Free Verbal Reasoning - 08 Practice Test - CAT
Question 1
Characters are also part of deep structure. Characters tie events in a story together and provide a thread of continuity and meaning. Stories can be about individuals, groups, projects, or whole organizations, so from an organizational studies perspective, the focal actor(s) determine the level and unit of analysis used in a study. Stories of mergers and acquisitions, for example, are commonplace. In these stories, whole organizations are personified as actors. But these macro-level stories usually are not told from the perspective of the macro-level participants, because whole organizations cannot narrate their experiences in the first person.
SOLUTION
Solution : E
Option: (e)
The paragraph talks of role of characters in a story. The last line mentions the macro-level stories and the personification of organizations thus making answer option (e) the most befitting statement to follow the last line.
Question 2
Nevertheless, photographs still retain some of the magical allure that the earliest daguerreotypes inspired. As objects, our photographs have changed; they have become physically flimsier as they have become more technologically sophisticated. Daguerre produced pictures on copperplates; today many of our photographs never become tangible things, but instead remain filed away on computers and cameras, part of the digital ether that envelops the modern world. At the same time, our patience for the creation of images has also eroded. Children today are used to being tracked from birth by digital cameras and video recorders and they expect to see the results of their poses and performances instantly. The space between life as it is being lived and life as it is being displayed shrinks to a mere second. (2007)
SOLUTION
Solution : A
OPTION :(a)The entire paragraph talks of technical developments in photography. So answer option (a) matches the flow of the passage best and hence is the correct answer choice.
Question 3
MmaRamotswe has a detective agency in Africa, at the foot of Kgale Hill. These were its assets: a tiny white van, two desks, two chairs, a telephone, and an old typewriter. Then there was a teapot, in which MmaRamostswe - the only private lady detective in Botswana - brewed redbush tea. And three mugs - one for herself, one for her secretary, and one for the client. What else does a detective agency really need? Detective agencies rely on human intuition and intelligence, both of which MmaRamotswe had in abundance. (2007)
SOLUTION
Solution : C
OPTION : (c)The last statement of the paragraph highlights MmaRamotswe's qualities. Answer option (c) seems to be the best possible continuation.
Question 4
Relations between the factory and the dealer are distant and usually strained as the factory tries to force cars on the dealers to smooth out production. Relations between the dealer and the customer are equally strained because dealers continuously adjust prices -make deals-to adjust demand with supply while maximizing profits. This becomes a system marked by a lack of long-term commitment on either side, which maximizes feelings of mistrust. In order to maximize their bargaining positions, everyone holds back information the dealer about the product and the consumer about his true desires. (2006)
SOLUTION
Solution : E
Option: (e)The passage emphasizes on how, to fulfill their short term expectations, factories, dealers and customers are not true to themselves. It is then that their relationships start becoming strained. This strain leads to feelings of mistrust and lack of commitment. So, the longer this continues, the more the chances of everyone succeeding to this vicious trap and they would soon realize that they have sacrificed long-term stability and gains for short-term benefits. Hence option (e) is the correct answer choice. Option (d) is too specific to the industry. Option (b) does not add anything. Option (a) takes into account only 2 players and repeats what is stated in the passage about "dealers adjusting prices and making deals" in the term "deal making". Option (c) seems close but can be eliminated as the word "adversary" is a very strong word.
Question 5
We can usefully think of theoretical models as maps, which help us navigate unfamiliar territory. The most accurate map that is possible to construct would be of no practical use whatsoever, for it would be an exact replica, on exactly the same scale, of the place where we were. Good maps pull out the most important features and throw away a huge amount of much less valuable information. Of course, maps can be bad as well as good-witness the attempts by medieval Europe to produce a map of the world. In the same way, a bad theory, no matter how impressive it may seem in principle, does little or nothing to help us understand a problem.(2006)
SOLUTION
Solution : A
Option: (a)The passage heads towards describing the functions that bad/good maps serve. Just as "bad theory" does not help us understand a problem, "good theory" is invaluable to us though it may be simplified. 'Simplified' here implies that less valuable information is left out. According to the logic, options (b), (c), (d) get eliminated. Option (e) is close but more negative in tone than required.
Question 6
In the evolving world order, the comparative advantage of the United States lies in its military force. Diplomacy and international law have always been regarded as annoying encumbrances, unless they can be used to advantage against an enemy. Every active player in world affairs professes to seek only peace and to prefer negotiation to violence and coercion. (2006)
SOLUTION
Solution : B
Option: (b)Going with the flow of the passage, the last line states that now all players "profess" to seek only peace. "Profess" means to mask or to pretend. Thus, option (b) which talks about the veil being lifted is the most logical completion of the passage.
Question 7
A.However, the real challenge today is in unlearning, which is much harder.
B. But the new world of business behaves differently from the world in which we grew up.
C. Learning is important for both people and organizations.
D. Each of us has a 'mental model' that we've used over the years to make sense.
SOLUTION
Solution : A
Option (a)
(C) begins the para by explaining the significance of 'LEARNING' to people and organizations.
(A) states the , real challenge as 'UNLEARNING', which follows statement C. Only option (a) has the CA link.
Alternate Method:-
We first choose the first statement out of the given choices ie the opening statement will not have any pronouns nor any structure word. Going through the answer options, A and B cannot be an opening statement because they are beginning with a structure word. Options B and D gets eliminated. Opening statement is statement C where the author talks about the importance of "Learning". It will be followed by statement A in which he talks about "Unlearning". In statement C, he describes why unlearning is harder. Hence answer option "A".
Question 8
A.
Alex had never been happy with his Indian origins.
B.He set about rectifying this grave injustice by making his
house in his own image of a country manor.
C. Fate had been unfair to him, if he
had his wish, he would have been a count or an Earl on some English estate,
or a medieval monarch in a chateau in France.
D. This illusion of misplaced
grandeur, his wife felt, would be Alex's undoing.
SOLUTION
Solution : C
Option (c)(A) initiates the passage explaining the reason for unhappiness of Alex as Indian origins (C) explains what he would rather have been (B) tells how Alex rectifies his grave injustice. (D) concludes thepassage by explaining the wife's reaction.
Alternate Method:-
Statement A will be the opening statement because other statements have pronouns in them. Option D gets eliminated. Statement A talks about Alex being un-happy with his Indian origins. Statement C talks about why Alex is unhappy. Logically statement A is followed by statement B. This combination is available in only one answer option ie answer option "C".
Question 9
A.
The influence is reflected the most in beaded evening wear.
B. Increasingly, the influence of
India's colours and cuts can be seen on western styles.
C. And even as Nehru jackets and
jodhpurs remain staples of the fashion world, designers such as Armani and
McFadden have turned to the sleek silhouette of the churidar this year.
D. Indian hot pink, paprika and
saffron continue to be popular colours year in and year out.
SOLUTION
Solution : A
Option (a)(B) starts the passage by explaining the impact of Indian colours and cuts on western style. (A) elaborates that the influence is mostly seen in breaded evening wears. (D) emphasises pink, paprika and saffron. (C) States how the international fashion scene is being affected by Indian outfits.
Alternate Method:-
Statement A talks about some influence. But what is influencing is not discussed. Now we scroll through other statements and get the info that only statement B is talking what is influencing. Hence we have a combination that statement B is followed by statement A ie"BA". This combination is available in only one answer option ie answer option "A".
Question 10
A.
Such a national policy will surely divide and never unite the people.
B. In fact, it suits the purpose of
the politicians; they can drag the people into submission by appealing to
them in the name of religion.
C. In order to inculcate the
unquestioning belief they condemn the other states which do not follow their
religion.
D. The emergence of the theocratic
states where all types of crimes are committed in the name of religion, has
revived the religion of the Middle Ages.
SOLUTION
Solution : B
Option (b)(D) Begins the paragraph by explaining the meaning and emergence of theocratic states. (B) Explains the trick followed by politicians. (C) Shows how politicians act, the "they" in the sentence, refers to "politicians" (A) concludes the paragraph by explaining the impact of such a national policy.
Alternate Method:-
Statement D will be an opening statement because other statements have pronouns in them. Hence we eliminate answer options "A" and "D". Now in both the answer options, statement "D" is followed by statement "B". Statement B talks about politicians. We have statement C having a pronoun "they" which refers logically to politicians. Hence B is followed be C. Moreover, the national policy of condemning of states on the basis of religion will divide people. Hence we have answer option "B".
Question 11
1. Picture a termite colony occupying a tall
mud hump on an African plain.
A. Hungry predators often invade the
colony and unsettle the balance.
B. The colony flourishes only if the
portion of soldiers to workers remain roughly the same, so that the queen and
the workers can be protected by the soldiers, and the queen and the soldiers
can be serviced by workers.
C. But its fortunes are presently
restored, because the immobile queen, walled in well below ground level, lays
eggs not only in large enough numbers, but also in the varying proportions
required.
D. The hump is alive with worker
termites and soldier termites going about their distinct kind of business.
6. How can we account for her
mysterious ability to respond like this to events on the distant surface?
SOLUTION
Solution : B
Option (b)Statement (D) starts the paragraph by explaining the business of worker and soldier termites. Statement (B) pay attention to the needs of the soldier and worker proportionality (A) describes the role of the predator. Statement (C) concludes telling quantity of eggs laid by queen.
Alternate Explanation:-
In the statement number "6", pronoun "her" is used for the queen. This means that the statement just before statement "6" must have queen as the subject. Only statement "C" fulfills this criteria. Statement "C" is the second last statement of the given passage. Hence we eliminate answer option "C" and "D". Statement B after statement 1 seems illogical because statement B describes the number of soldiers and workers and how they making sure the colony works properly. The name soldiers and workers must be discussed before statement B. Going through the answer option we find that only statement D fulfills this criteria. Hence we have a combination "DB". Going through the answer options we find that only answer option B has this combination. Hence answer option "B" is the answer.
Question 12
1.
According to recent research, the critical period for developing
language skills is between the ages of three and five and a half years.
A. The read-to child already has a large
vocabulary and a sense of grammar and sentence structure.
B. Children who are read to in these
years have a far better chance of reading well in school, indeed, of doing
well in all subject.
C. And the reason is actually quiet
simple.
D. This correlation is far and away
the highest yet found between home influences and school success.
6. His comprehension of language is
therefore very high.
SOLUTION
Solution : D
Option (d)(1) and (B) is a mandatory pair because of presence of the pronoun "these" in statement B. Only answer option D fulfills this criteria. Hence answer option "D".
Question 13
1. The reconstruction of history by
post-revolutionary science texts involves more than a multiplication of
historical misconstructions.
A. Because they aim quickly to
acquaint the student with the contemporary scientific community "thinks it
knows", textbooks treat the various experiments, concepts, laws and theories
of the current normal science as separately as possible.
B. Those misconstructions render
revolutions invisible; the arrangement of the still visible material in
science texts implies a process that, if it existed, would deny revolutions a
function.
C. But when combined with the
generally unhistorical air of science writing and with the occasional
systematic misconstruction, one impression is likely to follow.
D. As pedagogy, this technique of
presentation is unexceptionable.
6. Science has reached its present
state by series of individual discoveries and inventions that when gathered together,
constitute the modern body of technical knowledge.
SOLUTION
Solution : A
Option: (a)(1) states reconstruction of history involves more than a multiplication of historical misconstruction (B) clears misconstruction renders revolution invisible (A) explains the technique of presentation. (D) states such technique to be unexceptionable. (C) states result on combination of science writing with occasional systematic misconstruction. (6) follows telling science as outcome of individual discoveries and Inventions.
Question 14
1. Security inks exploit the same principle
that causes the vivid and constantly changing colours of film of oil on
water.
A. When two rays of light meet each
other after being reflected from these different surfaces, they have each
travelled slightly different distances.
B. The key is that the light is
bouncing off two surfaces, that of the oil and that of the water layer below
it.
C. The distance between the two rays
determines which wavelengths, and hence colours, interfere constructively and
look bright.
D. Because light is an electromagnetic
wave, the peaks and troughs of each ray then interfere either constructively,
to appear bright, or destructively, to appear dim.
6. Since the distance the rays travel
changes with the angle as you look at the surface, different colours look
bright from different viewing angles.
SOLUTION
Solution : B
Option: (b)(B) clearly follows (1) with 'oil and water'. (A) continues to explain the concept. (C) has to be followed by (6). (D) has to settle in between, after (A).
Question 15
Managers especially the successful ones, should guard against ascribing to
themselves qualities and attributes which they may not have, or may have in a
measure much less than what they think they have.
A. External appearances can be
deceptive.
B. To initiate action, without being in possession of full facts, can lead to
disastrous results.
C. Also, one should develop confidants
who can be used as sounding boards, in order to check one's own thinking
against that of the others.
D. It is also useful to be open to
receive feedback about oneself so that a real understanding of the 'self'
exists.
6. A false perception can be likened
to wearing coloured glasses "“ all facts get tainted by colour of the glass
and the mind interprets them wrongly to fit into the perception.
SOLUTION
Solution : A
Option: (a)From the answer options; the starting can only be D or B. D is a more logical continuation after the opening sentence. This eliminates option (b) and (d). The concluding sentence elaborates on a false perception, thus the preceding sentence should talk about the disastrous effects of false perception which happens due to not being in possession of full facts. Answer is option (a)
Question 16
1.
Making people laugh is tricky
A. At times, the intended humour may
simply not come off.
B. Making people laugh while trying to
sell them something is a tougher challenge, since the commercial can fall
flat on two grounds.
C. There are many advertisements which
do amuse but do not even begin to set the cash registers ringing.
D. Again, it is rarely sufficient for
an advertiser simply to amuse the target audience in order to reap the sales
benefit.
6. There are indications that in
substituting the hard sell for more entertaining approach, some agencies have
rather thrown out the baby with the bath water.
SOLUTION
Solution : C
Option: (c)(1) and (B) follow each other. (B) Begins the paragraph by explaining marketer's trickiness. (AD) explain how the advertisers prepare its customers. (C) concludes by commenting on the nature of advertisements.