CAT VA-RC 2019 Slot 2: RC Passage 1

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RC Passage

Direction for the questions 1 to 5: The passage below is accompanied by a set of five questions. Choose the best answer to each question.

The magic of squatter cities is that they are improved steadily and gradually by their residents. To a planner’s eye, these cities look chaotic. I trained as a biologist and to my eye, they look organic. Squatter cities are also unexpectedly green. They have maximum density—1 million people per square mile in some areas of Mumbai—and have minimum energy and material use. People get around by foot, bicycle, rickshaw, or the universal shared taxi.

Not everything is efficient in the slums, though. In the Brazilian favelas where electricity is stolen and therefore free, people leave their lights on all day. But in most slums recycling is literally a way of life. The Dharavi slum in Mumbai has 400 recycling units and 30,000 ragpickers. Six thousand tons of rubbish are sorted every day. In 2007, the Economist reported that in Vietnam and Mozambique, “Waves of gleaners sift the sweepings of Hanoi’s streets, just as Mozambiquan children pick over the rubbish of Maputo’s main tip. Every city in Asia and Latin America has an industry based on gathering up old cardboard boxes”.

In his 1985 article, Calthorpe made a statement that still jars with most people: “The city is the most environmentally benign form of human settlement. Each city dweller consumes less land, less energy, less water, and produces less pollution than his counterpart in settlements of lower densities.” “Green Manhattan” was the inflammatory title of a 2004 New Yorker article by David Owen. “By the most significant measures,” he wrote, “New York is the greenest community in the United States, and one of the greenest cities in the world. The key to New York’s relative environmental benignity is its extreme compactness. Placing one and a half million people on a twenty-three-square-mile island sharply reduces their opportunities to be wasteful.” He went on to note that this very compactness forces people to live in the world’s most energy-efficient apartment buildings.

Urban density allows half of humanity to live on 2.8 per cent of the land. Consider just the infrastructure efficiencies. According to a 2004 UN report: “The concentration of population and enterprises in urban areas greatly reduces the unit cost of piped water, sewers, drains, roads, electricity, garbage collection, transport, health care, and schools”.

The nationally subsidised city of Manaus in northern Brazil “answers the question” of how to stop deforestation: give people decent jobs. Then they can afford houses, and gain security. One hundred thousand people who would otherwise be deforesting the jungle around Manaus are now prospering in town making such things as mobile phones and televisions.

Of course, fast-growing cities are far from an unmitigated good. They concentrate crime, pollution, disease and injustice as much as business, innovation, education and entertainment. But if they are overall a net good for those who move there, it is because cities offer more than just jobs. They are transformative: in the slums, as well as the office towers and leafy suburbs, the progress is from hick to metropolitan to cosmopolitan.

RC Line-wise Explanation

Paragraph 1

"The magic of squatter cities is that they are improved steadily and gradually by their residents."

Explanation: Squatter cities improve over time, thanks to the ongoing efforts of the people living in them.

"To a planner’s eye, these cities look chaotic. I trained as a biologist and to my eye, they look organic."

Explanation: Urban planners may view squatter cities as disorganized, but the author, a biologist, sees them as an organic system that evolves naturally.

"Squatter cities are also unexpectedly green. They have maximum density—1 million people per square mile in some areas of Mumbai—and have minimum energy and material use."

Explanation: Squatter cities are surprisingly environmentally friendly, with high population density but low energy and material consumption.

"People get around by foot, bicycle, rickshaw, or the universal shared taxi."

Explanation: In these cities, people rely on walking, bicycles, rickshaws, or shared taxis to get around.

Paragraph 2

"Not everything is efficient in the slums, though. In the Brazilian favelas where electricity is stolen and therefore free, people leave their lights on all day."

Explanation: While many aspects of slums are efficient, there are inefficiencies too, such as in Brazilian favelas where people leave lights on all day because they steal electricity.

"But in most slums recycling is literally a way of life."

Explanation: However, in most slums, recycling is an integral part of daily life.

"The Dharavi slum in Mumbai has 400 recycling units and 30,000 ragpickers. Six thousand tons of rubbish are sorted every day."

Explanation: Dharavi, a Mumbai slum, has a large-scale recycling operation with 400 units and 30,000 ragpickers sorting 6,000 tons of waste daily.

"In 2007, the Economist reported that in Vietnam and Mozambique, “Waves of gleaners sift the sweepings of Hanoi’s streets, just as Mozambiquan children pick over the rubbish of Maputo’s main tip. Every city in Asia and Latin America has an industry based on gathering up old cardboard boxes."

Explanation: A 2007 report highlighted how in places like Hanoi and Maputo, people collect discarded items like cardboard boxes as part of an informal recycling industry.

Paragraph 3

"In his 1985 article, Calthorpe made a statement that still jars with most people: 'The city is the most environmentally benign form of human settlement. Each city dweller consumes less land, less energy, less water, and produces less pollution than his counterpart in settlements of lower densities.'"

Explanation: Calthorpe’s 1985 statement challenged conventional thinking, arguing that cities are more environmentally friendly than lower-density settlements, using fewer resources and generating less pollution.

"'Green Manhattan' was the inflammatory title of a 2004 New Yorker article by David Owen."

Explanation: A 2004 article in The New Yorker by David Owen controversially labeled Manhattan as "Green Manhattan."

"'By the most significant measures,' he wrote, 'New York is the greenest community in the United States, and one of the greenest cities in the world. The key to New York’s relative environmental benignity is its extreme compactness.'"

Explanation: Owen argued that New York is the greenest city in the U.S. and one of the greenest globally, due to its compactness.

"Placing one and a half million people on a twenty-three-square-mile island sharply reduces their opportunities to be wasteful."

Explanation: The compact nature of New York City forces people to live more efficiently, reducing wasteful practices.

"He went on to note that this very compactness forces people to live in the world’s most energy-efficient apartment buildings."

Explanation: Owen also noted that the city’s compactness leads to some of the most energy-efficient apartment buildings in the world.

Paragraph 4

"Urban density allows half of humanity to live on 2.8 per cent of the land."

Explanation: Urban density enables half of the world’s population to live on just 2.8% of the Earth’s land.

"Consider just the infrastructure efficiencies. According to a 2004 UN report: 'The concentration of population and enterprises in urban areas greatly reduces the unit cost of piped water, sewers, drains, roads, electricity, garbage collection, transport, health care, and schools.'"

Explanation: Urban concentration leads to cost efficiencies in infrastructure, as it reduces the unit cost of utilities and services such as water, roads, electricity, healthcare, and education.

Paragraph 5

"The nationally subsidised city of Manaus in northern Brazil 'answers the question' of how to stop deforestation: give people decent jobs."

Explanation: The city of Manaus, subsidized by the government, offers an example of how to stop deforestation by providing people with stable, decent jobs.

"Then they can afford houses, and gain security."

Explanation: When people have jobs, they can afford housing and gain a sense of security.

"One hundred thousand people who would otherwise be deforesting the jungle around Manaus are now prospering in town making such things as mobile phones and televisions."

Explanation: In Manaus, 100,000 people who might have been contributing to deforestation are now working in urban industries such as mobile phone and television production.

Paragraph 6

"Of course, fast-growing cities are far from an unmitigated good."

Explanation: Despite the benefits, rapidly growing cities are not without their problems.

"They concentrate crime, pollution, disease and injustice as much as business, innovation, education and entertainment."

Explanation: Fast-growing cities also tend to concentrate issues like crime, pollution, disease, and social injustice, alongside business and innovation.

"But if they are overall a net good for those who move there, it is because cities offer more than just jobs."

Explanation: Despite these challenges, cities can still be overall beneficial to newcomers because they offer more than just employment opportunities.

"They are transformative: in the slums, as well as the office towers and leafy suburbs, the progress is from hick to metropolitan to cosmopolitan."

Explanation: Cities, whether in slums, office towers, or suburbs, are transformative spaces, helping people move from rural (hick) to urban (metropolitan) to global (cosmopolitan) ways of life.

RC Paragraph Explanation

Paragraph 1 Summary

Squatter cities are often seen as chaotic, but they are actually organic, efficient, and environmentally friendly, with high density and low energy use. People rely on walking, bicycles, and shared taxis for transportation.

Paragraph 2 Summary

While some inefficiencies exist in slums, such as electricity theft, recycling is a major part of daily life, with places like Dharavi in Mumbai operating large-scale recycling systems. Informal recycling industries are also common in cities across Asia and Latin America.

Paragraph 3 Summary

Despite the general belief that cities are inefficient, urban density actually promotes environmental efficiency. Cities like New York, with their compactness, reduce waste and resource consumption, making them some of the most energy-efficient places to live.

Paragraph 4 Summary

Urban density allows half of the world’s population to live on a small fraction of the land, leading to reduced infrastructure costs and greater efficiency in utilities and services like water, electricity, and healthcare.

Paragraph 5 Summary

Manaus in Brazil demonstrates how providing decent jobs can reduce deforestation. The city’s subsidized industries have helped 100,000 people move away from deforestation and into urban work, producing goods like mobile phones and televisions.

Paragraph 6 Summary

Although fast-growing cities face issues like crime, pollution, and social injustice, they still offer overall benefits by transforming lives, providing opportunities, and helping people evolve from rural to urban to cosmopolitan lifestyles.

RC Quick Table Summary
Paragraph NumberMain Idea
Paragraph 1Squatter cities are surprisingly efficient, organic, and environmentally friendly, with high density and low energy use.
Paragraph 2Slums, despite inefficiencies, are hubs of recycling, with large-scale informal recycling operations in cities like Mumbai.
Paragraph 3Urban density promotes environmental efficiency, with cities like New York being some of the most energy-efficient due to their compactness.
Paragraph 4Urban concentration reduces the cost of infrastructure and services like water, roads, electricity, and healthcare.
Paragraph 5The city of Manaus in Brazil shows that providing jobs can stop deforestation, with people moving to urban industries.
Paragraph 6Despite challenges, fast-growing cities offer transformative benefits, providing opportunities and helping people evolve from rural to urban to cosmopolitan lifestyles.

RC Questions

Ques 1. Which one of the following statements would undermine the author’s stand regarding the greenness of cities?

Correct Answer: (C) Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: First, let us understand the author’s view on greenness. Refer to these lines extracted from the passage: I trained as a biologist and to my eye, they look organic. Squatter cities are also unexpectedly green……In his 1985 article, Calthorpe made a statement that still jars with most people: “The city is the most environmentally benign form of human settlement. Each city dweller consumes less land, less energy, less water, and produces less pollution than his counterpart in settlements of lower densities.” “Green Manhattan” was the inflammatory title of a 2004 New Yorker article by David Owen. “By the most significant measures,” he wrote, “New York is the greenest community in the United States, and one of the greenest cities in the world. The key to New York’s relative environmental benignity is its extreme compactness. Placing one and a half million people on a twenty-three-square-mile island sharply reduces their opportunities to be wasteful.” He went on to note that this very compactness forces people to live in the world’s most energy-efficient apartment buildings. Effectively, the author is implying the cities and slums are green/environmentally friendly. We need to weaken this claim and point out a negative in the given case. This is a question where you approach each option individually. Option A is ruled out as it is related to violent crime rather than the greenness of cities. Always remember that your option should answer the question at hand. Even if the option is factually correct, it still needs to be an answer to the question probed. This is not the case in option A. Hence, it is ruled out. Option B again makes the same mistake as option A: it focuses on diseases as its final outcome (even though it began in the right earnest by talking of rubbish). Again, this cannot undermine the author’s view as this does not focus on greenness. Option D is again ruled on similar grounds as it focuses on the cost of utilities rather than greenness. Option C is the correct answer here (for obvious reasons). It is the only option that attacks the author’s stand on greenness and highlights how cities are not green in nature.

Ques 2. From the passage it can be inferred that cities are good places to live in for all of the following reasons EXCEPT that they:

Correct Answer: (D) Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: This is an ‘except’ question and we need to identify which out of the above can be identified as valid reasons for cities being good places to live in. Option A is a direct derivation as the author mentions cities as green in nature and highlights how these are energy efficient and do not harm the environment. Refer to the various mentions in the passage about this here: I trained as a biologist and to my eye, they look organic. Squatter cities are also unexpectedly green. They have maximum density—1 million people per square mile in some areas of Mumbai—and have minimum energy and material use……But in most slums recycling is literally a way of life…..In his 1985 article, Calthorpe made a statement that still jars with most people: “The city is the most environmentally benign form of human settlement. Each city dweller consumes less land, less energy, less water, and produces less pollution than his counterpart in settlements of lower densities.” Option B can be derived directly from this context: But if they are overall a net good for those who move there, it is because cities offer more than just jobs. Option C can be derived from the context: They are transformative: in the slums, as well as the office towers and leafy suburbs, the progress is from hick to metropolitan to cosmopolitan. Option C is effectively an indirect derivation from the above and option C is the sentiment implied above (the transformation mentioned is one which is cultural/social in nature). Option D is the odd one out here. There is no talk of cities being good because of the presence of different types of areas in them. The is a reference to suburbs but it is not meant as a distinguishing feature or as some special positives of cities. Hence, option D is out correct answer in the given case.

Ques 3. In the context of the passage, the author refers to Manaus in order to:

Correct Answer: (B) Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: Refer to the context in the given case: The nationally subsidised city of Manaus in northern Brazil “answers the question” of how to stop deforestation: give people decent jobs. Then they can afford houses, and gain security. One hundred thousand people who would otherwise be deforesting the jungle around Manaus are now prospering in town making such things as mobile phones and televisions.The example of Manaus has been provided from one specific reason: showcase how to stop deforestation by providing people jobs. The implication in the context here is that once people have decent jobs in the city, they won’t turn to forests for their survival and won’t deforest for commercial gains. Hence, this helps the environment. And this is the very reason why the author has highlighted this example: option B put this across in the most succinct of manners. None of the other options dwell on this factor and instead, simply focus on labour, employment or infrastructure efficiencies.

Ques 4. According to the passage, squatter cities are environment-friendly for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

Correct Answer: (D) Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: The first thing to note here is that this is an except question. Always be careful of this particular word in the passage. As a caveat, generally the challenge with such questions is not the difficulty level of these questions but the fact that questions force you to search for information in the passage and hence, you spend extra time on these questions. Now in the given case, some of the options find direct mention in the passage and the author explains how squatter cities environment are friendly. Option A can be derived from the lines: They have maximum density—1 million people per square mile in some areas of Mumbai—and have minimum energy and material use. People get around by foot, bicycle, rickshaw, or the universal shared taxi. Options B and C can be derived from the lines: But in most slums recycling is literally a way of life. The Dharavi slum in Mumbai has 400 recycling units and 30,000 ragpickers. Six thousand tons of rubbish are sorted every day. In 2007, the Economist reported that in Vietnam and Mozambique, “Waves of gleaners sift the sweepings of Hanoi’s streets, just as Mozambiquan children pick over the rubbish of Maputo’s main tip. Every city in Asia and Latin America has an industry based on gathering up old cardboard boxes”. Remember, the reference to SLUMS and SQUATTER CITIES is essentially the same. Option D is the odd one out here as it finds no mention/reference in the passage.

Ques 5. We can infer that Calthorpe’s statement “still jars” with most people because most people:

Correct Answer: (D) Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: In order to identify the correct answer here, let’s refer to the context first. Refer to the lines: In his 1985 article, Calthorpe made a statement that still jars with most people: “The city is the most environmentally benign form of human settlement. Each city dweller consumes less land, less energy, less water, and produces less pollution than his counterpart in settlements of lower densities.” “Green Manhattan” was the inflammatory title of a 2004 New Yorker article by David Owen. Now in the given case, what is the CONTEXTUAL REFERENCE of this statement and why does this statement jar with people? The context of this statement is the ENVIROMENT. Calthorpe here is making a point that cities are environmentally friendly and that is his argument in the given case. Why would this not sit well with people? For the obvious reason: most people don’t consider this to be truest and don’t see cities as environmentally friendly places. Hence, using this logic, we arrive at option D as the correct answer. The problem with options A, B and C is a common one: each of these answer options focuses on a particular negative characteristic of cities rather than focusing on why does the statement in question jar with most people. Remember, in order to identify the answer, you need to understand the broader context here and that is what helps you identify option D as the correct answer.

Actual CAT VA-RC 2019 Slot 2: Question-wise Index

Reading ComprehensionWords from the Passage
RC Passage 1 (Q 1 to 5) Must-Learn Words (Passage 1)
RC Passage 2 (Q 6 to 9) Must-Learn Words (Passage 2)
RC Passage 3 (Q 10 to 14) Must-Learn Words (Passage 3)
RC Passage 4 (Q 15 to 19) Must-Learn Words (Passage 4)
RC Passage 5 (Q 20 to 24) Must-Learn Words (Passage 5)
Verbal Ability
Ques 25 (Paragraph Summary) Ques 26 (Paragraph Summary)
Ques 27 (Paragraph Summary) Ques 28 (Misfit/Odd one out)
Ques 29 (Misfit/Odd one out) Ques 30 (Misfit/Odd one out)
Ques 31 (Para-jumble) Ques 32 (Para-jumble)
Ques 33 (Para-jumble) Ques 34 (Para-jumble)

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