[Download PDF] XAT 2020 Paper with Solutions

Instructions

For the following questions answer them individually

Question 1

Carefully read the paragraph below:

A map is a useful metaphor for our brain when talking about _ because at its most basic level our brain to be our atlas of sorts, a system of routes ___to navigate us toward just one destination: staying alive!

From the options below, choose the set that MOST appropriately fills up the blanks.

Video Solution

Solution

The first blank needs a word that means "the way it is understood" so from the options it can be either perception, understanding or comprehension. In the second blank, the word we require is one that means develop, but as it concerns the human brain, it will make more sense to use the word evolve (gradually develop).

Hence the correct option will be A.

Question 2

Carefully read the paragraph below:

, medicine has been operated by trial and error, in other words, . We know by now that there can be entirely_ connections between symptoms and treatment, and some medications succeed in medical trials for mere random reasons.

From the options below, choose the one that MOST appropriately fills up the blanks.

Video Solution

Solution

The first blank requires a word that refers to the events of the past; the best-suited word is "historically".
In the second blank, we need a word that goes with the idea of random choices; here, both "random" and "arbitrarily" are well suited.
The third blank requires a word that means by chance or luck, "fortuitous" is the best fit here.
Hence the correct choice is E.

Question 3

Read the following sentences and answer the question that follows:
1. I have good knowledge of German.
2. Except for Rajiv, everybody was there.
3. Whole Delhi was celebrating Independence Day.
4. Neither the dog, nor is the cat responsible for this mess.
5. He knows to swim.
6. I look forward to seeing you.

Which of the above are grammatically INCORRECT?

Video Solution

Solution

In 1, though the sentence "I have good knowledge of German" is correct as a response to a question, when used by itself, the appropriate phrasing is "I have good knowledge of the German language".
In 3, "whole" should be replaced with "the whole of" when used before a proper noun (Delhi).
In 5, similar to 1, the correct usage is "He knows how to swim".

So the incorrect options are 135; hence the answer is C.

Question 4

Which of the following is a grammatically CORRECT sentence?

Video Solution

Solution

The first part of the sentence deals with the correct usage of the word "had" and "tell".

"had better" is a semi modal verb (used to express need or necessity) used to give strong advice and is the correct usage.
Since "had better" implies advice to be followed, the verb that follows cannot be in the past tense, so the correct selection is "tell".

In the second part of the sentence, the choices are between will and would, considering the first part of the sentence, we need future perfect simple tense, in this case, "will".

Hence the correct option is C.

Instructions

Read the passage below and answer the 3 associated questions:

Once, during a concert of cathedral organ music, as I sat getting gooseflesh amid that tsunami of sound, I was struck with a thought: for a medieval peasant, this must have been the loudest human-made sound they ever experienced, awe-inspiring in now-unimaginable ways. No wonder they signed up for the religion being proffered. And now we are constantly pummeled with sounds that dwarf quaint organs. Once, hunter-gatherers might chance upon honey from a beehive and thus briefly satisfy a hardwired food craving. And now we have hundreds of carefully designed commercial foods that supply a burst of sensation unmatched by some lowly natural food. Once, we had lives that, amid considerable privation, also offered numerous subtle, hard-won pleasures. And now we have drugs that cause spasms of pleasure and dopamine release a thousandfold higher than anything stimulated in our old drug-free world.
An emptiness comes from this combination of over-the-top nonnatural sources of reward and the inevitability of habituation; this is because unnaturally strong explosions of synthetic experience and sensation and pleasure evoke unnaturally strong degrees of habituation. This has two consequences. First, soon we barely notice the fleeting whispers of pleasure caused by leaves in autumn, or by the lingering glance of the right person, or by the promise of reward following a difficult, worthy task. And the other consequence is that we eventually habituate to even those artificial deluges of intensity. If we were designed by engineers, as we consumed more, we’d desire less. But our frequent human tragedy is that the more we consume, the hungrier we get. More and faster and stronger. What was an unexpected pleasure yesterday is what we feel entitled to today, and what won’t be enough tomorrow.

Question 5

Which of the following options BEST reflects the author’s understanding of human perception of pleasure?

Video Solution

Solution

The passage conveys the idea that what is "What was an unexpected pleasure yesterday is what we feel entitled to today, and what won’t be enough tomorrow", this is because once it happens it is no longer unexpected or extraordinary. So pleasure comes from what is perceived to be exceptional or extraordinary. Hence option D.

Question 6

Going by the author, which of the following options BEST answers the question “how can one sustain the pleasure derived from any experience?"

Video Solution

Solution

Throughout the passage, the author puts forward the idea that the easy availability of a source makes it impossible for us to savour the pleasure for long. Hence to sustain the joy, it must be derived from a source that is hard to replicate. In option C, this is the exact idea being conveyed.

So the correct option is C.

Question 7

Which of the following options BEST describes “emptiness” as described in the passage?

Video Solution

Solution

Emptiness, by definition, relates to the lack or absence of something, here "unnaturally strong explosions of synthetic experience and sensation and pleasure evoke unnaturally strong degrees of habituation."

Hence the correct option is B.

Instructions

For the following questions answer them individually

Question 8

Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows:

“People who work in law, hotel and food services, and technology were found the most likely to skip breakfast daily, according to a recent study. As for people who do eat breakfast and prefer a savoury type (like an egg), the study found they tend to make more money, be night owls and prefer cats over dogs. If you prefer a sweet breakfast like a donut you tend to be a morning person, like romcoms and are a dog person”.

Which of the following can be BEST inferred based on the above paragraph?

Video Solution

Solution

While comparing any two cases, the parameters should be comparable as per the given statements. Option B is incorrect as savoury (salty or spicy) breakfast cannot be compared with early breakfast. Similarly, C is wrong as there is no correlation between being making more money and their tendency to eat breakfast regularly. As for option D, in the passage, it is stated that people who prefer sweet breakfast tend to be an early riser and not the other way around, hence incorrect. As far as E is concerned again, there is no mention of preference of pet being a direct result of the choice of food. In option A all the relations are directly mentioned in the passage and hence is the right option.

Instructions

Read the poem below and answer the 2 associated questions:

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But, if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Question 9

Which of the following statements will the poet agree with the MOST?

Video Solution

Solution

Here we are looking for an option in which the idea is not directly given in the poem, but can be reasonably inferred from it.
Of the options, B C & D talk about the emotions already discussed in the poem.
Option E makes a comparison of two emotions which cannot be inferred from the poem.
Option A talks about greed, which can be considered a product of desire and hence is the apt choice.

Question 10

Which is the MOST UNSUITABLE title of the poem?

Video Solution

Solution

In the poem, the poet talks about Desire, hate and the destructive nature of both, just like fire and ice.

Option A can be a suitable title as it talks about annihilation.

Option B is also a valid title as it mentions Love and hate and their destructive nature.

Option C is also valid as it talks about the destruction of the world.

Option D is also valid as it talks about destruction by fire and ice.

Option E is the answer as the author never talks about the destruction being of the "emotional" kind.

CAT Content

XAT 2020

Which of the following is a grammatically CORRECT sentence?

Which of the following options BEST reflects the author’s understanding of human perception of pleasure?

Going by the author, which of the following options BEST answers the question “how can one sustain the pleasure derived from any experience?"

Which of the following options BEST describes “emptiness” as described in the passage?

Which of the following statements will the poet agree with the MOST?

Which is the MOST UNSUITABLE title of the poem?

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CAT Content

XAT 2020

Which of the following is a grammatically CORRECT sentence?

Which of the following options BEST reflects the author’s understanding of human perception of pleasure?

Going by the author, which of the following options BEST answers the question “how can one sustain the pleasure derived from any experience?"

Which of the following options BEST describes “emptiness” as described in the passage?

Which of the following statements will the poet agree with the MOST?

Which is the MOST UNSUITABLE title of the poem?

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