Instructions

Analyse the following passage and provide appropriate answers that follow.

We can answer Fermi’s Paradox in two ways. Perhaps our current science over - estimates the likelihood of extraterrestrial intelligence evolving. Or, perhaps, evolved technical intelligence has some deep tendency to be self - limiting, even self - exterminating. After Hiroshima, some suggested that any aliens bright enough to make colonizing space ships would be bright enough to make thermonuclear bombs, and would use them on each other sooner or later.

I suggest a different, even darker solution to the Paradox. Basically, I think the aliens forget to send radio signals or colonize space because they’re too busy with runaway consumerism and virtual - reality narcissism. Once they turn inwards to chase their shiny pennies of pleasure, they lose the cosmic plot.

The fundamental problem is that an evolved mind must pay attention to indirect cues of biological fitness, rather than tracking fitness itself. This was a key insight of evolutionary psychology in the early 1990s; although evolution favours brains that tend to maximize fitness (as measured by numbers of great - grandkids), no brain has capacity enough to do so under every possible circumstance. As a result, brains must evolve shortcuts: fitness - promoting tricks, cons, recipes and heuristics that work, on an average, under ancestrally normal conditions. Technology is fairly good at controlling external reality to promote real biological fitness, but it’s even better at delivering fake fitness - subjective cues of survival and reproduction without the real - world effects.

Fitness - faking technology tends to evolve much faster than our psychological resistance to it. With the invention of Xbox 360, people would rather play a high - resolution virtual ape in Peter Jackson’s King Kong than be a perfect – resolution real human. Teens today must find their way through a carnival of addictively fitness - faking entertainment products. The traditional staples of physical, mental and social development - athletics, homework dating - are neglected. The few young people with the self - control to pursue the meritocratic path often get distracted at the last minute.

Around 1900, most inventions concerned physical reality and in 2005 focus shifted to virtual entertainment. Freud’s pleasure principle triumphs over the reality principle. Today we narrow - cast human - interest stories to each other, rather than broadcasting messages of universal peace and progress to other star systems.

Maybe the bright aliens did the same. I suspect that a certain period of fitness - faking narcissism is inevitable after any intelligent life evolves. This is the Great Temptation for any technological species – to shape their subjective reality to provide the cues of survival and reproductive success without the substance. Most bright alien species probably go extinct gradually, allocating more time and resources to their pleasures and less to their children.

Heritable variation in personality might allow some lineages to resist the Great Temptation and last longer. Some individuals and families may start with an “irrational” Luddite abhorrence of entertainment technology, and they may evolve ever more self - control, conscientiousness and pragmatism by combining the family values of the religious right with the sustainability values of the Greenpeace. They wait patiently for our fitness - faking narcissism to go extinct. Those practical - minded breeders will inherit the Earth as like - minded aliens may have inherited a few other planets. When they finally achieve contacts, it will not be a meeting of novel - readers and game - players. It will be a meeting of dead - serious super - parents who congratulate each other on surviving not just the Bomb, but the Xbox.

Question 11

To which of the following statements would the author of the passage agree the most?

Video Solution

Solution

From the theme of the paragraph we can infer that the advancement of the technology turned human into a pleasure seeking and fake-fitness inclined being. The excitement and inclination for such things have deviated us from adventurism, scientific nature of human beings of yesteryear.

Hence only option D can be inferred from the paragraph as wars would not have occurred had fitness - faking gadgets and consumerism existed during those times just as according to the author aliens hasn't visited earth.

Question 12

Which of the following statements, if true, challenges the ideas presented in the passage the most?
I. Violent crime, including gang warfare for turf protection and expansion, co - exists in all technological advanced societies in spite of proliferation of fitness - faking technologies.
II. The technology to produce fitness - faking gadgets is guided by the government’s desire to control the minds of citizens and keep citizens away from engaging in trouble - making activities.
III. Countries that have the most advanced technology often are the ones that are at the forefront of preparedness for wars.
IV. The era of colonial expansion that was engaged in by the European nations after the renaissance would have never taken place had the technology to produce fitness - faking gadgets existed during those times.
V. Teenagers having access to technology, engage in more socializing away from parental supervision than those who do not have access to such technology.

Video Solution

Solution

Statement I and III would indicate that inquisitive nature present in a society even though technology advanced to the level mentioned by the author. The statements contradicts the idea presented by the author in the passage i.e. "the advancement of the technology turned human into a pleasure seeking and fake-fitness inclined being"

Hence option A is correct.

Instructions

For the following questions answer them individually

Question 13

Nature is _____ and unchangeable, and it is _ as to whether its hidden reasons and _ are ____to man or not.

The option that best fills the blanks in the above sentence would be:

Video Solution

Solution

As per the context, 'relentless', 'indifferent', 'actions' and 'understandable' are the appropriate words.
Hence, option A is the correct answer.

In the second blank, indifferent is the correct choice. as nature is not concert/ unbiased which is the basic idea behind the sentence. Thus Option A or Option D might be correct.

Here if we consider the vastness, unceasingly intense quality is nature then relentless is a better word over harsh.

Option A is correct.

Question 14

Impressions are direct, vivid, and forceful products of immediate experience; ideas are merely feeble copies of these original impressions.

Assuming the above statement is true, which of the statements logically follow from it?
I. Every impression leads to an idea.
II. Ideas must follow an antecedent impression.
III. The colour of the 2011 XAT test booklet right in front of a candidate is an impression to her, whereas the memory of the colour of her television set is an idea.
IV. If one was interested in origin of the idea of the colour of a television set, then one need to understand the impressions from which this idea was derived.

Video Solution

Solution

Statement I is extreme and and it is not stated in the given statement.Since, ideas are feeble copies of original impressions, statements II and IV are relevant and correct. Memory is an impression retained, we cannot call it an idea, Thus statement 3 is false as idea is a weak copy of impression.

Hence, option D is the correct answer.

Question 15

Media are not just passive channels of information. Not only do they supply the stuff of thought, but they also shape the process of thought. And what the internet seems to be doing is chipping away our capacity for concentration. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument presented above?

Video Solution

Solution

The argument is that the internet is affecting our ability to concentrate in a negative way. Hence, any activity which requires a certain amount of concentration might increasingly become difficult to pull off for average humans. This gets strengthened if it gets seen that more people have started falling asleep while reading printed books, traditionally an activity which requires a good amount of concentration/attention span. Falling asleep when doing the task is symptomatic of lack of required concentration.

Question 16

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument presented in the previous question?

Video Solution

Solution

Option A: Since this option is irrelevant to the author's argument, this is not the correct option.

Options B and D: This option strengthens the author's argument rather than weakening it. Thus, this is not the correct option.

Option E: If the internet's usage enhances the youth's critical thinking, then this weakens the author's argument about the harmful effects of the internet on people.

Thus, the correct option is E.

Question 17

Randomness has to be dealt with successfully to ensure a better control over one’s life. Before one can deal effectively with randomness, one must acknowledge its existence.
The above statement implies the following except:

Video Solution

Solution

The paragraph states that if one wants control over his own life, he has to deal with randomness. Also, one has to accept the existence of randomness to deal with it effectively. Let's take a look at the options one by one. We will check each option by assuming it to be false. If falsifying the option overturns the conclusion of the paragraph then the option is implied by the paragraph.

Option A- If option A is not true, then the statement is overturned. If randomness cannot be dealt with effectively then we cannot do that to exert control over our life. Hence, option A is implied.

Option B - If we assume this statement to be false, then the paragraph is not affected. If, say, not just acknowledgement of randomness but other skills are involved in dealing with randomness. Then the statements of the paragraph still hold true. Hence, B is not implied by the paragraph.

Option C - If this statement is not true, then the second statement of the paragraph is overturned. Hence, this is implied.

Option D - If this statement is not true, then those who dont live in a random world can exert control over their life without dealing with randomness. Hence, first part of the paragraph is overturned. Thus, this is implied by the paragraph.

Option E - If this statement is not true, then the second statement of the paragraph is overturned. Hence, this is implied.

Hence, only option B is not implied.

Question 18

Perhaps this war will pass like the others which divided us, leaving us dead, killing us along with the killers but the shame of this time puts its burning fingers to our faces. Who will erase the ruthlessness hidden in innocent blood?
Which of the following is certainly not implied in the above verse?

Video Solution

Solution

In the given verse, there is no mention of peace and what happens after war. Thus, option B can certainly be not implied.

Hence, option B is the correct answer.

Question 19

Travelling is my hobby. Today in the Himalayas, as I drag my feet through the ______, I cannot but think of the same time last year when I was negotiating
the thick _ of the Ganges delta or for that matter the time I spent with my children ______ about in the waters of the Arabian Sea.
The option that best fills the blanks in the above sentence would be:

Video Solution

Solution

Slush means partially melted snow or ice.
Sludge means thick, soft, wet mud or a similar viscous mixture of liquid and solid components.
Slosh means to move irregularly with a splashing sound.As per the context, slush, sludge and sloshing should be filled in that order.

Hence, option A is the correct answer.

Question 20

In spite of being perceived as by all, the club members decided to Arun, a skinny teenage with prominent _, as the member of the year, so that the whole affair would be ____ to Arun’s father who was recuperating after a serious illness.
The option that best fills the blanks in the above sentence would be:

Video Solution

Solution

Felon means a person who has committed a crime.
Felicitate means to congratulate.
Freckles means a small patch of light brown colour on the skin, often becoming more pronounced through exposure to the sun.
Febrile means having or showing the symptoms of a fever.
Feral means in a wild state, especially after escape from captivity or domestication
Feckless means lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible.
Facilitate means make (an action or process) easy or easier.
Felicific means relating to or promoting increased happiness.
Federate means form or be formed into a single centralized unit, within which each state or organization keeps some internal autonomy.

As per the context, 'feckless', 'felicitate', 'freckles', and 'felicific' should fill the blanks in that order.
Hence, option E is the correct answer.

CAT Content

XAT 2011 Question Paper

To which of the following statements would the author of the passage agree the most?

Nature is _____ and unchangeable, and it is _ as to whether its hidden reasons and _ are ____to man or not.

The option that best fills the blanks in the above sentence would be:

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument presented in the previous question?

Randomness has to be dealt with successfully to ensure a better control over one’s life. Before one can deal effectively with randomness, one must acknowledge its existence.
The above statement implies the following except:

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