Free Reading Comprehension Set I - 04 Practice Test - CAT 

Question 1

It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following statements was true of American families over the course of the nineteenth century?

A. The average size of families grew considerably.
B. The percentage of families involved in industrial work declined dramatically.
C. Family members became more emotionally bonded to one another.
D. Family members became more economically dependent on each other.

SOLUTION

Solution : C

C is the best answer.

In the third paragraph, the author cites Zelizer’s contention that the new view of childhood that developed in nineteenth-century America was due in part to “the development of the companionate family (a family in which members were united by explicit bonds of love rather than duty)”(lines 54-58). From this it can be inferred that the emotional bonds between family members became increasingly important during this period. There are no information in the passage to support the other answer choices.

 

Question 2

The primary purpose of the passage is to:

A. review the literature in a new academic subfield
B. present the central thesis of a recent book
C. contrast two approaches to analyzing historical change
D. refute a traditional explanation of a social phenomenon

SOLUTION

Solution : B

B is the best answer.

In the first paragraph, the author contrasts two incidents that are said to exemplify the transformation in social values that forms the subject ofZelizer’s book. The second and third paragraphs consist of a brief history of that transformation, as Zelizer presents it, and an account of the factors she considers important in bringing it about. In the last paragraph, the author explains how Zelizer’s thesis differs from that of sociological economists. Thus, the passage serves primarily to present the central thesis of Zelizer’s book. A misrepresent the subject matter of the passage. D misrepresents the author’s approach. C is incorrect because although the passage does contrast two approaches, this contrast takes place only in the final paragraph.

Question 3

It can be inferred from the passage that in the early 1800’s children were generally regarded by their families as individuals who:

A. needed enormous amounts of security and affection
B. required constant supervision while working
C. were important to the economic well-being of a family
D. were financial burdens assumed for the good of society

SOLUTION

Solution : C

C is the most appropriate answer.
The answer can be inferred easily by reading the 2nd paragraph of the passage carefully.

Question 4

Zelizer refers to all of the following as important influences in changing the assessment of children’s worth EXCEPT changes in:

A. the mortality rate
B. the nature of industry
C. the nature of the family
D. attitudes toward reform movements

SOLUTION

Solution : D

D is the best answer.

Although reform movements are mentioned in lines 39-45, the passage does not discuss attitudes or changes in attitudes toward those movements. This choice is therefore NOT among the influences Zelizer is said to regard as important in changing the assessment of children’s worth. A, B and C are mentioned in lines 48-58 as factors Zelizer regards as “critical in changing the assessment of children’s worth”.

Question 5

Which of the following alternative explanations of the change in the cash value of children would be most likely to be put forward by sociological economists as they are described in the passage?

A. The cash value of children rose during the nineteenth century because parents began to increase their emotional investment in the upbringing of their children.
B. The cash value of children rose during the nineteenth century because their expected earnings over the course of a lifetime increased greatly.
C. The cash value of children rose during the nineteenth century because compulsory education laws reduced the supply, and thus raised the costs, of available child labor.
D. The cash value of children rose during the nineteenth century because of changes in the way negligence law assessed damages in accidental-death cases.

SOLUTION

Solution : B

B is the most suitable answer.

In stressing the cultural determinants of a child’s worth, Zelizer takes issue with practitioners of the new “sociological economics,” who have analyzed such traditionally sociological topics as crime, marriage, education, and health solely in terms of their economic determinants. Allowing only a small role for cultural forces in the form of individual “preferences,” these sociologists tend to view all human behaviors as directed primarily by the principle of maximizing economic gain. Zelizer is highly critical of this approach, and emphasizes instead the opposite phenomenon: the power of social values to transform price. As children became more valuable in emotional terms, she argues, their “exchange” or “surrender” value on the market, that is, the conversion of their intangible worth into cash terms, became much greater.

Question 6

It can be inferred from the passage that accidental-death damage awards in America during the nineteenth century tended to be based principally on the:

A. earnings of the person at time of death
B. wealth of the party causing the death
C. degree of culpability of the party causing the death
D. amount of suffering endured by the family of the person killed

SOLUTION

Solution : A

A is the most suitable answer.
Read t the 2nd paragraph carefully and browse through the options to deduce the correct answer choice.

Question 7

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 8

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 upstarts".

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.

Question 9

The tone that the author uses while asking "What French winemaker will ever admit that?" is best described as:

A. caustic
B. satirical
C. critical
D. hypocritical

SOLUTION

Solution : B

Option (b)

The writer is using satire to mildly tease the French winemaker.

Question 10

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 11

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 4 is the most substantiated reason to support Dr.Renaud’s findings.

Question 12

According to the passage, the public-sector workers who were most likely to belong to unions in 1977 were:

A. professionals
B. clerical workers
C. service workers
D. blue-collar workers

SOLUTION

Solution : A

A is the correct answer.

Read the 2nd pararaph. We can clearly cateorize the public-sector workers who were most likely to belong to unions in 1977 as professionals.

Question 13

 The author cites union efforts to achieve a fully unionized work force (line 13-19) in order to account for why-

A. politicians might try to oppose public-sector union organizing
B. public-sector unions have recently focused on organizing women
C. early organizing efforts often focused on areas where there were large numbers of workers
D. unions sometimes tried to organize workers regardless of the workers’ initial interest in unionization

SOLUTION

Solution : D

D is the best answer.

In lines 17-24, the author describes the reasoning behind the multioccupational unions’ attempt to achieve a fully unionized workplace. This reasoning is provided to explain why “the multioccupational unions would often try to organize them (clerical workers) regardless of the workers’ initial receptivity”(lines 15-17). A helps to explain, but is not explained by, the attempt to achieve a fully unionized work force. An explanation for C is given in lines 4-7. B is explained in the second paragraph of the passage.

Question 14

The author states that which of the following is a consequence of the women’s movement of recent years?

A. A structural change in multioccupational public-sector unions
B. A more positive attitude on the part of women toward unions
C. An increase in the proportion of clerical workers that are women
D. An increase in the number of women in administrative positions

SOLUTION

Solution : B

B is the most suitable answer.

Read the 3rd pararaph carefully. The correct answer can be deduced from the lines "the women’s movement has succeeded in legitimizing the economic and political activism of women on their own behalf, thereby producing a more positive attitude toward unions".

Question 15

According to the passage, in the period prior to 1975, each of the following considerations helped determine whether a union would attempt to organize a certain group of clerical workers EXCEPT:

A. the number of women among the clerical workers in that group
B. whether the clerical workers in that area were concentrated in one workplace or scattered over several workplaces
C. the degree to which the clerical workers in that group were interested in unionization
D. whether all the other workers in the same jurisdiction as that group of clerical workers were unionized

SOLUTION

Solution : A

A is the correct answer.

Read the 1st para carefully. All the remaining options are mentioned in the passage EXCEPT option A.

Question 16

The author’s claim that, since the mid-1970’s, a new strategy has emerged in the unionization of public-sector clerical workers would be strengthened if the author:

A. compared the organizing strategies employed by private-sector unions with those of public-sector unions
B. explained why politicians and administrators sometimes oppose unionization of clerical workers
C. indicated that the number of unionized public-sector clerical workers was increasing even before the mid-1970’s
D. showed that the factors that favored unionization drives among these workers prior to 1975 have decreased in importance

SOLUTION

Solution : D

D is the best answer.

The question asks what would strengthen the author’s claim that a new strategy for unionization has emerged since the mid-1970’s. Lines 30-31 cite the appearance of the new strategy. The paragraphs that follow describe the changed circumstances that provided a context for such new strategies. Lines 70-76 explain precisely how these changed circumstances created a reason for new unionizing strategies. The author’s claim would be strengthened if it could be shown not only that there are such new circumstances, but that the old circumstances discussed in the first paragraph have become less important further necessitating the adoption of a new strategy in place of an old strategy suitable to those older circumstances.

Question 17

The main concern of the passage is to:

A. advocate particular strategies for future efforts to organize certain workers into labor unions.
B. explain differences in the unionized proportions of various groups of public-sector workers.
C. evaluate the effectiveness of certain kinds of labor unions that represent public-sector workers.
D. analyzed and explain an increase in unionization among a certain category of workers.

SOLUTION

Solution : D

D is the best answer.

In the first paragraph of the passage, the author asserts that efforts to unionize public-sector clerical workers prior to 1975 were limited and then goes on to describe these limited efforts. In the second paragraph, the author asserts that a new strategy developed after 1975 and cites an increase in union membership among public-sector clerical workers. The author begins the last paragraph by asking what can explain this increase in union membership, and then proceeds to provide an explanation. Thus, the passage is primarily concerned with analyzing and explaining the increase in unionization among public-sector clerical workers.

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