CAT 2023 Slot 3 Question Paper

The passage suggests that recent studies on romanticism do not seek to overlook the differences between national romanticisms but rather attempt to characterize romanticism in terms of particular philosophical questions and concerns. The focus is on understanding romanticism without ignoring the diversity among different national expressions of it. Therefore Option B is the correct answer as it is not supported by the passage.

Option A: Although the passage acknowledges the challenges in characterizing romantic aesthetics, it also argues that it is not impossible or undesirable. Scholars recognize the difficulty but still emphasize the importance of discovering the nature of romanticism.
Option C: The passage mentions that the views of romantics on art and beauty are often found in fragments, aphorisms, and poems rather than in fully developed theoretical accounts. This emphasizes the elusive and suggestive nature of their expressions.

Option D: The passage notes that many romantics rejected the identification of aesthetics with a circumscribed domain of human life that is separated from the practical and theoretical domains of life. Instead, they believed that the character of art and beauty should shape all aspects of human life.

Option C is the correct answer because it accurately reflects the passage's explanation of why recent studies on romanticism avoid seeking "a single definition, a specific time, or a specific place." According to the passage, these studies opt to characterize romanticism in terms of "particular philosophical questions and concerns" rather than attempting to provide a singular, all-encompassing definition. The reason for this approach is to delve into the fundamental concerns of the romantics, recognizing that romanticism is a complex and multifaceted movement with diverse expressions in different nations and contexts.

The passage suggests that romanticism is not easily confined to a single, universally applicable definition due to the variety of romanticisms in different nations. Instead of discrediting or refuting Lovejoy's skepticism (Option D), recent studies acknowledge the challenges and complexities of defining romanticism but seek to understand it by focusing on the core philosophical questions and concerns that were central to the romantics' worldview.

“Those observing global climate negotiations know about the Latin American way of looking at Earth as Pachamama (Earth Mother). They also know how such a framing is just provided lip service and is ignored in the substantive portions of the negotiations. In The Nutmeg’s Curse, Ghosh explains why. He shows the extent of the vested interest in the oil economy - not only for oil-exporting countries, but also for a superpower like the US that controls oil drilling, oil prices and oil movement around the world. Many of us know power utilities are sabotaging decentralised solar power generation today because it hits their revenues and control.”

From the highlighted part we can clearly infer Options A, B and C. The passage does not suggest that the decentralised characteristic of renewable energy resources like solar power is a reason for the failure of climate change policies. Instead, it mentions that power utilities may be sabotaging decentralized solar power generation because it affects their revenues and control, but it does not frame the decentralised nature of renewable energy as a cause for failure. Therefore Option D is not a reason for the failure of policies seeking to address climate change.

If non-European societies perceive the Earth as a non-living source of all resources, it contradicts the personification implied by the use of "who" for Gaia.

In the context of the passage, the author uses the word "curse" in the title, and the pronoun "who" is used for Gaia, suggesting a perspective that sees Earth as a living, conscious entity. If non-European societies do not share this perspective and view the Earth as a non-living source of resources, it challenges the appropriateness of using the pronoun "who" for Gaia in the context of their beliefs. This would make the reviewer's choice of the pronoun "who" inappropriate, given the differing perspectives on the nature of the Earth. Therefore Option D is the correct answer.

Option D cannot be directly drawn from the passage. The passage discusses the historical perspective on climate change presented in "The Nutmeg's Curse" and emphasizes the impact of colonialism on the contemporary dominant perception of nature and the environment. It suggests that there are alternative views from non-European and/or pre-colonial societies that can provide insights for environmental preservation policy makers. However, the passage does not explicitly state that academic discourses have always served the function of raising awareness about environmental preservation.

The passage connects the history of climate change with colonialism (Option A), highlights that colonial processes shaped the contemporary perception of nature and the environment (Option B) and suggests that non-European and/or pre-colonial societies hold valuable insights for environmental preservation policy makers (Option C).

“These are the two points to which Ghosh returns through examples from around the world. One, how European colonialists decimated not only indigenous populations but also indigenous understanding of the relationship between humans and Earth. Two, how this was an invasion not only of humans but of the Earth itself, and how this continues to the present day by looking at nature as a ‘resource’ to exploit”

The passage discusses how the colonization of the Banda islands, as presented in "The Nutmeg’s Curse," is used to illustrate the broader idea that colonialism played a significant role in shaping the mindset and practices that have led to climate change. The exploitation of both indigenous populations and the Earth's resources during colonialism is portrayed as a key factor in perpetuating the mindset that views nature as a resource to be exploited, contributing to the environmental challenges faced today. Therefore, the primary purpose of discussing the colonization of the Banda islands is to highlight how colonialism represented and perpetuated the mindset that has led to climate change. Therefore Option D is the correct answer.

The Sentence best fits in Blank 3 because it directly relates to the theme introduced in before Blank 3. Before Blank 3 the passage discusses the linkages between illicit arms, organized crime, and armed conflict, and the provided sentence explains how armed conflict creates an environment favorable for organized crime to thrive. Therefore, Blank 3 is the appropriate placement for the sentence, enhancing the coherence and thematic continuity of the paragraph.

Blank 1 and 4 can be easily eliminated as the Sentence in question does not serve as a proper introductory or a concluding statement.

The provided sentence introduces a different aspect, focusing on the broader impact of armed conflict on organized crime rather than the financial dynamics discussed after Blank 2.

The sentence is most fitting in Blank 3 because it follows the idea presented in the previous sentences. Before Blank 3 the passage discusses the various ways to understand the relation of support between premises and conclusions, presenting different perspectives on how arguments can be analysed or interpreted. The sentence in question adds another layer to this discussion by suggesting that, for theoretical purposes, arguments can be considered independently of their real-world contexts. This placement enhances the overall flow of the paragraph by introducing a theoretical perspective on the nature of arguments.

Sentence 2 doesn't fit well with the others, which focus on the language Bo and its last native speaker, Boa Senior. The other sentences provide information about the language, its history, and the last fluent speaker, creating a coherent narrative. Sentence 2 introduces a different topic about the decline of the indigenous population without directly contributing to the discussion about the tribal language and its last speaker.

Sentence 2 is the odd one out because it does not directly contribute to the theme of a shift in hiring priorities towards soft skills. Sentences 1, 3, 4, and 5 all discuss changes in hiring practices, the importance of soft skills, and the response to the pandemic, creating a coherent narrative. In contrast, Sentence 2 introduces a more general idea about redefining the ideal candidate without specifically addressing the shift towards prioritizing soft skills, making it the odd one out in the context of the paragraph's focus.