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CAT 2018 Slot 1 — VARC Question 32

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. Displacement in Bengal is thus not very significant in view of its magnitude.
  2. A factor of displacement in Bengal is the shifting course of the Ganges leading to erosion of river banks.
  3. The nature of displacement in Bengal makes it an interesting case study.
  4. Since displacement due to erosion is well spread over a long period of time, it remains invisible.
  5. Rapid displacement would have helped sensitize the public to its human costs.

Answer & solution

Correct answer: 5

Answer: 5

Solution

Easy

Four of the five sentences form a coherent paragraph; one is the odd one out. First nail the common theme, then build the chain of the four that fit. The sentence that contradicts the chain's logic or introduces an idea the others reject is the misfit.

1

Theme. The topic is displacement in Bengal. Sentence 3 is the natural opener: "The nature of displacement in Bengal makes it an interesting case study."

2

Build the chain. Sentence 2 gives the cause — the shifting Ganges eroding riverbanks. Sentence 4 adds that this erosion-driven displacement is "well spread over a long period of time," so it "remains invisible." Sentence 1 concludes: because it is slow and invisible, "displacement in Bengal is thus not very significant in view of its magnitude." This yields a clean 3–2–4–1.

3

Spot the misfit. Sentence 5 says "Rapid displacement would have helped sensitize the public to its human costs." The whole paragraph argues that Bengal's displacement is slow and therefore invisible/insignificant. Sentence 5 talks about hypothetical rapid displacement and public sensitisation — an idea the four-sentence chain never needs and which has no slot in 3–2–4–1. It is the odd one out.

The odd sentence out is 5. (The coherent paragraph is 3–2–4–1.)

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CAT 2018 Slot 1 VARC Q32: Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and c — Solution | TheCATExam