Reading Comprehension - Previous Year CAT/MBA Questions
The best way to prepare for Reading Comprehension is by going through the previous year Reading Comprehension omet questions. Here we bring you all previous year Reading Comprehension omet questions along with detailed solutions.
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Which of the following statements BEST interprets the lines “He doesn’t see you as a story, though/He feels you as his atmosphere”?
- (a)
You are haunted by your past
- (b)
Your present subsumes your past
- (c)
You are not a narrative of the past
- (d)
You are an extension of the past
- (e)
You are larger than life
Solution
Discuss
ReportRead the following passage and answer the THREE questions that follow.
Interpretation in our own time, however, is even more complex. For the contemporary zeal for the project of interpretation is often prompted not by piety toward the troublesome text (which may conceal an aggression), but by an open aggressiveness, an overt contempt for appearances. The old style of interpretation was insistent, but respectful; it erected another meaning on top of the literal one. The modern style of interpretation excavates, and as it excavates, destroys; it digs “behind” the text, to find a sub-text which is the true one. The most celebrated and influential modern doctrines, those of Marx and Freud, actually amount to elaborate systems of hermeneutics, aggressive and impious theories of interpretation. All observable phenomena are bracketed, in Freud’s phrase, as manifest content. This manifest content must be probed and pushed aside to find the true meaning—the latent content beneath. For Marx, social events like revolutions and wars; for Freud, the events of individual lives (like neurotic symptoms and slips of the tongue) as well as texts (like a dream or a work of art)—all are treated as occasions for interpretation. According to Marx and Freud, these events only seem to be intelligible. Actually, they have no meaning without interpretation. To understand is to interpret. And to interpret is to restate the phenomenon, in effect to find an equivalent for it.
Thus, interpretation is not (as most people assume) an absolute value, a gesture of mind situated in some timeless realm of capabilities. Interpretation must itself be evaluated, within a historical view of human consciousness. In some cultural contexts, interpretation is a liberating act. It is a means of revising, of transvaluing, of escaping the dead past. In other cultural contexts, it is reactionary, impertinent, cowardly and stifling.
What does the author mean by “Thus, interpretation is not…a gesture of mind situated in some timeless realm of capabilities?”
- (a)
Interpretation is being evaluative of the meaning created by an authority.
- (b)
Interpretation is about erecting another meaning on top of the literal one.
- (c)
Interpretation is act of understanding, developed by timeless experts.
- (d)
Interpretation is an act of mind which is situated in a changeless domain.
- (e)
Interpretation is about revisiting and reinventing meanings.
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT an act of interpretation?
- (a)
Searching for underlying themes in a historical document
- (b)
Labelling a text as blasphemous
- (c)
Critical appreciation of a literary text
- (d)
Investigating class-conflict in Charles Dicken’s novels
- (e)
Finding underlying causes of a social evil described in a book
Which of the following BEST differentiates manifest content from the latent content?
- (a)
Manifest content is a superset whereas latent content is a subset
- (b)
Manifest content is obscure whereas latent content is lucid
- (c)
Manifest content is natural whereas latent content is cultural
- (d)
Manifest content is loaded whereas latent content is elusive
- (e)
Manifest content is apparent whereas latent content is hidden
Read the following passage and answer the THREE questions that follow.
Socrates believed that akrasia (meaning procrastination) was, strictly speaking, impossible, since we could not want what is bad for us; if we act against our own interests, it must be because we don’t know what’s right. Loewenstein, similarly, is inclined to see the procrastinator as led astray by the “visceral” rewards of the present. As the nineteenth century Scottish economist John Rae put it, “The prospects of future good, which future years may hold on us, seem at such a moment dull and dubious, and are apt to be slighted, for objects on which the daylight is falling strongly, and showing us in all their freshness just within our grasp.” Loewenstein also suggests that our memory for the intensity of visceral rewards is deficient: when we put off preparing for that meeting by telling ourselves that we’ll do it tomorrow, we fail to take into account that tomorrow the temptation to put off work will be just as strong.
Ignorance might also affect procrastination through what the social scientist Jon Elster calls “the planning fallacy.” Elster thinks that people underestimate the time “it will take them to complete a given task, partly because they fail to take account of how long it has taken them to complete similar projects in the past and partly because they rely on smooth scenarios in which accidents or unforeseen problems never occur.”
According to the passage, in regard to time, which of the following statements gives the BEST reason for procrastination?
- (a)
Time is estimated according to the new task
- (b)
Time is underestimated for a particular task
- (c)
Time is not planned according to the task
- (d)
Time is taken as linear in the task
- (e)
Time is not taken into account
Which of the following statements can be BEST inferred from the passage about procrastination?
- (a)
It is a mistake that happens due to myopic vision and linear thinking.
- (b)
It is an irrational delay of task despite potentially negative consequences.
- (c)
It is a tendency of postponing the present work to the future.
- (d)
It is an act against our own interests because of our ignorance.
- (e)
It is a success of self-regulation and planning.
Which of the following is the meaning that comes CLOSEST to “our memory for the intensity of visceral rewards is deficient” as suggested by Loewenstein?
- (a)
Our brain does not support us with memories which can stop us from procrastinating further.
- (b)
Our brain does not capture the intensity of pleasure we get by procrastination.
- (c)
Our brain does not differentiate memories of different rewards we get by procrastinating.
- (d)
Our brain does not support us in recalling intense memories while procrastinating further.
- (e)
Our brain partially captures the memory of rewards we get by procrastination.
Read the following passage and answer the question that follow:
Urbanization - the demographic shift from country to city - began with industrialization, and it has not let up. In 1900, fewer than 15 percent of the world’s population lived in cities. Fifty years later, that number had doubled to 30 percent of the world’s population of 750 million. By 2000, 2.9 billion people, or 47 percent of the world’s population, were living in urban areas, with the greatest growth occurring in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In 2007, for the first time in history, the urban population exceeded 50 percent, and by 2050, according to World Health Organization (WHO), seven out of ten people will call urban areas home….
Contrary to common belief, fewer than 10 percent of urban dwellers are residents of megacities with populations of over ten million. A megacity consists of the city proper and its adjoining suburban centers. An example is the New York-Newark aggregation, which in 1950 was the world’s only megacity; by 2011, it was the sixth largest of 21 megacities. The population of Greater Tokyo, the world’s largest urban area and home to 36.7 million residents, is forecast to exceed 37 million by 2020.Megaciites Mumbai, Delhi, Dhaka, and Lagos, which do not yet appear on the Top Ten list, are steadily moving up the ladder. About half of the world’s urban dwellers live in cities of under half a million people, and these cities continue to outpace megacities in growth.
While the benefits of developed infrastructure, public transportation system, employment opportunities, better health care, and education, plus a wide range of services, make cities the place to live, work, and enjoy, they are plagued with enormous problems. As engines of growth, cities have also become engines of pollution, traffic congestion, waste production, and environmental destruction….
In the 1960s, the concept of urban ecology emerged from the growing awareness of cities’ impact on the environment. In 1975, the nonprofit organization Urban Ecology was founded in Berkeley, California, with the purpose of rebuilding cities in balance with nature. The 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro established Agenda 21, a plan for the sustainable development of cities, and in 2002, 1,200 representatives (including 200 slum dwellers) from 80 countries participated in the first World Urban Forum, making urban ecology and sustainable eco-cities based on environment, economy, education, equity more than just a nice idea.
Match each of the following meanings with the corresponding underlined words/phrases in the numbered items below:
(i) Reaching a higher position
(ii) Seriously suffering from
(iii) The absolute best
(iv) Something not very practical
A. “Megacities Mumbai, Delhi, Dhaka, and Lagos, which do not yet appear on the Top Ten list, are steadily moving up the ladder.”
B. “... the benefits of developed infrastructure, public transportation system, employment opportunities, better health care, and education, plus a wide range of services, make cities the place to live, work, and enjoy....”
C. “... they are plagued with enormous problems.”
D. “... making urban ecology and sustainable ecocities based on environment, economy, education, equity more than just a nice idea.”
- (a)
A-(i); B-(ii); C-(iii); D-(iv)
- (b)
A-(iv); B-(iii); C-(ii); D-(i)
- (c)
A-(i); B-(iii); C-(ii); D-(iv)
- (d)
A-(iii); B-(ii); C-(iv); D-(i)
Megacities are classified according to __________.
- (a)
population
- (b)
territorial area
- (c)
their ecological footprint
- (d)
their GDP
Indicate which of the two statements in the following pairs contains a main idea (M) and which contains a supporting details (SD)?
(I) Tokyo is the world’s largest megacity.
(II) Megacities are growing, but not as rapidly as smaller cities.
- (a)
I - M & II - SD
- (b)
I - SD & II - M
- (c)
I & II both M
- (d)
I & II both SD
What does the phrasal verb “let up” means in the first sentence:
- (a)
to come to an end
- (b)
to be less successful
- (c)
not to be working
- (d)
to be less strong
Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.
Raghubir, a reputed doctor, practices medicine in a tier-three city. He owns an importedSUV which he bought 10 years ago, using his hard- earned savings of nearly 5 years.Initially, he used to take it for long rides, but for the last 6-7 years, he only commutes to hisclinic, a 10-minute drive from his home.
The SUV has been his proud possession but it demands high maintenance. Also, thediesel-guzzling SUV does not comply with the new emission norms being introduced in thetier-one and tier-two cities. Of late, a few newspapers reported that the new emission normsmay be introduced in tier-three cities as well. This news has worried Raghubir.
Raghubir is afraid that once the new emission norms are rolled out, he might not beable to use his SUV anymore.
Which of the following options will BEST put Raghubir at ease with using his SUVfor some more time?
- (a)
His mechanic assures him that the new norms will not be introduced anytime soon
- (b)
His lawyer friends in his city recently bought non-compliant SUVs from tier-two cities
- (c)
His city has many other SUVs which are as old as his
- (d)
As a sought-after doctor, all the law enforcement officials are his patients
- (e)
Non-compliant SUVs are still plying in tier-two cities
Anya, Raghubir’s daughter, works in a metro city. She is concerned about privatetransport emissions and is unhappy with her father’s diesel-guzzling SUV. Thoughshe wants her father to be more environmentally responsible, she is aware that anydrastic suggestion might attract strong resistance.
Hence, she wants a solution,acceptable to Raghubir, that gently dissuades him from using his SUV on a dailybasis.
Which of the following actions by Anya will BEST dissuade Raghubir from using hisSUV on a daily basis?
- (a)
Request Raghubir to use public transport for his daily commute, and use the SUVsparingly
- (b)
Ask his mechanic to explore if the SUV can be retrofitted with a CNG kit
- (c)
Take away Raghubir’s SUV to the metro city and gift him a new SUV
- (d)
Gift Raghubir a small petrol car and convince him to sell his SUV
- (e)
Ask Raghubir’s secretary to ferry him to the clinic daily in her car, except for the weekends
The new emission norms are about to get implemented in tier-three cities, andRaghubir’s city will follow suit shortly. Hence, Raghubir starts exploring options ofbuying an electric vehicle (EV). He lists the following factors that will guide him onbuying an electric car:
P. EVs within Raghubir’s budget can cover his daily commute, but not the long rides.
Q. A new electric SUV in the market, within his budget, nearly has the same look andfeel of his present SUV.
R. EVs cannot be driven beyond a speed of 70 kmph.
S. New charging stations on the main highway, connecting his city to the closestmetro city, may come up in another year.
T. The only shop, selling EVs in his city, is ready to trade in Raghubir’s SUV at areasonable price.
The above listed factors have been arranged in a DECREASING order of influence inthe options given below.
Which of the following options will BEST help Raghubir buy an electric vehicleimmediately?
- (a)
TQRPS
- (b)
QRTPS
- (c)
QTPSR
- (d)
TQRSP
- (e)
SPTQR
Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.
Future Leaders is one of the most prestigious private schools in a small town, next to an industrial hub. Most of its students come from affluent families, but there are some who belong to middle-income and lower middle-income families as well. The school charges an annual fee of ₹2 lakhs, inclusive of all charges, payable at the beginning of the academic year. Roughly 20% of the fees collected goes into paying the salaries of the teachers, another 30% for the upkeep of the school, and roughly 20% for miscellaneous expenses in running day-to-day businesses like supply, cleaning etc. The remaining goes into an exigency corpus.
This year, like the rest of the country, the town has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The classes have been shifted online. The local authorities have mandated that all schools have to reduce their fees by 20%.
Further, parents should be given extended time to pay the fees if they are in financial distress. Six months into the academic year, only 40% of the parents have paid even the reduced annual fees.
Ajay Biswas, the rector of the school, is alarmed by the shortfall in fee payments and wants to find the best solution to manage the situation. He does not want to trouble parents who might be genuinely in financial distress, but feels that there may be a possibility that many parents are taking advantage of the situation.
Which of the following actions by the school will BEST make financially capable parents pay the fees?
- (a)
Call parents every three days, requesting them to pay the fees and help their school out
- (b)
Share through local newspapers that the school is facing financial crunch and may have to close down if parents don’t pay fees
- (c)
Offer 10% and 5% discounts to parents paying fees within the next one week and two weeks respectively
- (d)
Give a 10% bonus marks to all those students who have paid the fees
- (e)
Ask parents to submit a proof of financial distress within two weeks, failing which can bar their wards from attending classes
The board of trustees of the school is concerned about the current financial situation and has called Biswas for a meeting. The trustees have thought of the following actions, as listed below, to improve the school finances immediately:
P. Appeal to the local industrialists to donate to the school
Q. Withhold 20% of teachers' salary till the situation improves
R. Ask parents to pay up within a week or show a proof of financial distress
S. Stop online classes for a week to signal the desperate financial crunch
T. Start an extra section in every class and offer admission to whoever is willing to pay fees
Biswas is tasked to find the most feasible way of alleviating the financial crunch immediately.
Which of the following combinations of the above-listed actions, in a DECREASING order of preference, will BEST help Biswas in achieving his goal?
- (a)
PRSQT
- (b)
TSRPQ
- (c)
QRSPT
- (d)
PSTRQ
- (e)
RSQTP
Teachers of Future Leaders contribute to its stellar reputation. Moreover, they assistthe school in arriving at several critical decisions. Biswas resents their involvementin school matters as he has to listen to their collective voice rather than the otherway around.
Biswas feels that the current situation offers him an opportunity to get back at theteachers. He wants to discuss the possibility of reducing teachers’ salaries by 20%with the board of trustees.
Which of the following, if true, will BEST enable Biswas to present his case forreducing teachers’ salaries?
- (a)
Two other well-known private schools in the city, struggling to survive, have resorted to apay cut
- (b)
Future Leaders pays higher salaries to its teachers in comparison to the other schools inthe city.
- (c)
Most of the teachers are alumni of the school, and hence, should be asked to give backto the school through a pay cut
- (d)
30% of the most experienced teachers may resign if there is a pay cut
- (e)
Teachers' salaries are a significant part of the school’s operating cost
Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.
Fundamental Research in Science for Corporate Applications (FuRSCA) is an R&D unit ofa Public Sector Undertaking (PSU). FuRSCA’s employees are research scientists whoassist the Public Sector Undertaking through their R&D. Given the far-reaching implicationsof its research, FuRSCA was established as a separate entity near the factory of the PSU. FuRSCA has three levels of hierarchy viz.: junior, senior and chief scientists and all of themreside on the campus. Hence, every scientist, regardless of hierarchy, resides in a housethat is similar in all aspects. Though the scientists are entitled to a house rent allowance(HRA), given the distance of FuRSCA from the city, housing them on the campus makes sense.
The new recruits are provided a transit accommodation in the institute’s studio apartments,until vacant houses are available. For these recruits, a queue has been created on thebasis of their date of joining and not on hierarchy, with the most recent recruit going to thelast in the queue. Execution of this policy is the responsibility of the FuRSCA ChiefAdministrative Officer (CAO), who reports to the Director of FuRSCA.
Harsh Kohli resides in house no. 324. Since long, Harsh wants to move from a 3series house to a 2 series house because his mother-in-law, a chief scientist, livesalone in house no. 225. A few years back, Harsh formally requested the CAO to allowhim to move to a 2 series house whenever available.
Recently, when house no. 224becomes vacant, Harsh appeals to the CAO for that house, citing his earlier request.Currently, there are five scientists waiting in the queue and Sauf Tangud is on thetop of the queue.
From the following options, choose the BEST action to be taken by the CAO withoutviolating the existing housing policy.
- (a)
Allot house no. 224 to Sauf, asking Harsh to negotiate a possible swap with Sauf
- (b)
Ask Harsh to join the queue because scientists in the queue should be given priority
- (c)
Ignore Harsh’s request since it violates the housing policy
- (d)
Ask Harsh to move to the house no. 224 immediately, and allocate Harsh’s house toSauf
- (e)
Create a separate queue for extant residents and give them the first right to refuse
Rawng Regrud joins FuRSCA recently and is placed third in the housing queue. Hehas been temporarily housed in a studio apartment. Given that the studio apartmentis too small, he requests his sister to take care of their ailing parents while he awaitsa regular house allotment. As months pass, his sister finds it difficult toaccommodate her parents along with her in-laws. She requests Rawng toaccommodate them with his family. Since he is third in the queue, he may not get ahouse allotted in the near future. He approaches the CAO with a request to be movedup the queue on humanitarian grounds.
Which of the following responses by the CAO shall be perceived as the MOSTappropriate by all the stakeholders?
- (a)
Ask Rawng to meet with the director of FuRSCA and present his case to get anexception
- (b)
Ask Rawng to negotiate and arrive at a consensus with the two scientists ahead in thequeue which the CAO shall implement
- (c)
Inform Rawng that nothing can be done since violation of rules will set a wrongprecedence
- (d)
Facilitate Rawng in getting a house in the city, along with a free commutation for the firstthree months
- (e)
Move Rawng to the top of the queue, and make a rule that scientists with ailing parentsshall be given preference
Of late, the CAO has received several requests from the residents of 3 series housesto move to other series houses. The CAO is aware that this is largely because oftheir own noisy factory nearby. Due to limited housing available on the campus, hemust do something before the problem worsens. He wants to find a solution thatmakes the lives of 3 series residents more comfortable.
Which of the following actions can BEST help the CAO in achieving his goal?
- (a)
Provide 3 series residents with a hardship allowance of 15% of basic salary
- (b)
Offer a higher HRA to 3 series residents, nudging them to move to the city
- (c)
Introduce a policy of accelerated promotion for junior scientists living in 3 series quarters
- (d)
Appeal to the top management to make the factory work for only five days a week
- (e)
Install expensive sound proof windows in the 3 series quarters
Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.
Korkai is a serene village, nestled in a small island, separated from the mainland by a strait— the world forgot to name. Its inhabitants are mostly fishermen; a few are cattle-grazers too. A boat ride across the strait is the only mode of transport to the mainland. Budugu, the boatman, ferries people, cattle, and bicycles across the strait in his boat for a living. The remoteness and the lack of connection to the mainland has served him well. He has a family of five. His two daughters are away studying in a city college and dream of corporate jobs in the cities. His ailing mother and wife complete his family. Budugu sent his daughters to study in the city as there is only one school in Korkai, run by an NGO. The NGO prepares the village kids for higher studies. For those who cannot go to cities, the NGO teaches them about the virtues of the local way of life. Budugu is a member of the village Panchayat that runs the village administration. At Korkai, hardly anyone remembers the local MLA or MP. Interestingly, the local MLA visited last week, and informed the islanders of major changes planned for the region: urgent construction of a bridge connecting the island to the mainland, and real estate development. She announced that the island will become a well-known ecotourism destination in the state. She stressed that the local livelihood, dependent on fortunes at the sea, might enjoy the certainty in minimum wages, meted out by the eco-resort owners. Nevertheless, some villagers fear that the bridge will irreversibly change their lives and livelihoods.
Budugu fears that the proposed bridge will leave him jobless, and is determined to do something about it. He wants to gather effective support in order to get the construction of the proposed bridge delayed.
Which of the following will be the MOST feasible option for Budugu to gather effective support?
- (a)
Form a boat rowers' association and sit on a hunger strike to protest the proposed bridge
- (b)
Inform the environmental experts in the nearby cities that the strait is home to rare fish, frogs and turtles
- (c)
Suspend his boat services till the villagers start supporting his cause
- (d)
Partner with the local NGO and campaign that the developments will ruin the local way of life
- (e)
Get a resolution passed by the Panchayat that the bridge will ruin the local way of life
The local MLA is worried about the resistance to the project. This project, like her other successful projects in nearby villages, was supposed to garner a significant amount of funding. Moreover, it would make her the face of development in the state; perhaps, even would land her a ministerial berth. However, Budugu’s activism has cast the project in a bad light among the popular minds. The MLA wants to protect her pro-development image.
Which of the following is the BEST course of action for the MLA?
- (a)
Create a fishermen and boat rowers’ cooperative in the island and donate generously toit
- (b)
Invite the village Panchayat for a discussion on a possible compromise solution
- (c)
Appoint a task force to find alternative land nearby for the project
- (d)
Discredit Budugu in a public meeting by announcing that he is putting his interests overand above the village development
- (e)
Publicise widely that the project will improve the socio-economic condition of the island
As the project gets delayed, Budugu becomes a well-known social activist with a lotof followers. When Pragati, his elder daughter, finishes her education and startslooking for employment, a few known corporates refuse her a job because of herfather’s “anti-development” stand.
Which of the following options BEST communicates to the corporates that Pragatihas an identity of her own?
- (a)
Start a blog and update it regularly with views on current affairs
- (b)
Discuss in a social media post why she supports the proposed development in her island village
- (c)
Showcase on social media the accolades and awards she received in her college
- (d)
Stop using her last name in her job applications
- (e)
Go all out on social media to explain how her father’s activism is misconstrued by certain corporates
Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.
Dileep Dosan sells dosas in front of an upscale hospital at a city in Punjab. He only sells two varieties of dosas: plain for ₹25 and masala for ₹40.
His dosa stall is popular amongst the hospital staff members, who mostly hail from South India and form his core clientele. They frequently visit his stall during office hours as they find his dosas to be reasonably priced. Though the hospital staff members can visit the upscale food court on the top floor of the hospital, they prefer his stall for breakfast and lunch, and even for occasional evening snacks. His daily sale volume varies between 300 and 400 dosas, in which the demand for masala dosas is around 50-60%.
One day, Dileep, while walking through the hospital food court, sees a vacant spot.He wonders if he can shift his stall to that spot.
Which of the following information will dissuade him the MOST from shifting his stall to the food court?
- (a)
The food court closes by 10:30 pm, though his current stall is open till midnight.
- (b)
The food court has no other stall selling dosas.
- (c)
The food court sees a daily foot fall of about 5000 people.
- (d)
All the restaurants in the food court, except the fast-food stalls, sell North Indian meal during lunch time.
- (e)
On enquiry, he learnt that the cheapest dish in the food court is priced at ₹200.
Dileep shifts his stall to the hospital food court. He prices his plain dosa at ₹40 and masala dosa at ₹60. However, two months on, he is serving only about 150 dosas per day. The clientele is mostly the same hospital staff members, who had been his customers before he moved to the food court.
Which of the following actions will BEST help Dileep in increasing his sales?
- (a)
Reduce price by 20% for hospital staff, and increase the price by 50% for others
- (b)
Introduce a South Indian meal, exclusively for the hospital staff members at a discounted rate of ₹40 per plate
- (c)
Increase prices of all the food items by 50% and introduce a new Shezwan dosa at ₹200 a plate
- (d)
Add more varieties of dosas at higher price points, and reduce plain and masala dosaprices to ₹25 and ₹40 respectively
- (e)
Introduce a North Indian meal, and give a discount of 20% to the hospital staff members