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Answer:

The author talks about morality marketing and states that ‘tea is…a world apart “ an astonishing success story in which tea marketers not only succeeded in conveying a sense of moral elevation to the consumer but also arguably did advance the cause of civilisation and community’. So, the correct choice is option B.

Hence, the answer is had an actual beneficial effect on social interaction and society in general.
Choice B is the correct answer.

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CAT 2021 VA RC Question:

Q. 3. Today, “conflat[ing] consumption with virtue” can be seen in the marketing of:

A. sustainably farmed foods.
B. ergonomically designed products.
C. travel to pristine destinations.
D. natural health supplements.

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Answer:

˜Conflating™ means mixing or confusing two different things. ˜Conflating consumption with virtue™ implies promoting consumption of something as virtuous. The consumption of sustainably farmed foods is marketed as the right thing to do, so option A is the correct answer.

Hence, the answer is 'sustainably farmed foods.'

Choice A is the correct answer.

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The passage below is accompanied by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
For the Maya of the Classic period, who lived in Southern Mexico and Central America between 250 and 900 CE, the category of ‘persons’ was not coincident with human beings, as it is for us. That is, human beings were persons “ but other, nonhuman entities could be persons, too. . . . In order to explore the slippage of categories between ‘humans’ and ‘persons’, I examined a very specific category of ancient Maya images, found painted in scenes on ceramic vessels. I sought out instances in which faces (some combination of eyes, nose, and mouth) are shown on inanimate objects. . . . Consider my iPhone, which needs to be fed with electricity every night, swaddled in a protective bumper, and enjoys communicating with other fellow-phone-beings. Does it have personhood (if at all) because it is connected to me, drawing this resource from me as an owner or source? For the Maya (who did have plenty of other communicating objects, if not smartphones), the answer was no. Nonhuman persons were not tethered to specific humans, and they did not derive their personhood from a connection with a human. . . . It’s a profoundly democratising way of understanding the world. Humans are not more important persons “ we are just one of many kinds of persons who inhabit this world. . . .
The Maya saw personhood as ‘activated’ by experiencing certain bodily needs and through participation in certain social activities. For example, among the faced objects that I examined, persons are marked by personal requirements (such as hunger, tiredness, physical closeness), and by community obligations (communication, interaction, ritual observance). In the images I examined, we see, for instance, faced objects being cradled in humans’ arms; we also see them speaking to humans. These core elements of personhood are both turned inward, what the body or self of a person requires, and outward, what a community expects of the persons who are a part of it, underlining the reciprocal nature of community membership. . . .
Personhood was a nonbinary proposition for the Maya. Entities were able to be persons while also being something else. The faced objects I looked at indicate that they continue to be functional, doing what objects do (a stone implement continues to chop, an incense burner continues to do its smoky work). Furthermore, the Maya visually depicted many objects in ways that indicated the material category to which they belonged “ drawings of the stone implement show that a person-tool is still made of stone. One additional complexity: the incense burner (which would have been made of clay, and decorated with spiky appliques representing the sacred ceiba tree found in this region) is categorised as a person “ but also as a tree. With these Maya examples, we are challenged to discard the person/nonperson binary that constitutes our basic ontological outlook. . . . The porousness of boundaries that we have seen in the Maya world points towards the possibility of living with a certain uncategorisability of the world.

CAT 2021 VA RC Question:

Q. 1. Which one of the following, if true about the Classic Maya, would invalidate the purpose of the iPhone example in the passage?

A. The personhood of the incense burner and the stone chopper was a function of their usefulness to humans.
B. Classic Maya songs represent both humans and non-living objects as characters, talking and interacting with each other.
C. The clay incense burner with spiky appliques was categorised only as a person and not as a tree by the Classic Maya.
D. Unlike modern societies equipped with mobile phones, the Classic Maya did not have any communicating objects.

Answer:

The author cites the example of an iPhone to illustrate the idea that nonhuman persons did not derive their personhood simply because of their human connection or their usefulness to humans. The Maya would not have regarded the iphone as a nonhuman person; personhood would be ‘activated’ only when the nonhuman person experiences certain bodily needs or participates in certain social activities.
If option A were true “ if the incense burner and stone chopper were regarded as persons just because of their usefulness to humans “ then the purpose of the iPhone example would be invalidated.
All other options given do not relate to the reason why Maya categorised objects as persons. So, these are ruled out.

Hence, the answer is 'The personhood of the incense burner and the stone chopper was a function of their usefulness to humans.'

Choice A is the correct answer.

CAT 2021 VA RC Question:

Q. 2. Which one of the following, if true, would not undermine the democratising potential of the Classic Maya worldview?

A. They believed that animals like cats and dogs that live in proximity to humans have a more clearly articulated personhood.
B. They understood the stone implement and the incense burner in a purely human form.
C. While they believed in the personhood of objects and plants, they did not believe in the personhood of rivers and animals.
D. They depicted their human healers with physical attributes of local medicinal plants.

Answer:

Trickily worded question. The answer option is one that does not undermine the democratising potential of the Maya worldview. That is, it should be in line with the Maya worldview.
Let us look at the options one after the other.
If option A were true, cats and dogs would be considered superior to other nonpersons. This would mean an unequal world. So, option A would undermine the ‘democratising’ potential of the Maya worldview.
If option B were true and the stone implement and incense burner were only regarded as humans, not objects, that would again suggest humans are in some way superior to nonpersons. The Maya thought entities could be persons while also being something else. So, option B, too, would undermine the ‘democratising’ potential of the Maya worldview.
Similarly, if option C were true, then it would suggest that some objects ‘deserved’ to be persons, while others did not. This too would undermine the ‘democratising’ potential of the Maya worldview.
Only option D, if true, is in line with the essence of the Maya worldview. Human healers being given the physical attributes of local medicinal plants suggests that these plants are equal in status to humans.

Hence, the answer is They depicted their human healers with physical attributes of local medicinal plants.

Choice D is the correct answer.

CAT 2021 VA RC Question:

Q. 3. On the basis of the passage, which one of the following worldviews can be inferred to be closest to that of the Classic Maya?

A. A tribe that perceives its hunting weapons as sacred person-artefacts because of their significance to its survival.
B. A futuristic society that perceives robots to be persons as well as robots because of their similarity to humans.
C. A tribe that perceives plants as person-plants because they form an ecosystem and are marked by needs of nutrition.
D. A tribe that perceives its utensils as person-utensils in light of their functionality and bodily needs.

Answer:

For the Mayans, personhood ‘activated’ by experiencing certain bodily needs and through participation in certain social activities.
Personhood was not based on the usefulness of nonpersons to humans or their similarity to humans. So, options A and B are easily ruled out.
While both options C and D talk about the ‘bodily needs’ of nonpersons, only C relates to the idea of social participation. Plants form an ecosystem, participating in a community. Option D, on the other hand, talks about the functionality of utensils being a reason why they are regarded as persons. This is not in line with the Classic Maya worldview. So, the correct answer is option C.

Hence, the answer is A tribe that perceives plants as person-plants because they form an ecosystem and are marked by needs of nutrition.

Choice C is the correct answer.

CAT 2021 VA RC Question:

Q. 4. Which one of the following best explains the “additional complexity” that the example of the incense burner illustrates regarding personhood for the Classic Maya?

A. The example adds a new layer to the nonbinary understanding of personhood by bringing in a third category that shares a dissimilar relation with the previous two.
B. The example complicates the nonbinary understanding of personhood by bringing in the sacred, establishing the porosity of the divine and the profane.
C. The example provides an exception to the nonbinary understanding of personhood that the passage had hitherto established.
D. The example adds a new layer to the nonbinary understanding of personhood by bringing in a third category that shares a similar relation with the previous two.

Answer:

In the example of the incense burner, the ‘additional complexity’ is that, in addition to being categorised as a person, it was also categorised as a tree as it was decorated with spiky appliques representing the sacred ceiba tree. The third categorisation as a tree is on par and similar to the other two categorisations; the same object is a tree and a person-tool. So, option D is the correct answer.

Hence, the answer is The example adds a new layer to the nonbinary understanding of personhood by bringing in a third category that shares a similar relation with the previous two.

Choice D is the correct answer.

The passage below is accompanied by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
We cannot travel outside our neighbourhood without passports. We must wear the same plain clothes. We must exchange our houses every ten years. We cannot avoid labour. We all go to bed at the same time . . . We have religious freedom, but we cannot deny that the soul dies with the body, since ‘but for the fear of punishment, they would have nothing but contempt for the laws and customs of society’. . . . In More’s time, for much of the population, given the plenty and security on offer, such restraints would not have seemed overly unreasonable. For modern readers, however, Utopia appears to rely upon relentless transparency, the repression of variety, and the curtailment of privacy. Utopia provides security: but at what price? In both its external and internal relations, indeed, it seems perilously dystopian.
Such a conclusion might be fortified by examining selectively the tradition which follows More on these points. This often portrays societies where . . . ‘it would be almost impossible for man to be depraved, or wicked’. . . . This is achieved both through institutions and mores, which underpin the common life. . . . The passions are regulated and inequalities of wealth and distinction are minimized. Needs, vanity, and emulation are restrained, often by prizing equality and holding riches in contempt. The desire for public power is curbed. Marriage and sexual intercourse are often controlled: in Tommaso Campanella’s The City of the Sun (1623), the first great literary utopia after More’s, relations are forbidden to men before the age of twenty-one and women before nineteen. Communal child-rearing is normal; for Campanella this commences at age two. Greater simplicity of life, ‘living according to nature’, is often a result: the desire for simplicity and purity are closely related. People become more alike in appearance, opinion, and outlook than they often have been. Unity, order, and homogeneity thus prevail at the cost of individuality and diversity. This model, as J. C. Davis demonstrates, dominated early modern utopianism. . . . And utopian homogeneity remains a familiar theme well into the twentieth century.
Given these considerations, it is not unreasonable to take as our starting point here the hypothesis that utopia and dystopia evidently share more in common than is often supposed. Indeed, they might be twins, the progeny of the same parents. Insofar as this proves to be the case, my linkage of both here will be uncomfortably close for some readers. Yet we should not mistake this argument for the assertion that all utopias are, or tend to produce, dystopias. Those who defend this proposition will find that their association here is not nearly close enough. For we have only to acknowledge the existence of thousands of successful intentional communities in which a cooperative ethos predominates and where harmony without coercion is the rule to set aside such an assertion. Here the individual’s submersion in the group is consensual (though this concept is not unproblematic). It results not in enslavement but voluntary submission to group norms. Harmony is achieved without . . . harming others.

CAT 2021 VA RC Question:

Q. 1. Following from the passage, which one of the following may be seen as a characteristic of a utopian society?

A. A society without any laws to restrain one’s individuality.
B. Institutional surveillance of every individual to ensure his/her security and welfare.
C. A society where public power is earned through merit rather than through privilege.
D. The regulation of homogeneity through promoting competitive heterogeneity.

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CAT 2021 VA RC Question:

Q. 2. Which sequence of words below best captures the narrative of the passage?

A. Curtailment of privacy - Dystopia - Utopia - Intentional community.
B. Relentless transparency - Homogeneity - Utopia - Dystopia.
C. Utopia - Security - Dystopia - Coercion.
D. Utopia - Security - Homogeneity - Intentional community.

Answer:

A tricky question. All options contain words that are key ideas in the passage. So, to choose the correct option, we need to look at an important idea that is missed in some options. Options B and C can be ruled out this way, as they do not mention ‘intentional communities’ which is a key idea in the last paragraph. Between options A and B, option A does not mention the idea of ‘homogeneity’, which the passage talks about in detail in the second paragraph. Option D includes both these ideas and hence it best captures the narrative of the passage.

Hence, the answer is 'Utopia “ Security “ Homogeneity “ Intentional community.'

Choice D is the correct answer.

CAT 2021 VA RC Question:

Q. 3. All of the following statements can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT that:

A. it is possible to see utopias as dystopias, with a change in perspective, because one person’s utopia could be seen as another’s dystopia.
B. utopian and dystopian societies are twins, the progeny of the same parents.
C. utopian societies exist in a long tradition of literature dealing with imaginary people practicing imaginary customs, in imaginary worlds.
D. many conceptions of utopian societies emphasise the importance of social uniformity and cultural homogeneity.

Answer:

A tricky question. The author starts the last paragraph saying that as utopia and dystopia share a lot in common, it may not be unreasonable to start with the hypothesis that they are ‘twins’. But the author goes on to say that while the two are ‘uncomfortably close’, ‘we should not mistake this argument for the assertion that all utopias are, or tend to produce, dystopias . Those who defend this proposition will find that their association here is not nearly close enough’. In other words, utopias are not dystopias and the two cannot be regarded as exactly alike, or twins. Option B cannot be inferred from the passage.
Option A can be inferred, from the lines ‘Utopia provides security: but at what price? In both its external and internal relations, indeed, it seems perilously dystopian’.
In the second paragraph, the passage talks about the literary utopia of More and Campanella with imaginary customs and rules being practised in these imaginary societies. So, option C can be inferred.
Again, from the last lines of the second paragraph ‘utopian homogeneity remains a familiar theme well into the twentieth century’, option D can also be inferred.

Hence, the answer is 'utopian and dystopian societies are twins, the progeny of the same parents.'

Choice B is the correct answer.

CAT 2021 VA RC Question:

Q. 4. All of the following arguments are made in the passage EXCEPT that:

A. in More’s time, there was plenty and security, so people did not need restraints that could appear unreasonable.
B. the tradition of utopian literature has often shown societies in which it would be nearly impossible for anyone to be sinful or criminal.
C. there have been thousands of communities where homogeneity and stability have been achieved through choice, rather than by force.
D. in early modern utopianism, the stability of utopian societies was seen to be achieved only with individuals surrendering their sense of self.

Answer:

Another tricky question. The passage states that 'in More’s time, for much of the population, given the plenty and security on offer, such restraints would not have seemed overly unreasonable '. Option A alters a few words and changes the meaning of what is stated in the passage. The passage does not say people ‘need’ restraints.
Option B is true, based on the second paragraph which states that the tradition which follows More 'often portrays societies where . . . ‘it would be almost impossible for man to be depraved, or wicked’.
Option C is true based on the last few lines of the passage: ‘For we have only to acknowledge the existence of thousands of successful intentional communities in which a cooperative ethos predominates and where harmony without coercion is the rule to set aside such an assertion’.
From the last few lines of the second paragraph, we know option D is true : ‘Unity, order, and homogeneity thus prevail at the cost of individuality and diversity. This model, as J. C. Davis demonstrates, dominated early modern utopianism’.

Hence, the answer is 'in More’s time, there was plenty and security, so people did not need restraints that could appear unreasonable.'

Choice A is the correct answer.

The passage below is accompanied by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.

Cuttlefish are full of personality, as behavioral ecologist Alexandra Schnell found out while researching the cephalopod’s potential to display self-control. . . . “Self-control is thought to be the cornerstone of intelligence, as it is an important prerequisite for complex decision-making and planning for the future,” says Schnell . . .
[Schnell’s] study used a modified version of the “marshmallow test” . . . During the original marshmallow test, psychologist Walter Mischel presented children between age four and six with one marshmallow. He told them that if they waited 15 minutes and didn’t eat it, he would give them a second marshmallow. A long-term follow-up study showed that the children who waited for the second marshmallow had more success later in life. . . . The cuttlefish version of the experiment looked a lot different. The researchers worked with six cuttlefish under nine months old and presented them with seafood instead of sweets. (Preliminary experiments showed that cuttlefishes’ favorite food is live grass shrimp, while raw prawns are so-so and Asian shore crab is nearly unacceptable.) Since the researchers couldn’t explain to the cuttlefish that they would need to wait for their shrimp, they trained them to recognize certain shapes that indicated when a food item would become available. The symbols were pasted on transparent drawers so that the cuttlefish could see the food that was stored inside. One drawer, labeled with a circle to mean “immediate,” held raw king prawn. Another drawer, labeled with a triangle to mean “delayed,” held live grass shrimp. During a control experiment, square labels meant “never.”
“If their self-control is flexible and I hadn’t just trained them to wait in any context, you would expect the cuttlefish to take the immediate reward [in the control], even if it’s their second preference,” says Schnell . . . and that’s what they did. That showed the researchers that cuttlefish wouldn’t reject the prawns if it was the only food available. In the experimental trials, the cuttlefish didn’t jump on the prawns if the live grass shrimp were labeled with a triangle” many waited for the shrimp drawer to open up. Each time the cuttlefish showed it could wait, the researchers tacked another ten seconds on to the next round of waiting before releasing the shrimp. The longest that a cuttlefish waited was 130 seconds.
Schnell [says] that the cuttlefish usually sat at the bottom of the tank and looked at the two food items while they waited, but sometimes, they would turn away from the king prawn “as if to distract themselves from the temptation of the immediate reward.” In past studies, humans, chimpanzees, parrots and dogs also tried to distract themselves while waiting for a reward.
Not every species can use self-control, but most of the animals that can share another trait in common: long, social lives. Cuttlefish, on the other hand, are solitary creatures that don’t form relationships even with mates or young. . . . “We don’t know if living in a social group is important for complex cognition unless we also show those abilities are lacking in less social species,” says . . . comparative psychologist Jennifer Vonk.

CAT 2021 VA RC Question:

Q. 1. All of the following constitute a point of difference between the “original” and “modified” versions of the marshmallow test EXCEPT that:

A. the former correlated self-control and future success, while the latter correlated self-control and survival advantages.
B. the former was performed over a longer time span than the latter.
C. the former had human subjects, while the latter had cuttlefish.
D. the former used verbal communication with its subjects, while the latter had to develop a symbolic means of communication.