VARCTEST - JUNE 05 (LIVE)

Directions for questions 1 to 4: The passage given below is followed
by a set of four questions. Choose the most appropriate answer to each
question.

The man with passive aggressive behavior needs someone to be the
object of his hidden hostility. He needs an adversary whose
expectations and demands he can resist as he plays out the dance he
learned from his parents. He chooses a woman who will agree to be on
the receiving end of his disowned anger. He resists her in small ways
setting up a pattern of frustration so that she gets to express the
anger that he cannot.

The biggest irritant in being with a passive aggressive man is that he
doesn't follow through on his agreements and promises. He dodges
responsibility while insisting he's pulling his weight. He
procrastinates, takes on big projects but doesn't finish them then
feels put upon or hostile if someone else tries to finish them. He
often ignores reality as to his irresponsibility and withdrawal. He
denies evidence, distorts, minimalizes or lies to make his version of
reality seem logical.

He uses vague language to sandbag the partner. Inconsistency and
ambiguity are his tools of choice. He often gives double messages and
expects his partner to read his mind and meet his needs saying 'She
should have known how it is.' He withholds information and has a
hidden agenda. He can't take criticism and makes excuses to get
himself off the hook. He sulks and uses silence when confronted about
his inability to live up to his promises, obligations or
responsibilities. When he doesn't follow through, he puts the blame on
his partner so he doesn't have to take it and accuses her of having
the problem.

He may have multiple relationships with women as a way of keeping
distant from one fully committed relationship. He is confused about
which woman he wants and stays caught between the two women in his
life not being able to commit fully to either. He is confused and
can't understand why the women get so angry with him. He feels others
demand too much of him so resists in overt and subtle ways and feels
deprived if he must give in to others. The man who copes with conflict
by not being there has strong conflict over dependency. He desperately
wants attention but fears being swallowed up by the partner. He can't
be
alone and live without a woman in his life, but can't be with the
partner emotionally. He's caught in a Catch 22—wanting affection but
avoiding it because he fears it as his destruction. He resents feeling
dependent
on the woman so must keep her off guard. He makes his partner feel
like a nothing through his neglect or irritability but he keeps her
around because he needs her. His script is 'Be here for me, but don't
come too
close and don't burden me with your needs or expectations.'

He has such strong fears of intimacy deep in his unconscious mind so
he must set up barriers to prevent a deep emotional connection. He is
clever at derailing intimacy when it comes up by tuning out his
partner
and changing the subject. He must withhold part of himself to feel
safe and may withdraw. Closeness and intimacy may make him feel
vulnerable and panicked bringing forth his deepest fears of dependency
upon a woman. The passive aggressive man lives an internal loneliness;
he wants to be with the woman but stays confused whether she is the
right partner for him or not. He is scared and insecure causing him to
seek contact with a partner but too scared and insecure to fully commit.

1. Which of the following would be an apt theme for the passage?

(a) The behavioral tendencies of a passive aggressive man.
(b) The way in which the passive aggressive man treats a partner.
(c) The reasons for a man's passive aggressive behavior with a partner.
(d) The object of the affection of a passive aggressive man.

2. Which of the following cannot be inferred as a characteristic of
the passive aggressive man?

(a) An unrealistic assessment of his own capabilities.
(b) A feeling of anger, which is not openly displayed.
(c) A tendency to send out mixed signals to a partner.
(d) A need for attention along with a fear of intimacy.

3. The tone of the passage is:

(a) Narrative (b) Analytical (c) Derogatory (d) Descriptive

4. According to the passage, which of the following can be inferred as
a cause of passive aggressive behaviour?

(a) The lack of responsibility, along with the desire to frustrate
others and create anger in them.
(b) The deep-rooted fears about intimacy with a woman, which would
later cause pain.
(c) The fear arising from the belief that intimacy and emotional
connection can lead to dependency and destruction of self.
(d) Lack of intimacy with parents, which results in fears of intimacy
with others.

5. The word given below has been used in sentences in four different
ways. Choose the option corresponding to the sentence in which the
usage of the word is incorrect or inappropriate.

Give
(a) We were afraid that the rickety bed would give under the weight of
ten people.
(b) These leather trousers may be fashionable but they have no give.
(c) The politician promised to give the ground on the issue of reforms
after his discussion with the party chief.
(d) During cross-examination the lawyers forced Mani to give himself away.

6. The word given below has been used in sentences in four different
ways. Choose the option corresponding to the sentence in which the
usage of the word is incorrect or inappropriate.

Bring
(a) Bolivar ultimately failed to bring off a military coup.
(b) The cab was expected to bring in a lot of money as rent every month.
(c) In lackluster form, the team was expected to bring out the rear in
the competition.
(d) To bring about a revolution, the mindset of the entire nation
needs to be changed.

7. A paragraph is given below from which the last sentence has been
deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the
paragraph in the most appropriate way.

For a start, Soma is a very one-dimensional euphoriant. It gives rise
to only a shallow, unempathetic and intellectually uninteresting
well-being. It doesn't catalyse any mystical epiphanies, intellectual
breakthroughs or life-defining insights. It doesn't in any way promote
personal growth. Instead, Soma provides a mindless, inauthentic
"imbecile happiness" - a vacuous escapism, which makes people
comfortable with their lack of freedom.

(a) As a drug Soma, is quite unique in the sense that, it induces a
stupor that insulates one from the otherwise inescapable miseries of
life.
(b) Soma is a narcotic that raises "a quite impenetrable wall between
the actual universe and the users' minds."
(c) In short, Soma, as a perfect pleasure drug, overwhelms one's
senses and induces bouts of energy.
(d) Like all other narcotics, it is likely to induce hallucinations
and cause more harm than good.

8. A paragraph is given below from which the last sentence has been
deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the
paragraph in the most appropriate way.

The goal of Linden Lab is to create a user-defined Metaverse-like
"Virtual World" in which users or "residents" can interact, play and
participate in other activities. However, Second Life is much more
than a 3D virtual world for entertainment. Linden Lab sees itself as
being in the business of hosting and facilitating "consumer
experience" innovation. Second Life offers diverse types of
experiences to its residents.

(a) There are a number of in-world business and user-groups founded
specifically for the virtual world.
(b) In short, Second Life is a massive experiment in collaborative
experience innovation.
(c) These experiences are not created by Linden Lab; they are created
collaboratively by the residents through individual creativity and
interactions.
(d) The role of Linden Labs is to provide the context and the tools
for residents to create those experiences.


Directions for questions 9 to 12: The passage given below is followed
by a set of four questions. Choose the most appropriate answer to each
question.

Why are we here? Where did we come from? The answer generally given
was that humans were of comparatively recent origin, because it must
have been obvious, even at early times, that the human race
was improving in knowledge and technology. So it can't have been
around that long, or it would have progressed even more. For example,
according to Bishop Usher, the Book of Genesis placed the creation
of the world at 9 in the morning on October the 27th, 4,004 BC. On the
other hand, the physical surroundings, like mountains and rivers,
change very little in a human lifetime. They were therefore thought to
be a constant background, and either to have existed forever as an
empty landscape, or to have been created at the same time as the
humans. Not everyone, however, was happy with the idea that the
universe had a
beginning.

For example, Aristotle, the most famous of the Greek philosophers,
believed the universe had existed forever. Something eternal is more
perfect than something created. He suggested the reason we see
progress was that floods, or other natural disasters, had repeatedly
set civilization back to the beginning. The motivation for believing
in an eternal universe was the desire to avoid invoking divine
intervention to
create the universe and set it going. Conversely, those who believed
the universe had a beginning, used it as an argument for the existence
of God as the first cause, or prime mover, of the universe.

If one believed that the universe had a beginning, the obvious
question was what happened before the beginning? What was God doing
before He made the world? Was He preparing Hell for people who asked
such questions? The problem of whether or not the universe had a
beginning was a great concern to the German philosopher, Immanuel
Kant. He felt there were logical contradictions, or antimonies, either
way. If the universe had a beginning, why did it wait an infinite time
before it began? He called that the thesis. the other hand, if the
universe had existed forever, why did it take an infinite time to
reach the present
stage? He called that the antithesis. Both the thesis and the
antithesis depended on Kant's assumption, along with almost everyone
else, that time was Absolute. That is to say, it went from the
infinite past to the
infinite future, independently of any universe that might or might not
exist in this background. This is still the picture in the mind of
many scientists today.

However in 1915, Einstein introduced his revolutionary General Theory
of Relativity. In this, space and time were no longer Absolute, no
longer a fixed background to events. Instead, they were dynamical
quantities
that were shaped by the matter and energy in the universe. They were
defined only within the universe, so it made no sense to talk of a
time before the universe began. It would be like asking for a point
south of the
South Pole. It is not defined. If the universe was essentially
unchanging in time, as was generally assumed before the 1920s, there
would be no reason that time should not be defined arbitrarily far
back. Any socalled
beginning of the universe would be artificial, in the sense that one
could extend the history back to earlier times. Thus it might be that
the universe was created last year, but with all the memories and
physical evidence, to look like it was much older. This raises deep
philosophical questions about the meaning of existence.

9. Which of the following can be concluded on the basis of the passage?

A. Einstein's General Theory of Relativity implied that time before
the beginning of the universe cannot be defined.
B. Aristotle conceived the idea that the universe did not have a beginning.
C. Einstein's General Theory of Relativity implied that time cannot be measured.
(a) Only A (b) B and C (c) A and B (d) Only C

10. How did the beliefs of Immanuel Kant and Aristotle, regarding the
beginning of the universe, differ?

(a) Kant found logical contradictions in Aristotle's ideas.
(b) Both Kant and Aristotle were mistaken as they had assumed time to
be Absolute.
(c) Aristotle believed the creation of the universe could not be
attributed to God whereas Kant disagreed.
(d) Kant rejected Aristotle's beliefs as erroneous.

11. Which of the following best captures the impact of Einstein's
General Theory of Relativity on the debate regarding the beginning of
the universe?

(a) It proved that all existing theories were incorrect.
(b) It resolved the debate beyond any question.
(c) It proved that the universe could have been created at any time.
(d) It took away a central assumption and rendered the debate pointless.

12. Which one of the following cannot be inferred from the passage?

(a) The extent of progress that we've achieved suggests that human
beings came into existence recently.
(b) Religious texts are frequently inaccurate regarding the time of
the beginning of the universe.
(c) Many in the scientific community still believe in the absolute
nature of time.
(d) If the universe has existed forever its creation cannot be
attributed to a prime mover or creator.


13. Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows.

News Reporter: There are rumours that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
will reshuffle his cabinet in the next few days. But, all the previous
reshuffles took place only after a high level meeting between Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. No such
meeting has occurred or is planned. Therefore, the rumours are false.
Which of the following most clearly states the logical flaw in the
argument?

(a) The news reporter has mistakenly considered the mandatory
condition as a sufficient condition and has based his/her conclusion
on that.
(b) The news reporter, instead of providing adequate support to his
conclusion, concludes on the basis of popular perception.
(c) The news reporter assumes if one event leads to another, then if
the first does not take place it would mean that the second event
would also not happen.
(d) The news reporter takes for granted that a high level meeting
between the PM and the UPA chairperson is a desirable precursor of any
cabinet reshuffle.




1. (b) Option (b) is correct, as the major or primary content
of the passage is – the behavior of the passive
aggressive man with a partner. Option (a) is general
when compared to option (b). Option (c) is incorrect,
as the passage is not focused on analyzing the
reasons for passive aggressive behaviour. In fact,
the reasons are discussed only in the last paragraph.
Option (d) is incorrect, as "the object of affection" can
be interpreted in many ways and is insufficient to
express the theme of the passage.

2. (a) Option (a) is not supported by the passage. It is given
that the passive aggressive man "denies evidence,
distorts, minimalizes or lies to make his version of
reality seem logical." But we cannot take an inference
that he is unrealistic about his own capabilities. Option
(b) can be inferred from the first paragraph. Refer to
phrases like "his disowned anger" or "she gets to
express the anger that he cannot". Option (c) can
also be inferred from the lines in paragraph 3. "He
uses vague language to sandbag the partner.
Inconsistency and ambiguity are his tools of choice.
He often gives double messages…"
3. d The passage merely describes the psychological
condition (passive aggressive behaviour) and its
causes without evaluating or analyzing them. This
makes option (d) the best choice.

4. (c) Option (a) describes a symptom of passive aggressive
behaviour and not a cause. Option (b) is incorrect as
it simply states that a passive aggressive man fears
intimacy, but this again is more a symptom/observed
behaviour rather than the cause of the behaviour.
Option (c) delves into the cause of this fear of intimacy,
which is rooted in a deeper fear of dependency and
self-destruction. This makes (c) the answer. Option
(d) can be eliminated as lack of intimacy with parents
isn't mentioned or implied in the passage.

5. (c) Option (a) is correct. 'Give' can also mean 'To yield to
physical force'. Option (b) is also correct. 'Give' used
as a noun means 'the quality or state of being springy
or flexible'. Option (c) is incorrect. 'Give ground', which
means 'to give some concession' would have been
correct here. The use of the article 'the' is incorrect.
Option (d) is correct as 'give away' means 'to disclose
or betray'.

6. (c) Option (a) is correct. 'Bring off' means 'to carry to a
successful conclusion'. Option (b) is correct. 'Bring in'
means 'to produce or earn profit'. In option (c) 'bring
out the rear' is incorrect. It should be 'bring up the rear'
which means 'to come last or behind'. 'Bring about' in
option (d) means to 'to cause to take place'.

7. (b) The paragraph is critical of this drug called Soma.
According to the author it delivers no 'life defining
insights'. What it does is induce a 'mindless, imbecile
happiness – a vacuous escapism". In such a context
the best answer would be (b) as such a drug may
very well insulate the user from reality. Option (a) can
be eliminated as the drug is spoken about as some
sort of deliverance from misery. This is a shift from the
tone of the paragraph, which is critical of the drug.
Option (c) speaks about the drug's stimulating effect,
which is a complete departure from the paragraph.
Option (d) can be eliminated as the focus here is on
the immediate effect of the drug.

8. (c) Option (c) is the correct answer as it continues the
idea of experiences that Second Life offers; 'these
experiences' refer to 'types of experiences' discussed
in the last line. Option (a) is incorrect as it breaks the
link of the paragraph by discussing business and user
groups. Both options (b) and (d) can seem close.
However, options (b) and (d) build upon an idea that
needs to be expressed first, viz. option (c). First, we
need to state that these experiences are created
collaboratively by the residents only then can we bring
in option (b) or (d). Option (b) is a conclusion about
Second Life being an experiment in collaborative
experience innovation. Option (d) mentions how Linden
Labs provides tools to the residents to create these
experiences.

9. (a) Refer to the last paragraph "…Einstein introduced his
revolutionary General Theory of Relativity. In this,
space and time were no longer Absolute, no longer a
fixed background to events. Instead, they were
dynamical quantities that were shaped by the matter
and energy in the universe. They were defined only
within the universe, so it made no sense to talk of a
time before the universe began." From this we can
conclude option (a). Option (b) is be is incorrect.
Aristotle believed that the universe did not have a
beginning, but we cannot know if he was the one
who conceived the idea. Option (c) also cannot be
concluded as the author states that time was defined
within the universe, which implies that within limits it
can be measured.

10. (a) Aristotle believed that the universe had existed
forever. However, Kant had called this into question.
Refer to the lines "He felt there were logical
contradictions, or antimonies, either way." and "On
the other hand, if the universe had existed forever,
why did it take an infinite time to reach the present
stage?" Option (b), although correct according to the
passage, represents an idea they had in common. It
does not demonstrate how they differed. Option (c) is
not supported by the passage. We are told, "The
motivation for believing in an eternal universe was the
desire to avoid invoking divine intervention to create
the universe and set it going." However, we cannot
state conclusively if Aristotle believed in this. Kant's
views on the subject are not stated anywhere. Option
(d) is too extreme.

11. (d) The answer can be arrived at by reading the last two
paragraphs. The argument being described was
essentially between two groups. One group believed
the universe had existed forever and the other that
believed it had a beginning. However, both sides had
assumed something. "Both the thesis and the antithesis
depended on Kant's assumption, along with almost
everyone else, that time was Absolute."
However, according to Einstein's theory, "space and
time were no longer Absolute, no longer a fixed
background to events. Instead, they were dynamical
quantities…They were defined only within the
universe, so it made no sense to talk of a time before
the universe began" This is essentially conveyed by
option (d). All the other options can be eliminated. Option
(b) can be rejected, as the debate was not resolved.
It is also important to remember that Einstein's theory
did not 'prove' or 'disprove' anything regarding the
question of whether the universe had a beginning or
not. Therefore, options (a) and (c) can be eliminated.

12. (b) All the other options can be inferred. Refer to the
lines, " …that humans were of comparatively recent
origin, because it must have been obvious, even at
early times, that the human race was improving in
knowledge and technology. So it can't have been
around that long, or it would have progressed even
more." This provides support for option (a). Option (c)
can be inferred from the lines, "Kant's assumption,
along with almost everyone else, that time was Absolute
…This is still the picture in the mind of many scientists
today."
Option (d) can be inferred from these lines in paragraph
2 "The motivation for believing in an eternal universe
was the desire to avoid invoking divine intervention to
create the universe and set it going".

13. (c) In the question statement, the news reporter has
concluded that there will be no cabinet reshuffle, as
the high level meeting did not take place. But from the
information given it cannot be inferred that the high
level meeting is a necessary condition for the cabinet
reshuffle to take place. In other words, a reshuffle
could also happen without a high level meeting. This is
the central flaw in the news reporter's argument. This
is best expressed in option (c). Option (a) is incorrect,
what it describes is the reverse of what has happened
in the argument. Option (b) is incorrect, as we cannot
assume that the news reporter's conclusion is based
on popular perception. More importantly it brings in
information, which is outside the scope of the
argument. Option (d) is incorrect, as it does not explain
the logical flaw. There is nothing wrong in considering
the high level meeting a desirable precursor, but it is
not the necessary precursor.