VARC Practice Test 2 Solution

1. This is an easy summary question. The options can be easily eliminated. The
main idea of the paragraph is that open defecation is a problem. Then the author
points out some reasons for this problem.
Option 1 – The paragraph doesn’t state that this problem has not been recognized.
In fact, the author states that people are aware of this problem. This is a twisted
summary.
Option 2 – It is the correct answer.
Option 3 – It is partially complete.
Option 4 – It just reiterates the last two lines of the paragraph.

2. Options 1 and 2 are incorrect because they use the wrong tense. The bill
hasn’t been accepted yet. So we can’t call it a law.
Option 3 is incorrect because it states that the punishment will be for both woman
and the doctor, however the case is that it will be for either of the two. The word
‘severe’ makes it further incorrect.
4 is the only option that properly summarizes the paragraph.

3. 2143 can be arranged into a meaningful paragraph which mentions how Indonesia
is at the cusp of an important vote. 5 talks about importance of holding the
governorship in Indonesia and has no bearing with the paragraph.

4. 5213 can be arranged into a meaningful paragraph which talks about a cricket
match being printed in the front page of newspapers. 4 is vague and cannot be ¡t into
this context. There is no mention of any particular ‘tour’ in the other four sentences.
The theme is also a mismatch as the question of ‘relationship between the two sides’
is not mentioned.

RC-1
5. It is an easy main idea question. Let’s eliminate the wrong options.
Option 1 – It is too broad an option.
Option 2 – ‘...futility of colonizers’ doesn’t match the tone of the passage.
Option 3 – It is too narrow. The author talks about the de¡nition in only a few lines.
Option 4 – It best captures the main aim of the author. The author is evaluating the
impact of colonization
on both the colonizers and the colonized. This is the best option.

6. It is a slightly tricky factual question.

Option 1 – It is definitely true. Refer to the line where the author defines the
concept of colonization.
Option 2 – “...had the tools” can’t be determined as the passage talks about only one
African who could manipulate the colonizers. It is a generalized option.
Option 3 – It is a distorted option. They didn’t treat all subjects as second class
citizens but some. Only ‘some’ is mentioned in the passage.
Option 4 – There is no comparison between the sufferings of the two classes as per
the passage. So, it is wrong because of insufficient data.

7. It is a fact based question. Refer to lines around the sentence where the
phrase is mentioned.
Option 1 – Correct answer! It is given in the line ‘Similarly, other European
Empires, that found in Africa a source of wealth and workforce, embarked on a
colonizing enterprise into the “Dark Continent.”’
Option 2 – It is a vague option. There is no mention of ‘maximizing’ here.
Options 3 and 4 – These don’t match the tone of the passage. The author mentions
that these reasons were just pretexts. The underlying cause was acquiring wealth
and exploiting the people.

RC-2
8. Option 2 – Refer to the lines, “Although Death Cafés do not offer grief therapy,
private losses are, inevitably, shared: people talk movingly about suicide,
accidental deaths, miscarriages, stillbirths, abortions. Parents of disabled children
admit they can no longer cope; a son reveals how he practises a funeral rite for his
mother — even though she’s still alive.” This is clearly true according to the passage.
So, option 2 is the incorrect choice.
Options 3 and 4 – Refer to the lines, “Speaking about death scrubs away our
facades, brings us closer to who we really are. There’s a sense of liberation in such
honesty, compounded by the idea that in talking about death, one is somehow
breaking a taboo.” So, these are true too. Hence, these two can be eliminated.
Option 1 – It’s clearly distorted. The line ‘‘people have secrets that bully’ in the ¡rst
paragraph doesn’t refer to bullies literally. Additionally, this line has nothing to do
with the question under discussion. So, option 1 is the correct choice

9. Option 1 – This is clearly incorrect. The passage doesn’t give any background
information on Jon Underwood.
Option 2 – This is incorrect. There is no mention of what Crettaz believes regarding
therapy. We can’t conclude that he is looking at his cafes as a substitute for
professional therapy.
Option 3 – ‘Creative taboo’ makes this option distorted. Crettaz, in fact, believes in
breaking taboos.
Option 4 – It is the main aim behind introducing the concept. Refer to the lines, “’ In
Death Cafés, conversation is driven by ideas and questions that people never dared
express before. Although Death Cafés do not offer grief therapy, private losses are,
inevitably, shared: people talk movingly about suicide, accidental deaths,
miscarriages, stillbirths, abortions. Parents of disabled children admit they can no
longer cope; a son reveals how he practises a funeral rite for his mother — even
though she’s still alive.” So, option 4 can be clearly inferred from the passage.

10. Option 1 – He is not concerned about taboos in general. He simply wants to

break one taboo, i.e. death.
Option 2 – This is the main idea of the passage. So, it is the correct answer.
Option 3 – Only talking about death doesn’t equate with ‘innermost feelings’. Some
innermost feelings are surely expressed. But the main idea was still talking about
death.
Option 4 – This is vague. He was inspired by his background. However, ‘honouring
his background’ is not main aim.

RC-3
11.
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14.
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RC-4
Para 1 Summary – Author introduces a phenomenon and why researchers believe in
latitude gradient so.

Para 2 Summary – In this para author refers to one ‘time theory’ to explain and
mentions a paradox.

Para 3 Summary – Another approach is presented with positive correlations but

untested ones.

Para 4 Summary – A third theory explain climatic stability as a factor to explain the
phenomenon.

Para 5 Summary – Author opines that the fourth hypothesis is the most credible.

Para 6 Summary – Finally author presents the details of the fourth hypothesis and
gives reasons why it is so.

Purpose – Author introduces a phenomenon and provides our different hypothesis

with one being most credible.

16. After reviewing and dismissing three possible theories for global species diversity
in the first four paras, the author discusses and endorses a fourth theory—the
“rate-of-speciation theory”—in the last two paras.
(A) While the author provides his own view about which theory he considers to be
most valid, he never comments on what scientists in general think.

(B) This choice focuses on a detail in para 2 and 4.

(D) According to the passage, only the “rate-of-speciation theory” predicts an

increase in the gradient (under certain conditions).

In global questions, the correct answer must be broad enough to encompass the
contents of the entire passage, yet narrow enough to refer to its specific contents.

17. According to the “species-energy theory,” the rate of species growth and
reproduction is highest at the equator because it gets the highest quantity of sunlight.
Conversely, the rate of species growth and reproduction is lowest at the north and
south poles because they get the lowest quantity of sunlight. Hence, a slow rate of
growth and reproduction in an arctic landscape would be consistent with this theory.

(A), (B), (C) None of these choices reflects the relationship that’s at the heart of the
“species-energy theory”: the relationship between the amount of sunlight and the
rate of species growth and reproduction.

18. Explanation

The “time theory” essentially argues that fewer species exist in temperate and arctic
zones than in tropical zones because past ice ages have limited the number of
species that have emerged in the former zones. One implication of this line of
reasoning is that the number of species living in these zones could increase in the
absence of future ice ages.

(B) If anything, the ‘‘time theory” suggests that climatic conditions in temperate zones
could be affected by future ice ages.

(C) The “time theory” addresses the issue of the number of species that could
emerge in different climatic zones, not whether climatic conditions in these zones
could converge.

(D) focuses on a detail in Para 1— that isn’t concerned with the “time theory.”

19. The “rate-of-speciation theory” is based on the idea that tropical regions contain
more species than other regions because “subgroups” in the tropics are more likely
to avoid extinction than “subgroups” in other regions. The discovery that “subgroups”
in the tropics actually experienced rapid extinction would, therefore, call into question
the validity of this theory.

(A) Since the “rate-of-speciation theory” has nothing to do with breeding ability per
se, this discovery would have no direct bearing on the theory.

(B) This finding would support the validity of the “climatic stability theory,” but would
neither strengthen nor weaken the “rate-of-speciation theory.”

(C) Same as (B)

In Strengthen/Weaken questions, always make sure you’re clear about whether

you’re to strengthen or weaken something. Often, a wrong answer will do the
opposite of what the question asks, and you could fall for a choice like this if you’re
unsure about the task at hand.

20. (A) It has more different species than does a tropical-zone forest. – WRONG.
Tropical zone forest would have most different species. Refer paragraph 4 which
states that tropic climate’s stability is the reason behind coexistence of various
species.
(B) Its climatic conditions have been severely interrupted in the past by a succession
of ice ages. – WRONG. ‘Severely’ is opposite to ‘less’ as mentioned in Para 2 –
Time theory.
(C) If it has a large amount of biomass, it also has a large number of different
species. – WRONG. Though it refers to untested mechanism(refer para 3), it draws a
negative correlation.
(D) It has a larger regional pool of species than does an arctic grassland. –
CORRECT. Since arctic would have least latitude gradient and tropics the most,
temperate would have better than arctic, thus larger regional pool.

21.
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