CAT VA-RC 2021 Slot 1: RC Passage 4

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🔍 In-Depth Passage Analysis: Gain insights through line-by-line and paragraph-wise analysis, supplemented with a quick summary table for efficient revision.
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RC Passage

Direction for the questions 13 to 16: The passage below is accompanied by a set of four questions. Choose the best answer to each question.

Cuttlefish are full of personality, as behavioral ecologist Alexandra Schnell found out while researching the cephalopod's potential to display self-control. . . . “Self-control is thought to be the cornerstone of intelligence, as it is an important prerequisite for complex decision-making and planning for the future,” says Schnell . . .

[Schnell's] study used a modified version of the “marshmallow test” . . . During the original marshmallow test, psychologist Walter Mischel presented children between age four and six with one marshmallow. He told them that if they waited 15 minutes and didn’t eat it, he would give them a second marshmallow. A longterm follow-up study showed that the children who waited for the second marshmallow had more success later in life. .

The cuttlefish version of the experiment looked a lot different. The researchers worked with six cuttlefish under nine months old and presented them with seafood instead of sweets. (Preliminary experiments showed that cuttlefishes’ favorite food is live grass shrimp, while raw prawns are so-so and Asian shore crab is nearly unacceptable.) Since the researchers couldn’t explain to the cuttlefish that they would need to wait for their shrimp, they trained them to recognize certain shapes that indicated when a food item would become available. The symbols were pasted on transparent drawers so that the cuttlefish could see the food that was stored inside. One drawer, labeled with a circle to mean “immediate,” held raw king prawn. Another drawer, labeled with a triangle to mean “delayed,” held live grass shrimp. During a control experiment, square labels meant “never.”

“If their self-control is flexible and I hadn’t just trained them to wait in any context, you would expect the cuttlefish to take the immediate reward [in the control], even if it’s their second preference,” says Schnell . . . and that’s what they did. That showed the researchers that cuttlefish wouldn’t reject the prawns if it was the only food available. In the experimental trials, the cuttlefish didn’t jump on the prawns if the live grass shrimp were labeled with a triangle— many waited for the shrimp drawer to open up. Each time the cuttlefish showed it could wait, the researchers tacked another ten seconds on to the next round of waiting before releasing the shrimp. The longest that a cuttlefish waited was 130 seconds.

Schnell [says] that the cuttlefish usually sat at the bottom of the tank and looked at the two food items while they waited, but sometimes, they would turn away from the king prawn “as if to distract themselves from the temptation of the immediate reward.” In past studies, humans, chimpanzees, parrots and dogs also tried to distract themselves while waiting for a reward.

Not every species can use self-control, but most of the animals that can share another trait in common: long, social lives. Cuttlefish, on the other hand, are solitary creatures that don’t form relationships even with mates or young. . . . “We don’t know if living in a social group is important for complex cognition unless we also show those abilities are lacking in less social species,” says . . . comparative psychologist Jennifer Vonk.

RC Line-wise Explanation

Paragraph 1

"Cuttlefish are full of personality, as behavioral ecologist Alexandra Schnell found out while researching the cephalopod's potential to display self-control."

Explanation: Cuttlefish have unique behaviors and characteristics, which Alexandra Schnell discovered while studying whether they can show self-control.

"“Self-control is thought to be the cornerstone of intelligence, as it is an important prerequisite for complex decision-making and planning for the future,” says Schnell."

Explanation: Schnell explains that self-control is essential to being intelligent because it helps in making thoughtful decisions and preparing for future events.

Paragraph 2

"[Schnell's] study used a modified version of the “marshmallow test”."

Explanation: Schnell adapted a famous experiment to test self-control in cuttlefish.

"During the original marshmallow test, psychologist Walter Mischel presented children between age four and six with one marshmallow."

Explanation: In the original version of this test, young children were given one marshmallow.

"He told them that if they waited 15 minutes and didn’t eat it, he would give them a second marshmallow."

Explanation: Children were promised a second marshmallow if they waited and didn’t eat the first one.

"A long-term follow-up study showed that the children who waited for the second marshmallow had more success later in life."

Explanation: Later studies found that the children who waited performed better in life as adults.

Paragraph 3

"The cuttlefish version of the experiment looked a lot different."

Explanation: The test for cuttlefish was designed differently due to the differences between humans and cuttlefish.

"The researchers worked with six cuttlefish under nine months old and presented them with seafood instead of sweets."

Explanation: Six young cuttlefish were tested using types of seafood instead of candy.

"(Preliminary experiments showed that cuttlefishes’ favorite food is live grass shrimp, while raw prawns are so-so and Asian shore crab is nearly unacceptable.)"

Explanation: Before the main experiment, scientists learned that cuttlefish prefer live shrimp the most, like prawns somewhat, and dislike crabs.

"Since the researchers couldn’t explain to the cuttlefish that they would need to wait for their shrimp, they trained them to recognize certain shapes that indicated when a food item would become available."

Explanation: Because cuttlefish can't understand verbal instructions, scientists used symbols to communicate when food would be accessible.

"The symbols were pasted on transparent drawers so that the cuttlefish could see the food that was stored inside."

Explanation: Symbols were placed on see-through boxes so cuttlefish could see the food and the sign indicating its availability.

"One drawer, labeled with a circle to mean “immediate,” held raw king prawn."

Explanation: A box marked with a circle contained prawns that could be eaten right away.

"Another drawer, labeled with a triangle to mean “delayed,” held live grass shrimp."

Explanation: A different box with a triangle sign held the preferred food but could only be accessed after waiting.

"During a control experiment, square labels meant “never.”"

Explanation: Boxes with a square symbol indicated that the food inside would not be given at all.

Paragraph 4

"“If their self-control is flexible and I hadn’t just trained them to wait in any context, you would expect the cuttlefish to take the immediate reward [in the control], even if it’s their second preference,” says Schnell."

Explanation: Schnell says that if cuttlefish were just blindly following training and not really exercising self-control, they would still take the immediate food, even if it wasn’t their favorite.

"…and that’s what they did."

Explanation: In the control setting, the cuttlefish ate the immediate food option as expected.

"That showed the researchers that cuttlefish wouldn’t reject the prawns if it was the only food available."

Explanation: This proved that cuttlefish don’t dislike prawns—they’ll eat them if there’s no better option.

"In the experimental trials, the cuttlefish didn’t jump on the prawns if the live grass shrimp were labeled with a triangle—many waited for the shrimp drawer to open up."

Explanation: When shrimp were available after waiting, the cuttlefish often ignored the prawns and waited.

"Each time the cuttlefish showed it could wait, the researchers tacked another ten seconds on to the next round of waiting before releasing the shrimp."

Explanation: With every successful wait, scientists made the wait time longer for the next round.

"The longest that a cuttlefish waited was 130 seconds."

Explanation: One cuttlefish waited over two minutes (130 seconds) for its favorite food.

Paragraph 5

"Schnell [says] that the cuttlefish usually sat at the bottom of the tank and looked at the two food items while they waited…"

Explanation: Schnell observed that cuttlefish often just stared at the food while waiting.

"…but sometimes, they would turn away from the king prawn “as if to distract themselves from the temptation of the immediate reward.”"

Explanation: Sometimes, the cuttlefish seemed to avoid looking at the immediate food to resist the temptation.

"In past studies, humans, chimpanzees, parrots and dogs also tried to distract themselves while waiting for a reward."

Explanation: Other animals—and even humans—also use distraction to help them wait for better rewards.

Paragraph 6

"Not every species can use self-control, but most of the animals that can share another trait in common: long, social lives."

Explanation: Animals that can show self-control usually live in social groups and interact a lot with others.

"Cuttlefish, on the other hand, are solitary creatures that don’t form relationships even with mates or young."

Explanation: Cuttlefish are loners and don’t socialize with family or other members of their species.

"“We don’t know if living in a social group is important for complex cognition unless we also show those abilities are lacking in less social species,” says… comparative psychologist Jennifer Vonk."

Explanation: Vonk says we can’t be sure that social life is necessary for intelligence unless we find that isolated animals lack cognitive skills—yet cuttlefish seem to have them.

RC Paragraph Explanation

Paragraph 1 Summary

Alexandra Schnell discovered that cuttlefish exhibit personality and possibly self-control, a trait linked to intelligence and future-oriented decision-making.

Paragraph 2 Summary

Schnell modeled her study after the famous marshmallow test, which showed that children with better self-control had more success later in life.

Paragraph 3 Summary

Researchers tested six young cuttlefish using food rewards and symbol-labeled drawers, training them to associate shapes with reward timings.

Paragraph 4 Summary

The experiment revealed that cuttlefish preferred waiting for better food, showing real self-control rather than just conditioned behavior, with some waiting up to 130 seconds.

Paragraph 5 Summary

Cuttlefish sometimes looked away from immediate food to avoid temptation—behavior also seen in humans and other animals exercising self-control.

Paragraph 6 Summary

Although self-control is typically linked to social animals, cuttlefish, despite being solitary, demonstrate complex cognition, challenging existing theories.

RC Quick Table Summary
Paragraph NumberMain Idea
Paragraph 1Cuttlefish may possess self-control, a key indicator of intelligence.
Paragraph 2The experiment was based on a child-focused test of delayed gratification.
Paragraph 3Cuttlefish were trained with symbols to test their ability to wait.
Paragraph 4Cuttlefish showed true self-control by delaying for preferred food.
Paragraph 5They used distraction techniques to resist temptation, like humans.
Paragraph 6Despite being solitary, cuttlefish show advanced cognition skills.

RC Questions

Ques 13. All of the following constitute a point of difference between the “original” and “modified” versions of the marshmallow test EXCEPT that:

Correct Answer: (B) Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: In evaluating the given options, it's beneficial to refer to the second paragraph of the original passage for key insights. The paragraph provides essential details about the original marshmallow experiment and its modified version involving cuttlefish.Option A states that the original marshmallow experiment focused on studying children, while its modified version targeted cuttlefish. This is directly in line with the passage, which mentions that children between the ages of four and six were the subjects of the original experiment. Similarly, the modified version involved the study of cuttlefish, making Option A consistent with the text.Option C suggests that the cuttlefish were trained to recognize specific shapes as indicators for the availability of food. This mirrors the passage's information about how researchers couldn't verbally communicate with the cuttlefish and instead used shape indicators to signal when food would be available.Option D posits that the original experiment with children was followed up over a longer term compared to the cuttlefish version. This is a logical deduction based on the passage's mention of a long-term follow-up study for children, allowing us to safely assume that the cuttlefish experiment was of a shorter duration.However, Option B suggests a correlation between self-control and survival advantages, an assertion not made in the passage. There is no evidence in the text to support the idea that self-control necessarily leads to survival benefits. Therefore, since Option B is not backed by the passage, it stands as the correct choice in this context.

Ques 14. Which one of the following, if true, would best complement the passage’s findings?

Correct Answer: (B) Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: When analyzing the options to assess how they would impact the findings of the experiments on cuttlefish and self-control, it's crucial to consider the methodology and conclusions of the original study.Option A suggests that if cuttlefish were equally fond of live grass shrimp and raw prawn, it would significantly weaken the study's conclusions. The experimental setup relies on the assumption that cuttlefish have a distinct preference for one type of food over another. If this assumption were invalidated, the study's observations on self-restraint would be compromised. Therefore, Option A can be safely eliminated as it would undermine the study's integrity.Option B posits that if cuttlefish were social creatures, this would bolster the findings of the study, specifically the comments made in the final paragraph. The author notes that species capable of self-control usually share another common trait: they lead long, social lives. If cuttlefish were found to be social, this would reinforce the study's primary claims about self-control. Thus, Option B strengthens the study's conclusions.Option C suggests that cuttlefish can wait for a longer period than initially observed, which does not particularly affect the study's findings. The study has already noted that the longest a cuttlefish waited was 130 seconds. Knowing that cuttlefish can wait even longer is not directly relevant to the main argument. So, Option C neither strengthens nor weakens the study's conclusions.Option D argues that if cuttlefish could not distinguish between geometrical shapes, this would critically weaken the study's findings. The methodology used in the study is based on the premise that cuttlefish can recognize specific shapes to know when food will become available. Invalidating this premise would call into question the entire study. Therefore, Option D can be ruled out as it would weaken the study's results.In summary, Option B is the correct choice as it would strengthen the study's conclusions about the self-control exhibited by cuttlefish.

Ques 15. Which one of the following cannot be inferred from Alexandra Schnell’s experiment?

Correct Answer: (B) Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: When considering the options based on their alignment with Schnell's study on cuttlefish and self-control, each choice warrants close scrutiny.Option A is supported by the study's results, which found that cuttlefish could indeed wait for their preferred food, just as some children showed self-restraint in the original marshmallow experiment. Each time the cuttlefish demonstrated the ability to wait, the researchers increased the waiting time by ten seconds, reaching up to 130 seconds at most. This indicates that like some children, cuttlefish too exhibit self-restraint. Therefore, Option A is accurate.Option B, on the other hand, is problematic. The author's remarks about self-control and social behavior don't suggest a causal relationship between intelligence and sociability. Instead, the author observes that self-control—an attribute often associated with higher intelligence—is commonly found in animals with long, social lives. There is no indication that one causes the other. Thus, Option B distorts the passage's content and cannot be considered correct.Option C is directly supported by a section of the study that identified a clear hierarchy of food preferences among cuttlefish: they favored live grass shrimp, were indifferent to raw prawns, and found Asian shore crabs nearly unacceptable. This aligns perfectly with the assertion in Option C, making it a valid choice.Option D is corroborated by Schnell's observations that the cuttlefish would sometimes turn away from the less-preferred food, acting "as if to distract themselves from the temptation of the immediate reward." This behavior demonstrates an additional layer to their self-control, making Option D accurate as well.In summary, while Options A, C, and D are supported by evidence from the passage, Option B cannot be accurately inferred. It misrepresents the relationship between intelligence and sociability as depicted in the study. Hence, Option B is the correct choice for what cannot be inferred from the passage.

Ques 16. In which one of the following scenarios would the cuttlefish’s behaviour demonstrate self-control?

Correct Answer: (A) Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: The question under consideration hinges on our comprehension of the cuttlefish experiment described in the second paragraph. Three pivotal aspects of the experiment shape our analysis:(a) The hierarchy of food preference in cuttlefish is as follows: 1st choice is live grass shrimp, 2nd choice is raw prawns, and 3rd choice is Asian shore crab. (b) Cuttlefish were trained to recognize symbols that indicate the availability of food: A Circle symbolizes immediate availability; a Triangle represents delayed availability, and a Square indicates that the food will never become available. (c) Key Observations: When confronted with a single food choice in the absence of their first preference, cuttlefish will opt for their second preference. When presented with multiple food choices, cuttlefish will wait if their first choice is tagged with either a Circle or a Triangle.Now, let's scrutinize the given options through the lens of these key points:Option A: Given that raw prawns and Asian shore crabs are not cuttlefish's first choice and that live grass shrimp (their first choice) is available but tagged with a delay symbol (Triangle), if cuttlefish willingly ignore the less desirable options and wait for the live grass shrimp, it would robustly validate the study's conclusions about their capacity for self-control. Hence, Option A offers substantial support to the study's findings, making it a strong candidate for the correct choice.Option B: In this scenario, cuttlefish would naturally select raw prawns. The cuttlefish have been conditioned to recognize that a Square symbol means the food will never be available, making this option irrelevant for gauging self-control. Therefore, Option B can be dismissed as a correct choice.Option C: Given the preference hierarchy, cuttlefish would choose raw prawns over Asian shore crabs, irrespective of the symbols tagged to the food. This choice doesn't help us evaluate the self-control exhibited by the cuttlefish, and thus, Option C can be ruled out.Option D: If faced with live grass shrimp and raw prawns, cuttlefish will opt for live grass shrimp, which is their first preference, irrespective of the symbols attached to the food. This choice would not provide insights into the self-control capacity of the cuttlefish, making Option D unsuitable.Based on this thorough analysis, it is clear that Option A is the correct answer as it most closely aligns with and supports the study's conclusions on the self-control capabilities of cuttlefish.

Actual CAT VA-RC 2021 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 8) Must-Learn Words (Passage 2)
RC Passage 3 (Q 9 to 12) Must-Learn Words (Passage 3)
RC Passage 4 (Q 13 to 16) Must-Learn Words (Passage 4)
Verbal Ability
Ques 17 (Paragraph Summary) Ques 18 (Misfit/Odd one out)
Ques 19 (Para-jumble) Ques 20 (Paragraph Summary)
Ques 21 (Misfit/Odd one out) Ques 22 (Para-jumble)
Ques 23 (Paragraph Summary) Ques 24 (Misfit/Odd one out)

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