CAT 2022 Question Paper Slot 2

{We begin with the emergence of the philosophy of the social sciences as an arena of thought and as a set of social institutions. The two characterisations overlap but are not congruent. Academic disciplines are social institutions. . .}

In the first paragraph of the passage, the two "characterisations" that are seen as overlapping but not congruent are the philosophy of the social sciences as an arena of thought [academic discipline] and as a set of social institutions.  The author suggests that these two characterizations overlap in the sense that they both involve the study of social phenomena, but they are not congruent because the philosophy of the social sciences is a field of study that encompasses a broad range of ideas and theories, while social institutions are specific structures that organize and coordinate social action. Although they are related, they are not identical and can be understood as distinct but overlapping aspects of the social sciences. Option D correctly represents the above.

The passage discusses the concept of institutions within the philosophy of the social sciences. Institutions are seen as structures that coordinate the actions of individuals and can be either formal or informal; in this regard, the author discusses various types of institutions, including universal institutions, formal institutions, and informal institutions. The author also argues that culture and tradition can be seen as subsets of institutions, and that language is a particularly important institution that shapes social life and science. The author notes that there can be differences in the way that institutions are understood and emphasized by different social scientists but that these differences are often matters of emphasis rather than fundamental disagreements. Primarily, the passage underlines that these institutions are structures that coordinate the actions of individuals. Option D best captures the essence of the abovementioned elements. 

Option A is incorrect because it only partially reflects what the author says about culture and tradition. While the author does discuss culture and tradition in relation to institutions, they are not treated as being completely separate from institutions. Instead, the author argues that culture and tradition can be seen as subsets of institutions, meaning they are part of institutions rather than completely separate from them. Option B exaggerates the emphasis the author places on language as an institution. While the author does discuss language as an important institution, he does not suggest that it is the only or even the most fundamental institution. Option C, while true, does not capture the main focus of the passage, which is on the concept of institutions in general rather than on specific examples of institutions.

The passage is about the idea that making music is a fundamental and universal aspect of the human experience, and that it has a long history that is both sociocultural and biological in nature. The author suggests that the capacity for musicking, or making music, is innate in humans and is closely related to other capacities such as language and symbol-making. The author also acknowledges that there are variations in how musical capacities are expressed and developed among different cultures, but maintains that all humans possess these capacities to some extent. The author suggests that the emergence of music can be traced back to at least 50,000 years ago, and that it likely developed gradually over a longer period of time. The author also notes that the emergence of music involved the recruitment of many cognitive capacities, and that understanding this process involves following multiple strands. In this regard, Option C includes all the keywords central to the discussion. 

The other choices do not include all of the relevant terms. Option A includes some of the terms mentioned in the passage, but omits important ones, such as humans and modern humanity. Option B includes humans and capacities but omits important terms such as musicking and symbol-making. Option D includes humans and the emergence of music but omits important terms such as musicking and linguistic capacities.

Hence, Option C is the correct choice. 

In this context, the author is trying to communicate that although there may be various qualifications and considerations that might trail after the statement that "humans today make music," the statement is fundamentally true. The author suggests that almost all humans are musicians to some extent, and that the capacity for making music is a fundamental aspect of the human experience. The author is urging readers to consider this statement without getting bogged down in the various qualifications and considerations that might be attached to it, and to recognize its underlying truth. Option C aptly captures this idea.

Option A: [Incorrect] The phrase "trail after" does not necessarily imply that a bald statement is followed by a series of qualifying clarifications and caveats. Rather, it simply means that something follows after something else. In this case, the author is suggesting that there may be various qualifications and considerations that follow after the statement that "humans today make music," but is not implying that the statement itself is trailed by a series of clarifications and caveats.

Option B: [Incorrect] The phrase "bald statement" does not necessarily imply that a statement requires no qualifications to infer its meaning. Rather, it simply means that the statement is presented in a straightforward and unembellished way. In this case, the author is suggesting that the statement that "humans today make music" is presented in a bald and straightforward way, but is not implying that the statement itself requires no qualifications or considerations.

Option D: [Incorrect] The phrase "give free reign to" does not accurately describe the author's intention in this context. The author is not suggesting that readers should allow musical expressions to be unrestricted or uncontrolled, but rather that they should consider the statement that "humans today make music" without getting bogged down in various qualifications and considerations.

Hence, Option C is the correct choice. 

Option A: This is incorrect because it overgeneralizes the ideas presented in the passage. The passage does not state that all humans are musicians or capable of musicking, only that making music is a universal aspect of the human experience and that the capacity for musicking is innate in humans.

Option B: The passage does state that musicking is a form of expression, but there is no discussion supporting the claim "musicking is not language-like." Thus, we can eliminate this choice.

Option C: The passage states - {"...if we look back 20,000 years, a small portion of this long period, we reach the lives of humans whose musical capacities were probably little different from our own..."} This suggests that the musical capacities of humans 20,000 years ago were not significantly different from those of humans today.

Option D: This is not supported by the passage. The passage does not state that all musical work is located in the overlap between linguistic capacity and music production. In fact, the passage states that "most of these capacities overlap with nonmusical ones, though a few may be distinct and dedicated to musical perception and production," suggesting that there are some capacities specifically dedicated to musical perception and production that do not overlap with nonmusical ones.

Hence, the correct answer is Option C. 

Let us examine the given statements:

Option A: [Nonmusical capacities are of far greater consequence to human survival than the capacity for music.] It is unclear how this ties into the discussion since the survival aspect is not touched upon or implied in the passage. Thus, the claim, if true, does little to undermine the author's claim that humans are musicking creatures.  

Option B: [From a cognitive and psychological vantage, musicking arises from unconscious dispositions, not conscious ones.] This does not weaken the author's claim that musicking is a universal aspect of the human experience - while the author does suggest that musicking arises from innate dispositions, the fact that these dispositions may be unconscious rather than conscious does not weaken the overall argument.

Option C: [As musicking is neither language-like nor symbol-like, it is a much older form of expression.]  This, again, does not contradict the author's claim in the passage. Though the author suggests that musicking is distinct from language and symbol-making, this does not necessarily mean that it is a much older form of expression. In fact, the author notes that the emergence of musicking can be traced back to at least 50,000 years ago, which is relatively recent in evolutionary terms. Even if this were true, it does not undermine the author's claim.

Option D: [Musical capacities are primarily socio-cultural, which explains the wide diversity of musical forms.] If true, this directly contradicts the author's claim that musicking is a universal aspect of the human experience. The author argues that the capacity for musicking is innate in all humans and that it has a long history that is both sociocultural and biological in nature. However, if musical capacities are primarily socio-cultural, as suggested in Option D, this would mean that musicking is largely shaped by cultural and social factors rather than being a fundamental aspect of the human experience. This would greatly weaken the author's overall argument that all humans are musicking creatures. Hence, Option D is the correct choice.

The given set of sentences talks about the concept of cheerfulness and how it can affect a person's internal state. It discusses the history of the word "cheer," which originally referred to a person's facial expression, and how it came to be associated with an abstract concept of positive emotion. The passage also notes that translations of the Bible into vernacular languages helped to expand the meaning of "cheer" to include a sense of cheerfulness or positivity as a quality of the self and a moral community. We note that sentences 1, 2 and 4 are part of the timeline the author traces, while statement 3 is a broad claim that would serve as an apt introduction. The idea of cheerfulness and self that is mentioned in 3 is linked to the " trajectory of cheerfulness through the self" highlighted in statement 1, allowing us to form the pair [3-1]. Note that 4 discusses how cheer came to be perceived as a trait at the intersection of emotion and a physical feature [as highlighted in 1 - where it has been categorised as a facial feature]. Sentence 2 then extends on this idea by how cheerfulness, over time, came to be considered as "an emotional and social quality." Hence, the correct arrangement is 3142.

The sentence "Most were first-time users of a tablet and a digital app" would fit best in blank 4 because it provides information about the specific group of people who were involved in the pilot study for the app. The preceding sentence mentions that the app was piloted in early 2021 with over 400 women from rural areas, and the added sentence provides further detail about the specific experiences that these users had with technology. This information helps to clarify that the pilot study for the app involved a group of people who may be unfamiliar with digital devices and services, and it also helps to emphasize the potential impact that the app may have had on these users.

Placing the sentence in blank 4 is logical because it provides relevant and specific information about the pilot study for the app, which is the topic being discussed in that part of the paragraph. By contrast, placing the sentence in any of the other blanks would be less logical because it would be introducing information that is not directly related to the main topic being discussed in those parts of the paragraph.

Hence, Option D is the correct choice. 

The statements here discuss how the way we think about food often centres around individual choice, rather than acknowledging the larger societal and structural factors that influence food choices. It also mentions the role of neoliberalism in shifting the responsibility for food onto individual consumers and how this may disproportionately impact women, who may feel a sense of responsibility to navigate and "mediate" an unhealthy food system. Sentences 2 and 4 create a logical block since 2 highlights the framing of food through the "lens of individual choice", and 4 extends on the impact of such a framing ["appeals to a popular desire to experience agency, but draws away from the structural obstacles that stratify individual food choices"]. "This" in statement 3 refers to the particular outcome of framing underlined in 4, allowing us to create a logical block: [2-4-3]. Statement 1 can be placed at the end of this arrangement to emphasise how women are perhaps disproportionately impacted by the elements discussed in 2-4-3. Hence, the correct answer is 2431. 

The statements discuss the complexity of environmental issues and the need for political solutions rather than technological ones to address the threat of environmental collapse. The discussion focuses on the various causes of biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, such as chemical pollutants, damming of rivers, and invasive species, and highlights that there is no single technological solution to address these issues. The suggestion is that we should consider moving towards stable-state economies, which preserve markets and competition while also recognizing the rights of future generations and other species and allowing for stronger environmental protections. Statements 1 and 2 both address the complexity and diverse nature of environmental issues. Statement 2 notes that while discourse often focuses on emissions, there are many other factors contributing to environmental collapse, including biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse. Statement 1 then adds to this by outlining specific examples of diverse causes of environmental problems, including chemical pollutants, damming of rivers, and invasive species. Statements 4 and 3 offer suggestions to combat the issues highlighted in 2 and 1. Hence, the correct arrangement is 2143.