CAT VA-RC 2019 Slot 2: RC Passage 2

📘 What’s Inside This CAT RC Practice Post?

📝 Authentic CAT Reading Comprehension Passage: Practice with a real RC passage from a previous CAT exam.
✅ Detailed Questions with Step-by-Step Solutions: Each question is explained thoroughly for better understanding.
🔍 In-Depth Passage Analysis: Gain insights through line-by-line and paragraph-wise analysis, supplemented with a quick summary table for efficient revision.
📚 Vocabulary Enhancement: Get a separate post explaining all tough words from the passage.



RC Passage

Direction for the questions 6 to 9: The passage below is accompanied by a set of four questions. Choose the best answer to each question.

For two years, I tracked down dozens of Chinese in Upper Egypt [who were] selling lingerie. In a deeply conservative region, where Egyptian families rarely allow women to work or own businesses, the Chinese flourished because of their status as outsiders. They didn’t gossip, and they kept their opinions to themselves. In a New Yorker article entitled “Learning to Speak Lingerie,” I described the Chinese use of Arabic as another non-threatening characteristic. I wrote, “Unlike Mandarin, Arabic is inflected for gender, and Chinese dealers, who learn the language strictly by ear, often pick up speech patterns from female customers. I’ve come to think of it as the lingerie dialect, and there’s something disarming about these Chinese men speaking in the feminine voice.”

When I wrote about the Chinese in the New Yorker, most readers seemed to appreciate the unusual perspective. But as I often find with topics that involve the Middle East, some people had trouble getting past the black-and-white quality of a byline. “This piece is so orientalist I don’t know what to do,” Aisha Gani, a reporter who worked at The Guardian, tweeted. Another colleague at the British paper, Iman Amrani, agreed: “I wouldn’t have minded an article on the subject written by an Egyptian woman—probably would have had better insight.”

As an MOL (man of language), I also take issue with this kind of essentialism. Empathy and understanding are not inherited traits, and they are not strictly tied to gender and race. An individual who wrestles with a difficult language can learn to be more sympathetic to outsiders and open to different experiences of the world. This learning process—the embarrassments, the frustrations, the gradual sense of understanding and connection—is invariably transformative. In Upper Egypt, the Chinese experience of struggling to learn Arabic and local culture had made them much more thoughtful. In the same way, I was interested in their lives not because of some kind of voyeurism, but because I had also experienced Egypt and Arabic as an outsider. And both the Chinese and the Egyptians welcomed me because I spoke their languages. My identity as a white male was far less important than my ability to communicate.

And that easily lobbed word—“Orientalist”—hardly captures the complexity of our interactions. What exactly is the dynamic when a man from Missouri observes a Zhejiang native selling lingerie to an Upper Egyptian woman? If all of us now stand beside the same river, speaking in ways we all understand, who’s looking east and who’s looking west? Which way is Oriental?

For all of our current interest in identity politics, there’s no corresponding sense of identity linguistics. You are what you speak—the words that run throughout your mind are at least as fundamental to your selfhood as is your ethnicity or your gender. And sometimes it’s healthy to consider human characteristics that are not inborn, rigid, and outwardly defined. After all, you can always learn another language and change who you are.

RC Line-wise Explanation

Paragraph 1

"For two years, I tracked down dozens of Chinese in Upper Egypt [who were] selling lingerie."

Explanation: The author spent two years researching Chinese individuals selling lingerie in Upper Egypt.

"In a deeply conservative region, where Egyptian families rarely allow women to work or own businesses, the Chinese flourished because of their status as outsiders."

Explanation: In a conservative area where Egyptian women typically don’t work or run businesses, the Chinese thrived due to their outsider status, which made them less subject to local norms.

"They didn’t gossip, and they kept their opinions to themselves."

Explanation: The Chinese vendors maintained a low profile, not engaging in local gossip or sharing their opinions, which helped them avoid conflict.

"In a New Yorker article entitled 'Learning to Speak Lingerie,' I described the Chinese use of Arabic as another non-threatening characteristic."

Explanation: The author, in a New Yorker article, noted that the Chinese vendors’ use of Arabic was another reason they were seen as non-threatening to the local community.

"I wrote, 'Unlike Mandarin, Arabic is inflected for gender, and Chinese dealers, who learn the language strictly by ear, often pick up speech patterns from female customers.'"

Explanation: The author observed that Arabic, unlike Mandarin, has gender-specific speech, and the Chinese dealers, who learn Arabic informally, often adopt speech patterns from female customers.

"I’ve come to think of it as the lingerie dialect, and there’s something disarming about these Chinese men speaking in the feminine voice."

Explanation: The author refers to this as the "lingerie dialect," finding it disarming to hear Chinese men speaking Arabic in a feminine tone.

Paragraph 2

"When I wrote about the Chinese in the New Yorker, most readers seemed to appreciate the unusual perspective."

Explanation: Most readers of the New Yorker article appreciated the unique viewpoint presented.

"But as I often find with topics that involve the Middle East, some people had trouble getting past the black-and-white quality of a byline."

Explanation: The author notes that with topics related to the Middle East, some readers struggle to move beyond simplistic, stereotypical views.

"'This piece is so orientalist I don’t know what to do,' Aisha Gani, a reporter who worked at The Guardian, tweeted."

Explanation: Aisha Gani, a reporter, criticized the article as "orientalist," implying it was oversimplified and based on stereotypical Western views of the East.

"Another colleague at the British paper, Iman Amrani, agreed: 'I wouldn’t have minded an article on the subject written by an Egyptian woman—probably would have had better insight.'"

Explanation: Iman Amrani, another colleague, also criticized the article, suggesting that an Egyptian woman would have offered more insight into the subject.

Paragraph 3

"As an MOL (man of language), I also take issue with this kind of essentialism."

Explanation: The author, identifying as a "man of language," disagrees with the essentialist view that only people of a certain ethnicity or gender can truly understand or represent a culture.

"Empathy and understanding are not inherited traits, and they are not strictly tied to gender and race."

Explanation: The author argues that empathy and understanding are learned, not innate, and are not determined by gender or race.

"An individual who wrestles with a difficult language can learn to be more sympathetic to outsiders and open to different experiences of the world."

Explanation: Struggling with a difficult language can lead to greater empathy for outsiders and a more open understanding of diverse experiences.

"This learning process—the embarrassments, the frustrations, the gradual sense of understanding and connection—is invariably transformative."

Explanation: The process of learning a new language, with its challenges and gradual progress, is transformative, fostering deeper connections and understanding.

"In Upper Egypt, the Chinese experience of struggling to learn Arabic and local culture had made them much more thoughtful."

Explanation: The Chinese vendors in Upper Egypt, by learning Arabic and adapting to the local culture, became more thoughtful and sensitive to their environment.

"In the same way, I was interested in their lives not because of some kind of voyeurism, but because I had also experienced Egypt and Arabic as an outsider."

Explanation: The author’s interest in the Chinese vendors was not out of voyeurism but because, like them, he had also experienced Egypt and Arabic as an outsider.

"And both the Chinese and the Egyptians welcomed me because I spoke their languages."

Explanation: Both the Chinese vendors and Egyptians accepted the author because he spoke their languages, breaking down cultural barriers.

"My identity as a white male was far less important than my ability to communicate."

Explanation: The author emphasizes that his ability to communicate was more important than his identity as a white male in building connections.

Paragraph 4

"And that easily lobbed word—'Orientalist'—hardly captures the complexity of our interactions."

Explanation: The author argues that the term "orientalist" oversimplifies and doesn’t capture the complexity of the interactions between him, the Chinese vendors, and the Egyptians.

"What exactly is the dynamic when a man from Missouri observes a Zhejiang native selling lingerie to an Upper Egyptian woman?"

Explanation: The author questions the complexity of the interaction, raising the issue of how a person from Missouri (an American) observes a person from Zhejiang (China) selling lingerie to an Egyptian woman.

"If all of us now stand beside the same river, speaking in ways we all understand, who’s looking east and who’s looking west? Which way is Oriental?"

Explanation: The author challenges the conventional notion of East and West, questioning who is truly "oriental" when people from different backgrounds can now communicate and understand each other.

Paragraph 5

"For all of our current interest in identity politics, there’s no corresponding sense of identity linguistics."

Explanation: The author notes that while there is much focus on identity politics, there is less emphasis on the role of language in shaping identity.

"You are what you speak—the words that run throughout your mind are at least as fundamental to your selfhood as is your ethnicity or your gender."

Explanation: Language is a crucial part of one’s identity, as important as ethnicity or gender in shaping how a person understands themselves.

"And sometimes it’s healthy to consider human characteristics that are not inborn, rigid, and outwardly defined."

Explanation: The author suggests it is beneficial to focus on human traits that are not fixed or determined by birth or outward appearances.

"After all, you can always learn another language and change who you are."

Explanation: The ability to learn a new language allows individuals to transform and redefine themselves.

RC Paragraph Explanation

Paragraph 1 Summary

The author describes how Chinese vendors selling lingerie in Upper Egypt thrive due to their outsider status. Their ability to speak Arabic, particularly in a feminine voice, is seen as a non-threatening characteristic that helps them fit into the local community.

Paragraph 2 Summary

The author faced criticism for his New Yorker article on the Chinese vendors, with some readers accusing it of being orientalist. Others suggested that an Egyptian woman would have had better insight into the subject.

Paragraph 3 Summary

The author disagrees with the essentialist views on empathy and understanding, arguing that these qualities are learned through experiences like struggling with a new language. The Chinese vendors’ experience in Upper Egypt made them more thoughtful, and the author’s connection with both them and the Egyptians was based on his ability to communicate.

Paragraph 4 Summary

The term "orientalist" oversimplifies the complex dynamics of cross-cultural interactions. The author questions the conventional definitions of "East" and "West" and the role of language in these distinctions.

Paragraph 5 Summary

The author advocates for the importance of language in shaping identity, suggesting that language can be as fundamental to one’s selfhood as ethnicity or gender. He emphasizes the transformative power of learning a new language.

RC Quick Table Summary
Paragraph NumberMain Idea
Paragraph 1The Chinese vendors in Upper Egypt thrive due to their outsider status and their ability to speak Arabic in a feminine voice.
Paragraph 2The author’s New Yorker article on the Chinese vendors faced criticism for being orientalist, with some suggesting a more localized perspective would have been better.
Paragraph 3Empathy and understanding are learned through experience, and the Chinese vendors’ experience in Upper Egypt made them more thoughtful. The author’s connection with the vendors and Egyptians was based on his language skills.
Paragraph 4The term "orientalist" oversimplifies the complexity of cross-cultural interactions, questioning the traditional distinctions between "East" and "West."
Paragraph 5Language plays a fundamental role in shaping identity, and learning a new language can transform one’s sense of self.

RC Questions

Ques 6. A French ethnographer decides to study the culture of a Nigerian tribe. Which of the following is most likely to be the view of the author of the passage?

Correct Answer: (A) Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: This is a reasoning-based question that essentially asks you to understand the broader context and contours of the passage. Before we identify the correct answer, let us refer to some specific lines in the passage.Refer to the lines: As an MOL (man of language), I also take issue with this kind of essentialism. Empathy and understanding are not inherited traits, and they are not strictly tied to gender and race. An individual who wrestles with a difficult language can learn to be more sympathetic to outsiders and open to different experiences of the world……I had also experienced Egypt and Arabic as an outsider. And both the Chinese and the Egyptians welcomed me because I spoke their languages. My identity as a white male was far less important than my ability to communicate….For all of our current interest in identity politics, there’s no corresponding sense of identity linguistics. You are what you speak—the words that run throughout your mind are at least as fundamental to your selfhood as is your ethnicity or your gender. Broadly speaking, the author of the passage has clearly identified that it does not matter what one’s ethnicity or gender is when one is evaluating another culture. As long as one is trying to be a part of the culture and shares the same frustrations as others have gone through and displays empathy when it comes to understanding the culture of another, it is absolutely fine for a non-native to explore another culture. This is the broad theme and sentiment of the author of the passage. You need to evaluate the answer options keeping this in mind.Option A is the correct answer here as it highlights the fact that the author would encourage an outsider to study a foreign culture but his only consideration is that the person should try to be part of that culture and first learn the language of those people. This is reflected by option A. Option B is ruled out as the author is not going to discourage such a person. Option C is ruled out as the author will not encourage the hiring of a translator; this essentially means one outsources one’s job of connecting with another culture. This is not something the author is going to agree with. Option D is ruled out as the author does not see racial and gender identities as impediments in understanding another culture; in fact, he promotes lifting oneself above these distinctions and recommends connecting on an emphatic and human level.

Ques 7. The author’s critics would argue that:

Correct Answer: (A) Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: Before we go through the explanation for the question, let us go through the specific context here. Refer to the lines: When I wrote about the Chinese in the New Yorker, most readers seemed to appreciate the unusual perspective. But as I often find with topics that involve the Middle East, some people had trouble getting past the black-and-white quality of a byline. “This piece is so orientalist I don’t know what to do,” Aisha Gani, a reporter who worked at The Guardian, tweeted. Another colleague at the British paper, Iman Amrani, agreed: “I wouldn’t have minded an article on the subject written by an Egyptian woman—probably would have had better insight.”… As an MOL (man of language), I also take issue with this kind of essentialism. Empathy and understanding are not inherited traits, and they are not strictly tied to gender and race….. And that easily lobbed word—“Orientalist”—hardly captures the complexity of our interactions. What exactly is the dynamic when a man from Missouri observes a Zhejiang native selling lingerie to an Upper Egyptian woman? If all of us now stand beside the same river, speaking in ways we all understand, who’s looking east and who’s looking west? Which way is Oriental?...... For all of our current interest in identity politics, there’s no corresponding sense of identity linguistics.The above extract highlights what the critics have to say about the author and his response to the same. The critics have taken objection to a white male covering this topic and have labelled this as orientalism. The critics would prefect an Egyptian writing this piece and do not regard the author’s attempt as a genuine one (this has a subtle implication with respect to the language learnt by the author). The author in his rebuttal states his earning the language and then going through the learning process itself debunks the critics viewpoints. And he then talks against the orientalist label as well as identify politics.Now let us go through the answer options keeping this in mind. Option B is the viewpoints of the author of the passage and not the critics viewpoints. Hence, this can be eliminated. Option C is irrelevant as linguistics politics has not been mentioned in the passage. Option D refers to orientalism. Remember, the critics are saying that the author indulges in it and the author debunks orientalism in itself. This answer option labels orientalism cannot be practices by Egyptians; this has not impact on the passage as this does not attack the author of the passage. Remember, we need an answer option that reflects the viewpoints of the critics, and hence, should attack the author. This option does not do that. Option A is our correct answer in the given case. If language is insufficient to bridge cultural barriers, then the author’s attempt to do so will be futile. This strengthens the critics viewpoints and attacks the author directly. Hence, option A is the correct answer here.

Ques 8. Which of the following can be inferred from the author’s claim, “Which way is Oriental?”

Correct Answer: (B) Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: Let’s refer to the context here: And that easily lobbed word—“Orientalist”—hardly captures the complexity of our interactions. What exactly is the dynamic when a man from Missouri observes a Zhejiang native selling lingerie to an Upper Egyptian woman? If all of us now stand beside the same river, speaking in ways we all understand, who’s looking east and who’s looking west? Which way is Oriental?What does this context imply? This context highlights our cultural interactions are complex and once we make an attempt to assimilate another culture by learning its language and being a part of it, we can bring down the cultural barriers. The reference to who is looking east and who is looking west (implying individuals from these regions) becomes irrelevant. This question ‘Which way is Oriental?’ is essentially an rhetorical one where the author wish to make the point that differences do not matter once one is part of another culture. This sentiment is best and only highlighted by option B. The other options are actually irrelevant in this case. Option A does not find a mention in the passage; there is no reference to colonialism. Option C is ruled out as there is no reference to globalization. Option D is the close one and can be the answer if you make a sweeping assumption that ‘empathy’ in the passage stands for goodwill. This is something outside the scope here. Remember, the primary task accomplished by the author of the passage is option B.

Ques 9. According to the passage, which of the following is not responsible for language’s ability to change us?

Correct Answer: (B) Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: In this case, three of the four options can be derived from the passage. There are specific contexts in the passage which highlight language’s ability to change us.Option A can be directly derived from the lines: An individual who wrestles with a difficult language can learn to be more sympathetic to outsiders and open to different experiences of the world. This learning process—the embarrassments, the frustrations, the gradual sense of understanding and connection—is invariably transformative.Option C can be derived from the lines: My identity as a white male was far less important than my ability to communicate… You are what you speak—the words that run throughout your mind are at least as fundamental to your selfhood as is your ethnicity or your gender. These lines indicate that our identity is tied to our ability to communicate and the words that run through our minds. In other words, these lines highlight the connection of language with our identify and self.Option D can be derived from the lines: Empathy and understanding are not inherited traits, and they are not strictly tied to gender and race…. You are what you speak—the words that run throughout your mind are at least as fundamental to your selfhood as is your ethnicity or your gender. And sometimes it’s healthy to consider human characteristics that are not inborn, rigid, and outwardly defined. After all, you can always learn another language and change who you are. The author here highlights that how language can have an impact on one’s characteristics and when one makes an attempt to learn a language, one is essentially making an attempt to change oneself. This change is nothing else but a mediation (another word for transformation) of one’s natural identify markers (genetic and ethnic). Hence, option D is derived from the passage as well.Option B is the odd one out. There is no mention of evolution of language and how language evolves. This is outside the context of the passage.Hence, three (options A, C, and D) out of the four options can be derived from the passage and option B is clearly outside the scope of the passage. Thus, option B is the correct answer here.

Actual CAT VA-RC 2019 Slot 1: Question-wise Index

Reading ComprehensionWords from the Passage
RC Passage 1 (Q 1 to 4) Must-Learn Words (Passage 1)
RC Passage 2 (Q 5 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 (Para-jumble) Ques 30 (Misfit/Odd one out)
Ques 31 (Para-jumble) Ques 32 (Para-jumble)
Ques 33 (Para-jumble) Ques 34 (Para-jumble)

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Free Counselling
Call Icon
×

Get 1 Free Counselling