple behaviour”.
Check Solution
Ans: 3
Torres’s stand-up performance is described in terms of its presentation, themes, and execution. Sentence 4 serves as the introduction, as it establishes the performance and outlines its arrangement, making it the logical beginning. Sentence 1 follows this foundation by directing attention to Torres’s visual presence. Sentence 5 then transitions to his comedic perspective, elaborating on the nature of his concepts, and Sentence 2 concludes by characterizing his manner of performance, linking back to the way those concepts are conveyed. Thus, the sequence 4-1-5-2 establishes a logical flow.
Sentence 3 disrupts this progression by mentioning a particular “color-scouting mission” and an individual’s response from the audience, which does not align smoothly with the descriptive progression of the performance’s structure, themes, and style. Consequently, the appropriate arrangement is 4-1-5-2, and sentence 3 is the outlier.
Q. 10 Instructions
The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question.
Different sciences exhibit different science cultures and practices. For example, in astronomy, observation – until what is today called the new astronomy – had always been limited to what could be seen within the limits of optical light. Indeed, until early modernity the limits to optical light were also limits of what humans could themselves see within their limited and relative perceptual spectrum of human vision. With early modernity and the invention of lensed optical instruments – telescopes – astronomers could begin to observe phenomena never seen before. Magnification and resolution began to allow what was previously imperceptible to be perceived – but within the familiar limits of optical vision. Galileo, having learned of the Dutch invention of a telescope by Hans Lippershey, went on to build some hundred of his own, improving from the Dutch 3x to nearly 30x telescopes – which turn out to be the limit of magnificational power without chromatic distortion. And it was with his own telescopes that he made the observations launching early modern astronomy (phases of Venus, satellites of Jupiter, etc.). Isaac Newton’s later improvement with reflecting telescopes expanded upon the magnificational-resolution capacity of optical observation; and, from Newton to the twentieth century, improvement continued on to the later very large array of light telescopes today – following the usual technological trajectory of “more-is-better” but still remaining within the limits of the light spectrum. Today’s astronomy has now had the benefit of some four centuries of optical telescopy. The “new astronomy,” however, opens the full known electromagnetic spectrum to observation, beginning with the accidental discovery of radio astronomy early in the twentieth century, and leading today to the diverse variety of EMS telescopes which can explore the range from gamma to radio waves. Thus, astronomy, now outfitted with new instruments, “smart” adaptive optics, very large arrays, etc., illustrates one style of instrumentally embodied science – a technoscience. Of course astronomy, with the very recent exceptions of probes to solar system bodies (Moon, Mars, Venus, asteroids), remains largely a “receptive” science, dependent upon instrumentation which can detect and receive emissions.
Contemporary biology displays a quite different instrument array and, according to Evelyn Fox- Keller, also a different scientific culture. She cites her own experience, coming from mathematical physics into microbiology, and takes account of the distinctive instrumental culture in her Making Sense of Life (2002). Here, particularly with the development of biotechnology, instrumentation is far more interventional than in the astronomy case. Microscopic instrumentation can be and often is interventional in style: “gene-splicing” and other techniques of biotechnology, while still in their infancy, are clearly part of the interventional trajectory of biological instrumentation. Yet, in both disciplines, the sciences involved are today highly instrumentalized and could not progress successfully without constant improvements upon the respective instrumental trajectories. So, minimalistically, one may conclude that the sciences are technologically, instrumentally embodied. But the styles of embodiment differ, and perhaps the last of the scientific disciplines to move into such technical embodiment is mathematics, which only contemporarily has come to rely more and more upon the computational machinery now in common use.
None of the following statements, if true, contradicts the arguments in the passage EXCEPT:
Check Solution
Ans: B
Let’s consider each choice in turn.
Choice A presents no conflict with the provided text. The author distinguishes astronomy as primarily “receptive” and biology as more “interventional,” but this distinction does not preclude overlap between these classifications. The phrasing “largely a ‘receptive’ science” implies the possibility of some shared characteristics. Furthermore, the text does not assert that instruments are exclusive to one role or the other, making this option consistent with the presented reasoning.
Choice B is in direct opposition to the text. The passage notes that mathematics might be “the last of the scientific disciplines to move into such technical embodiment,” indicating its recent reliance on instruments. However, this does not equate to mathematics “only now beginning to develop a scientific culture.” Therefore, Choice B inaccurately reflects the assertion made.
Choice C does not conflict with the provided text. The discussion concerning astronomy’s expansion beyond the visible spectrum does not preclude the possibility of microscopy also exceeding visible limitations. The passage does not limit microscopy to the visible spectrum or deny its potential to move beyond it. Consequently, Choice C does not contradict the argument; it simply introduces information not explicitly covered.
Choice D also presents no contradiction with the text. While the passage references Newton’s enhancements to telescopes and their application in astronomy, it does not claim that *all* of Newton’s discoveries were instrument-dependent. Newton’s revelation of gravity, achieved without instruments, does not clash with the discussion pertaining to telescopes.
Consequently, only Choice B is at odds with the passage.
Q. 11 All of the following statements may be rejected as valid inferences from the passage EXCEPT:
Check Solution
Ans: C
We assess each choice against the information provided in the text, discarding any that represent unsupported deductions.
Choice A is to be discarded.
The text does not present “interventionist instruments” and “embodied instruments” as distinct classifications. Rather, it asserts that scientific disciplines are “technologically, instrumentally embodied,” irrespective of whether the instruments are for receiving or for intervention. The author’s focus is on various *methods of embodiment*, rather than a dichotomy between embodiment and intervention. Consequently, this deduction misinterprets the central argument.
Choice B is also to be discarded.
The text attributes the observation of “the phases of Venus” and “the satellites of Jupiter” to Galileo, stating that “it was with his own telescopes that he made the observations launching early modern astronomy.” Newton’s reflecting telescopes are introduced as *subsequent advancements*, not as the instruments utilized for those initial discoveries. This deduction contradicts the chronological sequence presented.
Choice C is supported and should NOT be discarded.
The text explicitly contrasts astronomy and biology regarding their application of instruments. Astronomy is described as “largely a ‘receptive’ science, dependent upon instrumentation which can detect and receive emissions,” whereas biology, particularly with the advent of biotechnology, employs instruments that are “far more interventional in style.” This contrast is a fundamental element of the author’s argument.
Choice D is to be discarded.
The text connects the “new astronomy” with the utilization of the entire electromagnetic spectrum, commencing with radio astronomy in the twentieth century. Newton’s reflecting telescopes are associated with optical astronomy and the progression towards enhanced magnification and resolution. Characterizing Newton’s work as the commencement of the “new astronomy” does not align with the passage.
Consequently,
choice C is the sole supported deduction.
Q. 12 To which one of the following instruments would the characterisations of instruments in the passage be least applicable?
Check Solution
Ans: A
Explanation:The passage discusses scientific instruments used in fields like astronomy and biology. It emphasizes instruments that aid in observation, measurement, and intervention in scientific processes. Astronomy uses telescopes to observe phenomena, while biology uses biotechnology and gene-splicing tools that are interventional. Mathematics, though the last to become instrumentally embodied, now relies on computational machinery. The characterizations provided in the passage are focused on instruments that are integral to scientific research and discovery within these disciplines. A milestone is a marker or a significant event, not a scientific instrument. A kitchen oven, while a tool, is not typically used in scientific contexts described in the passage. A scalpel is an interventional instrument used in biology (and medicine). A saxophone is a musical instrument and has no relation to the scientific instruments discussed. Therefore, a milestone is the least applicable to the characterizations of instruments in the passage as it does not fit the description of scientific tools used for observation, measurement, or intervention in scientific research.
Correct_Option:A
Q. 13 Which one of the following observations is a valid conclusion to draw from the statement that “the sciences involved are today highly instrumentalised and could not progress successfully without constant improvements upon the respective instrumental trajectories”?
Check Solution
Ans: C
The provided statement indicates that scientific endeavors are “heavily reliant on tools and require continuous advancements in their respective technological paths to succeed.” This signifies a direct relationship between scientific advancement and improved instrumentation. Option C effectively captures this concept. The text illustrates this with examples from astronomy and microbiology, noting how enhanced telescopes facilitated astronomical development and how tools such as gene-splicing influence contemporary biology. It further emphasizes that both disciplines depend on persistent enhancements in their instrumental capabilities. These illustrations demonstrate that in both domains, scientific advancement has been contingent upon instrumental improvements.
The other options are inadequate: Option A alters the notion from a requirement to a “must be respected,” introducing a qualitative assessment or obligation absent from the original text. Option B discusses the “development of scientific technologies” but fails to convey the explicit connection between progress and superior instruments. Option D refers to “scientific constants,” a topic not addressed in the passage. Therefore, the correct selection is
Option C
.
Q. 14 Five jumbled sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence out and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.
1. Pfas are a class of about 15,000 compounds most frequently used to make products water-, stain- and grease-resistant.
2. New research suggests exposure to some common perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (Pfas) cause changes to gene activity and that these changes are linked to health problems including multiple cancers, neurological disorders and autoimmune disease.
3. These Pfas compounds are dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down in the environment.
4. The research may also point toward other diseases potentially caused by Pfas that have not yet been identified.
5. The findings are a major step toward determining the mechanism by which the chemicals cause disease and could help doctors identify, detect and treat health problems for those exposed to Pfas before the issues advance.
Check Solution
Ans: 3
This passage summarizes recent scientific investigations into PFAS. It delves into the nature of these compounds, the research outcomes concerning their impact on well-being, and the significance of these discoveries for healthcare. The core emphasis lies on the research itself, its ramifications, and its potential for future disease identification.
The sequence of sentences 2, 1, 4, and 5 presents a coherent flow. Sentence 2 initiates the discussion with the new research and its primary assertion regarding gene expression and health complications. Sentence 1 provides context by explaining the identity and applications of PFAS. Sentence 4 expands upon the research, proposing a potential connection between PFAS and additional, as yet unrecognized, illnesses. Sentence 5 concludes by underscoring the importance of these findings, illustrating their contribution to our understanding of diseases and their role in enhancing early diagnosis and therapeutic strategies.
Sentence 3 disrupts the overall coherence. While factually correct, it elaborates on the designation of PFAS as “forever chemicals” due to their environmental persistence. This aspect is not addressed in any of the other sentences, nor does statement 3 contribute to the central themes of gene activity, disease, or medical implications. Consequently, it appears as tangential information. Thus, the out-of-place sentence is:
3
Q. 15 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.
Sentence- The region’s Western customers found it hard to believe that Dhaka muslin could possibly have been made by human hands – there were rumour that it was woven by mermaids, fairies and even ghosts.
Once upon the silty banks of the Meghna River, a miracle was spun — a fabric so light it was called “baft-hawa”, or woven air. This was Dhaka Muslin — the world’s most coveted cloth. ____(1)____. Handspun from a rare cotton called Phuti Karpas, found nowhere else on Earth, and woven with a 16-step sacred ritual — beginning with cleaning the cotton using the teeth of a river catfish! ____(2)____. Every spring, the maple-like leaves pushed up through the grey, silty soil to produce a single daffodil yellow flower twice a year, which gave way to a snowy floret of cotton fibres. ____(3)____. Spun at dawn on boats by sharp-eyed young women, its threads were so fine the elderly could barely see them. Motifs of wildflowers, river breeze, and soul were etched into each piece — some so light, a 91-metre bolt could pass through a ring, or a 60′ length fit inside a snuffbox. It draped Greek goddesses, Roman nobles, Mughal emperors, and European aristocrats. Marie Antoinette, Empress Joséphine — even Jane Austen adored its floating grace. ____(4)____.
Check Solution
Ans: B
The phrase “the region’s Western customers” suggests that the area under discussion is located outside of the West. Consequently, the locale referred to must be Dhaka and its environs, where the Muslin was manufactured and distributed. The sentence preceding Blank-4 lists diverse locations, making Blank-4 an unsuitable position for the given Sentence. The segment commencing with “Handspun from a rare cotton…” and concluding with “…. a 60′ length fit inside a snuffbox,” details the creation of Dhaka Muslin. Inserting the Sentence at Blank-4 would interrupt the paragraph’s coherence and its surrounding narrative. Blank-1 presents the most appropriate insertion point, as the Sentence can logically follow the prior references to the “silty banks of Meghna river” and Dhaka. Option B is the correct choice.
Q. 16 Instructions
The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question.
Time and again, whenever a population [of Mexican tetra fish] was swept into a cave and survived long enough for natural selection to have its way, the eyes disappeared. “But it’s not that everything has been lost in cavefish . . . Many enhancements have also happened.” . . . Studies have found that cave-dwelling fish can detect lower levels of amino acids than surface fish can. They also have more tastebuds and a higher density of sensitive cells alongside their bodies that let them sense water pressure and flow. . . .
Killing the processes that support the formation of the eye is quite literally what happens. Just like non-cave-dwelling members of the species, all cavefish embryos start making eyes. But after a few hours, cells in the developing eye start dying, until the entire structure has disappeared. [Developmental biologist Misty] Riddle thinks this apparent inefficiency may be unavoidable. “The early development of the brain and the eye are completely intertwined—they happen together,” she says. That means the least disruptive way for eyelessness to evolve may be to start making an eye and then get rid of it. . . .
It’s easy to see why cavefish would be at a disadvantage if they were to maintain expensive tissues they aren’t using. Since relatively little lives or grows in their caves, the fish are likely surviving on a meager diet of mostly bat feces and organic waste that washes in during the rainy season. Researchers keeping cavefish in labs have discovered that, genetically, the creatures are exquisitely adapted to absorbing and storing nutrients. . . .
Fats can be toxic for tissues, [evolutionary physiologist Nicolas] Rohner explains, so they are stored in fat cells. “But when these cells get too big, they can burst, which is why we often see chronic inflammation in humans and other animals that have stored a lot of fat in their tissues.” Yet a 2020 study by Rohner, Krishnan and their colleagues revealed that even very well-fed cavefish had fewer signs of inflammation in their fat tissues than surface fish do. Even in their sparse cave conditions, wild cavefish can sometimes get very fat, says Riddle. This is presumably because, whenever food ends up in the cave, the fish eat as much of it as possible, since there may be nothing else for a long time to come. Intriguingly, Riddle says, their fat is usually bright yellow because of high levels of carotenoids, the substance in the carrots that your grandmother used to tell you were good for your…eyes.
“The first thing that came to our mind, of course, was that they were accumulating these because they don’t have eyes,” says Riddle. In this species, such ideas can be tested: Scientists can cross surface fish (with eyes) and cavefish (without eyes) and look at what their offspring are like. When that’s done, Riddle says, researchers see no link between eye presence or size and the accumulation of carotenoids. Some eyeless cavefish had fat that was practically white, indicating lower carotenoid levels. Instead, Riddle thinks these carotenoids may be another adaptation to suppress inflammation, which might be important in the wild, as cavefish are likely overeating whenever food arrives.
All of the following statements from the passage describe adaptation in Mexican tetra cavefish EXCEPT:
Check Solution
Ans: C
Explanation:The question asks to identify the statement that does NOT describe an adaptation in Mexican tetra cavefish. Let’s analyze each option:
Option A: “It’s easy to see why cavefish would be at a disadvantage if they were to maintain expensive tissues they aren’t using.” This statement explains a *reason* for an adaptation (losing eyes), making it related to adaptation.
Option B: “Since relatively little lives or grows in their caves, the fish are likely surviving on a meager diet of mostly bat feces and organic waste that washes in during the rainy season.” This statement describes the *environment* and *diet* of the cavefish, which necessitates adaptations for survival, thus it’s context for adaptation.
Option C: “‘But when these cells get too big, they can burst, which is why we often see chronic inflammation in humans and other animals that have stored a lot of fat in their tissues.'” This statement describes a problem (“chronic inflammation”) that occurs in humans and other animals when they store a lot of fat. The passage then contrasts this with cavefish, implying that cavefish have adaptations to *avoid* this problem. Therefore, this statement itself describes a general biological phenomenon and not an adaptation of the cavefish; rather, the *lack* of this phenomenon in cavefish is an adaptation.
Option D: “Even in their sparse cave conditions, wild cavefish can sometimes get very fat, says Riddle.” This statement describes a condition experienced by cavefish, which is then used to explain their adaptations related to fat storage and carotenoids. This is a description of a characteristic related to adaptation.
Comparing the options, Option C is a general statement about fat storage in animals, not a description of a specific adaptation of the Mexican tetra cavefish. The passage uses this to explain how cavefish are different (adapted). The other options either describe reasons for adaptations, environmental contexts for adaptations, or characteristics related to adaptations.
Correct_Option:C
Q. 17 Which one of the following best explains why the “apparent inefficiency” is “unavoidable”?
Check Solution
Ans: D
Explanation:The passage states, “The least disruptive way for eyelessness to evolve may be to start making an eye and then get rid of it.” This is because “The early development of the brain and the eye are completely intertwined—they happen together.” Therefore, the “apparent inefficiency” of starting eye development only to have it disappear is unavoidable because the developmental processes are linked. Option D best captures this by stating that Mexican tetra cavefish are similar to non-cave-dwelling variants in their early stages of development, which is precisely why this initial, shared developmental pathway leads to the “inefficiency.” Options A and B are incorrect because they offer reasons for eyelessness or its consequences, not why the *process* of losing eyes is inefficient. Option C discusses compensation for eyelessness, not the reason for the unavoidable inefficiency of its evolution.
Correct_Option:D
Q. 18 Which one of the following results for the cross between surface fish (with eyes) and cavefish (without eyes) would invalidate Riddle’s inference from the experiment?
Check Solution
Ans: C
This inquiry probes Riddle’s hypothesis that the presence of carotenoids (leading to yellow fat) is independent of vision reduction and serves a distinct function, such as mitigating inflammation. To refute this, observed outcomes must demonstrate a clear correlation between the absence of eyes and the accumulation of carotenoids.
Option C would directly undermine this proposed connection. Should solely the offspring lacking eyes exhibit yellow fat, it would establish a compelling association between the absence of ocular structures and carotenoid deposition. This outcome would contradict Riddle’s assertion of “no link between eye presence or size and the accumulation of carotenoids,” thereby bolstering the prior notion that carotenoid accumulation is a consequence of cavefish’s lack of vision.
The remaining choices do not contest her viewpoint. Options A and D indicate that white fat can manifest irrespective of the fish’s visual state. Option B demonstrates that fish possessing eyes can also display yellow fat. These findings are consistent with Riddle’s assertion that carotenoid accumulation is not contingent upon the presence of eyes. Therefore, only option C would serve to disprove her inference.
Q. 19 On the basis of the information in the passage, what is the most likely function of carotenoids in Mexican tetra cavefish?
Check Solution
Ans: D
Explanation:The passage states, “Intriguingly, Riddle says, their fat is usually bright yellow because of high levels of carotenoids… ‘The first thing that came to our mind, of course, was that they were accumulating these because they don’t have eyes,’ says Riddle. In this species, such ideas can be tested: Scientists can cross surface fish (with eyes) and cavefish (without eyes) and look at what their offspring are like. When that’s done, Riddle says, researchers see no link between eye presence or size and the accumulation of carotenoids. Some eyeless cavefish had fat that was practically white, indicating lower carotenoid levels. Instead, Riddle thinks these carotenoids may be another adaptation to suppress inflammation, which might be important in the wild, as cavefish are likely overeating whenever food arrives.” This directly suggests that carotenoids are not a substitute for eyes (Option A) or a direct mechanism for fat cells to store nutrients (Option B). While they do render the fat bright yellow (Option C), the passage emphasizes that this is a consequence, not the primary function. The most likely function, as indicated by Riddle’s research and the lack of a link to eye presence, is to control inflammation from the bursting of fat cells, especially given the cavefish’s tendency to overeat when food is available.
Correct_Option:D
Q. 20 Instructions
The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question.
This book takes the position that setting in literature is more than just backdrop, that important insight into literary texts can be made by paying close attention to how authors craft place, as well as to how place functions in a narrative. The authors included in this reference work engage deeply with either real or imagined geographies. They care about how human decisions have shaped landscapes and how landscapes have shaped human practices and values. Some of the best writing is highly vivid, employing the language of the senses because this is the primary means through which humans know physical space.
Literature can offer valuable perspectives on physical and cultural geography. Unlike scientific reports, a literary narrative can provide the emotional component missing from the scientific record. In human experience, geographical places have a spiritual or emotional component in addition to and as part of a physical layout and topography. This emotional component, although subjective, is no less “real” than a surveyor’s map. Human consciousness of place is experienced in a multimodal manner. Histories of places live on in many forms, one of which is the human memory or imagination.
Both real and imaginary landscapes provide insight into the human experience of place. The pursuit of such a topic speaks to the valuable knowledge produced from bridging disciplines and combining material from both the arts and the sciences to better understand the human condition. The perspectives that most concern cultural geographers are often those regarding movement and migration, cultivation of natural resources, and organization of space. The latter two reflect concerns of the built environment, a topic shared with the field of architectural study. Many of these concerns are also reflected in work sociologists do. Scholars from literary studies can contribute an aesthetic dimension to what might otherwise be a purely ideological approach.
Literature can bring together material that spans different branches of science. For example, a literary description of place may involve not only the environment and geography but the noises and quality of light, or how people from different races or classes can experience the same place in different ways linked to those racial or class disparities. Literary texts can also account for the way in which absence—of other people, animals, and so on—affects a human observer or inhabitant. Both literary and scientific approaches to place are necessary, working in unison, to achieve a complete record of an environment. It is important to note that the interdisciplinary nature of this work teaches us that landscapes are not static, that they are not unchanged by human culture. At least part of their identity derives from the people who inhabit them and from the way space can alter and inspire human perspective. The intersection of scientific and literary expression that happens in the study of literary geography is of prime importance due to the complexity of the personal and political ways that humans experience place.
Which one of the following is a valid conclusion to draw from the author’s statement that, “The pursuit of such a topic speaks to the valuable knowledge produced from bridging disciplines and combining material from both the arts and the sciences to better understand the human condition.”?
Check Solution
Ans: C
Explanation:The passage states, “The pursuit of such a topic speaks to the valuable knowledge produced from bridging disciplines and combining material from both the arts and the sciences to better understand the human condition.” This sentence directly supports the idea that understanding the human condition is enhanced by combining insights from both the arts and the sciences. Option C rephrases this idea by stating that a comprehensive understanding of the human condition can best be achieved by combining findings from disciplines from the arts and sciences.
Option A is too general and doesn’t specifically reference the bridging of disciplines as the passage does.
Option B reverses the relationship described in the passage; the passage suggests combining arts and sciences to understand the human condition, not the other way around.
Option D focuses narrowly on literary descriptions and their contribution, whereas the passage speaks more broadly about combining arts and sciences for a holistic understanding of the human condition.
Correct_Option:C
Q. 21 Which one of the following is not true of the argument in the second paragraph?
Check Solution
Ans: C
Explanation:The second paragraph discusses how literature can offer valuable perspectives on geography by providing the emotional and spiritual components often missing from scientific reports. It states that geographical places have a spiritual or emotional component in addition to their physical layout, and this emotional component is “no less ‘real’ than a surveyor’s map.” It also mentions that “Histories of places live on in many forms, one of which is the human memory or imagination.” Option A is true because literary narratives provide emotional components. Option B is true because the paragraph states the emotional component is “no less ‘real’ than a surveyor’s map.” Option D is true as the paragraph mentions histories of places living on in human memory or imagination. Option C, however, is not true. While the emotional and spiritual experience is as real as a surveyor’s map, it doesn’t necessarily *replace* it. The paragraph implies a multimodal experience of place, suggesting that both physical and emotional/spiritual aspects are important.
Correct_Option:C
Q. 22 The author uses the example of the literary description of place to illustrate that:
Check Solution
Ans: B
Explanation:The passage states, “For example, a literary description of place may involve not only the environment and geography but the noises and quality of light, or how people from different races or classes can experience the same place in different ways linked to those racial or class disparities.” This directly supports option B, illustrating how literary descriptions can highlight differing experiences of the same place based on factors like race or class. Option A is incorrect because the passage emphasizes the necessity of both scientific and literary approaches. Option C is not supported by the text; while architectural study is mentioned as sharing concerns, the specific example is about literary descriptions, not architectural calibration of sensory elements. Option D is also supported by the text (“Literary texts can also account for the way in which absence—of other people, animals, and so on—affects a human observer or inhabitant”), but the question asks what the author uses the *example of the literary description of place to illustrate*, and the most comprehensive illustration provided by the example is the varying human experiences of a place, which is captured by option B.
Correct_Option:B
Q. 23 All of the following statements, if false, would contradict the arguments in the passage, EXCEPT that:
Check Solution
Ans: D
The text states that “The past of locations persists in various forms, one of which is human recollection or inventiveness.” It also suggests that these locations and their “affective dimension, while personal, is as substantial as a surveyor’s chart.” Consequently, in written works, portrayals of locations do not necessitate satellite views or other visual aids to convey an authentic impression. If this were not the case, the reasoning presented in the text would be undermined. Option A is incorrect.
From the statement, “Both tangible and imagined environments offer understanding of how people perceive their surroundings,” we can deduce that if option B were incorrect, it would conflict with the text. Option B is incorrect.
Based on the idea that “Narrative can integrate elements from various scientific fields. For instance, a literary portrayal of a location might encompass not just the natural surroundings and geography but also sounds and the quality of illumination, or how individuals from diverse ethnic or social strata might perceive the same locale differently due to those ethnic or social inequalities. Fictional works can also address how the lack of other individuals, creatures, and so forth, impacts a human observer or resident,” it can be understood that written narratives possess the capacity to generate potent impressions of reality through their descriptions. If option C were inaccurate, it would contradict the information supplied in the text. Option C is incorrect.
From the assertion, “In human perception, geographic areas possess a spiritual or affective dimension alongside and as a constituent of their physical arrangement and terrain. This affective dimension, while personal, is as tangible as a surveyor’s chart,” it can be inferred that the physical and emotional experience of a location is a matter of personal perception. Therefore, if option D were incorrect, the arguments put forth in the text would not be contradicted. Option D is the correct answer.
Q. 24 The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, and 4) given 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. As books age, the cellulose and lignin in the paper begin to break down, releasing a mix of volatile organic compounds into the air.
2. Old books carry a scent that many people instantly recognize—and even love.
3. These compounds are benzaldehyde, which gives off an almond-like scent, vanillin, which smells like vanilla, ethyl hexanol (floral scent), toluene (sweet), and furfural (which has a slightly bready scent).
4. This familiar aroma isn’t just dust or mildew; it’s actually a result of slow chemical changes happening inside the paper and ink.
Check Solution
Ans: 2413
Explanation:Sentence 2 introduces the familiar scent of old books. Sentence 4 explains that this scent is not simply dust or mildew but a result of chemical changes. Sentence 1 elaborates on these chemical changes, explaining that cellulose and lignin break down, releasing volatile organic compounds. Sentence 3 then lists specific examples of these compounds and their associated scents, providing concrete details about the chemical processes mentioned in sentence 1. Therefore, the logical flow is 2, 4, 1, 3.
Final_Answer:2413