XAT VARC

1. Choose the option that would fill in the blanks meaningfully in the sentence(s) below:
______ the importance of ‘horizontal stratification’ ______ higher education is widely acknowledged, ______ attention has been applied to horizontal
stratification ______ compulsory schooling.

1. Whereas; with: too less; to

2. While; within: far less; within
3. While; without: further less; within
4. While; on: far fewer; about
5. Whereas; about: for less; of

2. Please study the paragraph given below:

In 1942, the French writer Albert Camus composed an essay, ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’. It draws on the Greek fable of a man condemned to roll a rock up a
mountain only to have it roll back down under its own weight, a ______ that lasts for eternity. Camus argues that this image ______ the human
condition in a world where we can no longer make sense of events; but instead of committing suicide, we should ______ ourselves to this ‘elusive feeling
of absurdity’ and bear it as best we can. In this sense, Sisyphus is the ideal hero.
Consider the following words:
1. Surrender
2. choice
3. symbolises
4. quandary
5. attune
6. option
7. reconcile
8. depicts
Which of the following options is the most appropriate sequence that best fits the blanks in the above paragraph?
1. 4,2,6
2. 2,3,1
3. 4,5,1
4. 2,5,7
5. 4,3,7
3. Study the first sentence and then identify from among the options given the closest antonym of the highlighted word in the second
sentence:

It’s conventional wisdom that procreation between first cousins is unhealthy. But what are the actual genetic risks?

1. tangible
2. relative
3. abstract
4. hard
5. unfounded

4. Carefully read the following paragraph: Who could resist the idea of remembering everything they wanted to, without trying? Learning
would be made easy, exams a ______ and you would never forget where you left your keys. And memory-related disorders like Alzheimer’s
would have met their match. So, it is of little surprise that scientists have turned their attention to ways of ______ human memory using
techniques that ______, supplement or even mimic parts of the brain. The immediate goal is to treat memory disorders, but the idea of a
memory ______ for everyday life is gaining ground.

Fill in the blanks in the above paragraph, with the best option from among the following:

1. joy; augmenting; awaken; crutch

2. routine; expanding; invigorate; crutch
3. breeze; enhancing; stimulate; prosthesis
4. routine; expanding; trigger; support
5. breeze; exploring; simulate; aid
5. Read the following statements and answer the question that follows:

1. They subjected the residues from sherds of the rhyta- vessels to radiocarbon dating to determine their ages and chromatography - mass
spectrometry (GC-MS) - to identify their structure and isotopic composition and found that the vessels were used to store cheese.
2. In many Neolithic sites near the Adriatic Sea, researchers unearthed cone-shaped clay vessels, known as rhyta, with four legs on the
bottom and a round opening on the side.
3. Fresh milk couldn’t be kept for long without going bad; cheese, on the other hand, could be stored for months at a time, p roviding much-
needed calories to early farmers between harvests.
4. Archaeologists who used to assume animals such as cows and goats were mainly used for meat early in their domestication hi story are
thus forced to admit that humans might have been using animals for dairy quite early in their domestication history.
5. “If you kill one cow, you eat meat for about a week until it goes off; but by milking the animals, the farmer would be spreading the food
gain from that animal over several months rather than just one week”

Rank the above five statements so as to make it a logical sequence:

1. 2,1,5,4,3
2. 4,5,2,1,3
3. 4,2,1,3,5
4. 2,1,3,5,4
5. 4,1,2,5,3
6. Read the following statements and answer the question that follows:

1. An in-depth exploration of the Indian case and case studies of early adopters of mobile technology will provide spectrum mana gers a
pragmatic and modern approach whereby they could utilize their resources efficiently and optimally.
2. Even as spectrum management regimes are moving from a command and control regime to a flexible use regime, new technological
developments are suggesting that there are significant opportunities in managing large swathes of spectrum as a common proper ty
resource, in addition to flexible use.
3. Political legacies and market realities in different regimes pose unique challenges for spectrum managers who must negotia te a tricky path
to the land promised by technological possibility.
4. On the other hand, supply of spectrum is restricted due to competing nature of uses and vested interests of incumbent hold ers.
5. The demand for spectrum has never been so acute as today's communication services extend beyond simple voice to complex da ta and
video, augmented by evolving technologies such as peer-to-peer sharing, social networking, Fourth and Fifth Generation networks, Big Data,
and cloud computing.

Rank the above five statements so as to make it a logical sequence:

1. 1,2,4,5,3
2. 5,2,3,1,4
3. 4,5,2,3,1
4. 3,4,5,2,1
5. 2,5,4,3,1
7. Which option does not reflect the relationship implicit in ‘Emendation : Editor’?

1. Injunction : Judge
2. Examination : Doctor
3. Discipline : Coach
4. Illumination : Usher
5. Renunciation : Saint

8. Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows:

Empirical observation told us years ago that goats were slowly becoming the new dog, and according to a new study, they are t ruly qualified
to be man’s best friend. The Royal Society released heart-warming research showing that just like humans, goats have no desire to interact
with people who come off as angry or upset, and that they’re much more attracted to those with big smiles plastered across th eir faces.
When 12 males and 8 females were released into a pen decorated with images of happy and angry humans, the scientists learned that goats
can “distinguish between happy and angry images of the same person,” and in general, they prefer their humans to be happy.

Which of the following statements is definitely true according to the passage?

1. When they look at a smiling person, the goats are happy.

2. When they look at a frowning person, goats are afraid of him.
3. When they look at a straight-faced person, goats remain passive.
4. When they look at a frowning person, the goats are sad.
5. When they look at a smiling person, goats run towards him.
9. Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows:

An accurate measure of drug efficacy would require comparing the response of patients taking it with that of patients taking placebos; the drug effect
could then be calculated by subtracting the placebo response from the overall response, much as a deli-counter worker subtracts the weight of the
container to determine how much lobster salad you’re getting. In the last half of the 1950s, this calculus gave rise to a new way to evaluate drugs: the
double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, in which neither patient nor clinician knew who was getting the active drug and who the placebo. Which of
the options is a wrong answer to this Question

How does a double blind ensure a better trial of a new drug?

1. It increases the overall response to the drug.

2. The patient does not know whether he/she is getting a placebo.
3. It reflects the calculus exemplified by the deli-counter episode.
4. The clinician cannot pick and choose patients to whom placebos can be administered.
5. It gives rise to an unbiased testing of drugs.

10. Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows:

Alligators are freshwater reptiles. However, people have come face to face with them in mud in a salt marsh in Georgia. Finding alligators in the salt marsh
is not a mystery or a miracle. At least 23 species of predator have been spotted living in surprising habitats. Predators such as alligators, otters, mountain
lions, wolves and raptors are thriving in places they shouldn't, revealing some serious misunderstandings about their behaviour and how to protect them.
Scientific literature divulges that these creatures are actually returning to places they once occupied. It gives us astonishing insights into the lives of
animals and helps conservationists improve the old stomping grounds of these creatures.

Which of the following statements provides the most plausible explanation of the predators' behaviour?

1. Predators prefer to occupy different habitats, depending on the season and prevailing weather.
2. Predators migrate to a habitat different from where they were born.
3. Predators are fully aware of where they were born.
4. Predators have a genetic memory of their traditional stomping grounds.
5. Predators have no awareness of where they were born
11. Study the text given below and answer the question that follows it:

Dense, dirty air laced with grease best describes the atmosphere of most Lagos streets. Drive from one corner of this great west African city to
another and in no time you will find surfaces lightly dusted, like a soft sprinkling of icing on cakes. Under the half-moons of fingernails, thick
grime settles. It’s a scene taken as typically African: polluted, bedraggled, unhealthy. This has only ever been made possible by the exploitation
of Africa’s people. This week five west African countries, Nigeria included, announced plans to end the practice of European oil companies and
traders exporting “African quality” diesel. “Dirty fuel” has earned the name because it is imported diesel with sulphur levels as high as 3,000
parts per million when the European maximum is 10ppm. To be clear, “African quality” fuel, is fuel not fit for European humans.

Which of the options is not necessarily the underlying assumption of the author in the paragraph above?

1. European oil companies dump their fuel on African countries.

2. Economic exploitation, until challenged runs smoothly.
3. Racism makes it easy for Europeans to justify the exploitation of inferior races.
4. Typically, African cities today are not fit for human habitation.
5. African nations had accepted ‘dirty fuel’ as the norm.
12. Read the Following statements and answer the question that follows:

1. But its most advanced formulation is called superstring theory, which even predicts the precise number of dimensions: ten.
2. However, the theory has already swept across the major physics research laboratories of the world and has irrevocably alte red the scientific
landscape of modern physics, generating a staggering number of research papers in the scientific literature (over 5,000 by on e count).
3. Scientifically, the hyperspace theory goes by the names of Kaluza-Klein theory and supergravity.
4. The usual three dimensions of space (length, width, and breadth) and one of time are now extended by six more spatial dime nsions.
5. We caution that the theory of hyperspace has not yet been experimentally confirmed and would, in fact, be exceedingly difficult to prove in the
laboratory.

Rank the above five statements so as to make it a logical sequence:

1. 3, 1, 4, 5, 2
2. 3, 4, 1, 5, 2
3. 5, 1, 4, 3, 2
4. 3, 1, 4, 2, 5
5. 2, 5, 3, 1, 4
13. Read the Following statements and answer the question that follows:

1. It is less appealing, but morally more urgent, to understand the actions of the perpetrators.
2. It is easy to sanctify policies or identities by the deaths of the victims.
3. The victims were people; a true identification with them would involve grasping their lives rather than grasping at their deaths.
4. The moral danger, after all, is never that one might become a victim but that one might be a perpetrator or a bystander.
5. By definition the victims are dead, and unable to defend themselves from the use that others make of their deaths.

Rank the above five statements so as to make it a logical sequence:

1. 1, 2, 3, 5, 4
2. 5, 3, 2, 4, 1
3. 3, 5, 2, 1, 4
4. 3, 1, 2, 4, 5
5. 5, 3, 1, 2, 4
14. Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows:

Arti is planning for higher studies and her future goals include working as a manager of a non -profit organization designed to provide
assistance to under-represented populations. Arti researched the mission statements of various colleges and discovered that college X, a
small private college with a fee of Rs. 8 lakhs per year, was dedicated to producing compassionate and curious leaders. Colle ge Y, a large
institute with a fee of Rs. 9 lakh per year, promoted itself as a leading research facility. Based on her research, she decid ed to apply to
college X rather than College Y.

Which of the following options is the most likely explanation of Arti's decision?

1. A direct relationship exists between a college's cost and the quality of the education it provides.
2. Students apply to smaller colleges that offer more personalized attention from professors.
3. A large research university cannot prepare students for a career as a non-profit executive.
4. Students apply to colleges with mission statements that align with their goals.
5. The best colleges have the best mission statements. Hence, students select a college with the best mission statement.

15. Carefully read the following statement:

The payoff from ________ in education is so ______ and _______ that it is almost ________ as a predictor of economic change o ver a five
to ten year period.
Fill in the blanks meaningfully, in the above statement, from the following options.

1. Expenditure, small, insignificant, irrelevant

2. Productivity, small, erratic, useless
3. Expenditure, fast, significant, powerful
4. Investment, slow, erratic, useless
5. Investment, slow, predictable, irrelevant
16. 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.

1. less, fewer, some time, sometime, sometimes

2. fewer, less, sometime, some time, sometimes
3. less, fewer, sometime, some time, sometimes
4. fewer, less, sometimes, sometime, some time
5. fewer, less, some time, sometime, sometimes

17. Which of the following sentences contains correct and meaningful usage of the underlined words?

1. Vikram’s approach to the problem was unique from Harpreet’s, and he hadn’t expected no criticism from her.
2. Vikram’s approach to the problem was different from Harpreet’s, but he hadn’t expected no criticism from her.
3. Vikram’s approach to the problem was different from Harpreet’s, but he had expected no criticism from her.
4. Vikram’s approach to the problem was unique from Harpreet’s, further he hadn’t expected no criticism from her.
5. Vikram’s approach to the problem was different from Harpreet’s, and he had expected no criticism from her.
18.Indian religious and ethical space is different from that of the western countries. The Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagava d Gita, the
Ramayana, and the Mahabharata etc. enrich Indian religious and social space. Details of the treatment of human values and Dha rmas have a
long tradition. They are often compared, contrasted and debated by the characters in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In the process, it has
given birth to a tradition of dharma, which has been transferred from generation to generation. Ethical discourse was not a o ne-time affair. From
time to time, religious leaders from various regions of India nourished and strengthened the Indian ethical arena. Tiruvalluvar (second century
B.C.), Kabir from Uttar Pradesh (fifteenth century A.D.), Nanak from Punjab (fifteenth century A.D), Alvars and Nayanmars of Tamil Nadu (eighth
century A.D.), Basaveswara of Karnataka (Twelfth century A.D.), SriChaitanya (Sixteenth century) were prominent.

Which of the following assumptions will make the above paragraph redundant?

1. All religious leaders, mentioned in the paragraph, preach the same message and it is transferred from one generation to the n ext.
2. Western religious spaces do not have details of treatment of principle of Dharma.
3. Ramayana and Mahabharata have made it possible for religious leaders to build the tradition.
4. Western civilizations have been traversed by a different kind of religious leaders.
5. Western ethical and religious space has a long tradition of treatment of human values and Dharma.

19. A manager seeks approval for conducting a training programme on 'openness'. He puts forward the following arguments in favour of the
program to his CEO.

Which of the following arguments is the least likely to have a logical fallacy?

1. We did a pilot training program with a group of employees. Post the program, one of the participants was open to new ideas.
2. This program should be good for our organization since it is designed by a leading consultant.
3. Internal studies conducted across groups and locations showed that 'openness' increases innovation.
4. We have only two options; we can either train our employees on 'openness' or suffer the consequences.
5. If you really care about the organization, you should approve this training program.
XAT DM
When Deepti opened the package, she was aghast. She received cotton pillow covers instead of satin pillow covers, she had ord ered.
Deepti ordered them for her father from a popular ecommerce website that hosted products of many sellers.
Confused, Deepti contacted the seller’s office using the details given on the package. The seller’s representative profusely regretted and
promised to send the satin pillow covers at no extra cost. He added that Deepti need not return the cotton covers she receive d. Deepti
happily accepted the deal.
A few days later, Deepti received another package from the seller. Unfortunately, this package also contained cotton pillow covers.
Completely disillusioned with the seller’s professionalism, Deepti decided to put to use these cotton pillow covers also.

A few days later, Deepti received an email from the e-commerce website, requesting her to share feedback about the seller. Deeply
frustrated with the overall online purchasing experience, she deliberately ignored it.
Later that evening, over supper, her father opined that the balcony curtains needed to be changed. He suggested that they be bought from
a local shop. “If something went wrong, we could at least yell at the seller,” he added.
Deepti stared at her laptop and began writing her feedback.

1. What would Deepti DEFINITELY achieve by giving feedback?

1. Instigate people against the seller

2. Coerce the e-commerce website to punish the seller
3. An act of social service
4. Release her frustration
5. Prove a point to her father
In the feedback column, Deepti awarded 1-star out of the maximum 5 stars to the seller and described her negative experience.
Later that evening, the sales head called and pleaded with her to retract her feedback and upgrade them to 5-star, as they had already fired
the employee concerned. He appealed that they were a young organization and that their sales were getting badly affected.

2. Given the circumstances, what should be the IDEAL response?

1. She should stick to her feedback and the stars awarded since she reported only what had taken place.
2. She should retract the feedback and award 5-star as the seller has already punished the concerned employee.
3. She should retract the feedback and award 5-star since sales are getting affected.
4. She should order again with the same seller and share her renewed experience.
5. She should retain the feedback but award 3-star as a consolation measure.

After a few months, the sales head enquired, “In case you are using the cotton pillow covers and like them, kindly rate them on the e-
commerce website. It will help us serve our customers better.”
Later that evening, her father remarked, “You know, I really love these pillow covers though I am not sure why you bought so many of them”.

3. Which of the following reasons gives Deepti the BEST rationale to ignore the sales head’s request?

1. Acceding to the request benefits just the seller while her sore experience remains.
2. Cotton pillow covers were delivered erroneously. Hence the seller does not deserve appreciation.
3. Acceding to the request will imply that she was wrong in ordering satin pillow covers in the first place.
4. If the seller truly cared about customers, they should have shipped the satin pillow covers by now.
5. Her review will lack credibility since there is no proof that she purchased the product.
The Small Shop, selling computer peripherals, is the only one of its kind in the remote village of Turturunk. Because online purchases take
two weeks or more to arrive, The Small Shop is a quick stop for buying items such as pen drives and USB cables. Besides selli ng computer
peripherals, The Small Shop also undertakes repairs of out-of-warranty products.

The Small Shop which earlier recorded an annual increase of approximately 12% in revenues has been stagnating at 4% for the l ast three
years, during which e-commerce sidelined brick and mortar outlets. The shop is struggling to increase profitability. In general, The Small
Shop has been offering a discount on MRP to compete with ecommerce prices.

4. Which of the following is the BEST reason for The Small Shop NOT to reduce the current discount offered to the customers?

1. Even though e-commerce offers a greater range of choices, villagers prefer buying readily available products from The Small Shop .
2. A new resident who earlier worked in the computer hardware industry is contemplating starting a business in Turturunk.
3. A large fading sign prominently placed behind the shop’s cash counter reads “in business and in life, always be fair”.
4. To cover insurance costs, e-commerce has begun charging a delivery fee from last year.
5. Recently customers from a nearby village have started shopping at The Small Shop for low-end peripherals, accounting for around 3% of
the shop’s total revenues.

The Small Shop wants to increase the variety of products sold, including expensive ones. However, it is averse to accumulatin g unsold
products, specifically of the expensive kind.

5. Which of the following is the BEST option if The Small Shop wants to increase the variety of the products it sells?

1. The Small Shop should get suppliers to courier its requirements to the shop whenever needed. The suppliers require that The Small
Shop orders a minimum quantity every month.
2. The Small Shop should focus only on low-end peripherals that currently contribute to 60% of its revenues.
3. The Small Shop should acquire extra space at lower rentals available at a distance of three kilometres from its current location.
4. The Small Shop should focus exclusively on high-end peripherals which contribute to 10% of its revenues but 25% of its profits.
5. The Small Shop should make an arrangement with a retailer of the nearest city. The shop can spare one of its employees once a week to
procure the weekly requirements.
An emerging brand offers a franchise to The Small Shop for repairing its products, on a condition that other brands are not to be repaired.
Repairs currently account for 15% of its revenues.

6. Which of the following, if true, will BEST help The Small Shop to decide on the franchise?

1. Revenues from repairs are expected to increase by about 3-5 percent annually.
2. For the first three years, the emerging brand has offered to pay a fixed amount equal to the revenues earned from repairs the previous
year.
3. No big and reputed brand has shown any interest in franchising The Small Shop.
4. The upcoming brand is very new and needs franchisees desperately.
5. The Small Shop will have to send two of its employees for a three-month training if it wishes to be a franchisee. The emerging brand
will bear the training cost.
Two industrial towns, Jayanagar and Ramnagar, about 15 kms. apart, are similar in land area, population, ethnic diversity and per capita incomes.
Jagdeep Singh owns a bakery named Le Baguette in Jayanagar. He specializes in croissants, masala bread and whole wheat bread; eggless cakes
are also a favorite.
Among the four bakeries in Jayanagar, Jagdeep’s bakery with a market share of 30% issecond only to the oldest Le Croissant bakery whose market
share is 40%. Le Croissant commands a loyal customer base and does not offer eggless varieties.

7. Jagdeep has decided to open a branch in Ramnagar. Which of the following facts about Ramnagar will BEST support his decision?

1. Before starting his own bakery, Jagdeep was supplying bread to most bakeries in Ramnagar.
2. 3% of Le Baguette’s current revenue comes from Ramnagar.
3. Le Croissant’s Ramnagar branch struggles with a market share of 10%.
4. Jagdeep has managed to acquire a big space in Ramnagar at a nominal rent.
5. Ramnagar is served by 4 bakeries, with the two largest bakeries having market shares of 55% and 25% respectively.

Jagdeep wishes to open a 100% eggless branch in Ramnagar. To explore feasibility, he collected the following facts:

1. Eggless products account for 30% of Le Baguette’s sales.

2. At least 20% of all bakery sales in Ramnagar is from eggless products.
3. The eggless varieties of Le Baguette contain minute traces of egg.
4. Le Baguette currently makes 3% of its revenue from Ramnagar customers and all of it comes from eggless products.
5. Le Croissant’s Ramnagar branch struggles with a market share of 10%.

8. From the combinations below, in the DESCENDING order of effectiveness, choose the one that BEST supports Jagdeep’s decisio n.

1. 5,2,1
2. 2,1,3
3. 2,4,1
4. 4,3,2
5. 5,4,1
From a newspaper, Jagdeep has learnt that Americans use their own ovens to bake ready-to-bake products, sold by some bakeries.
This idea is apparently catching up in Indian metros as well.
Jagdeep wants to try this out in his bakery. He has gathered the following facts:

1. US bakeries that also sell ready-to-bake products earned higher revenues compared to those that do not.
2. Around 7% of Jagdeep’s regular customers own baking ovens in their homes.
3. The sale of baking ovens in India is forecast to increase by 12% every year, for the next three years.
4. 50% of Jagdeep’s regular customers are fulltime working couples.
5. In Indian metros, ready-to-bake products give higher profit margins compared to finished products.

9. Select the BEST of the following sequences of the above facts, in DESCENDING order of effectiveness, to support Jagdeep.

1. 2,5,1,3,4
2. 3,4,5,1,2
3. 1,5,3,2,4
4. 2,3,5,1,4
5. 3,2,1,4,5