CAT 2008 — VARC Question 18
Each of the following questions has a paragraph from which the last sentence has been deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the paragraph in the most appropriate way.
Trade protectionism, disguised as concern for the climate, is raising its head. Citing competitiveness concerns, powerful industrialized countries are holding out threats of a levy on imports of energy-intensive products from developing countries that refuse to accept their demands. The actual source of protectionist sentiment in the OECD countries is, of course, their current lacklustre economic performance, combined with the challenges posed by the rapid economic rise of China and India - in that order.
Answer & solution
- A
Climate change is evoked to bring trade protectionism through the back door.
- B
OECD countries are taking refuge in climate change issues to erect trade barriers against these two countries.
- C
Climate change concerns have come as a convenient stick to beat the rising trade power of China and India.
Defenders of the global economic status quo are posing as climate change champions.
- E
Today’s climate change champions are the perpetrators of global economic inequity.
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Option 1 has already been mentioned in the first statement of the paragraph. This does not make it an effective paragraph ending.
Option 2 mentions only OECD countries while the paragraph mentions “powerful industrialized countries” of which the OECD countries are only a part. Furthermore, the option is again a repetition of ideas presented in the paragraph.
The focus of option 3 is on ‘China’ and ‘India’, while the focus of the paragraph is not.
Option 5 brings in ‘global economic inequity’ which is an opinion not expressed or implied in the passage.
Option 4 addresses the gist of the paragraph. Powerful countries, including the OECD countries are posing as climate change champions due to their lacklustre economic performance as compared to China and India which are growing rapidly. ‘Climate change champions’ in this option completes the paragraph, and addresses the point raised in the first sentence.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.