Top 15+ XAT Para Summary Questions with Solutions PDF

Question 1

Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in.

Which of the following options can be BEST concluded from the passage?

A

To claim to know anything we must apply it in a situation and then judge ourselves.

B

How we label ourselves depends entirely on how much we have fought for that label.

C

Unless we are put to test for our beliefs, we do not know what our true beliefs are

D

Most of the population does not know what being bad or being good actually is.

E

To claim to be good people, we should know what temptation means

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Solution

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The essence of the passage is that only someone who acts good knows how hard it can be to tempt evil. A person who does evil has already given in and hence does not know how much more he would have had to face the hardships. A good man, on the other hand, is still putting up the fight and hence knows the extent of the hardships he would have to face.

The question asks for what bet can be concluded. Let's take a look at each option individually:

Option A: The idea of judging ourselves is not present. Further, the idea is not that to know anything, we must apply ourselves to it; the idea of resisting temptation can not be connected to this in a sensible manner.

Option B: This is also fetched from the text's central idea, It is not about the labels of good or bad or who gets to call themselves good, but about what it means to know the temptations of falling to the other side.

Option C: This is the best of the given options, essentially carrying a higher meaning that is present in the text. An idea similar to "having principles is easy until they are tested". The text is about how anyone can give in to temptations and stop being good, and they might never even face the real hard temptations. Only a good person can claim to have known temptation since he has been through it all. Hence, unless you have tested your belief of being good, you can not tell your true beliefs. You might think you are good, but if you falter at the slightest inconvenience, your beliefs might be unjustified.

Option D: This is an easy elimination. Nowhere is it implied that most people are not good, so this can be concluded.

Option E: This essentially repeats what the passage wants to say but in the reverse order. It is not that knowing temptations makes you a good person, but a good person knows what temptation is.

Therefore, Option C is the correct answer.

Question 1

Read the following excerpt carefully.

In the future, hydrogen may form a significant part of our energy systems. Today it is mostly used in oil refineries and fertiliser but in the future hydrogen could power our cars, heat our homes, and fuel industry. A recent McKinsey study suggested that in less than 25 years, hydrogen could account for 18% of global energy consumption and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from current levels by some 6 gigatons….

Which of the following sentences will MOST logically complete the above excerpt?

A

The impact of such a change in the energy system would be huge, potentially generating $2,500 billion in revenue globally and creating more than 30 million jobs.

B

Germany unsuccessfully experimented with trains fuelled by hydrogen.

C

Hydrogen can be made through reformation, electrolysis, or pyrolysis, comes labelled in different colours from simple green to more complicated turquoise, can be stored as a gas, cryogenic liquid, converted to ammonia or even borane and then finally made useful through a fuel cell, engine, or burner.

D

Despite the potential, 90% of the general population knew nothing about hydrogen technology.

E

Earlier, experts thought that hydrogen fuel would be too expensive

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Question 2

When facing various challenges, people in today’s digital world heavily rely on private, online information-seeking behaviour. Individuals who experience depression will often attempt to understand their predicament and seek remedy by searching the Internet for depression-related information and treatment. A recent report says that there exists evidence of many searches comprising the word depression, during and just after the elections, in country Y. So, it can be concluded that the election is experienced by many people in country Y as a truly psychologically traumatizing event—and as such as being potentially depressionogenic.

Which of the following statements MOST seriously weakens the conclusion drawn in the passage?

A

Election is a festival in some countries, people happily choose their leader by casting votes.

B

A survey in country Y shows that an election can cause a significant increase in the average level of depression.

C

Depression-related advertisements are on the rise during and just after the election in country Y.

D

Many people do not use the Internet in country X.

E

Per day sale of anti-depression drugs is constant across the years in country Y.

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Question 3

Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

As a generation, we are rethinking what we are to others. Our technological prowess has become a wireless lifeline for others. Some of us apply ourselves to innovation: hackathons and other forms of technological creativity. Our families look to us to know how to use technology both to waste time and to make meaning. Some of us set up FaceTime for those denied face-to-face time. We show them it will be OK, that digital relationships are real relationships - though in fact we are not always sure.

Which of the following will be the most MEANINGFUL conclusion of the passage?

A

Technological advancement helps society derive meaning from work

B

The Pandemic has increased societal dependence on technology

C

Technology is destroying families and communities

D

Technology usage has changed social relations for this generation

E

Change is the only constant in life, so people must embrace technology

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Question 1

Read the excerpt carefully and answer the following question.
The over-whelming preponderance of people have not freely decided what to believe, but, rather, have been socially conditioned (indoctrinated) into their beliefs. They are unreflective thinkers.
Which of the following statements CANNOT be concluded from the excerpt?

A

A normal thinker finds it difficult to recognize what is happening to them

B

Beliefs that appear normal and natural heighten their acceptance

C

A lot of people end up believing what they passionately oppose

D

Things that we do automatically need to be reflected upon

E

The inability to criticize one’s belief leads to indoctrination

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Question 2

Read the passage carefully and answer the following question.

Geologists have been investigating a potential cycle in geological events for a long time. Back in the 1920s and 30s, scientists of the era had suggested that the geological record had a 30-million-year cycle, while in the 1980s and 90s researchers used the best-dated geological events at the time to give them a range of the length between 'pulses' of 26.2 to 30.6 million years. Now, everything seems to be in order -27.5 million years is right about where we'd expect. A study late last year suggested that this 27.5-million-year mark is when mass extinctions happen, too.

Which of the following statements can be BEST concluded from the passage?

A

Not all species go extinct once every 27.5 million years

B

“Pulse” between geological events is constant

C

All species go extinct once every 27.5 million years

D

Geological disasters happen sporadically

E

Mass extinctions and “geological pulse” are correlated

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Solution

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The paragraph talks about how geological events occur in a cycle, and research has found the period of the cycle to be around 27.5million years. It also mentions that mass extinctions occur at this 27.5millions years, too.

From this we can see that geological events and mass extinctions both occur around the same time and thus are correlated to each other. Hence, option E is the answer.

Option A: the passage mentions that mass extinctions happen every 27.5million years, but it is not the main idea of the passage.

Option B: The passage says that the length between pulses is 26.2 and 30.6million years and in general occurs around 27.5million years. Thus, it is not a constant value.

Option C: It is incorrect since the paragraph only talks about mass extinction. Whether all species go extinct or not is not mentioned.

Option D: The passage is talking about geological events occurring in a cycle. Hence, it is incorrect.

Question 3

Read the passage carefully and answer the following question.
One theory of accidents is what experts call the Swiss Cheese model. A slab of swiss cheese has several holes, randomly and unevenly distributed over its surface. If several slabs are stacked together, it would be impossible for something to slip through unless all the holes happen to line up.
If even one slab doesn’t align, the impending catastrophe will meet a layer of resistance, and the worst is averted. Aviation professionals will tell you that plane crashes never happen for a single reason. There may be an identifiable primary factor, but it’s usually a chain of events, an array of circumstances neatly piling up.
Which of the following statements can be BEST concluded from the passage?

A

Averting catastrophe is actually easier than it seems

B

Any historically relevant event is an accident because it involves a chain of preceding events

C

Accidents cannot be averted since a chain of events have to be averted to avert accidents

D

A catastrophe can be averted if the preceding array of events meets resistance

E

Any disaster is a culmination of many events happening in a particular order

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Question 1

Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

Twitter is not on the masthead of a newspaper. But Twitter has become its ultimate editor. As the ethics and mores of that platform have become those of the paper, the paper itself has increasingly become a kind of performance space. Stories are chosen and told in a way to satisfy the narrowest of audiences, rather than to allow a curious public to read about the world and then draw their own conclusions.

Based on the passage, the writer’s disappointment can be BEST summarised as:

A

Newspapers fear to speak outside the narrow confines of social media.

B

Newspapers get influenced by the followers on social-media platforms.

C

Newspapers cave into the narratives shared on social-media platforms.

D

Newspapers create their own narratives to control the audience.

E

Newspapers are ready to compromise with their ethics.

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Question 1

Carefully read the following statement:

The payoff from ________ in education is so ______ and _______ that it is almost ________ as a predictor of economic change over a five to ten year period.

Fill in the blanks meaningfully, in the above statement, from the following options.

A

Expenditure, small, insignificant, irrelevant

B

Productivity, small, erratic, useless

C

Expenditure, fast, significant, powerful

D

Investment, slow, erratic, useless

E

Investment, slow, predictable, irrelevant

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Question 2

Carefully read the following paragraphs:

The Lannisters had ______ gold than the Tyrells until the Lannister army sacked Highgarden and took the Tyrell fortune to pay back the Iron Bank. On the other hand, the Northern army has ______ than 10,000 men and therefore, Jon needs to bend the knee to Daenerys. What happens in the story next is dependent on George R. Martin, the writer of the series. For ______, he has not written anything further and we hope George R. Martin will get around to finishing the book _______. But as it happens, ________, book releases are delayed.

Fill in the blanks meaningfully, in the above paragraph, from the following options.

A

less, fewer, some time, sometime, sometimes

B

fewer, less, sometime, some time, sometimes

C

less, fewer, sometime, some time, sometimes

D

fewer, less, sometimes, sometime, some time

E

fewer, less, some time, sometime, sometimes

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Question 3

Carefully read the following statement:

Though he thought of himself as a/an ______ person, his boss's abusive behaviour made him talk back. However, as he engaged in a/an _______ with his boss, all he got in response was a/an _______, which only filled him with _____

Fill in the blanks meaningfully, in the above statement, from the following options:

A

nonchalant, remonstration, philippic, ennui

B

insouciant, philippic, remonstration, ennui

C

philippic, remonstration, ennui, insouciance

D

ennui, philippic, insouciance, remonstration

E

nonchalant, ennui, philippic, remonstration

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Question 1

In the traditions of many religions throughout the world (including Judaeo - Christian beliefs), there has long been a sustained belief that the Universe as we know it today did not exist forever in the past, and that there was a spontaneous act which gave birth to all that has been, and all that will be. In other words, the Universe itself has not been eternal as our senses might indicate at first glance, …

Which of the following options can meaningfully complete the above sentence?

A

but has a limited lifespan after its creation.

B

but our senses give us the right knowledge.

C

however, on second glance, our religious beliefs are right.

D

however, it is a ball of intense energy

E

however, it could not have been created.

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Question 2

It is a curious historical fact that modern quantum mechanics began with two quite different mathematical formulations: the Schrödinger equation and Heisenberg's matrix algebra. The two, apparently dissimilar, approaches were proved to be mathematically equivalent.

Which of the following sentences would most meaningfully follow the above paragraph?

A

The two approaches did not start with the same mathematical formulations.

B

These two points of view were destined to complement one another and were ultimately synthesized in Dirac’s transformation theory.

C

A third mathematical formulation given by Feynman combines the matrix algebra of Heisenberg and Integral calculus of Leibniz.

D

Quantum mechanics evolved in the twentieth century and came very close to particle physics, especially after the CERN experiments in Switzerland.

E

Earlier, the two formulations were mathematically similar

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Question 1

Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate option that follows:
............. wolf, meeting with .....lamb astray from .....fold, resolved not to lay violent hands on him, but to find some plea to justify to ....... lamb ........... wolf's right to eat him.

A

a, a, the, the, the

B

the, a, the, a, the

C

a, a, a, the, the

D

the, the, the, the, the

E

the, a, the, a, a

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Question 2

. .............. bat who fell upon.................. ground and was caught by................ weasel pleaded to be spared his life. ...... ..weasel refused, saying that he was by nature ................... enemy of all birds. .................. bat assured him that he was not .................. bird, but ............... mouse, and thus was set free.

A

a, the, a, the, the, the, the, a

B

a, the, a, the, a, the, a, a

C

the, a, a, the, the, a, the, the

D

a, the, a, the, the, the, a, a

E

the, a, a, a, the, the, a, a

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Question 3

He got .......... next morning, to be sure, and had his meals ................ usual, though he ate .................. and had more, I am afraid, than his usual supply of rum, for he helped himself...... the bar, scowling and blowing.............. his nose, and no one dared................... cross him.

A

Down, like, a little, out of, out, to

B

Down, as, little, of, out, to

C

Downstairs, as, little, out of, out of, through

D

Downstairs, like, a little, out, of, to

E

Down, like, a little, of, of through

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Question 1

Impressions are direct, vivid, and forceful products of immediate experience; ideas are merely feeble copies of these original impressions.

Assuming the above statement is true, which of the statements logically follow from it?
I. Every impression leads to an idea.
II. Ideas must follow an antecedent impression.
III. The colour of the 2011 XAT test booklet right in front of a candidate is an impression to her, whereas the memory of the colour of her television set is an idea.
IV. If one was interested in origin of the idea of the colour of a television set, then one need to understand the impressions from which this idea was derived.

A

I & III

B

II & III

C

II & IV

D

II, III & IV

E

I, II, III & IV

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XAT Para Summary Questions

XAT Para Summary Questions

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