CAT 2022 Slot 2 Question Paper

The author discusses camouflaging techniques in an octopus vis-a-vis other organisms such as cuttlefish, squids and polar bears: { For instance, the use of these cells is how an octopus can wrap itself over a rock and appear jagged or how a squid or cuttlefish can imitate the look of a coral reef by growing miniature towers on its skin. It actually matches the texture of the substrate it chooses...Finally, the leucophores: According to a paper, published in Nature, cuttlefish and octopuses possess an additional type of reflector cell called a leucophore. They are cells that scatter full spectrum light so that they appear white in a similar way that a polar bear’s fur appears white}

However, note that no such discussion on sea snails is presented; hence, Option A is the correct choice. 

{But they don’t look like their cousins at all. Other molluscs include sea snails, sea slugs, bivalves - most are shelled invertebrates with a dorsal foot. Cephalopods are all arms, and can be as tiny as 1 centimetre and as large at 30 feet. Some of them have brains the size of a walnut, which is large for an invertebrate. . . .It makes sense for these molluscs to have added protection in the form of a higher cognition; they don’t have a shell covering them, and pretty much everything feeds on cephalopods, including humans.} 

We can understand that B, C and D are true - they are points of dissimilarities between octopuses and other molluscs [we are told that they have multiple appendages instead of a single dorsal foot and lack shells; they also have higher intelligence]. However, there is no information on whether humans consume molluscs like sea snails or not [furthermore, the author does not use this fact to claim that octopuses are distinct in this regard]. 

Hence, Option A is the correct choice. 

Options A and C: The discussion on Chromatophores, iridophores and leucophores sufficiently supports the statements here.

Option B: We can infer this from the following excerpt - {Papillae are sections of the skin that can be deformed to make a texture bumpy... For instance, the use of these cells is how an octopus can wrap itself over a rock and appear jagged or how a squid or cuttlefish can imitate the look of a coral reef by growing miniature towers on its skin. It actually matches the texture of the substrate it chooses.}

Option D is not discussed anywhere in the passage. 

Let us evaluate the choices individually:

Option A: [the number of chromatophores in Cephalopods is half the number of iridophores and leucophores] If true, this does not undermine the  camouflaging adeptness of Cephalopods primarily because each of chromatophores, iridophores and leucophores have specific [somewhat independent] roles to play and it is unclear how their quantity would directly impact the camouflaging capacity. Even if the number of chromatophores is fewer than the other types, the octopus can still maintain its camouflaging adeptness.  

Option B: [the temperature of water at the depths at which Cephalopods reside renders the transmission of neural signals difficult.] If true, this would limit the camouflaging adeptness primarily because the underlying mechanism is being restricted/impacted.  {When the cephalopod wants to change colour, the brain carries an electrical impulse through the nerve to the muscles that expand outwards, pulling open the sacs to display the colours on the skin.}

Option C:  [light reflects the colours red, green, and yellow at the depths at which Cephalopods reside.] If true, this would limit the camouflaging adeptness primarily because the underlying mechanism is being restricted/impacted. If the colour scheme is distinct, it would undermine the observations presented below: {[Chromatophores] are organs on their bodies that contain pigment sacs, which have red, yellow and brown pigment granules...Why these three colours? Because these are the colours the light reflects at the depths they live in (the rest is absorbed before it reaches those depths)}

Option D: [the hydrostatic pressure at the depths at which Cephalopods reside renders radial muscle movements difficult.] If true, this would limit the camouflaging adeptness primarily because the underlying mechanism is being restricted/impacted. {These sacs have a network of radial muscles, meaning muscles arranged in a circle radiating outwards.}

Hence, Option A is the correct choice. 

Based on the passage, it is likely that the author would approve of all of the options except for Option D, which is moving towards technical-social dualism. Technical-social dualism is described in the passage as the idea that the technical and social dimensions of engineering problems are readily separable and remain distinct throughout the problem-definition and solution process. The passage criticizes this approach, arguing that it ignores the social dimensions of engineering problems and leads to a focus on technical ideals such as cost and efficiency at the expense of broader societal concerns. Therefore, it is unlikely that the author would approve of moving towards technical-social dualism.

Option A is likely to be included because the passage mentions the need for engineers to be aware of the potential impacts of their work on different groups of people, including the environment. It is suggested that ignoring these factors can result in technologies that are not sustainable, which can contribute to a crisis of medical waste and health care, accounting for 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Option B is likely to be included because the passage discusses the consequences of ignoring social dimensions in engineering, such as physical failures and the perpetuation of social inequities. It suggests that a more responsible approach to technical design and problem-solving would consider the full range of stakeholders and the potential impacts of a technology on different groups of people.

Option C is likely to be included because the passage emphasizes the importance of considering social justice in engineering education and practice. It mentions courses focusing on place-based knowledge and community engagement as examples of efforts to incorporate social justice into engineering education. Such an approach would involve designing technologies that are responsive to the needs of communities, using local knowledge and taking into account local priorities.

Hence, Option D is the correct choice. 

Option D is not mentioned in the passage as a negative outcome of focusing on technical ideals in the medical sphere. The passage specifically mentions that "most FDA-approved drugs are incorrectly dosed for people assigned female at birth, leading to unexpected adverse reactions. This is because they have been inadequately represented in clinical trials," which suggests that the incorrect dosing of drugs for people assigned female at birth is a consequence of inadequate representation in clinical trials, rather than a result of focusing on technical ideals.

The other options are all mentioned in the passage as negative outcomes of focusing on technical ideals in the medical sphere. Option A refers to the passage's mention of the lack of technologies for "systemically marginalized people" such as those with endometriosis. Option B relates to the discussion on spirometers that have correction factors that assume smaller lung capacity in Black and Asian individuals based on research by eugenicists. Option C is tied to the discussion on "most FDA-approved drugs" being incorrectly dosed for people assigned female at birth due to inadequate representation in clinical trials.

Hence, Option D is the correct choice. 

The passage discusses the concept of technical-social dualism, which separates the technical and social dimensions of engineering problems and can result in a focus on technical ideals such as cost and efficiency at the expense of broader societal concerns. The passage states that this way of teaching "primes students to believe that their decision-making is purely objective, as it is grounded in math and science" and that "nontechnical parameters such as access to a technology, cultural relevancy or potential harms are deemed political and invalid." These statements support the claim that engineering students are taught to focus on objective technical outcomes, independent of the social dimensions of their work. Option B best captures the above understanding. The other answer choices do not accurately reflect the content or the main argument of the passage.

Option A: [Correct] The passage states that technical ideals, such as cost and efficiency, are often determined by a dominant culture that prioritizes economic growth for the most privileged segments of society. This can result in technologies and interventions that are not designed with the needs and concerns of marginalized groups in mind, leading to systemic discrimination against these groups.

Option B:  [Incorrect] The passage does not mention anything about sustainability or medical waste contributing to greenhouse gas emissions as a reason for the systematic discrimination of marginalized people in technology-related interventions.

Option C: [Correct] The passage mentions that certain technologies, such as spirometers, have correction factors that assume smaller lung capacity in Black and Asian individuals based on research by eugenicists who believed in racial hierarchies and considered nonwhite people as inferior. This is an example of how subjective beliefs can be treated as facts and encoded into technologies, leading to social inequities.

Option D:  [Correct] The passage discusses how subjective beliefs treated as facts by those in decision-making roles can result in physical failures, such as incorrect dosing of drugs for people assigned female at birth, and also encode social inequities, such as the correction factors on spirometers that assume smaller lung capacity in Black and Asian individuals.

Hence, Option B is the correct choice. 

The author states that the stock exchange and the black market are both market institutions, but notes that the stock exchange is formal, while the black market is not. This suggests that the two institutions differ in terms of how they are structured and operate, and the author suggests that this difference is an example of how different kinds of institutions can co-exist within the same domain. Option C aptly presents this idea. Contrarily, the ideas mentioned in Options A, B and D are not supported by the information in the passage. 

Hence, Option C is the correct choice. 

Based on the passage, the correct inference is: Option D - "natural language" refers to that stage of language development where no conscious human intent is evident in the formation of language.

The passage states that natural languages are "the result of human action, but not the execution of any human design," suggesting that they are not consciously designed or modified. Artificial languages and reformed natural languages, on the other hand, are described as introducing "design into their modifications or refinements," indicating that they are consciously modified.

The passage does not support the other inferences. In fact, it suggests that culture and tradition can be understood as subsets of institutions and have analytical, explanatory, and expository power when they are studied in this context. It also suggests that there are both informal and formal institutions, and that many institutions are a mixture of the two, rather than being mutually exclusive categories. The passage also does not imply that institutions like the family, rituals, governance, economy, and the military are natural and cannot be consciously modified; rather, it suggests that these institutions are the product of conscious attempts to mold and plan them, and that they can be modified through processes such as family law, established and disestablished churches, constitutions and laws, and so on [Options A, B and C].