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CAT 2017 Slot 2 — VARC Question 34

Mixed PracticeEasy

Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph. Identify the odd one out.

  1. Those geometric symbols and aerodynamic swooshes are more than just skin deep.
  2. The Commonwealth Bank logo – a yellow diamond, with a black chunk sliced out in one corner – is so recognisable that the bank doesn’t even use its full name in its advertising.
  3. It’s not just logos with hidden shapes; sometimes brands will have meanings or stories within them that are deliberately vague or lost in time, urging you to delve deeper to solve the riddle.
  4. Graphic designers embed cryptic references because it adds a story to the brand; they want people to spend more time with a brand and have that idea that they are an insider if they can understand the hidden message.
  5. But the CommonBank logo has more to it than meets the eye, as squirrelled away in that diamond is the Southern Cross constellation.

Answer & solution

Correct answer: 1

Answer: 1

Solution

Easy

Determine the unifying theme of the four coherent sentences, then remove the one that does not belong. The theme is hidden meanings inside corporate logos, illustrated through the Commonwealth Bank logo.

1

Build the logo thread. Sentence 2 introduces a specific case — the Commonwealth Bank's "yellow diamond" logo, so recognisable it needs no name. Sentence 5 reveals its secret — "squirrelled away in that diamond is the Southern Cross constellation" ("But the CommBank logo has more to it than meets the eye"). 2 and 5 are a tight pair about one logo's hidden shape.

2

Generalise the idea. Sentence 3 broadens out — "It's not just logos with hidden shapes; sometimes brands will have meanings or stories... deliberately vague... urging you to delve deeper." Sentence 4 explains the why — "Graphic designers embed cryptic references because it adds a story to the brand." Together 3 and 4 lift the discussion from one logo to the general practice of hidden meanings in branding.

3

Spot the misfit. Sentence 1 — "Those geometric symbols and aerodynamic swooshes are more than just skin deep" — refers to "those... swooshes" as if continuing a discussion about logo design shapes already in progress, and it is the only sentence that does not mention logos, brands, hidden meanings, or the CommBank example in its own right. It floats free of the four sentences that lock together around hidden meanings in logos, so it is the odd one out.

Sentences 2, 3, 4, 5 cohere around hidden meanings in logos; 1 is the odd one out. The answer is 1.

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CAT 2017 Slot 2 VARC Q34: Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and c — Solution | TheCATExam