Free Reading Comprehension Set I - 03 Practice Test - CAT 

Question 1

The book Man-Eaters of Tsavo annoys some scientists because:

A. it revealed that Tsavo lions are ferocious.
B. Patterson made a helluva lot of money from the book by sensationalism.
C. it perpetuated the bad name Tsavo lions had.
D. it narrated how two male Tsavo lions were killed.

SOLUTION

Solution : C

Option (c)

The answer is (c) as the real reason behind the scientists’ annoyance is that they consider the Tsavo lions to be no more man-eaters than lions elsewhere, but the book has reinforced the view that they are more aggressive.

Question 2

The sentence which concludes the first paragraph, "Now they knew better", implies that:

A. The two scientists were struck by wonder on seeing maneless lions for the first time.
B. Though Craig was an expert on the Serengeti lion, now he also knew about the Tsavo lions.
C. Craig was now able to confirm that darkening of the noses as lions aged applied to Tsavo lions as well.
D. Earlier, Craig and West thought that amateur observers had been mistaken.

SOLUTION

Solution : D

Option (d)

The answer is (d). The scientists realized that their earlier skepticism about the authenticity of the amateurs’ claims had been hasty as these claims had now been vindicated.

Question 3

Which of the following, if true, would weaken the hypothesis advanced by Gnoske and Peterhans most?

A. Craig and Peyton develop even more serious doubts about the idea that Tsavo lions are primitive.
B. The manelessTsavo East lions are shown to be closer to the cave lions.
C. Pleistocene cave lions are shown to be far less violent than believed.
D. The morphological variations in body and skull size between the cave and Tsavo lions are found to be insignificant.

SOLUTION

Solution : C

Option (c)

The answer is (c). Gnoske and Peterhanssays that Tsavo lions may be similar to the unmaned cave lions of the Pleistocence. Then the 5th line in the 3rd paragraph says that Tsavo lions have a reputation of ferocity. So logically, the unmaned cave lions of the Pleistocence are ferocious. But option (c) says that the unmaned cave lions of the Pleistocence are shown to be far less violent than believed.

Question 4

According to the passage, which of the following has NOT contributed to the popular image of Tsavo lions as savage creatures?

A. Tsavo lions have been observed to bring down one of the strongest and most aggressive animals-the Cape buffalo.
B. In contrast to the situation in traditional lion haunts, scarcity of non-buffalo prey in the Tsavo makes the Tsavo lions more aggressive.
C. The Tsavo lion is considered to be less evolved than the Serengeti variety.
D. Tsavo lions have been observed to attack vehicles as well as humans.

SOLUTION

Solution : C

Option (c)

The answer is (c). Other than (c) all the rest will contribute to the image of the Tsavo being ferocious as they are stated in the passage. Option (a) and (c) are present in the fourth paragraph of the passage. Option (d) is clearly stated in the fifth paragraph.

Question 5

According to the passage, the reason why we continued to be dependent on fossil fuels is that:

A. Auto executives did not wish to change.
B. No alternative fuels were discovered.
C. Change in technology was not easily possible.
D. German, Japanese and French companies could not come up with new technologies.

SOLUTION

Solution : A

The answer is (a).

The answer can be inferred from the last paragraph 2nd line onwards – "in the 1960s, the German auto companies developed plans to scrap the entire combustion engine…..why didn’t it go anywhere? Because auto executive understood pistons and carburettors, and would be loath to cannibalize their expertise, along with most of their factories."

Question 6

Which of the following views does the author fully support in the passage?

A. Nothing is as permanent as change.
B. Change is always rapid.
C. More money spent on innovation leads to more rapid change.
D. Over decades, structural change has been incremental.

SOLUTION

Solution : D

The answer is (d).

The answer can be inferred from the 3rd paragraph – "fifty years after….largely cosmetic changes."

Question 7

According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A. Executives of automobile companies are inefficient and ludicrous.
B. The speed at which an automobile is driven in a city has not changed much in a century.
C. Anthropological factors have fostered innovation in automobiles by promoting use of new technologies.
D. Further innovation in jet engines has been more than incremental.

SOLUTION

Solution : B

The answer is (b).

The answer can be inferred from the 4th paragraph - Henry Ford’s first car did 18 miles per hour and in 2001 the average speed in London was 17.5 miles per hour as stated in the last line of the fourth paragraph.

Question 8

Which of the following best describes one of the main ideas discussed in the passage?

A. Rapid change is usually welcomed in society.
B. Industry is not as innovative as it is made out to be.
C. We should have less change than what we have now.
D. Competition spurs companies into radical innovation

SOLUTION

Solution : B

The answer is (b).

The answer can be inferred from the 4th and 6th paragraphs, where the author says that even after "a hundred years and tens of thousands of research hours later" little has changed in the auto industry and also changes in the aviation industry are incremental and largely cosmetic.

 

Question 9

Which is the thematic highlight of this passage?

A. The two kinds of dynamic psychology.
B. The psychology of post-instinctive behaviour.
C. The effective motives in human life.
D. The transforming influence of learning.

SOLUTION

Solution : A

Option (a)

The passage is chiefly concerned with the existence of two kinds of dynamic psychology.

Question 10

Dynamic psychology refers to:

A. The depiction of human behaviour.
B. The accepting of why people behave in a certain manner.
C. The understanding of human disposition vis-à-vis behaviour.
D. The classification of human behaviour. 

SOLUTION

Solution : C

Option (c)

Dynamic psychology refers to understanding human disposition and behaviour related to it.

Question 11

According to the passage, the term “transitoriness of instincts” refers to:

A. The appearance and transformation of instinct.
B. The lingering nature of instincts.
C. The lone appearance of instinct.
D. The transitory nature of habits.

SOLUTION

Solution : A

Option (a)

The term refers to the appearance of instinct and its subsequent transformation into habits.

 

 

Question 12

Which one of the following CANNOT be reasonably attributed to the labelling strategy followed by wine producers in English-speaking countries?

A. Consumers buy wines on the basis of their familiarity with a grape variety's name
B. Even ordinary customers now have more access to technical knowledge about wine
C. Consumers are able to appreciate better quality wines
D. Some non-English speaking countries like Brazil indicate grape variety names on their labels.

SOLUTION

Solution : C

Option (c)

 Only a connoisseur can appreciate better quality wines, taste is not written on labels

Question 13

What according to the author should the French do to avoid becoming a producer of merely old fashioned wines?

A. Follow the labelling strategy of the English-speaking countries
B. Give their wines English names
C. Introduce fruity wines as Brazil has done.
D. Produce the wines that have become popular in the English-speaking world.

SOLUTION

Solution : A

Option (a)

 Refer to the part some areas … have now produced a generation of growers using the varietal names on their labels.

 

Question 14

Which one of the following, if true, would provide most support for Dr. Renaud's findings about  the effect of tannins?

A. A survey showed that film celebrities based in France have a low incidence of coronary heart disease.
B. Measurements carried out in southern France showed red wine drinkers had significantly higher levels of coronary heart incidence than white wine drinkers did.
C. Data showed a positive association between sales of red wine and incidence of coronary heart disease.
D. Long-term surveys in southern France showed that the incidence of coronary heart disease was significantly lower in red wine drinkers than in those who did not drink red wine

SOLUTION

Solution : D

Option (d)

Option (d) is the most substantiated reason to support Dr. Renaud’s findings.

Question 15

The development which has created fear among winemakers in the wine heartlands of France  is the 

A. tendency not to name wines after the grape varieties that are used in the wines.
B. 'education' that consumers have derived from wine labels from English-speaking countries
C. new generation of local winegrowers who use labels that show names of grape varieties.
D. ability of consumers to understand a wine's qualities when confronted with "Brazilian

SOLUTION

Solution : B

Option (b)

Refer to the part it is on every wine label … the name of the grape from which the wine is made … acquired a basic lexicon

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