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đ Authentic CAT Reading Comprehension Passage: Practice with a real RC passage from a previous CAT exam.
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Detailed Questions with Step-by-Step Solutions: Each question is explained thoroughly for better understanding.
đ 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.
In the summer of 2022, subscribers to the US streaming service HBO MAX were alarmed to discover that dozens of the platformâs offerings - from the Covid-themed heist thriller Locked Down to the recent remake of The Witches - had been quietly removed from the service . . . The news seemed like vindication to those who had long warned that streaming was more about controlling access to the cultural commons than expanding it, as did reports (since denied by the showâs creators) that Netflix had begun editing old episodes of Stranger. Things to retroactively improve their visual effects.
Whatâs less clear is whether the commonly prescribed cure for these cultural ills - a return to the material pleasures of physical media - is the right one. While the makers of Blu-ray discs claim they have a shelf life of 100 years, such statistics remain largely theoretical until they come to pass, and are dependent on storage conditions, not to mention the continued availability of playback equipment. The humble DVD has already proved far less resilient, with many early releases already beginning to deteriorate in quality Digital movie purchases provide even less security. Any film âboughtâ on iTunes could disappear if you move to another territory with a different rights agreement and try to redownload it. Itâs a bold new frontier in the commodification of art: the birth of the product recall
. After a man took to Twitter to bemoan losing access to Cars 2 after moving from Canada to Australia, Apple clarified that users who downloaded films to their devices would retain permanent access to those downloads, even if they relocated to a hemisphere where the [content was] subject to a different set of rights agreements. Thanks to the companyâs ironclad digital rights management technology, however, such files cannot be moved or backed up, locking you into watching with your Apple account.
Anyone who does manage to acquire Digital Rights Management free (DRM-free) copies of their favourite films must nonetheless grapple with ever-changing file format standards, not to mention data decay - the gradual process by which electronic information slowly but surely corrupts. Only the regular migration of files from hard drive to hard drive can delay the inevitable, in a sisyphean battle against the ravages of digital time.
In a sense, none of this is new. Charlie Chaplin burned the negative of his 1926 film A Woman of the Sea as a tax write-off. Many more films have been lost through accident, negligence or plain indifference. During a heatwave in July 1937, a Fox film vault in New Jersey burned down, destroying a majority of the silent films produced by the studio.
Back then, at least, cinema was defined by its ephemerality: the sense that a film was as good as gone once it left your local cinema. Today, with film studios keen to stress the breadth of their back catalogues (or to put in Hollywood terms, the value of their IPs), audiences may start to wonder why those same studios seem happy to set the vault alight themselves if itâll help next quarterâs numbers.
RC Line-wise Explanation
𧩠Line-by-Line Explanation: Media Access & Streaming
Paragraph 1
Line 1: In mid-2022, HBO MAX users were shocked when many shows and films, including Locked Down and The Witches, vanished without prior notice.
Line 2: Critics who believed that streaming limited, rather than broadened, public access to media felt proven right by this event.
Line 3: Allegations that Netflix was altering older Stranger Things episodes to upgrade visualsâthough later deniedâalso supported fears about streaming services changing media history without notice.
Paragraph 2
Line 1: Itâs uncertain whether going back to DVDs and Blu-rays is truly a good solution to streaming-related issues.
Line 2: Though Blu-ray producers assert their discs last a century, this claim is untested and uncertain.
Line 3: Even if the discs last, they need ideal storage and devices to play themâboth of which may not be around in the future.
Line 4: DVDs, which came before Blu-rays, have shown signs of deterioration, making them unreliable long-term.
Line 5: Buying digital films online offers even weaker guarantees of long-term access.
Line 6: Changing countries can make previously purchased films inaccessible due to different licensing laws.
Line 7: This is a new stage in treating art like commercial goodsâwhere items can be revoked after purchase, like defective products.
Paragraph 3
Line 1: A man complained on Twitter about losing his digital film (Cars 2) due to changing countries.
Line 2: Apple responded by saying that downloaded movies remain viewable despite regional licensing differences.
Line 3: However, because of Appleâs strict DRM rules, you canât transfer or back up those filesâyou must use your Apple account to view them.
Paragraph 4
Line 1: Even if you get DRM-free versions of films, youâll face problems due to constantly evolving file types.
Line 2: Digital files also suffer from âdata decay,â where information deteriorates over time.
Line 3: To preserve files, one must constantly transfer them between storage devicesâa never-ending task to combat eventual digital loss.
Paragraph 5
Line 1: These problems arenât entirely new in the history of media.
Line 2: In the past, even great filmmakers like Chaplin intentionally destroyed their films, in this case for financial reasons.
Line 3: Countless other movies have disappeared due to accidents, neglect, or a lack of care.
Line 4: A historical example: a fire destroyed most of Foxâs silent film archives in 1937.
Paragraph 6
Line 1: In the past, movies were considered temporary, disappearing from public view after their theater runs.
Line 2: Now, studios emphasize their film libraries as valuable intellectual property assets.
Line 3: Given their focus on long-term value, viewers question why studios are willing to delete content if it benefits short-term profits.
RC Paragraph Explanation
Paragraph 1 Summary
Streaming platforms like HBO MAX and Netflix have removed or altered content, reinforcing fears that such services control and limit access to cultural materials rather than enhancing it.
Paragraph 2 Summary
While physical media is often seen as a remedy to digital impermanence, it is not without flaws. DVDs degrade, Blu-rays are unproven long-term, and digital purchases are unstable across regions.
Paragraph 3 Summary
A userâs experience with losing access to purchased digital content highlights how digital rights management and territorial licensing restrict ownership and use, even after purchase.
Paragraph 4 Summary
Even DRM-free digital media is not truly permanent, as evolving file formats and data decay demand constant upkeep to preserve contentâa difficult and endless task.
Paragraph 5 Summary
Loss of media isnât unique to the digital age. History shows that many films have been lost due to deliberate destruction or accidents, showing that media vulnerability is an age-old issue.
Paragraph 6 Summary
Although todayâs film studios emphasize their massive content libraries, their actionsâlike deleting or restricting accessâsuggest a contradictory focus on short-term gains over cultural preservation.
RC Quick Table Summary
| Paragraph Number | Main Idea |
|---|---|
| Paragraph 1 | Streaming platforms are removing or altering content, raising control concerns. |
| Paragraph 2 | Physical and digital media both have limitations as long-term storage solutions. |
| Paragraph 3 | DRM and regional rights can block access to digital purchases after relocation. |
| Paragraph 4 | Digital media decays and becomes obsolete unless actively maintained. |
| Paragraph 5 | Loss of films has always happened due to destruction, accidents, or neglect. |
| Paragraph 6 | Studios claim to value their libraries but erase content for short-term profit. |
RC Questions
Ques 13. Which one of the following statements about art best captures the arguments made in the passage?
Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: The passage presents a paradox: although digital platforms seem to offer easy access to films, they actually make that access more fragile and unstable due to factors like: sudden removal of content, shifting licensing agreements, digital rights restrictions, and data decay. Thus, instead of securing access to cultural works, digital media has made ownership and permanence uncertain, driven by platform control and technological obsolescence.
Option by option Analysis:
Option A: This implies a prescriptive shift in how we should view classic art, but the passage is descriptive, not advocating a change in philosophy. It also overstates the idea of immutability. Option B: This directly reflects the passageâs core idea: digital access is surprisingly unreliable and influenced by technological and corporate variables. Option C: The passage mentions retroactive edits but doesnât argue that this will lead creators to slack off in original work. Thatâs speculative and not supported. Option D: While the concept of cultural commons is briefly mentioned, the passageâs focus is not on moral entitlement to permanent access, but rather on the practical limitations and corporate controls that affect digital availability.
Ques 14. Which one of the following statements, if true, would best invalidate the main argument of the passage?
Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: The main argument of the passage is that digital ownership is unreliable, because access can be revoked due to licensing changes, region shifts, DRM restrictions, and data degradation. If it were proven that customers have guaranteed, permanent access to their digital purchasesâregardless of device, location, or platformâthat would completely undermine the authorâs concern about fragility and control in digital art access.
Option by option Analysis:
Option A: Even if Blu-rays last 100 years, the author raises concerns about availability of playback devices and digital purchasesânot just durability. Option B: This directly invalidates the core concern: that access can be taken away or made conditional. Perpetual, platform-independent access would solve the problem. Option C: VPNs may help with geo-restrictions, but they donât address ownership rights, DRM, or content being removed. Option D: Improved storage helps, but the passageâs argument focuses more on access control and DRM limitations than on file migration.
Ques 15. Which of the following statements is suggested by the sentence "Back then, at least, cinema was defined by its ephemerality: the sense that a film was as good as gone once it left your local cinema"?
Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: The sentence contrasts the past, when films were short-lived and rarely seen again after their theatre run, with the present, where thereâs an expectation of continued access due to digital formats. The passage critiques modern platforms for failing to meet this expectation, often removing or modifying films.
Option by option Analysis:
Option A: While true, the passage emphasizes todayâs expectations, not past acceptance. The focus is forward-looking. Option B: This captures the implied shift in audience mindset: from viewing film as temporary to expecting long-term, repeatable access. Option C: The passage doesnât claim films are less ephemeral now because of better technology. Instead, it shows that despite digital potential, films remain vulnerable. Option D: This is an opinion, not a logical inference from the passage. Studios are still removing access based on business reasons, which the passage critiques but does not declare unjustified.
Ques 16. "Netflix had begun editing old episodes of Stranger Things to retroactively improve their visual effects." What is the purpose of this example used in the passage?
Detailed explanation by Wordpandit: The Stranger Things anecdote serves to illustrate a real concern: streaming services can alter content retroactively, undermining trust in their role as guardians of original cultural works. The passage uses this example to support the broader argument about the unreliability of digital platforms in preserving cultural artifacts faithfully.
Option by option Analysis:
Option A: This focuses on access, but the Stranger Things example is about alteration, not removal. Option B: The editing report is used to highlight a real concern, not to debate whether the report was substantiated. The example reinforces distrust, not questions it. Option C: The example validates the fears that streaming platforms shouldnât be blindly trusted with preserving film history intact. Option D: The point isn't about adapting art to changing tastes, but about the power and opacity platforms have to change original content, often without notice.
