XAT 2024 – Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning (VA LR)
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XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Read the following sentences carefully.
A. Everybody accepts his responsibilities.
B. Nobody in that group have their reports up to date, as they should have.
C. Either of the boys is acceptable to do the errands.
D. Both of the mice is underfed.
E. It is I who am next.
F. The teacher told he and I to leave early.
Which of the following combinations has all the sentences grammatically CORRECT?- A, C & E
- B,D & F
- A, E & F
- B, C & D
- C, D & F
Correct Option: Choice A (A, C & E)Rationale: The question tests subject-verb agreement and pronoun usage.
Sentence A (“Everybody accepts his responsibilities”): “Everybody” is an indefinite pronoun that is singular. Therefore, it takes the singular verb “accepts” and the singular possessive adjective “his”. This is grammatically correct.
Sentence C (“Either of the boys is acceptable…”): “Either” acts as a singular subject (meaning “one or the other”). Therefore, it takes the singular verb “is”. This is grammatically correct.
Sentence E (“It is I who am next”): In this construction, the relative pronoun “who” refers to the antecedent “I”. The verb following “who” must agree with the antecedent. Since “I” takes “am”, “who am” is correct.
Conclusion: Sentences A, C, and E are correct. Sentence B (“Nobody in that group have their…”): “Nobody” is singular. It requires the singular verb “has” and the singular possessive “his” or “her”. Using “have” and “their” is incorrect in formal grammar.
Sentence D (“Both of the mice is underfed”): “Both” implies two items and is plural. It requires the plural verb “are”.
Sentence F (“The teacher told he and I…”): The pronouns follow the verb “told” and function as objects. Therefore, they should be in the objective case: “him” and “me” (“The teacher told him and me…”). “He” and “I” are subjective case pronouns. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Read the following statement carefully and fill up the blanks from the given options.
As _________evolved and eventually moved to cities, close proximity ____________how we viewed and assessed each_________.- people, helped, nation
- lives, destroyed, culture
- civilization, enhanced, situation
- generations, changed, other
- culture, helped, life
Correct Option: Choice DRationale: The sentence describes a historical progression involving humans moving to cities and how that affected social perception.
Blank 1: “Generations” fits the context of evolution and the passage of time required for such a shift.
Blank 2: “Changed” is a neutral but accurate verb describing the effect of proximity on social views.
Blank 3: “Other” completes the phrase “each other,” which is the standard reciprocal pronoun phrase used here. Option A: “Nation” in the third blank is awkward because the sentence implies interpersonal relations within a city.
Option B: “Destroyed” is too extreme and negative without context.
Option C: “Situation” does not make sense in the phrase “assessed each situation” in the context of people moving to cities and viewing one another.
Option E: “Helped” suggests a positive bias not present in the text, and “life” is not a standard phrase. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Read the following sentences carefully.
A. I shall be there at about 9: 00 a.m.
B. Keep off of the grass.
C. My old car was much faster than the new one.
D. I was angry at my friend.
E. Rohit is as capable as Virat.
Which of the following combinations has all the INCORRECT sentences?- C & D
- A & B
- B & C
- D & E
- A & E
Correct Option: Choice BRationale: The question asks for the combination of INCORRECT sentences.
Sentence A (“I shall be there at about 9:00 a.m.”): The usage “at about” is redundant. You should use either “at 9:00 a.m.” (specific) or “about 9:00 a.m.” (approximate).
Sentence B (“Keep off of the grass”): The preposition “of” is unnecessary and redundant here. The standard imperative is “Keep off the grass.” “Off of” is colloquial.
Conclusion: Sentences A and B are the incorrect ones. Sentence C (“My old car was much faster…”): This is a correct comparative sentence. “Much” correctly modifies the comparative adjective “faster.”
Sentence D (“I was angry at my friend”): Being “angry at” a person is a correct idiomatic usage.
Sentence E (“Rohit is as capable as Virat”): This is a correct positive degree comparison. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Read the following statement carefully.
___________like a fake can be a sign of___________, and clinging too tightly to what feels like one’s authentic self can ________that growth.
Fill in the blanks meaningfully, in the above statement, from the following options.- feeling, growth, hinder
- performing, stupidity, change
- acting, progress, enhance
- operating, smartness, increase
- behaving, improvement, support
Correct Option: Choice ARationale: The sentence discusses the psychology of authenticity and impostor syndrome.
Blank 1: “Feeling” fits “like a fake” perfectly (describing the internal state known as Impostor Syndrome).
Blank 2: The sentence presents a paradox: feeling like a fake can actually be a sign of “growth” (because you are stretching your capabilities).
Blank 3: The second half suggests that being too rigid about one’s identity (“clinging too tightly”) prevents development. Therefore, it can “hinder” that growth. Option B: “Performing like a fake” is less natural than “feeling.” “Stupidity” does not fit the context.
Option C: “Enhance” in the third blank contradicts the logic; clinging to an old self would stop progress, not enhance it.
Option E: “Support” in the third blank is incorrect; the sentence implies a warning against clinging to the self, so the consequence must be negative (hindering). -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Read the following statements and answer the question that follows.
A. Back then, they were owned by companies and installed on their premises.
B. Rooms and servers began to replace computer mainframes in the 1990’s.
C. These were supplemented by processors from Intel, which by the mid-2000s translated its dominance of PC semiconductors into a near monopoly of the server market.
D. They mostly ran on chips made by IBM and HP, the big tech of the day.
E. Things started to change once again around a decade ago, when Amazon began selling some of its spare server capacity.
Which of the following combinations is the MOST logically ordered?- B, E, C, D, A
- A, B, C, D, E
- B, A, D, C, E
- E, D, C, B, A
- E, A, D, C, B
Correct Option: Choice CRationale: The paragraph outlines the history of enterprise computing hardware.
B: Establishes the timeline starting in the 1990s. This is the starting point.
A: Describes the state of the machines mentioned in B (“Back then, they were owned by companies…”).
D: Describes the technology inside those machines (“They mostly ran on chips made by IBM and HP…”).
C: Describes the evolution of the chip market (“These were supplemented by processors from Intel…”). The “These” refers to the IBM/HP chips mentioned in D.
E: Introduces the next major shift (“Things started to change once again around a decade ago…”), referring to the cloud era (Amazon).
Sequence: B – A – D – C – E. Option A: E comes too early. E discusses Amazon/Cloud which is a recent development.
Option B: A starts with “Back then,” which requires a temporal anchor provided by B.
Option D & E: Start with the most recent event, disrupting the chronological flow. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows.
You may accumulate a vast amount of knowledge but it will be of far less value to you than a much smaller amount if you have not thought it over for yourself; because only through ordering what you know by comparing every truth with every other truth can you take complete possession of your knowledge and get it into your power.
Based on the above information, which of the following statements MUST be true?- If she wants to master knowledge, she must reflect on the information.
- If she is a master of knowledge, it is because she is a reflector of information.
- If she reflects on the information, she will master the knowledge.
- If she has not mastered knowledge, she must have not reflected on information.
- If she has mastered the knowledge, she might have reflected on the information.
Correct Option: Choice ARationale: The passage states: “…only through ordering what you know… can you take complete possession of your knowledge.”
“Taking complete possession” is synonymous with “mastering.”
“Ordering what you know by comparing… thought it over” is synonymous with “reflecting.”
The logic is: Reflection (Thinking it over) is a necessary condition for Mastery (Possession).
Therefore, if she wants to master knowledge, she *must* reflect on the information. Option B reverses the causation.
Option C presents reflection as a sufficient condition (“If she reflects… she will master”), but the text says “only through,” implying it is necessary.
Option D is the logical inverse and is not necessarily true (she might have reflected but failed for other reasons).
Option E “might have” is too weak; the text implies a stronger necessary link. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows.
Fear is the greatest motivator of all time. Conflict born of fear is behind our every action, driving us forward like the cogs of a clock. Fear is desire’s dark dress, its doppelgänger. “Love and dread are brothers,” says Julian of Norwich. As desire is wanting and fear is not-wanting, they become inexorably linked; just as desire can be destructive (the desire for power), fear can be constructive (fear of hurting another); fear of poverty becomes desire for wealth.
Which of the following statements can be BEST concluded from the paragraph?- Fear paves the way to positive transformation when paired with desire.
- The interplay of fear and desire helps in guiding one’s action.
- While fear is perceived as negative, it can be a force for good.
- Fear is a powerful motivator that leads to extraordinary achievements.
- A positive action generally has a foundation of fear underneath.
Correct Option: Choice CRationale: The passage explores the dual nature of fear. It acknowledges the negative perception (“desire’s dark dress”). However, it explicitly states fear can be positive: “fear can be constructive (fear of hurting another).”
Conclusion: While generally seen as negative (dark), fear has the potential to be a force for good (constructive). Option A is too specific about “positive transformation.”
Option B is vague about “guiding.”
Option D mentions “extraordinary achievements” which is an exaggeration.
Option E generalizes too much about positive actions having a foundation of fear; the text links fear and desire generally. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Read the following paragraphs and answer the question that follows.
Paragraph 1:
Here are some handy rules of thumb. Anyone who calls themselves a thought leader is to be avoided. A man who does not wear socks cannot be trusted. And a company that holds an employee-appreciation day does not appreciate its employees.
Paragraph 2:
It is not just that the message sent by acknowledging staff for one out of 260-odd working days is a bit of a giveaway (there isn’t a love-your-spouse day … for the same reason). It is also that the ideas are usually so tragically unappreciative. You have worked hard all year so you get a slice of cold pizza or a rock stamped with the words “You rock”?
Which of the following BEST describes the relationship of the first paragraph with the second paragraph?- The first paragraph is humorous, while the second paragraph is sarcastic.
- The first paragraph evokes interest, the second paragraph elaborates.
- The second paragraph gives evidence to the claims made by the first paragraph.
- The first paragraph is redundant, in the presence of the second paragraph.
- Without the second paragraph the first paragraph is meaningless.
Correct Option: Choice BRationale: Paragraph 1 lists “rules of thumb” that are catchy and provocative (e.g., “A company that holds an employee-appreciation day does not appreciate its employees”). This serves to hook the reader or evoke interest.
Paragraph 2 takes one of those specific rules (the employee-appreciation day) and elaborates on the reasoning behind it (highlights the lack of appreciation on other days).
Relationship: Hook/General Statement -> Explanation/Elaboration. Option A: Both paragraphs contain sarcasm/humor.
Option C: Paragraph 2 provides explanation/rhetoric, not scientific “evidence.”
Option D: The first paragraph sets the thesis/theme, it is not redundant.
Option E: The first paragraph stands on its own as a list of aphorisms. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.
That’s how life plays out for all of us. We lose some. Like sportspersons, we too pack our gear and go to work. But unlike them, the gaze of the world is not upon us. Most of us do our business in anonymity, very few of us are emotionally wired to the outcomes of our day jobs. We don’t come back feeling like winners. Or losers. As sports fans we can summon empathy for those who stretch their bodies and minds to the limit in the pursuit of athletic excellence and provide such joys in the process.
But we will never experience the highs that are their reward. And we will never know the depth of their lows, which are their burden.
Still, no one will know better than Rohit and Dravid that its already a new day. There might never be a World Cup win for them. But there are loved ones to go to. Life awaits still.
Which of the following statements BEST summarizes the above passage?- We should put ourselves in others shoes rather than judge them for performance.
- Life moves on, and as sports fans, we should do too.
- The wins and loss in sports do not exist in other professions.
- We should treat winning and losing as imposters.
- Just because we enjoy sports does not mean we understand the sportspersons.
Correct Option: Choice ERationale: The passage contrasts the lives of sportspersons (high visibility, extreme highs and lows) with the lives of ordinary people. It explicitly states: “we will never experience the highs… And we will never know the depth of their lows.” This means that while we watch and enjoy the sport, we cannot truly comprehend the lived experience (“the burden”) of the athlete. Choice E captures this distinction. Option A: The passage doesn’t preach about “judging.”
Option B: “Life moves on” is the concluding thought for the athletes, not the summary of the whole passage.
Option C: Incorrect. The passage says very few of us are wired to outcomes, not that wins/losses don’t exist.
Option D: “Treat winning and losing as imposters” is a Kipling quote, not the summary of this specific text. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.
How do we choose one discovery over any other? The physician Lewis Thomas made a choice. He bluntly asserts: “The greatest of all the accomplishments of 20th-century science has been the discovery of human ignorance.”
The science writer Timothy Ferris agrees: “Our ignorance, of course, has always been with us, and always will be. What is new is our awareness of it, our awakening to its fathomless dimensions, and it is this, more than anything else, that marks the coming of age of our species.”
It is an odd, unsettling thought that the culmination of our greatest century of discovery should be the confirmation of our ignorance. How did such a thing come about?
Which of the following statements can be BEST concluded from the above passage?- Humans progressed because they knew that they knew very little.
- Humans became scientists when they realized that they were ignorant.
- The realization that humans are ignorant led them to invent new things.
- Humans know more when they know they know very little.
- That they do not know enough make humans seek to know more.
Correct Option: Choice ERationale: The passage discusses the “discovery of human ignorance.” Timothy Ferris states that the awareness of ignorance marks the “coming of age” of our species. This maturity implies a drive for further exploration. The realization that “we do not know” is the catalyst for science and discovery. Choice E encapsulates this paradox: The awareness of the limit of knowledge (ignorance) is what propels the search for more knowledge (discovery). Option A: Similar, but E focuses more on the motivation (“seek to know more”) which aligns with the theme of “discovery.”
Option B: “Became scientists” is too literal/specific.
Option C: Focuses on “invention” rather than the broader “discovery.”
Option D: A philosophical statement (Socratic paradox), but E better connects the state of ignorance to the action of discovery mentioned in the text. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Go through the statements below and answer the question that follows.
A. Maybe you have survived major trauma and have a hard time feeling safe.
B. You’ll probably discover that your fear and struggles make sense on account of what you’ve lived through.
C. Instead of beating yourself up for reacting in ways you don’t understand, you can develop compassion for yourself and what you’ve been through.
D. Perhaps you have experienced a sudden death, and you are often anxious about the health of your loved ones.
E. You may also find out that you have more strength than you knew, the same strength that has sustained you this far….
Which of the following combinations is the MOST logically ordered?- B, A, D, C, E
- E, B, A, D, C
- D, C, B, A, E
- E, A, D, C. B
- E, D, C, B, A
Correct Option: Choice ARationale: The paragraph offers advice/validation for someone dealing with past trauma.
B acts as a strong opening or thesis statement: your current struggles make sense because of your past.
A provides a specific example of the “past” mentioned in B.
D provides a second example, parallel to A.
C offers advice/actionable steps based on the understanding established in B, A, and D.
E provides a concluding, uplifting thought about finding strength, which follows the self-compassion step in C.
Sequence: B – A – D – C – E. Options starting with E are awkward as E implies a preceding point (“You may also…”). -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Based on the passage, which of the following CANNOT be concluded?
- A vaccine cannot guarantee immunity in an individual.
- Our survival, as a community, is largely based on herd immunity.
- Even, relatively, ineffective vaccines can stop the spread of viruses if enough people are vaccinated.
- Collective immunity protects those with compromised immune systems.
- A vaccinated person may get infected if her surroundings are largely unvaccinated.
Correct Option: Choice BRationale: The question asks what CANNOT be concluded.
Option B states: “Our survival, as a community, is largely based on herd immunity.” The passage describes how herd immunity works and its benefits (“banking of immunity”). However, it does not make the extreme claim that the community’s survival *depends* on it. Communities existed and survived before vaccines; vaccines just make protection “far more effective.” Option A: True (“Any given vaccine can fail to produce immunity in an individual”).
Option C: True (“even a relatively ineffective vaccine… viruses have trouble moving”).
Option D: True (“protects those who cannot… be protected by their own immunity”).
Option E: True according to text. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Why does the author think about vaccination as a “banking of immunity?”
- Because it is like providing a safety net for those who are more vulnerable to diseases.
- Because different vaccines contribute to a diverse portfolio of immune defences.
- Because it is a way to mitigate health risks for those who may not have access to vaccination.
- Because when somebody is vaccinated, it is a deposit of protection against a particular disease.
- Because it creates a reserve of immunity within a person’s immune system.
Correct Option: Choice ARationale: The text explains the metaphor of “banking”: “Contributions to this bank are donations to those who cannot or will not be protected by their own immunity.” This implies the “bank” (herd immunity) acts as a resource or protection for the vulnerable. Choice A (“safety net for those who are more vulnerable”) paraphrases this concept perfectly. Option B: “Diverse portfolio” is a finance term not supported by the text’s metaphor.
Option D: Focuses on the individual, whereas “banking” in the text is about the collective benefit.
Option E: “Reserve within a person’s immune system” is incorrect; the banking metaphor is applied to the community. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Based on the last paragraph of the passage, which of the following would the author BEST agree with?
- In any community, immunity is transactional.
- It is an ethical obligation of individuals to get vaccinated for the greater good.
- In times of health crises, communities should come together to support and protect each other.
- Immunity of a community is interconnected, and everyone plays a role to keep each other healthy.
- It is important to express gratitude to those who contribute to the herd immunity by getting vaccinated.
Correct Option: Choice DRationale: The last paragraph emphasizes interconnectedness: “The boundaries between our bodies begin to dissolve here,” “Immunity… is a common trust.” Choice D (“Immunity of a community is interconnected, and everyone plays a role”) captures the essence of this shared responsibility and biological interdependence. Option A: “Transactional” implies a business exchange, whereas “common trust” implies a shared moral/biological bond.
Option B: “Ethical obligation” is a strong inference, but D is a more direct summary of the text’s philosophy.
Option C: “In times of health crises” limits the scope; the text implies this is a constant biological reality. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Which of the following statements BEST conveys the theme of the poem?
- The poem revolves around a woman whose liberty has been throttled.
- The poem explores the quality of life of a woman.
- The poem revolves around the woman’s feeling of alienation.
- The poem laments the suffering and frustration of a woman.
- The poem celebrates the woman’s futile and meaningless life.
Correct Option: Choice CRationale: The poem depicts a woman in a “darkened room” who “cannot find her reflection.” The imagery of not finding one’s reflection suggests a loss of self or identity. “Lonely body hides” reinforces isolation. These elements collectively point to a theme of alienation (separation from the self and the world). Option A: “Liberty has been throttled” implies an external oppressor, which isn’t explicit.
Option B: “Quality of life” is too broad.
Option D: “Suffering and frustration” are present, but “alienation” is the specific type of suffering described.
Option E: “Futile and meaningless life” is too nihilistic. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
What do the lines “the drunken yellow flames/know where her lonely body hides” BEST represent?
- The lines represent flames that highlight the location of her body.
- The lines represent flames as distorted memories that preserve her identity.
- The lines represent flames as her desperate pursuit for her lost self.
- The lines represent flames as forces that are aware of her solitude.
- The lines represent flames as turbulent emotions of a nameless woman.
Correct Option: Choice BRationale: The woman cannot see herself in the mirror (loss of current identity). The “flames” are the only things that “know where her lonely body hides.” Light/Flames often represent memory or awareness. Since the flames are “drunken” (distorted/unstable) and “yellow” (old/aged), they likely represent distorted memories. These memories are the only things left that acknowledge her existence (“know where her… body hides”) when the mirror does not. Option A: Literal interpretation misses the metaphor.
Option C: “Desperate pursuit” isn’t suggested; the flames “know,” she isn’t pursuing them.
Option D: “Forces that are aware” is vague. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Based on the passage, which of the following CANNOT be inferred about beauty?
- Different powers and influences delineate beauty for us.
- Beauty is no longer an abstract concept.
- The beautiful does not define the standards of beauty.
- Beauty is defined and appreciated by the perceiver.
- Beauty has become an aspirational good.
Correct Option: Choice DRationale: The question asks what CANNOT be inferred.
Option D: “Beauty is defined and appreciated by the perceiver.” The passage argues the exact opposite. It says beauty is “controlled by powerful interests,” “commodified,” and defined by “economic and political conditions.” It frames beauty as a systemic construct, not a subjective individual choice. Therefore, Option D cannot be inferred. Options A, B, C, and E are all supported by the text (controlled by powers, embodied, commodified, aspirational). -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Based on the passage, which of the following BEST explains beauty to be simultaneously a “blessing” and a “site of conversion?”
- When properly communicated people will believe anything.
- Though beauty is a unique blessing, one can become beautiful by imitating beautiful people.
- Both are narratives, with one supporting the other.
- A blessing, when sought, results in a provider of the blessing, in a capitalistic society.
- Because beauty is a blessing everyone wants to possess it by converting to the standards.
Correct Option: Choice DRationale: The passage discusses the paradox of beauty in a capitalist system. “Blessing” (genetics/gods) is something you are given. “Site of conversion” (becoming beautiful via products) is something you buy. In a capitalist society, the desire for the “blessing” creates a market for the “provider” (companies selling products/conversion). Choice D explains this mechanism: The “blessing” is the goal, and seeking it results in a “provider” of that blessing (through purchase). Option B misses the economic aspect (“products”). Option E misses the “provider” aspect that the author emphasizes with “capitalism.” -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Which of the following statement is NOT true about an ignorant mind?
- An ignorant mind is unaware of its own limitations.
- An ignorant mind theorizes without robust evidence.
- An ignorant mind is often filled with unfounded and misguided distractions.
- An ignorant mind succumbs to illusionary pattern detection.
- An ignorant mind often fuels scepticism.
Correct Option: Choice ERationale: The question asks what is NOT TRUE.
Option E: “An ignorant mind often fuels scepticism.” The passage states the opposite: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” The ignorant mind is characterized by misbelief and certainty in wrong facts, not by scepticism (doubting knowledge). Options A, B, C, and D are all characteristics described in the text (unaware of limitations, profligate theorizers, filled with clutter, pattern recognizers). -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Based on the passage, what does the author BEST mean when he says, “we are all engines of misbelief?”
- We are naturally inclined to form, and often share, misleading and inaccurate beliefs.
- We are always fuelled by our ignorance to spread information.
- Our brains are wired with certain heuristics that can lead to systematic errors in judgement.
- Driven by misbelief, we blend our creativity and ignorance.
- We are prone to holding beliefs that are not necessarily true.
Correct Option: Choice ARationale: The text says: “Because of the way we are built… unbridled pattern recognizers… our genius for creative storytelling… lead to situations [of] mistaken popular beliefs.” This means our brains are biologically wired (“naturally inclined”) to generate and believe stories/patterns even when they are wrong (“misleading and inaccurate”). Choice A summarizes this perfectly. Option B is slightly off (“fuelled by ignorance”). Option C is a definition of bias but “engines of misbelief” emphasizes the active creation of false narratives. Option D is true but A is clearer. Option E is accurate but A adds the “naturally inclined” aspect. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
With which of the following statements will the author agree the MOST?
- Our desire to see patterns in everything makes us unable to detect misbeliefs in others.
- We must try not to see patterns in everything that we observe.
- We must be aware that the patterns we see may not necessarily reflect the truth.
- The more we are sure of something, the more we are wrong about it.
- We must be sceptical of the beliefs we have, regardless how true they seem to us.
Correct Option: Choice ERationale: The author advocates for “navigat[ing] toward a more objective understanding of the truth” by understanding our flaws. The quote “It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so” warns against false certainty. Therefore, the author would agree that we should question our own certainties. Choice E (“We must be sceptical of the beliefs we have, regardless how true they seem to us”) aligns perfectly with this warning. Option B is impossible (we are wired to see patterns). Option D is a generalization not fully supported. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Which of the following is the BEST interpretation regarding reductive instincts?
- After the invention of storytelling, humans have overcome their reductive instincts.
- Reductive instincts led to compression of complex reality to moral messages.
- Reductive instincts can help us in handling uncertainty.
- Reductive instincts tell us to reduce every situation to a heuristic.
- Reductive instincts have to be overcome for survival in the real world.
Correct Option: Choice ERationale: The text states: “we long ago realized that we needed help overcoming those reductive instincts when it really matters.” It implies that while heuristics work for “low-significance decisions,” for meaningful moments (“when it really matters” / “survival”), we need to overcome reductionism to understand complexity. Choice E captures this necessity. Option A: “Have overcome” implies it’s done; text implies it’s ongoing. Option C: Text says they help in “everyday life” but imply failure in “complex reality.” -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Why would a realist novel consist of “innumerable conditions made meaningful only in unpredictable moments?”
- To showcase unexpected complexity while making it seem relevant in the given context.
- To engage the reader with realism and fantasy at the same time.
- To show to the reader that realist novel does not work on expected lines.
- To keep the reader engaged till the end of the novel.
- To bring in as much content as possible without making it seem forced.
Correct Option: Choice ARationale: The text describes the realist novel as describing the “true complexity of lived experience.” The phrase highlights this dual nature: the chaos of life (“innumerable conditions”, “unpredictable”) combined with the narrative significance (“meaningful”). Choice A (“Showcase unexpected complexity while making it seem relevant”) aligns with “unpredictable moments” (complexity) and “made meaningful” (relevant). Option C is true but A includes the “meaningful” aspect which is crucial to the quote. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Which of the following BEST describes the civilization-barbarism axis?
- The way we are trained to behave affects our peace in life.
- Every society has to have a harmonious mix of civilized and the barbaric for it to survive.
- Some people are barbaric and should be restrained from public life.
- Government should play a very heavy role in maintaining law and order.
- It is how you behave, not who you are, that makes you acceptable.
Correct Option: Choice ERationale: The text defines the “civilization-barbarism axis” as viewing favorably “institutions that they believe constrain and guide people toward civilized behavior.” This implies that “behavior” is the key metric. Adhering to civilized norms makes you acceptable. Choice E (“It is how you behave, not who you are, that makes you acceptable”) accurately reflects this focus on conduct and adherence to institutions rather than inherent identity. Option A, B, and C are not supported by the specific definition in the text. Option D sounds like statism, not necessarily conservatism as defined here. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Which of the following BEST explains the author’s usage of the term moral frames?
- The frames give those who believe in them the right to question others’ behaviours.
- It makes easy for the believer to declare others as wrong.
- A frame is a belief and cannot be rationally explained.
- What is right to the believer is wrong to those who do not share that belief.
- The frames define what the believer believes as right or wrong.
Correct Option: Choice ERationale: The text says: “Each moral frame sets up an axis of favorable and unfavorable.” “Those who agree with us have the right answer, while those who disagree are unreasonable.” This means the frame serves as the definition of truth/morality for the believer. Choice E (“The frames define what the believer believes as right or wrong”) directly summarizes this function. -
XAT 2024 Question Paper VA LR
Which of the following can BEST be concluded from the above passage?
- Issues can be solved by looking at them from the right axis and questioning the assumptions.
- Knowing why you think the way you think, enables you to understand others’ perspectives.
- The assumptions we hold leads to our dominant axis.
- Most controversial issues in the world can be simplified into three axes.
- Most problems in the world are because of applying the wrong axis to a particular problem.
Correct Option: Choice BRationale: The passage advises: “try to learn the languages spoken by those who use the other axes.” Benefits: “enable you to understand how others think… concede that they have a coherent point of view.” Conclusion: Understanding the “axes” (why you think the way you think) helps you understand the “other languages” (others’ perspectives). Choice B captures this central advice. Option A is too optimistic about “solutions.” Option C is circular. Option E is too broad.
Read the following passage and answer the THREE questions that follow.
If we imagine the action of a vaccine not just in terms of how it affects a single body, but also in terms of how it affects the collective body of a community, it is fair to think of vaccination as a kind of banking of immunity. Contributions to this bank are donations to those who cannot or will not be protected by their own immunity. This is the principle of herd immunity, and it is through herd immunity that mass vaccination becomes far more effective than individual vaccination.
Any given vaccine can fail to produce immunity in an individual, and some vaccines, like the influenza vaccine, are less effective than others. But when enough people are vaccinated with even a relatively ineffective vaccine, viruses have trouble moving from host to host and cease to spread, sparing both the unvaccinated and those in whom vaccination has not produced immunity. This is why the chances of contracting measles can be higher for a vaccinated person living in a largely unvaccinated community than they are for an unvaccinated person living in a largely vaccinated community.
The unvaccinated person is protected by the bodies around her, bodies through which disease is not circulating. But a vaccinated person surrounded by bodies that host disease is left vulnerable to vaccine failure or fading immunity. We are protected not so much by our own skin, but by what is beyond it. The boundaries between our bodies begin to dissolve here. Donations of blood and organs move between us, exiting one body and entering another, and so too with immunity, which is a common trust as much as it is a private account. Those of us who draw on collective immunity owe our health to our neighbors.
Read the following poem and answer the TWO questions that follow.
In the darkened room
a woman
cannot find her reflection in the mirror
waiting as usual
at the edge of sleep
In her hands she holds
the oil lamp
whose drunken yellow flames
know where her lonely body hides
Read the following passage and answer the TWO questions that follow.
Beauty has an aesthetic, but it is not the same as aesthetics, not when it can be embodied, controlled by powerful interests, and when it can be commodified. Beauty can be manners, also a socially contingent set of traits. Whatever power decides that beauty is, it must always be more than reducible to a single thing. Beauty is a wonderful form of capital in a world that organizes everything around gender and then requires a performance of gender that makes some of its members more equal than others.
Beauty would not be such a useful distinction were it not for the economic and political conditions. It is trite at this point to point out capitalism, which is precisely why it must be pointed out. Systems of exchange tend to generate the kind of ideas that work well as exchanges. Because it can be an idea and a good and a body, beauty serves many useful functions for our economic system. Even better, beauty can be political. It can exclude and include, one of the basic conditions of any politics. Beauty has it all. It can be political, economic, external, individualized, generalizing, exclusionary, and perhaps best of all a story that can be told. Our dominant story of beauty is that it is simultaneously a blessing, of genetics or gods, and a site of conversion. You can become beautiful if you accept the right prophets and their wisdoms with a side of products thrown in for good measure. Forget that these two ideas—unique blessing and earned reward—are antithetical to each other. That makes beauty all the more perfect for our (social and political) time, itself anchored in paradoxes like freedom and property, opportunity and equality.
Read the following passage and answer the THREE questions that follow.
Because it’s so easy to judge the idiocy of others, it may be sorely tempting to think this doesn’t apply to you. But the problem of unrecognized ignorance is one that visits us all. And over the years, I’ve become convinced of one key, overarching fact about the ignorant mind. One should not think of it as uninformed. Rather, one should think of it as misinformed.
An ignorant mind is precisely not a spotless, empty vessel, but one that’s filled with the clutter of irrelevant or misleading life experiences, theories, facts, intuitions, strategies, algorithms, heuristics, metaphors, and hunches that regrettably have the look and feel of useful and accurate knowledge. This clutter is an unfortunate by-product of one of our greatest strengths as a species. We are unbridled pattern recognizers and profligate theorizers. Often, our theories are good enough to get us through the day, or at least to an age when we can procreate. But our genius for creative storytelling, combined with our inability to detect our own ignorance, can sometimes lead to situations that are embarrassing, unfortunate, or downright dangerous—especially in a technologically advanced, complex democratic society that occasionally invests mistaken popular beliefs with immense destructive power. As the humorist Josh Billings once put it, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” (Ironically, one thing many people “know” about this quote is that it was first uttered by Mark Twain or Will Rogers—which just ain’t so.)
Because of the way we are built, and because of the way we learn from our environment, we are all engines of misbelief. And the better we understand how our wonderful yet kludge-ridden, Rube Goldberg engine works, the better we—as individuals and as a society—can harness it to navigate toward a more objective understanding of the truth.
Read the following passage and answer the TWO questions that follow.
But as the behavioral economists like to remind us, we are already prone to all sorts of reductions as a species. It’s not just the scientists. We compress complex reality down into abbreviated heuristics that often work beautifully in everyday life for high-frequency, low-significance decisions. Because we are an unusually clever and self-reflective species, we long ago realized that we needed help overcoming those reductive instincts when it really matters. And so we invented a tool called storytelling. At first, some of our stories were even more reductive than the sciences would prove to be: allegories and parables and morality plays that compressed the flux of real life down to archetypal moral messages. But over time the stories grew more adept at describing the true complexity of lived experience, the whorls and the threadlike pressures. One of the crowning achievements of that growth is the realist novel. That, of course, is the latent implication of Prince Andrei’s question: “innumerable conditions made meaningful only in unpredictable moments” would fare well as a description of both War and Peace and Middlemarch, arguably the two totemic works in the realist canon. What gives the novel the grain of truth lies precisely in the way it doesn’t quite run along the expected grooves, the way it dramatizes all the forces and unpredictable variables that shape the choices humans confront at the most meaningful moments of their lives.
When we read those novels—or similarly rich biographies of historical figures—we are not just entertaining ourselves; we are also rehearsing for our own real-world experiences….
Read the following passage and answer the THREE questions that follow.
What I call fast political thinking is driven by simplified moral frames. These moral frames give us the sense that those who agree with us have the right answer, while those who disagree are unreasonable, or worse.
Each moral frame sets up an axis of favorable and unfavorable. Progressives use the oppressor-oppressed axis. Progressives view most favorably those groups that can be regarded as oppressed or standing with the oppressed, and they view most unfavorably those groups that can be regarded as oppressors. Conservatives use the civilization-barbarism axis. Conservatives view most favorably the institutions that they believe constrain and guide people toward civilized behavior, and they view most unfavorably those people who they see as trying to tear down such institutions. Libertarians use the liberty-coercion axis. Libertarians view most favorably those people who defer to decisions that are made on the basis of personal choice and voluntary agreement, and they view most unfavorably those people who favor government interventions that restrict personal choice.
If you have a dominant axis, I suggest that you try to learn the languages spoken by those who use the other axes. Don’t worry—learning other languages won’t make it easy for others to convert you to their point of view. By the same token, it will not make it easy to convert others to your point of view. However, you may become aware of assumptions your side makes that others might legitimately question.
What learning the other languages can do is enable you to understand how others think about political issues. Instead of resorting to the theory that people with other views are crazy or stupid or evil, you may concede that they have a coherent point of view. In fact, their point of view could be just as coherent as yours. The problem is that those people apply their point of view in circumstances where you are fairly sure that it is not really appropriate.
Consider that there may be situations in which one frame describes the problem much better than the others. For example, I believe that the civil rights movement in the United States is best described using the progressive heuristic of the oppressed and the oppressor. In the 1950s and the early 1960s, the people who had the right model were the people who were fighting for black Americans to have true voting rights, equal access to housing, and an end to the Jim Crow laws. The civilization-barbarism axis and the liberty-coercion axis did not provide the best insight into the issue….
