XAT 2015 VA | Previous Year XAT Paper
Verbal Ability
The first and the last sentences of the paragraph are numbered 1 & 6. The others, labeled as P, Q, R and S, are given below:
1. The world of cinema is indeed a strange one and baffles many a critic.
P. But there are incorrigible optimists who see a bright future.
Q. The pundits still predict doom and they insist that it is the end of the road for cinema.
R. At the temples of the box office, fortunes are made and unmade.
S. The world of cinema has, they say, its own attraction.
6. Perhaps a positive outlook is not unwarranted. A doomsday approach is far too fatal at this stage.
Which of the following combinations given below is the most logically ordered?
- A.
1SQPR6
- B.
1RSPQ6
- C.
1RQPS6
- D.
1QSPR6
- E.
1QPSR6
Solution
Discuss
ReportWhich of the following is not a term of ‘disapproval’?
- A.
infantile
- B.
charlatan
- C.
imbecile
- D.
childlike
- E.
awful
Read the following sentences and choose the option that best arranges them in a logical order.
- It is certainly true that the critics–those persons whom the dictionary describes as “skilled in judging the qualities or merits of some class of things, especially of literary or artistic work” – have long harboured murderous thoughts about the conditions of drama, but their ineffectuality as public executioners is legendary.
- But not close enough, it would seem, for this “marriage” constitutes the case of an absolute desire encountering a relative compliance.
- The reviewers, by contrast, come close to being the most loyal and effective allies the commercial theatre could possibly desire.
- Perhaps the greatest irony in a situation bursting with ironies is the reiterated idea that the critics are killing the theatre.
- We all know that when theatre people or members of the public refer to the critics, they nearly always mean the reviewers.
- A.
V, IV, III, II, I
- B.
IV, V, I, III, II
- C.
IV, I, V, II, III
- D.
II, V, IV, I, III
- E.
I, IV, V, II, III
In the traditions of many religions throughout the world (including Judaeo – Christian beliefs), there has long been a sustained belie that the Universe as we know it today did not exist forever in the past, and that there was a spontaneous act which gave birth to all that has been, and all that will be. In other words, the Universe itself has not been eternal as our senses might indicates at first glance, …
Which of the following options can meaningfully complete the above sentence?
- A.
but has a limited lifespan after its creation.
- B.
but our senses give us the right knowledge.
- C.
however, on second glance, our religious beliefs are right.
- D.
however, it is a ball of intense energy
- E.
however, it could not have been created.
It is a curious historical fact that modern quantum mechanics began with two quite different mathematical formulations: the different equation of Schroedinger, and the matrix algebra of Heisenberg. The two, apparently dissimilar, approaches were proved to be mathematically equivalent.
Which of the following sentences would most meaningfully follow the above paragraph?
- A.
The two approaches did not start with the same mathematical formulations.
- B.
These two points of view were destined to complement one another and were ultimately synthesized in Dirac’s transformation theory.
- C.
A third mathematical formulation given by Feynman combines the matrix algebra of Heisenberg and Integral calculus of Leibniz.
- D.
Quantum mechanics evolved in the twentieth century and came very close to particle physics, especially after the CERN experiments in Switzerland.
- E.
Earlier, the two formulations were mathematically similar.
Ranu is an ordinary sportsperson. In the last two university sprint events, her performances in the heats were pathetic.
Which of the following, if true, weakens the above argument the most?
- A.
She had participated in the college swimming competition and finished last.
- B.
She is a national shot-put champion.
- C.
The last two times, Ranu had to compete with national level runners. Had she been in other heats, she would have reached quarterfinals.
- D.
Ranu was the only player who represented her college in the sprint events.
- E.
In the college sprint events, Ranu always won.
Read the four sentences given below:
He is the most ______ of the speakers to address us today.
The belief in ______ justice is the essence of his talk.
This hall would have been full but for the _____ rain.
Many in the audience have achieved _____ in their respective fields.
Which of the following sequence of words would most appropriately fit the blanks?
- A.
i. Eminent, ii. Imminent, ii. Immanent, iv. Eminence
- B.
i. Immanent, ii. Imminent, iii. Imminence, iv. Eminence
- C.
i. Eminent, ii. Immanent, iii. Imminent, iv. Eminence
- D.
i. Eminent, ii. Immanent, iii. Imminent, iv. Imminence
- E.
i. Immanent, ii. Imminence, iii. Eminent, iv. Eminence
Six words are given below
Cacophonic
Cacographic
Calamitous
Catastrophic
Contraindicative
Cataclysmic
Which of the above words have similar meanings?
- A.
IV & VI only
- B.
I, II & V only
- C.
II, V & VI only
- D.
III, IV & VI only
- E.
III, IV, V & VI only
Identify the correct sequence of words would most that aptly fit the blanks in the following passage.
It is _____ (i) _____ that the accused had _____ (ii) _____ _____ (iii) _____ from all criminal activities by adopting the _____ (iv) _____ of a sanyasi. However, despite repeated requests from the counsel for prosecution, the court has _____ (v) _____ a lie detector to ascertain the truth.
- A.
(i) inferred, (ii) feigned, (iii) separation, (iv) deportment, (v) prescribed
- B.
(i) inferred, (ii) forged, (iii) parting, (iv) deportment, (v) proscribed
- C.
(i) implied, (ii) faked, (iii) separation, (iv) demeanour, (v) proscribed
- D.
(i) implied, (ii) feigned, (iii) separation, (iv) demeanour, (v) proscribed
- E.
(i) inferred, (ii) faked, (iii) cessation, (iv) deportment, (v) proscribed
Read the following statements carefully:
Statement 1: If you want to understand the causes that existed in the past, look at the results as they are manifested in the present.
Statement 2: Murali did not work as hard as his friends but had secured 1st rank in the examination
Which of the following options is correct with respect to the above two statements?
- A.
If Statements 2 is right, Statement 1 is invalid.
- B.
Statement 1 and Statement 2 are contradictory to each other.
- C.
Statement 2 supplements Statement 1.
- D.
Statement 2 is a rare occurrence and hence irrelevant.
- E.
Statement 1 will hold true even if Statement 2 is valid
In the following pages, I shall demonstrate that there is a psychological technique which makes it possible to interpret dreams, and that on the application of this technique, every dream will reveal itself as a psychological structure, full of significance, and one which may be assigned a specific place in the psychic activities of the walking state, Further, I shall endeavour to elucidate the processes the nature of the psychic forces whose conflict or cooperation is responsible for our dreams. This done, my investigation will terminate, as it will have reached the point where the problem of the dream merges into more comprehensive problems, and to solve these we must have recourse to material of a different kind.
Which of the followings would be closest to the ideas expresses in the first two sentences of the above passages?
- A.
Overt causes can have only overt effects.
- B.
Overt causes have only covert effects.
- C.
Covert effects have only covert causes.
- D.
You can’t judge a book by its cover.
- E.
Overt effects can have covert causes.
Analyse the following passage and provide appropriate answers for questions that follow.
Alone – he was alone again – again condemned to silence – again face to face with nothingness! Alone! – never again to see the face, never again to hear the voice of the only human being who united him to earth! Was not Faria’s fate the better, after all – to solve the problem of life at its source, even at the risk of horrible suffering? The idea of suicide, which his friend had driven away and kept away by his cheerful presence, now hovered like a phantom over the abbe’s dead body.
“If I could die,” he said, “I should go where he goes, and should assuredly find him again. But how to die? It is very easy,” he went on with a smile; “I will remain here, rush on the first person that opens the door, strangle him, and then they will guillotine me.” But excessive grief is like a storm at sea, where the frail bark is tossed from the depths to the top of the wave. Dantes recoiled from the idea of so infamous a death, and passed suddenly from despair to an ardent desire for life and liberty.
“Die? Oh, no,” he exclaimed – “not die now, after having lived and suffered so long and so much! Die? yes, had I died years ago; but now to die would be, indeed, to give way to the sarcasm of destiny. No, I want to live; I shall struggle to the very last; I will yet win back the happiness of which I have been deprived. Before I die I must not forget that I have my executioners to punish, and perhaps, too, who knows, some friends to reward. Yet they will forget me here, and I shall die in my dungeon like Faria, ” As he said this, he became silent and gazed straight before him like one overwhelmed with a strange and amazing thought. Suddenly he arose, lifted his hand to his brow as if his brain were giddy, paced twice or thrice round the dungeon, and then paused abruptly by the bed.
“Just God!” he muttered, “whence comes this thought? Is it from thee? Since none but the dead pass freely from this dungeon, let me take the place of the dead!” Without giving himself time to reconsider his decision, and , indeed, that he might not allow his thoughts to be distracted from his desperate resolution, he bent over the appalling shroud, opened it with the knife which Faria had made, drew the corpse from the sack, and bore it along the tunnel to his own chamber, laid it on his couch, tied around its head the rag he wore at night around his own, covered it with his counterpane, once again kissed the ice-cold brow, and tried vainly to close the resisting eyes, which glared horribly, turned the head towards the wall, so that the jailer might, when he brought the evening meal, believe that he was asleep, as was his frequent custom; entered the tunnel again, drew the bed against the wall, returned to the other cell, took from the hiding – place the needle and thread, flung off his rags, that they might feel only naked flesh beneath the coarse canvas, and getting inside the sack, placed himself in the posture in which the dead body had been laid, and sewed up the mouth of the sack from the inside.
How was the protagonist planning to resolve his problem?
- A.
To give up and surrender.
- B.
To commit suicide in the dungeon.
- C.
To fight the jailor and escape.
- D.
To kill those who came to carry the corpse.
- E.
To exchange places with the dead.
Which one of the following options is nearest in meaning to that implied by the phrase ‘sarcasm of destiny’ in this passage?
- A.
Destiny makes one a laughing stock.
- B.
Destiny ultimately asserts itself.
- C.
Triumph of the struggles gone through.
- D.
A mockery of the forces of destiny.
- E.
Let the enemy have the last laugh
Among the options given below, which phrase specifically captures the change of mood of the protagonist?
- A.
To be or not to be
- B.
Despair and hope
- C.
Depression to daring
- D.
Darkness to light
- E.
Loathing to yearning
Which of the above ‘related words’ on the right – hand side are correctly matched with ‘words’ on the left – hand side?
- A.
i – b, ii – d, iii – c, iv –a
- B.
i – a, ii – d, iii – b, iv –c
- C.
i – a, ii – d, iii – c, iv –b
- D.
i – d, ii – b, iii – a, iv –c
- E.
i – b, ii – a, iii – c, iv –d
Analyse the passage given and provide an appropriate answer for the questions that follow.
The understanding that the brain has areas of specialization has brought with it the tendency to teach in ways that reflect these specialized functions. For example, research concerning the specialized functions of the left and right hemispheres has led to left and right hemisphere teaching. Recent research suggests that such an approach neither reflects how the brain learns, nor how it functions once learning has occurred. To the contrary, in most ‘higher vertebrates’ brain systems interact together as a whole brain with the external world. Learning is about making connections within the brain and between the brain and outside world.
What does this mean? Until recently, the idea that the neural basis for learning resided in connections between neurons remained a speculation. Now, there is direct evidence that when learning occurs, neuro – chemical communication between neurons is facilitated, and less input is required to activate established connections over time. This evidence also indicates that learning creates connections between not only adjacent neurons but also between distant neurons, and that connections are made from simple circuits to complex ones and from complex circuits to simple ones.
As connections are formed among adjacent neurons to form circuits, connections also begin to form with neurons in other regions of the brain that are associated with visual, tactile, and even olfactory information related to the sound of the word. Meaning is attributed to ‘sounds of words’ because of these connections. Some of the brain sites for these other neurons are far from the neural circuits that correspond to the component sounds of the words; they include sites in other areas of the left hemisphere and even sites in the right hemisphere. The whole complex of interconnected neurons that are activated by the word is called a neural network.
In early stages of learning, neural circuits are activated piecemeal, incompletely, and weakly. It is like getting a glimpse of a partially exposed and blurry picture. With more experience, practice, and exposure, the picture becomes clearer and more detailed. As the exposure is repeated, less input is needed to activate the entire network. With time, activation and recognition become relatively automatic, and the learner can direct her attention to other parts of the task. This also explains why learning takes time. Time is needed to establish new neutral networks and connections between networks. This suggests that the neutral mechanism for learning is essentially the same as the products of learning. Learning is a process that establishes new connections among networks. The newly acquired skills or knowledge are nothing but formation of neutral circuits and networks.
It can be inferred that, for a nursery student, learning will …
- A.
comprise piecemeal ideas and disconnected concepts.
- B.
be a pleasant experience due to the formation of improved connections among neurons.
- C.
lead to complex behavior due to formation of new connections among neurons.
- D.
be better if discrete subjects are taught than a mix of subjects.
- E.
be a happy experience.
Read the following statements and answer the question that follows.
- The two hemispheres of the brain are responsible for learning autonomously.
- Simultaneous activation of circuits can take place in different areas of the brain.
- There are specific regions of the brain associated with sight, touch and smell.
- The brain receives inputs from multiple external sources.
- Learning is not the result of connections between neurons.
Which of the above statements are consistent with ideas expressed in the passage?
- A.
I, V
- B.
II, III
- C.
III, V
- D.
IV, V
- E.
I, II, III
Which of the following proverbs best describes the passage?
- A.
When student is ready, the master appears.
- B.
Child is the father of the man.
- C.
All’s well that ends well.
- D.
You can’t teach old dog new tricks.
- E.
Many a mickle makes a muckle.
A father and son aged 60 and 25 respectively, have been learning paragliding for quite some time. Based on the passage above, which of the following would be true?
- A.
The son would always learn more.
- B.
The father might learn more, if both of them started at the same time.
- C.
The son would learn more, if both of them started at the same time.
- D.
If both of them have been learning since the age of 15, the son would learn more.
- E.
Both of them would always progress equally.
Analyse the passage given and provide an appropriate answer for the questions that follow.
Certain variants of key behavioural genes, “risk allele” make people more vulnerable to certain mood, psychiatric, or personality disorders. An allele is any of the variants of a gene that takes more than one form. A risk allele, then, is simply a gene variant that increases your likelihood of developing a problem.
Researchers have identified a dozen-odd gene variants that can increase a person’s susceptibility to depression, anxiety and antisocial, sociopathic, or violent behaviours, and other problems – if, and only if, the person carrying the variant suffers a traumatic or stressful childhood or faces particularly trying experiences later in life. This hypothesis, often called the “stress diathesis” or “genetic vulnerability” model, has come to saturate psychiatry and behavioural science.
Recently, however, an alternate hypothesis has emerged from this one and is turning it inside out. This new model suggests that it’s a mistake to understand these “risk” genes only as liabilities. According to this new thinking, these “bad genes” can create dysfunctions in unfavourable contexts – but they can also enhance function in favourable contexts. The genetic sensitivities to negative experience that the vulnerability hypothesis has identified, it follows, are just the downside of a bigger phenomenon: a heightened genetic sensitivity to all experience.
This hypothesis has been anticipated by Swedish folk wisdom which has long spoken of “dandelion” children. These dandelion children – equivalent to our “normal” or “healthy” children, with “resilient” genes – do pretty well almost anywhere, whether raised in the equivalent of a sidewalk crack or well-tended garden. There are also “orchid” children, who will wilt if ignored or maltreated but bloom spectacularly with greenhouse care. According to this orchid hypothesis, risk becomes possibility; vulnerability becomes plasticity and responsiveness. Gene variants generally considered misfortunes can instead now be understood as highly leveraged evolutionary bets, with both high risks and high potential rewards.
In this view, having both dandelion and orchid kids greatly raises a family’s (and a species’) chance of succeeding, over time and in any given environment. The behavioural diversity provided by these two different types of temperament also supplies precisely what a smart, strong species needs if it is to spread across and dominate a changing world. The many dandelions in a population provide an underlying stability. The less-numerous orchids, meanwhile, may falter in some environments but can excel in those that suit them. And even when they lead troubled early lives, some of the resulting heightened responses to adversity that can be problematic in everyday life – increased novelty-seeking, restlessness of attention, elevated risk-taking, or aggression–can prove advantageous in certain challenging situations: wars, social strife of many kinds, and migrations to new environments. Together, the steady dandelions and the mercurial orchids offer an adaptive flexibility that neither can provide alone. Together, they open a path to otherwise unreachable individual and collective achievements.
The passage suggests ‘orchids’:
- A.
are insufficient in number.
- B.
are limited to greenhouses.
- C.
end up weaker as compared to dandelions.
- D.
thrive in anaesthetised conditions.
- E.
are always too delicate to survive.
Which of the following statements correctly echoes the author’s view?
- A.
Persons carrying risk allele end up being self-destructive and antisocial.
- B.
Orchids possess humankind’s phenomenal adaptability and evolutionary success.
- C.
With a bad environment and poor parenting, all children will have a normal life.
- D.
Children born with genetic vulnerability need not necessarily be sociopaths.
- E.
Genes not only makes you sensitive to disorders; but are also responsible for failures of societies.
The word ‘diathesis’ means:
- A.
susceptible disease
- B.
two-prolonged hypothesis
- C.
connected with two kidneys
- D.
missing part of the body
- E.
living in two different environments
Mr. Good and Mr. Evil were batch-mates during the college. Five years after graduating, Mr. Evil was put behind bars for financial fraud while Mr. Good was running a successful NGO, working for orphans. Mr. Good was raised in a protective environment while Mr. Evil was a self-made man. Based on the above information, which of the following statements is definitely correct ?
- A.
It can be concluded that Mr. Evil is a ‘dandelion,’ but nothing can be conclude about Mr. Good.
- B.
It can be concluded that Mr. Evil is an ‘orchid’, but nothing can be concluded about Mr. Good.
- C.
It can be concluded that Mr. Good is a ‘dandelion’, but nothing can be concluded about Mr. Evil.
- D.
It can be concluded that both Mr. Good and Mr. Evil are ‘orchid’.
- E.
It is not possible to conclude about ‘children typology’ of the two batch mates.
Analyse the passage given and provide an appropriate answer for the questions that follow.
For private goods, competitive markets ensure efficiency despite the decentralized nature of the information about individual’s tastes and firm technologies. Implicitly, market competition solved adverse selection problems and the fixed- price contracts associated with exogenous prices solve moral hazard problems. However, markets fail for pure public goods and public intervention is thus needed. In this case, the mechanisms used for those collective decisions must solve the incentive problem of acquiring the private information that agents have about their references for public goods. Voting mechanisms are particular incentive mechanisms without any monetary transfers for which the same question of strategic voting, i.e., not voting according to the true preferences, can be raised. For private goods, increasing returns to scale create a situation of natural monopoly far away from the world of competitive markets. When the monopoly has private information about its cost or demand, its regulation by a regulatory commission becomes a principal – agent problem.
(Note: Public goods are those in which individuals cannot be excluded from use and where use by one individual does not reduce availability to others, while an individual can be excluded in case of private goods.)
For which of the following goods, can markets not be efficient?
- A.
Packaged water
- B.
Electricity supply at home
- C.
Air
- D.
Petrol
- E.
All of the above
Which of the following cannot be concluded from the above paragraph?
- A.
Public intervention is the panacea when market fails.
- B.
Adverse selection problems as well as moral hazard problems may not arise in competitive markets.
- C.
Strategic voting is nothing but a non – monetary incentive mechanism.
- D.
Lack of access to private information regarding preferences of agent leads to incentive problem.
- E.
Public regulations may address problems associated with natural monopoly.
Read the following statement carefully:
Statement 1:
In India factories dump their waste in the nearby water bodies.
Statement 2:
Government is thinking of granting tax benefits to factories which adopt
eco – friendly practices.
Which of the following options best captures the relationships between Statement 1 and Statement 2?
- A.
Statement 1 is an example of market failure and Statement 2 corroborates Statement 1.
- B.
Statement 1 is an example of ‘adverse selection problem’ and Statement 2 is an example of ‘moral hazard problem’.
- C.
Statement 1 is example of market failure while Statement 2 suggests one way of reducing the problem.
- D.
Statement 1 is an example of public good and Statement 2 is an example of private good.
- E.
In Statement 1 the principal is ‘factory’ and in Statement 2 the principal is ‘government’.
Analyse the passage given and provide an appropriate answer for the questions that follow.
Creative thinking can be used by management teams to produce actions that will potentially increase innovation and identify opportunities. Brainstorming is one technique that can enhance creativity. Brainstorming is usually regarded as a method to be used with groups of people. Although, it can be employed with individuals, the benefit of involving a group is that one person’s idea can help to stimulate even more ideas by other group members.
Underlying brainstorm is the idea that people’s creativity is restricted because they tend to reject ideas at too early a stage. This can be because they may be imposing imaginary constraints on a problem or making false assumptions. Alternatively, they may be unable to see a problem from multiple perspectives or they may be stereotyping problems and possible solutions and hence failing to see their wider potential. Involvement of people with different perspectives enriches the idea generation.
Pick the option that best captures the relationship between the two paragraphs above.
- A.
The first paragraph describes a technique and the second is an example that supports it.
- B.
The first paragraph describes a process and the second paragraph contradicts the descriptions.
- C.
The first paragraph describes a technique. The first part of the second paragraph contradicts it and the second part of the second paragraph makes untested claims.
- D.
In the first paragraph, the author conveys the understanding of a subject and in the second paragraph the author complements the first.
- E.
In the first paragraph the author describes a technique and in the second paragraph the author provides explanation of its advantages.
Which of the following options would be closest to the main argument in the second paragraph above?
- A.
Viewing students as customers, future alumni, brand ambassadors, potential recruiters etc., would make engineering colleges more successful.
- B.
Good students, after completing the MBA, should play multiple roles in an organization to become successful leaders.
- C.
India does better in team sports like cricket than in individual sports like swimming.
- D.
All departments of the organization, including marketing, should give inputs to generate new ideas for improving customer satisfaction.
- E.
Compared to small entrepreneurial firms, large organisations will definitely generate more ideas.