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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 1 to 4: The passage below is accompanied by a set of four questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
The history of any major technological or industrial advance is inevitably shadowed by a less predictable history of unintended consequences and secondary effects â what economists sometimes call âexternalities.â
Sometimes those consequences are innocuous ones, or even beneficial. Gutenberg invents the printing press, and literacy rates rise, which causes a significant part of the reading public to require spectacles for the first time, which creates a surge of investment in lens-making across Europe, which leads to the invention of the telescope and the microscope.
Often times the secondary effects seem to belong to an entirely different sphere of society. When Willis Carrier hit upon the idea of air-conditioning, the technology was primarily intended for industrial use: ensuring cool, dry air for factories that required low-humidity environments. ButâŚit touched off one of the largest migrations in the history of the United States, enabling the rise of metropolitan areas like Phoenix and Las Vegas that barely existed when Carrier first started tinkering with the idea in the early 1900s.
Sometimes the unintended consequence comes about when consumers use an invention in a surprising way. Edison famously thought his phonograph, which he sometimes called âthe talking machine,â would primarily be used to take dictationâŚ.But then later innovators⌠discovered a much larger audience willing to pay for musical recordings made on descendants of Edisonâs original invention. In other cases, the original innovation comes into the world disguised as a playthingâŚthe way the animatronic dolls of the mid-1700s inspired Jacquard to invent the first âprogrammableâ loom and Charles Babbage to invent the first machine that fit the modern definition of a computer, setting the stage for the revolution in programmable technology that would transform the 21st century in countless ways.
We live under the gathering storm of modern historyâs most momentous unintended consequenceâŚ.carbon based climate change. Imagine the vast sweep of inventors whose ideas started the Industrial Revolution, all the entrepreneurs and scientists and hobbyists who had a hand in bringing it about. Line up a thousand of them and ask them all what they had been hoping to do with their work. Not one would say that their intent had been to deposit enough carbon in the atmosphere to create a greenhouse effect that trapped heat at the surface of the planet. And yet here we are.
Ethyl (leaded fuel) and Freon belonged to the same general class of secondary effect: innovations whose unintended consequences stem from some kind of waste by-product that they emit. But the potential health threats of Ethyl (unleaded fuel) were visible in the 1920s, unlike, say, the long-term effects of atmospheric carbon build up in the early days of the Industrial RevolutionâŚ.
Indeed, it is reasonable to see CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) as a forerunner of the kind of threat we will most likely face in the coming decades, as it becomes increasingly possible for individuals or small groups to create new scientific advances â through chemistry or biotechnology or materials science â setting off unintended consequences that reverberate on a global scale.
RC Line-wise Explanation
Paragraph 1
Original: The history of any major technological or industrial advance is inevitably shadowed by a less predictable history of unintended consequences and secondary effects â what economists sometimes call âexternalities.â
Explanation: Whenever a new technology or industry emerges, it often brings unexpected side effects, which economists refer to as "externalities."
Paragraph 2
Original: Sometimes those consequences are innocuous ones, or even beneficial.
Explanation: Some side effects of innovations can be harmless or even good.
Original: Gutenberg invents the printing press...
Explanation: The printing press led to increased reading and a need for eyeglasses, boosting the lens industry and eventually resulting in major inventions like telescopes and microscopes.
Paragraph 3
Original: Often times the secondary effects seem to belong to an entirely different sphere of society.
Explanation: Sometimes the side effects of an invention impact areas far removed from its original purpose.
Original: When Willis Carrier hit upon the idea of air-conditioning...
Explanation: Carrier invented air conditioning to help factories control temperature and humidity.
Original: ButâŚit touched off one of the largest migrations...
Explanation: Unexpectedly, air conditioning made it possible for people to live in hot places like Phoenix and Las Vegas, causing large population shifts.
Paragraph 4
Original: Sometimes the unintended consequence comes about when consumers use an invention in a surprising way.
Explanation: People may use new inventions differently than the inventor expected, leading to unplanned effects.
Original: Edison famously thought his phonograph...
Explanation: Edison created the phonograph to record speech, but it eventually became popular for music recording and playback.
Original: In other cases, the original innovation comes into the world disguised as a plaything...
Explanation: Some major innovations began as toysâlike mechanical dollsâwhich led to inventions like programmable looms and eventually early computers.
Paragraph 5
Original: We live under the gathering storm of modern historyâs most momentous unintended consequenceâŚ.carbon based climate change.
Explanation: The biggest unintended consequence today is climate change caused by carbon emissions.
Original: Imagine the vast sweep of inventors...
Explanation: Think of all the people who contributed to starting the Industrial Revolution.
Original: Line up a thousand of them and ask them...
Explanation: If you asked all those inventors about their goalsâŚ
Original: Not one would say that their intent...
Explanation: None of them would have aimed to cause global warming, but thatâs the unintended result of their combined actions.
Paragraph 6
Original: Ethyl (leaded fuel) and Freon belonged to the same general class...
Explanation: Like carbon emissions, leaded fuel and Freon had harmful side effects because of the waste they released.
Original: But the potential health threats of Ethyl...
Explanation: The dangers of leaded fuel were apparent early on, unlike the delayed awareness of the impact of carbon emissions.
Paragraph 7
Original: Indeed, it is reasonable to see CFCs...
Explanation: CFCs are early examples of how small innovations can cause large-scale harm, warning us of similar risks from emerging fields like biotech or materials science in the future.
RC Paragraph Explanation
Paragraph 1 Summary
Technological progress often leads to unexpected outcomes, known as externalities, which may not be immediately obvious.
Paragraph 2 Summary
Some unintended effects are positive, such as the printing press indirectly leading to major optical inventions.
Paragraph 3 Summary
Inventions like air conditioning can cause major social changes, such as enabling population growth in previously uninhabitable areas.
Paragraph 4 Summary
Users can redefine a technologyâs purpose, as seen with the phonograph becoming a music device and mechanical toys inspiring programmable machines.
Paragraph 5 Summary
Climate change is the most significant unintended consequence of the Industrial Age, though none of the original inventors intended it.
Paragraph 6 Summary
Certain by-products of innovations, like leaded fuel and Freon, showed early signs of harm, but others like carbon emissions went unnoticed for longer.
Paragraph 7 Summary
Small-scale innovations can now have global consequences, warning us to be cautious with new technologies in science and engineering.
RC Quick Table Summary
| Paragraph Number | Main Idea |
|---|---|
| Paragraph 1 | Major advances bring unintended, often unpredictable consequences. |
| Paragraph 2 | Some consequences, like those from the printing press, can be beneficial. |
| Paragraph 3 | Inventions can reshape society in unexpected ways. |
| Paragraph 4 | Consumer behavior and playful inventions can redirect technological paths. |
| Paragraph 5 | Climate change is a huge unintended effect of industrialization. |
| Paragraph 6 | Some harmful by-products were recognized early; others took longer. |
| Paragraph 7 | Future innovations may pose global risks due to unintended consequences. |
RC Questions
Ques 1. The author lists all of the following examples as âexternalitiesâ of major technical advances EXCEPT:
Option-wise Analysis
Option A: build-up of chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere This is clearly an unintended effect. CFCs (like Freon) were originally created for refrigeration and air-conditioning systems. Their contribution to ozone depletion, however, was only understood decades later. The harmful build-up of these compounds was never intended by their inventors. This is a textbook example of a negative externality.Option B: cooling and de-humidifying of factories through air-conditioning This was the original purpose for which air-conditioning was developed. The passage states that Willis Carrier designed the system for industrial use, specifically to maintain low humidity in factory settings. Since this was the main goal from the beginning, it does not qualify as an externality. This makes Option B the correct answer.Option C: application of the Jacquard loom to modern IT programming This outcome was never envisioned by the creators of the loom. The passage notes that automaton-like toys inspired the programmable loom, which then influenced future computing models. The connection to modern IT is a long-term, unexpected consequence â a classic example of a technological externality.Option D: extension of the phonograph to large-scale recording of music Thomas Edison originally imagined the phonograph as a tool for taking dictation. Its widespread use for musical recordings came later and was not part of the original plan. This shift in purpose is a case of users repurposing a tool in a surprising way, thus qualifying as an externality.
Ques 2. Which of the following best conveys the main point of the first paragraph?
Option-wise Analysis
Option A: Incorrect. It focuses on the benefits of secondary effects, but the paragraph highlights their unpredictability, not their positive nature. Option B: Correct. It captures the idea that the full impact of technological advances often becomes clear only in the long term, as effects ripple out beyond the original intent. Option C: Incorrect. It suggests evaluating inventions based on their secondary effects, which the paragraph does not propose. It simply illustrates that such effects exist and are often surprising. Option D: Incorrect. It limits the idea to how secondary effects drive further technological progress. The paragraph presents a broader view, including social and scientific consequences beyond just more innovation.
Ques 3. Carrier, Babbage, and Edison are mentioned in the passage to illustrate the authorâs point that
Option-wise Analysis
Option A: Incorrect. While some unintended effects did lead to further inventions, the focus of the examples is not on technological succession but on the unpredictable social or cultural impacts that the inventors did not intend or foresee. Option B: Correct. This best captures the common thread across the examples: the inventors could not have predicted the significant and sometimes transformative consequences their inventions had on society. Option C: Incorrect. Although a few consequences might appear beneficial, the author does not generalize them as largely beneficial. In fact, later parts of the passage discuss negative consequences like climate change, showing that the effects can be mixed or even harmful. Option D: Incorrect. While the passage does mention inventions being used in different ways than intended, the core message is not about different usage but about the inventorsâ inability to anticipate these broader outcomes.
Ques 4. We can assume that the author would support all of the following views EXCEPT:
Option-wise Analysis
Option A: Incorrect assumption. It claims the author believes modern advances are more threatening than older ones. However, the author does not draw such a comparative conclusion. He focuses instead on how new types of risks emerge as innovation becomes more decentralized and accessibleânot that they are inherently more dangerous. Option B: Correct interpretation. The author explains that the danger of leaded fuel and Freon lies in their by-products, which caused health and environmental damage. This view aligns with the paragraph discussing unintended consequences of waste emissions. Option C: Supported by the passage. The author warns that individuals or small groups can now create scientific breakthroughs (in fields like biotech or materials science) that can cause global consequences, which was not the case earlier. Option D: Also supported. The passage notes that health risks from Ethyl were visible as early as the 1920s, implying there was enough warning to have acted earlier. The author clearly suggests such consequences should have been addressed sooner.
