Para Summary MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Para Summary - Download Free PDF
Last updated on Jul 2, 2025
Latest Para Summary MCQ Objective Questions
Para Summary Question 1:
The passage given below is followed by four alternative summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
Conceived as the grand entrance arch for the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, the Eiffel Tower was initially met with considerable public and artistic opposition. Many prominent intellectuals of the time decried it as an eyesore, a monstrous iron skeleton that marred the Parisian skyline. Its very purpose was temporary; it was intended to be dismantled after 20 years. However, its innovative design, showcasing the possibilities of iron construction, and its sheer scale quickly captured the world's imagination. More importantly, its height proved invaluable for scientific experiments in meteorology and telecommunications, particularly for radio transmission, which ultimately secured its permanent place. What began as a temporary, controversial monument evolved into a powerful symbol of French ingenuity and a global icon, demonstrating how practical utility can sometimes override initial aesthetic judgments to ensure lasting relevance.
Which of the following best captures the essence of the passage?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 1 Detailed Solution
The correct answer is: "The Eiffel Tower, originally designed as a temporary structure for a world's fair, achieved permanent status due to its unforeseen scientific utility, overcoming initial public disdain."
Key Points
- Option 1 accurately summarizes the core narrative of the passage. It highlights the tower's temporary initial purpose, the initial public and artistic opposition ("public disdain"), and the crucial reason for its permanence: its "unforeseen scientific utility" in meteorology and telecommunications. This option encapsulates all the key elements the passage emphasizes.
Hence, the correct answer is: Option 1.
Additional Information
- The other options are incorrect because:
- Option 2: "The tower's initial controversy and the strong artistic opposition it faced were the primary factors that cemented its enduring legacy as a symbol of defiance and artistic freedom." While the passage mentions controversy and opposition, it explicitly states that its scientific utility was what "ultimately secured its permanent place," not the opposition itself as a symbol of defiance.
- Option 3: "The 1889 Exposition Universelle was strategically planned to demonstrate France's industrial prowess, with the Eiffel Tower serving as its central, albeit initially contentious, technological showcase." This option mentions the Exposition and the tower's role as a showcase, which is true, but it misses the crucial aspect of the tower's permanence and the reason for that permanence, which is the main point of the passage's development.
- Option 4: "The Eiffel Tower's transformation into a global icon was a testament to its groundbreaking architectural beauty and its immediate success in attracting international tourism and cultural appreciation." The passage does mention its "innovative design" and "sheer scale" capturing imagination, but it stresses that its scientific utility was what secured its permanence, not just aesthetic appeal or immediate tourism success. The passage implies that its iconic status evolved after its utility was recognized, allowing it to remain.
Para Summary Question 2:
The passage given below is followed by four alternative summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
The distinctive holes, or 'eyes,' in Swiss cheese are not merely a visual quirk but a fascinating byproduct of a precise microbial process. For centuries, cheesemakers believed these characteristic voids were caused by carbon dioxide released by bacteria like Propionibacterium freudenreichii during fermentation. However, recent scientific findings have refined this understanding. It turns out that tiny hay particles, often present in the milk used for cheesemaking, play a crucial role. These microscopic bits of hay act as nucleation sites, providing the perfect microscopic pockets where gases, produced by the bacteria, can accumulate and expand, thus forming the iconic holes. Without these minute solid particles, the gas would escape more evenly, resulting in a cheese with a denser, less 'holey' texture. This discovery highlights the intricate interplay between traditional farming practices and microbial activity in creating a beloved culinary staple.
Which of the following best captures the essence of the passage?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 2 Detailed Solution
The correct answer is: "Recent scientific research has revealed that the formation of holes in Swiss cheese is critically dependent on microscopic hay particles acting as gas collection points, rather than solely on bacterial gas production."
Key Points
- Option 2 best captures the essence of the passage. The passage explains that while bacteria produce gas, the critical factor for hole formation (the 'eyes') in Swiss cheese is the presence of microscopic hay particles. These particles act as "nucleation sites" where the gas accumulates and expands, leading to the distinctive holes.
- The passage highlights a shift in understanding from solely bacterial gas production to the crucial role of these hay particles.
Hence, the correct answer is: Option 2.
Additional Information
- The other options are incorrect because:
- Option 1: "The quality and distinctiveness of Swiss cheese are primarily attributed to the unique metabolic byproducts of specific bacteria, which also contribute to its characteristic taste." This option is partially true in that bacteria are involved, but it misses the key point of the passage, which is the new understanding of the role of hay particles as nucleation sites for the gas, not just the bacterial gas production itself. The passage refines this older belief.
- Option 3: "The passage primarily focuses on the historical evolution of cheesemaking techniques, emphasizing how traditional methods involving hay were rediscovered for their role in hole formation." The passage does mention a historical belief and recent findings, but its primary focus is not the "historical evolution of cheesemaking techniques." Instead, it explains a specific scientific discovery about the mechanism of hole formation.
- Option 4: "The presence of 'eyes' in Swiss cheese is now definitively understood to be a direct consequence of the interaction between microbial activity and the physical presence of minute solid impurities in the milk." While this option is very close, "impurities" might carry a negative connotation, whereas the passage describes "hay particles" as crucial for the process. More importantly, Option 2 is more precise in stating that these particles act as "gas collection points" or nucleation sites, which is the core of the new understanding presented. Option 2 directly uses the concept of the particles "acting as gas collection points," which is the direct mechanism explained.
Para Summary Question 3:
The passage given below is followed by four alternative summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to the loss of voluntary muscle control. While there is currently no cure for ALS, significant strides have been made in understanding its mechanisms and developing treatments that can slow disease progression and manage symptoms. Diagnosis often involves a combination of neurological examination, electromyography (EMG), nerve conduction studies, and MRI to rule out other conditions. Research has identified several genetic mutations associated with both familial and sporadic forms of ALS, opening avenues for targeted gene therapies like Tofersen for SOD1-mutated ALS. Treatment in today's time focuses on multidisciplinary care, including medications like riluzole and edaravone, physical and occupational therapy to maintain independence, speech therapy for communication and swallowing difficulties, and respiratory support as the disease progresses. Clinical trials are continuously exploring new therapeutic targets, biomarkers for earlier diagnosis, and improved methods to manage the disease, offering ongoing hope for patients and their families.
Which of the following best captures the essence of the passage regarding ALS in today's time?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 3 Detailed Solution
The correct answer is: Despite the absence of a cure, significant progress in ALS research and treatment now focuses on understanding genetic causes, providing comprehensive multidisciplinary care, and pursuing novel therapies through ongoing clinical trials.
Key Points
- Option 1 best captures the essence of the passage because it accurately summarizes the current state of ALS. It acknowledges that there is no cure but highlights the significant advancements in understanding genetic causes, the focus on comprehensive multidisciplinary care for symptom management, and the ongoing efforts in clinical trials for novel therapies. This option provides a balanced and complete overview of the information presented in the passage.
Hence, the correct answer is: Option 1.
Additional Information
- The other options are incorrect because:
- Option 2: Today's ALS management primarily revolves around slowing disease progression with available medications and supportive therapies, as genetic research and targeted treatments are still in very early experimental stages. This option is incorrect because it underplays the importance and progress of genetic research and targeted treatments. The passage explicitly states that genetic research has "identified several genetic mutations...opening avenues for targeted gene therapies," indicating more than just "very early experimental stages."
- Option 3: The most promising aspect of current ALS research is the development of gene therapies for specific mutations, indicating a future where personalized treatments will replace broader symptomatic care. This option is incorrect as it overemphasizes gene therapies as the most promising aspect and makes an unsupported claim that personalized treatments will "replace" broader symptomatic care. The passage highlights multidisciplinary care as the current focus of treatment alongside research into new therapies.
- Option 4: Modern diagnostics like MRI have simplified ALS identification, leading to earlier intervention with medications that can halt the disease's advancement and prevent further muscle control loss. This option contains several inaccuracies. The passage states MRI is used "to rule out other conditions," not necessarily to "simplify" identification. More importantly, it says treatments "can slow disease progression," not "halt" it or "prevent" further muscle control loss entirely.
Para Summary Question 4:
The passage given below is followed by four alternative summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
Airline companies prioritize passenger safety through a multi-layered approach encompassing stringent regulations, advanced technology, and rigorous training. Before any flight, aircraft undergo meticulous pre-flight inspections and maintenance checks, adhering to strict guidelines set by aviation authorities. Engines, landing gear, and control systems are thoroughly examined, and any detected fault leads to immediate repair or replacement. Pilots and cabin crew undergo extensive and continuous training, including scheduled simulator exercises and emergency preparedness drills, to ensure they are competent to handle a wide range of scenarios, from normal operations to medical emergencies and security threats. During the flight, air traffic control constantly monitors aircraft, guiding pilots through airspace and adverse weather conditions using advanced communication systems. Cabin crew are trained in first aid, fire suppression, and evacuation procedures, and are responsible for ensuring passenger compliance with safety regulations like seatbelt use. Post-flight, incidents and near misses are reported, investigated, and reviewed to implement further safety recommendations, fostering a continuous improvement cycle. Security measures at airports, including baggage scans and identity verification, also play a crucial role in preventing dangerous items from entering planes.
Which of the following best summarizes the passage regarding airline safety measures?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 4 Detailed Solution
The correct answer is: Airline safety is ensured by comprehensive maintenance, training, monitoring, and security, with continuous improvement.
Key Points
- Option 3 best captures the essence of the passage because it summarizes the multi-layered approach to airline safety presented in the text. The passage explicitly details how safety is achieved through:
- Maintenance: "meticulous pre-flight inspections and maintenance checks"
- Training: "Pilots and cabin crew undergo extensive and continuous training"
- Monitoring: "air traffic control constantly monitors aircraft"
- Security: "Security measures at airports, including baggage scans and identity verification"
- Continuous Improvement: "Post-flight, incidents and near misses are reported, investigated, and reviewed to implement further safety recommendations, fostering a continuous improvement cycle."
Hence, the correct answer is: Option 3.
Additional Information
- The other options are incorrect because:
- Option 1: Airline safety is primarily achieved through advanced technology in aircraft and strict air traffic control, with human training playing a secondary role. This is incorrect because the passage emphasizes human training (pilots and cabin crew) as a crucial and extensive part of safety, not a secondary one. The passage describes a "multi-layered approach," where all elements are vital.
- Option 2: The core of airline safety lies in exhaustive pilot training and rigorous pre-flight inspections to prevent mechanical failures. This option is too narrow. While pilot training and pre-flight inspections are very important, the passage discusses many other crucial aspects like cabin crew training, air traffic control, airport security, and the continuous improvement cycle. It focuses on only two elements rather than the comprehensive system.
- Option 4: Passenger safety is largely dependent on cabin crew's ability to handle emergencies and ensure seatbelt compliance, with airport security preventing major threats. This option is incomplete and misrepresents the overall emphasis. While cabin crew and airport security are mentioned, the passage highlights a much broader range of safety measures, including aircraft maintenance, pilot training, and air traffic control, which are equally, if not more, fundamental to overall safety.
Para Summary Question 5:
The passage given below is followed by four alternative summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
The fear of the dark, or nyctophobia, is a common developmental stage for many young children, typically emerging between the ages of two and seven. While adults often attribute this fear to an imagined presence of monsters, the underlying psychological mechanisms are more nuanced. For children, darkness represents a loss of sensory information, primarily sight, which is crucial for their understanding and navigation of the world. This sensory deprivation triggers an innate survival mechanism, making the unknown inherently threatening. The developing imagination of a child can then fill this void with perceived dangers, amplifying anxieties about being alone, losing control, or the absence of protective figures. Furthermore, exposure to frightening stories or media can contribute to these fears. It is not the darkness itself, but the uncertainty and the lack of control associated with it, coupled with an active imagination, that primarily fuels a child's fear of the dark.
Which of the following best captures the essence of the passage?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 5 Detailed Solution
The correct answer is: 2) Nyctophobia is a natural developmental stage in children, stemming from the loss of visual sensory information in darkness, which their developing imagination fills with perceived threats.
Key Points
- Explanation: The passage explicitly identifies nyctophobia as a "common developmental stage." It attributes the core psychological mechanism to "darkness represents a loss of sensory information, primarily sight," which triggers an "innate survival mechanism." This void is then filled by the "developing imagination of a child" with "perceived dangers." The final sentence reinforces this by stating, "It is not the darkness itself, but the uncertainty and the lack of control associated with it, coupled with an active imagination, that primarily fuels a child's fear of the dark." Option 2 comprehensively captures all these essential elements.
- Why the other options are incorrect:
- 1) Children's fear of the dark is primarily caused by their vivid imaginations creating imaginary monsters and frightening scenarios: While imagination plays a role, the passage states it's the loss of sensory information that triggers the fear, and imagination then amplifies it by filling the void. It's not primarily caused by imagination alone.
- 3) The fear of the dark in children is largely learned from frightening stories and media, rather than being an innate response to darkness itself: The passage mentions that "exposure to frightening stories or media can contribute to these fears," but it explicitly states the core is an "innate survival mechanism" triggered by sensory deprivation. "Largely learned" contradicts the emphasis on innate response.
- 4) Children fear the dark because they are afraid of being alone and losing control, reflecting their general anxiety about separation from caregivers: The passage states these anxieties ("being alone, losing control, or the absence of protective figures") are amplified by the sensory deprivation and imagination, but they are not presented as the primary cause stemming directly from the darkness itself. The core is the loss of visual information and the subsequent uncertainty.
Top Para Summary MCQ Objective Questions
Direction: Identify the most appropriate summary for the paragraph.
As Soviet power declined, the world became to some extent multipolar, and Europe strove to define an independent identity. What a journey Europe has undertaken to reach this point. It had in every century changed its internal structure and invented new ways of thinking about the nature of international order. Now at the culmination of an era, Europe, in order to participate in it, felt obliged to set aside the political mechanisms through which it had conducted its affairs for three and a half centuries. Impelled also by the desire to cushion the emergent unification of Germany, the new European Union established a common currency in 2002 and a formal political structure in 2004. It proclaimed a Europe united, whole, and free, adjusting its differences by peaceful mechanisms.
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 6 Detailed Solution
Download Solution PDFThe correct answer is 'Europe has chosen to lower political and economic heterogeneity, in order to adapt itself to an emerging multi-polar world.'
Key Points
- The given passage is about Europe that really worked hard to define its own identity and the passage is describing the journey it has been on to achieve that independence.
- Option 2 gets eliminated as it means that the unification of Germany and the emergence of a multipolar world facilitated the establishment of a formal political structure in Europe. Instead, a formal political structure in Europe led to the unification of Germany and the emergence of a multipolar world.
- Option 3 gets eliminated because in the passage it is given that Europe had changed its internal structure and invented new ways of thinking about the nature of international order in each century.
- Option 4 gets eliminated as it fails to mention the main idea of the passage about Europe adapting to the multipolar world.
- The passage says that Europe restructured its internal structure and devised new forms of international order. To adapt to an emerging multi-polar world, it chose to reduce political and economic diversity by establishing a common currency in 2002 and a formal political structure in 2004.
- According to the given explanation, it can be understood that sentence 1 is the most appropriate summary for the paragraph.
- Therefore, option 1 is the correct answer.
Additional Information
- Let's refer to some important words from the given passage:
- declined: diminish in strength or quality; deteriorate.
- multipolar: polarized in several ways or directions.
- strove: make great efforts to achieve or obtain something.
- culmination: the highest or climactic point of something, especially as attained after a long time.
- obliged: make (someone) legally or morally bound to do something.
- Impelled: drive, force, or urge (someone) to do something.
- cushion: something providing support or protection against impact.
- unification: the process of being united or made into a whole.
Which one of the options does NOT describe the passage below or follow from it?
We tend to think of cancer as a ‘modern’ illness because its metaphors are so modern. It is a disease of overproduction, of sudden growth, a growth that is unstoppable, tipped into the abyss of no control. Modern cell biology encourages us to imagine the cell as a molecular machine. Cancer is that machine unable to quench its intial command (to grow) and thus transform into an indestructible, self-propelled automaton.
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 7 Detailed Solution
Download Solution PDFConcept:
We tend to think of cancer as a ‘modern’ illness because its metaphors are so modern. It is a disease of overproduction, of sudden growth, a growth that is unstoppable, tipped into the abyss of no control.
Modern cell biology encourages us to imagine the cell as a molecular machine. Cancer is that machine unable to quench its initial command (to grow) and thus transform into an indestructible, self-propelled automaton.
From the given information we can clearly see that modern cell biology uses figurative language, such as metaphors to describe modern illnesses like cancer.
Hence, the correct option is (D).
Direction: Identify the most appropriate summary for the paragraph.
For nearly a century most psychologists have embraced one view of intelligence. Individuals are born with more or less intelligence potential (I.Q.); this potential is heavily influenced by heredity and difficult to alter; experts in measurement can determine a person’s intelligence early in life, currently from paper-and-pencil measures, perhaps eventually from examining the brain in action or even scrutinizing his/her genome. Recently, criticism of this conventional wisdom has mounted. Biologists ask if speaking of a single entity called “intelligence” is coherent and question the validity of measures used to estimate the heritability of a trait in humans, who, unlike plants or animals, are not conceived and bred under controlled conditions.
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 8 Detailed Solution
Download Solution PDFThe correct answer is 'Biologists have questioned the long-standing view that ‘intelligence’ is a single entity and the attempts to estimate its heritability.'
Key Points
- The given passage is talking about the view of psychologists and biologists regarding intelligence.
- Options 1 and 2 get eliminated. Despite the fact that these two options discuss biologists questioning conventional wisdom, they make no mention of heritability, which is an important element in the given passage.
- Although option 4 appears to mention both intelligence and heritability, it is referring to the methods of inheriting intelligence rather than attempts to estimate its heritability.
- It is a long-held belief in psychologists that 'intelligence' is a single entity, and it can be measured by estimating its heritability.
- This long-held belief is being questioned by biologists. They question whether the concept of “intelligence” as a single entity is meaningful, and they question the validity of measures used to estimate the heritability of a trait in humans.
- From the given explanation, it can be understood that statement 3 is the most appropriate summary for the given paragraph.
- Therefore, option 3 is the correct answer.
Additional Information
- Let's learn some important words from the given passage:
- embraced: accept (a belief, theory, or change) willingly and enthusiastically.
- eventually: in the end, especially after a long delay, dispute, or series of problems.
- scrutinizing: examine or inspect closely and thoroughly.
- conventional: based on or in accordance with what is generally done or believed.
- mounted: grow larger or more numerous.
- coherent: (of an argument, theory, or policy) logical and consistent.
- heritability: Heritability is a statistic used in the fields of breeding and genetics that estimates the degree of variation in a phenotypic trait in a population that is due to genetic variation between individuals in that population.
- bred (breed): (of a person or animal) reared in a specified environment or way.
Direction: Identify the most appropriate summary for the paragraph.
For years, movies and television series like Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) paint an unrealistic picture of the “science of voices.” In the 1994 movie Clear and Present Danger an expert listens to a briefly recorded utterance and declares that the speaker is “Cuban, aged 35 to 45, educated in the [...] eastern the United States.” The recording is then fed to a supercomputer that matches the voice to that of a suspect, concluding that the probability of correct identification is 90%. This sequence sums up a good number of misimpressions about forensic phonetics, which have led to errors in real-life justice. Indeed, that movie scene exemplifies the so-called “CSI effect”—the phenomenon in which judges hold unrealistic expectations of the capabilities of forensic science.
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 9 Detailed Solution
Download Solution PDFThe correct answer is 'Movies and televisions have led to the belief that the use of forensic phonetics in legal investigations is robust and fool proof.'
Key Points
- The given passage is talking about the reality behind the “science of voices.”
- In the passage, the author emphasizes that films and television shows have painted an unrealistic picture of the "science of voices." It means that they picturise something that is not possible or achievable in real life. In movies and tv shows, they show that it is possible to identify the criminal using his voice records. Whereas in real life such experiments have been futile and resulted in failures.
- The author emphasizes that such sequences in movies or shows summarise a number of misconceptions about forensic phonetics that have resulted in errors in real-life justice.
- The word 'robust' means 'uncompromising and forceful' and the word 'foolproof' means 'incapable of going wrong or being misused.'
- From the given explanation, it can be understood that option 1 best summarizes the given paragraph.
- Therefore, option 1 is the correct answer.
Additional Information
- Let's learn some important words related to the given passage:
- robust: uncompromising and forceful.
- foolproof: incapable of going wrong or being misused.
- misimpressions: a faulty or incorrect impression.
- phonetics: the study and classification of speech sounds.
- exemplifies: be a typical example of.
- phenomenon: a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is in question.
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
The weight of society’s expectations is hardly a new phenomenon but it has become particularly draining over recent decades, perhaps because expectations themselves are so multifarious and contradictory. The perfectionism of the 1950s was rooted in the norms of mass culture and captured in famous advertising images of the ideal white American family that now seem self-satirising. In that era, perfectionism meant seamlessly conforming to values, behaviour and appearance: chiselled confidence for men, demure graciousness for women. The perfectionist was under pressure to look like everyone else, only more so. The perfectionists of today, by contrast, feel an obligation to stand out through their idiosyncratic style and wit if they are to gain a foothold in the attention economy.
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 10 Detailed Solution
Download Solution PDFThe passage discusses the evolution of societal expectations regarding perfectionism over time, contrasting the norms of the 1950s with those of today's attention economy:
- In the 1950s, perfectionism was about conforming to societal norms and mass culture ideals, portrayed through images like the ideal American family.
- Today, perfectionism involves standing out with unique style and wit to garner attention in the attention economy.
Now, let's evaluate the summaries:
-
Option 1: Incorrect
- This option focuses on the desire to attract attention but doesn't capture the contrast between conformity and non-conformism discussed in the passage.
-
Option 2: Incorrect
- While this option mentions the media's role in perpetuating ideals, it doesn't emphasize the evolution from conformity to non-conformism as central to the passage.
-
Option 3: Incorrect
- This option touches on the tension caused by changing definitions of perfectionism but doesn't clearly contrast the conformity of the past with the non-conformism of the present.
-
Option 4: Correct
- This option accurately summarizes the passage by highlighting the evolution of perfectionism from conformity in the 1950s to non-conformism today, where standing out is crucial in the attention economy. It encapsulates the essence of how societal expectations around perfectionism have changed over time.
Therefore, the correct summary that best captures the essence of the passage is Option 4: Though long-standing, the pressure to appear perfect and thereby attract attention, has evolved over time from one of conformism to one of non-conformism.
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
Vance Packard’s The Hidden Persuaders alerted the public to the psychoanalytical techniques used by the advertising industry. Its premise was that advertising agencies were using depth interviews to identify hidden consumer motivations, which were then used to entice consumers to buy goods. Critics and reporters often wrongly assumed that Packard was writing mainly about subliminal advertising. Packard never mentioned the word subliminal, however, and devoted very little space to discussions of “subthreshold” effects. Instead, his views largely aligned with the notion that individuals do not always have access to their conscious thoughts and can be persuaded by supraliminal messages without their knowledge.
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 11 Detailed Solution
Download Solution PDFSolution :
There is a clear difference between the choices with respect to supraliminal and subliminal. The passage clearly tells us that Packard believed in supraliminal images, not subliminal. Thus 3 and 1 go out. We have to choose between 4 and 2.
Statement 2 says people are aware, while statement 4 says that people are not aware. The passage too says that people are not aware. Thus option 4 is the best choice.
This was a very simple question.
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
Physics is a pure science that seeks to understand the behaviour of matter without regard to whether it will afford any practical benefit. Engineering is the correlative applied science in which physical theories are put to some specific use, such as building a bridge or a nuclear reactor. Engineers obviously rely heavily on the discoveries of physicists, but an engineer's knowledge of the world is not the same as the physicist's knowledge. In fact, an engineer's know-how will often depend on physical theories that, from the point of view of pure physics, are false. There are some reasons for this. First, theories that are false in the purest and strictest sense are still sometimes very good approximations to the true ones, and often have the added virtue of being much easier to work with. Second, sometimes the true theories apply only under highly idealized conditions which can only be created under controlled experimental situations. The engineer finds that in the real world, theories rejected by physicists yield more accurate predictions than the ones that they accept.
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 12 Detailed Solution
Download Solution PDFSolution :
The passage broadly talks about the difference between purse science and applied science, i.e. engineering. Further the author says that engineers might find even those theories of physics useful that from the point of view of pure physics are false. Option 2 precisely captures that. It says that engineering incorporates the constraints and conditions of physics in the real world.
Option 1 says the relationship is strictly linear, but that is not the case. Had that been the case, the false theories of pure science could not have been used by engineers for accurate predictions.
Option 3 goes out because it does not even mention the word pure science. It solely focuses on engineers, ignoring the relationship between purse science and engineering.
Option 4 gives a summary that is totally different from the what the passage discusses.
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
A distinguishing feature of language is our ability to refer to absent things, known as displaced reference. A speaker can bring distant referents to mind in the absence of any obvious stimuli. Thoughts, not limited to the here and now, can pop into our heads for unfathomable reasons. This ability to think about distant things necessarily precedes the ability to talk about them. Thought precedes meaningful referential communication. A prerequisite for the emergence of human-like meaningful symbols is that the mental categories they relate to can be invoked even in the absence of immediate stimuli.
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 13 Detailed Solution
Download Solution PDFSolution :
Everything is good with option 1 except that it says only humans have the ability to think, something that is nowhere to found in the passage. 1 can be ruled out.
Option 3 goes out because displaced reference is a distinguishing feature of language, not of humans. Option 3 can be ruled out.
Option 4 goes out because the passage says that thought precedes all meaningful communication, while option 4 says that thought precedes all speech acts, something that may not always be the case. Thus option 4 too goes out.
Option 2 is succinct and does not have any distortions or misrepresentations.
The song of birds is one of the loveliest sounds in nature. Sometimes when we are out in the country and we hear birds singing, it seems to us they are calling back and forth, that they are telling one another something. The fact is that birds do communicate with one another, just as many other animals do. Of course, at times the sounds birds make are more expressions of joy, just as we may make cries of‘Oh!’ and ‘Ah!’. But for the most part, the sounds that birds make are attempts at communication. A mother hen makes sounds that warns her children of danger and causes them to crouch down motionless. Then she gives another call which collects them together. When wild birds migrate at night, they cry out. These cries may keep the birds together and help lost ones return to the flock. But the language of birds is different from language as we use it. We use words to express ideas and these words have to be learned. Birds don’t learn their language. It is an inborn instinct with them. In one experiment, for example, chicks were kept-away, from cocks and hens so they would not hear the sounds they made. Yet when they grew up they were able to make those sounds just like the chicks that had grown up with cocks and hens! This does not mean that birds can’t learn how to sing. In fact some birds can learn the songs of other birds. This is how the Mocking bird gets its name. Read carefully ,the above passage and answer the following question: Birds need not learn their language as..........
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 14 Detailed Solution
Download Solution PDF- The passage clearly states that birds’ ability to make sounds for communication is not learned but is an inborn instinct.
- It is explained that birds do not need to learn their language because it comes naturally to them from birth, as evidenced by the experiment with chicks.
- The other options: "it is tough to learn," "it is only a quality with humans," and "it is developed with extra intelligence" do not correctly describe the reason given in the passage.
Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 3'.
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
Several of the world’s earliest cities were organised along egalitarian lines. In some regions, urban populations governed themselves for centuries without any indication of the temples and palaces that would later emerge; in others, temples and palaces never emerged at all, and there is simply no evidence of a class of administrators or any other sort of ruling stratum. It would seem that the mere fact of urban life does not, necessarily, imply any particular form of political organization, and never did. Far from resigning us to inequality, the picture that is now emerging of humanity’s past may open our eyes to egalitarian possibilities we otherwise would have never considered.
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Para Summary Question 15 Detailed Solution
Download Solution PDFThe correct answer is: Option 1: "We now have the evidence in support of the existence of an egalitarian urban life in some ancient cities, where political and civic organisation was far less hierarchical."
Key Points
- Option 1 captures the essence of the passage effectively by highlighting the existence of egalitarian urban life in some ancient cities and the less hierarchical political and civic organization.
- The passage emphasizes that the mere fact of urban life does not necessarily imply a particular form of political organization, and that some ancient cities were organized along egalitarian lines without temples, palaces, or a ruling stratum.
- Therefore, the primary message is about the historical evidence of egalitarian urban life and its implications for our understanding of political organization.
Hence, the correct answer is: Option 1.
Additional Information
- The other options are incorrect because:
- Option 2: "Contrary to our assumption that urban settlements have always involved hierarchical political and administrative structures, ancient cities were not organised in this way.": This option is incorrect because it focuses on challenging an assumption rather than highlighting the evidence of egalitarian urban life.
- Option 3: "The emergence of a class of administrators and ruling stratum transformed the egalitarian urban life of ancient cities to the hierarchical civic organisations of today.": This option is incorrect because it introduces the idea of transformation to today's hierarchical organizations, which is not discussed in the passage.
- Option 4: "The lack of hierarchical administration in ancient cities can be deduced by the absence of religious and regal structures such as temples and palaces.": This option is incorrect because it focuses on the deduction from the absence of structures rather than the broader point about egalitarian urban life.