RC Discussion for CAT 2013

Hello Puys, Lets get started with the Reading Comprehensions for Cat 2013 Link for 2012 RC thread :-http://pagalguy.com/forums/verbal-ability/rc-discussion-cat-2012-t-74704/p-3050602?page=1 All The Best !!!

Hello Puys,

Lets get started with the Reading Comprehensions for Cat 2013

Link for 2012 RC thread :-http://pagalguy.com/forums/verbal-ability/rc-discussion-cat-2012-t-74704/p-3050602?page=1

All The Best !!!!

I've created an Author account on rcprep.com and uploaded two passages from CAT 1990 and will be uploaded one passage a day.

The link is http://rcprep.com/view_passages.php?username=pagalguy

Apart from previous CAT passages i'll also try to upload passages that will be posted by fellows puys in this thread.

CAT 1990(RC-Section Passage-1) ==> Passage#1
CAT 1990(RC-Section Passage-2) ==> Passage#2
CAT 1990(RC-Section Passage-3) ==> Passage#3 *23/12/2012
CAT 1990(RC-Section Passage-4) ==> Passage#4 *24/12/2012
CAT 1990(RC-Section Passage-5) ==> Passage#5 *25/12/2012
CAT 1990(RC-Section Passage-6) ==> Passage#6 *25/12/2012
CAT 1990(RC-Section Passage-7) ==> Passage#7 *25/12/2012
CAT 1990(RC-Section Passage-8) ==> Passage#8 *25/12/2012
CAT 1990(RC-Section Passage-9) ==> Passage#9 *25/12/2012
CAT 1991(RC-Section Passage-1) ==> Passage#10 *13/01/2013
CAT 1991(RC-Section Passage-2) ==> Passage#11 *13/01/2013
CAT 1991(RC-Section Passage-3) ==> Passage#12 *14/01/2013
CAT 1991(RC-Section Passage-4) ==> Passage#13 *14/01/2013
CAT 1991(RC-Section Passage-5) ==> Passage#14 *15/01/2013

Will be editing this post as and when i add passages to the site. The more we prepare in a simulated environment, the better.
_____________________________________________________________________________

03/02/2013** Update

I just a got mail from the site admin of rcprep.com.

All previous CAT/XAT/IIFT etc etc RC passages will be available on http://rcprep.com/passages.php


@liverpool9903 said:
I've created an Author account on rcprep.com and uploaded two passages from CAT 1990 and will be uploaded one passage a day.The link is rcprep.com/view_passages.php?u...


Nice initiative.

Hi,

Thanks for taking the initiative. Please keep uploading the RC passages


set A:

The development underlines the great danger we face from the extension of anti-terrorist measures and
methods into normal life – the policing of our streets, for example, and the hounding of football fans and
climate change protestors.
Just as disturbing is the line of questioning by the police of those who made freedom of information
requests before the alleged hacking of computers last year. In a letter to the Financial Times, Sebastian
Nokes, a climate change sceptic and businessman, said he was interviewed by an officer who “wanted to
know what computer I used, my internet service provider, and also to which political parties I have belonged,
what I feel about climate change and what my qualifications in climate science are. He questioned me at
length about my political and scientific opinions”.
The police have a duty to investigate the alleged crime, but this kind of questioning smacks of something
far more sinister because a person's political and scientific views are being weighed to assess his likely
criminality in the eyes of the police officer.
Now you might ask how else the police are going to establish who is a suspect. After all, you would
certainly ask people about their views if you investigating a string of racist attacks. But this is not a violent
crime or a terrorist matter: moreover, Nokes had simply sent “an FOI request to the university's climate unit
asking whether scientists had received training in the disclosure rules and asking for copies of any emails
in which they suggested ducking their obligations to disclose data”.

u000b
On that basis the police felt entitled to examine Nokes on his views. These days it's surprising that they
haven't found a way to seize his computer and mobile phone, which is what routinely happens to those
involved in climate change protests. Limits need to be set in the policing and investigation of people's
legitimate beliefs. Any future government must take a grip on the tendency of the police to watch, search,
categorise and retain the personal details of those who express the political, religious or scientific beliefs.
We should never forget that under this government the police have used forward intelligence teams to
photograph people emerging from a climate change meeting in a cafe in Brighton; have used the ANPR
system to track the movement of vehicles belonging to people travelling to demonstrations; have prevented
press photographers from carrying out their lawful right to cover news events; and have combed the computers
and searched the premises of an MP legitimately engaged in the business of opposition and holding the
government to account.
What this adds up to is a failure of understanding in the police force that one of its primary duties is to
protect the various and sometimes inconvenient manifestations of a democracy, not to suppress them.
That is why they have to be ultra-careful deploying specialist terrorist intelligence units and treating people's
opinions as evidence.


1. Which one of these best expresses the author's attitude towards Sebastian Nokes?
(a) The author considers Nokes' situation as a symptom of a bigger malaise.
(b) The author supports Nokes and protests against the treatment meted out to him.
(c) The author questions the legality of the actions carried out by the police against Nokes.
(d) The author worries about the moral implications of the involvement of the police in such cases.


2. What is the central theme explored by the author in the passage?
(a) The role of police in a democracy.
(b) The extension of the special powers of the police to questionable territory.
(c) The abuse of power by the police.
(d) The use of the police to stem opposition to the government's ideas.


3. The author is least likely to support which of the following?
(a) Tracking the movements of a person accused of corporate fraud.
(b) Seizing the computer or mobile of an alleged terrorist.
(c) Analysing the political beliefs of a person involved in a racist attack.
(d) Banning media coverage of an event because it is likely to get violent.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF TONES in RC

Acerbic----------- Harsh/ severe; bitter

Aggressive------- Forceful; tending towards unprovoked offensiveness Angry/indignant

Apathetic--------- Emotionless; not interested/ concerned; indifferent; unresponsive.

Apologetic--------Expressing remorse, regret, sorrow for having failed, injured, insulted

Belligerent--------Aggressively hostile; bellicose

Biased------------ Favouring one thing/person/group over another for personal reasons.

Caustic------------Biting; acerbic

Commiserating--- Feeling/ expressing sorrow for; empathizing with; pity

Condescending----Patronizing; showing/implying patronising descent from dignity/ superiority

Contemptuous-----Expressing contempt/ disdain

Cynical-------------displaying a belief that people are always self-seeking and never altruistic intheir actions.

Derisive------------Unkind and displaying contempt

Disparaging------- Speak slightingly; depreciating; belittling

Dogmatic----------Asserting opinions in an arrogant manner; imperious; dictatorial

Emotional--------- Easily affected by feelings actuated by experiencing love, hate, fear and the like

Ethical--------------Dealing with principles of morality; honest; righteous

Euphemistic------- Substitution of mild, indirect or vague expression for one
thought to beoffensive, harsh or blunt

Grandiose---------- More complicated/ elaborated than necessary; pompous

Humanistic----------Evincing keen interest in human affairs, nature, welfare, values

Humourous--------- Funny and amusing

Introspective---------Consider one's own internal state of feelings

Incendiary-----------Causing strong feelings

Laudatory------------Praising; extolling; applauding

Motivating----------- Impelling; inciting

Obsequious----------Fawning; showing servile complaisance; flattering; deferent

Pedestrian---------- Lacking vitality, imagination, distinction

Populist-------------------Egalitarian; pertaining to the characteristics of common people/ working class

Provocative---------------Inciting; stimulating; irritating; vexing

Romantic-----------------Fanciful; impractical; unrealistic; extravagant; exaggerated

Sarcastic---------------- Harsh, bitter derision; taunting; sneering; cutting remarks

Satirical------------------Ironical; taunting; human folly held up to scorn/ derision/ ridicule

Speculative-------------- Theoretical rather than practical; thoughtful; reflective; hypothetical

Technical-----------------Using terminology or treating subject matter in a manner peculiar to a particular field, as a writer or a book

Vitriolic------------------------ Full of anger and hatred

Vituperative---------------------Cruel and angry criticism

Great initiative @liverpool9903. Lets start with 1 RC a day.

@shinoda said:
set A:The development underlines the great danger we face from the extension of anti-terrorist measures andmethods into normal life – the policing of our streets, for example, and the hounding of football fans andclimate change protestors.Just as disturbing is the line of questioning by the police of those who made freedom of informationrequests before the alleged hacking of computers last year. In a letter to the Financial Times, SebastianNokes, a climate change sceptic and businessman, said he was interviewed by an officer who “wanted toknow what computer I used, my internet service provider, and also to which political parties I have belonged,what I feel about climate change and what my qualifications in climate science are. He questioned me atlength about my political and scientific opinions”.The police have a duty to investigate the alleged crime, but this kind of questioning smacks of somethingfar more sinister because a person's political and scientific views are being weighed to assess his likelycriminality in the eyes of the police officer.Now you might ask how else the police are going to establish who is a suspect. After all, you wouldcertainly ask people about their views if you investigating a string of racist attacks. But this is not a violentcrime or a terrorist matter: moreover, Nokes had simply sent “an FOI request to the university's climate unitasking whether scientists had received training in the disclosure rules and asking for copies of any emailsin which they suggested ducking their obligations to disclose data”.On that basis the police felt entitled to examine Nokes on his views. These days it's surprising that theyhaven't found a way to seize his computer and mobile phone, which is what routinely happens to thoseinvolved in climate change protests. Limits need to be set in the policing and investigation of people'slegitimate beliefs. Any future government must take a grip on the tendency of the police to watch, search,categorise and retain the personal details of those who express the political, religious or scientific beliefs.We should never forget that under this government the police have used forward intelligence teams tophotograph people emerging from a climate change meeting in a cafe in Brighton; have used the ANPRsystem to track the movement of vehicles belonging to people travelling to demonstrations; have preventedpress photographers from carrying out their lawful right to cover news events; and have combed the computersand searched the premises of an MP legitimately engaged in the business of opposition and holding thegovernment to account.What this adds up to is a failure of understanding in the police force that one of its primary duties is toprotect the various and sometimes inconvenient manifestations of a democracy, not to suppress them.That is why they have to be ultra-careful deploying specialist terrorist intelligence units and treating people'sopinions as evidence.1. Which one of these best expresses the author's attitude towards Sebastian Nokes?(a) The author considers Nokes' situation as a symptom of a bigger malaise.(b) The author supports Nokes and protests against the treatment meted out to him.(c) The author questions the legality of the actions carried out by the police against Nokes.(d) The author worries about the moral implications of the involvement of the police in such cases.2. What is the central theme explored by the author in the passage?(a) The role of police in a democracy.(b) The extension of the special powers of the police to questionable territory.(c) The abuse of power by the police.(d) The use of the police to stem opposition to the government's ideas.3. The author is least likely to support which of the following?(a) Tracking the movements of a person accused of corporate fraud.(b) Seizing the computer or mobile of an alleged terrorist.(c) Analysing the political beliefs of a person involved in a racist attack.(d) Banning media coverage of an event because it is likely to get violent.
1)c
2)b
3)d
set A OA
a
b
d
@joyjitpal
@CAT-Aspirant

1 RC a day is kinda less..Lets make 2 RC's a day...Previous CAT RC's in a simulated environment is a tremendous Value Add to our CAT VA Section Preparation.
@shinoda said:
set A OA
a
b
d
@joyjitpal
why it can't be C,B,D?
@vivekrajarshi said:
why it can't be C,B,D?
In ques 1 option C cannot be the answer because the author has never questioned the legality of the actions taken by the police. In fact the police already have their powers extended which is mentioned in first para.
@vivekrajarshi said:
why it can't be C,B,D?

@shinoda @CAT-Aspirant @joyjitpal @liverpool9903
this was a bit dicey... we need to have discussions on this kind of questions...
please post the actual explanation also and put forward ur views...
my take... refer to the lines...
'The police have a duty to investigate the alleged crime, but this kind of questioning smacks of something far more sinister because a person창€™s political and scientific views are being weighed to assess his likely
criminality in the eyes of the police officer.'

this makes option a as an aswer, however option c looks convincing if we ignore the above...
RC 002
DIRECTION for Question : The passage given below is followed by a question. Choose the best answer to the question.

One of the earliest judgments that is usually made by those whose attention is turned to the characters of men in the social state, is of the great inequality with which the gifts of the understanding are distributed among us. Go into a miscellaneous society; sit down at table with ten or twelve men; repair to a club where as many are assembled in an evening to relax from the toils of the day—it is almost proverbial, that one or two of these persons will perhaps be brilliant, and the rest “weary, stale, flat and unprofitable.”

Go into a numerous school—the case will be still more striking. I have been present where two men of superior endowments endeavoured to enter into a calculation on the subject; and they agreed that there was not above one boy in a hundred, who would be found to possess a penetrating understanding, and to be able to strike into a path of intellect that was truly his own. How common is it to hear the master of such a school say, “Aye, I am proud of that lad; I have been a schoolmaster these thirty years, and have never had such another!”

The society above referred to, the dinner-party, or the club, was to a considerable degree select, brought together by a certain supposed congeniality between the individuals thus assembled. Were they taken indiscriminately, as boys are when consigned to the care of a schoolmaster, the proportion of the brilliant would not be a whit greater than in the latter case. A main criterion of the superiority of the schoolboy will be found in his mode of answering a casual question proposed by the master. The majority will be wholly at fault, will show that they do not understand the question, and will return an answer altogether from the purpose. One in a hundred perhaps, perhaps in a still less proportion, will reply in a laudable manner, and convey his ideas in perspicuous and spirited language. It does not certainly go altogether so ill, with men grown up to years of maturity. They do not for the most part answer a plain question in a manner to make you wonder at their fatuity. A main cause of the disadvantageous appearance exhibited by the ordinary schoolboy, lies in what we denominate sheepishness. He is at a loss, and in the first place stares at you, instead of giving an answer. He does not make by many degrees so poor a figure among his equals, as when he is addressed by his seniors.

One of the reasons of the latter phenomenon consists in the torpedo effect of what we may call, under the circumstances, the difference of ranks. The schoolmaster is a despot to his scholar; for every man is a despot, who delivers his judgment from the single impulse of his own will. The boy answers his questioner, as Dolon answers Ulysses in the Iliad, at the point of the sword.

It is to a certain degree the same thing, when the boy is questioned merely by his senior. He fears he knows not what, —a reprimand, a look of lofty contempt, a gesture of summary disdain. He does not think it worth his while under these circumstances, to “gird up the loins of his mind.” He cannot return a free and intrepid answer but to the person whom he regards as his equal. There is nothing that has so disqualifying an effect upon him who is to answer, as the consideration that he who questions is universally acknowledged to be a being of a higher sphere, or, as between the boy and the man, that he is the superior in conventional and corporal strength.



Q.1 What is the thematic highlight of this passage?

a The dearth of intellectual power in students.
bThe presumed dearth of intellectual power in students.
cThe debilitating effect of peer pressure in students.
dThe despair surrounding fear of approbation in students.
eThe role of the schoolmaster as a despot

Q.2 It has been claimed in the passage that “A main criterion of the superiority of the schoolboy will be found in his mode of answering a casual question proposed by the master”. According to the passage, which of the following seem(s) appropriate reason(s) for such a claim?A. It highlights the torpedo effect.B. The schoolmaster delivers his judgment from this single reaction. C. One in a hundred or even less, will reply in a commendable manner.
aA only
bB only
cC only
dA & B
eB & C
Q.3 In the passage, the comparison with Dolon assays which of the following?
aThe schoolboy's foolishness.
bThe schoolmaster's autocracy.
cThe schoolboy's superiority.
dThe schoolmaster's slippage.
eThe schoolboy's sheepishness.

Q.4 The word 'perspicuous' mentioned in the 3rd para of passage, means
a approbated
blikely
cunlikely
dreprobated
elucid

Q.5 A suitable title for the passage is:

aSchools for the education of youth
bThe Boy and the Man
cOf the distribution of talents
dThe Great inequality in society
eThe premature judgments

@ankitpurohit991 said:
RC 002DIRECTION for Question : The passage given below is followed by a question. Choose the best answer to the question.One of the earliest judgments that is usually made by those whose attention is turned to the characters of men in the social state, is of the great inequality with which the gifts of the understanding are distributed among us. Go into a miscellaneous society; sit down at table with ten or twelve men; repair to a club where as many are assembled in an evening to relax from the toils of the day—it is almost proverbial, that one or two of these persons will perhaps be brilliant, and the rest “weary, stale, flat and unprofitable.”Go into a numerous school—the case will be still more striking. I have been present where two men of superior endowments endeavoured to enter into a calculation on the subject; and they agreed that there was not above one boy in a hundred, who would be found to possess a penetrating understanding, and to be able to strike into a path of intellect that was truly his own. How common is it to hear the master of such a school say, “Aye, I am proud of that lad; I have been a schoolmaster these thirty years, and have never had such another!”The society above referred to, the dinner-party, or the club, was to a considerable degree select, brought together by a certain supposed congeniality between the individuals thus assembled. Were they taken indiscriminately, as boys are when consigned to the care of a schoolmaster, the proportion of the brilliant would not be a whit greater than in the latter case. A main criterion of the superiority of the schoolboy will be found in his mode of answering a casual question proposed by the master. The majority will be wholly at fault, will show that they do not understand the question, and will return an answer altogether from the purpose. One in a hundred perhaps, perhaps in a still less proportion, will reply in a laudable manner, and convey his ideas in perspicuous and spirited language. It does not certainly go altogether so ill, with men grown up to years of maturity. They do not for the most part answer a plain question in a manner to make you wonder at their fatuity. A main cause of the disadvantageous appearance exhibited by the ordinary schoolboy, lies in what we denominate sheepishness. He is at a loss, and in the first place stares at you, instead of giving an answer. He does not make by many degrees so poor a figure among his equals, as when he is addressed by his seniors.One of the reasons of the latter phenomenon consists in the torpedo effect of what we may call, under the circumstances, the difference of ranks. The schoolmaster is a despot to his scholar; for every man is a despot, who delivers his judgment from the single impulse of his own will. The boy answers his questioner, as Dolon answers Ulysses in the Iliad, at the point of the sword.It is to a certain degree the same thing, when the boy is questioned merely by his senior. He fears he knows not what, —a reprimand, a look of lofty contempt, a gesture of summary disdain. He does not think it worth his while under these circumstances, to “gird up the loins of his mind.” He cannot return a free and intrepid answer but to the person whom he regards as his equal. There is nothing that has so disqualifying an effect upon him who is to answer, as the consideration that he who questions is universally acknowledged to be a being of a higher sphere, or, as between the boy and the man, that he is the superior in conventional and corporal strength. Q.1 What is the thematic highlight of this passage?a The dearth of intellectual power in students. bThe presumed dearth of intellectual power in students. cThe debilitating effect of peer pressure in students. dThe despair surrounding fear of approbation in students. eThe role of the schoolmaster as a despot Q.2 It has been claimed in the passage that “A main criterion of the superiority of the schoolboy will be found in his mode of answering a casual question proposed by the master”. According to the passage, which of the following seem(s) appropriate reason(s) for such a claim?A. It highlights the torpedo effect.B. The schoolmaster delivers his judgment from this single reaction. C. One in a hundred or even less, will reply in a commendable manner. aA only bB only cC only dA & B eB & C Q.3 In the passage, the comparison with Dolon assays which of the following? aThe schoolboy's foolishness. bThe schoolmaster's autocracy. cThe schoolboy's superiority. dThe schoolmaster's slippage. eThe schoolboy's sheepishness. Q.4 The word 'perspicuous' mentioned in the 3rd para of passage, means a approbated blikely cunlikely dreprobated elucid Q.5 A suitable title for the passage is:aSchools for the education of youth bThe Boy and the Man cOf the distribution of talents dThe Great inequality in society eThe premature judgments
very tough passage to comprehend though, my takes are:
1)A
2)E
3)B
4)E
5)D

Tough one :(

My take :

1 - A

2 - D
3 - E
4 - E
5 - A

Not sure, but:
D
E
E
E
D
Will get 2-3 wrong here, im sure...

Set 2. my take

1) b
2) e
3) b
4) e
5) e

guys please don't quote the whole passage. Only specifying set no will suffice. cheers..