CAT 2020 Slot 2 — VARC Question 24
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
All humans make decisions based on one or a combination of two factors. This is either intuition or information. Decisions made through intuition are usually fast, people don’t even think about the problem. It is quite philosophical, meaning that someone who made a decision based on intuition will have difficulty explaining the reasoning behind it. The decision-maker would often utilize her senses in drawing conclusions, which again is based on some experience in the field of study. On the other side of the spectrum, we have decisions made based on information. These decisions are rational — it is based on facts and figures, which unfortunately also means that it can be quite slow. The decision-maker would frequently use reports, analyses, and indicators to form her conclusion. This methodology results in accurate, quantifiable decisions, meaning that a person can clearly explain the rationale behind it.
1. We make decisions based on intuition or information on the basis of the time available.
2. It is better to make decisions based on information because it is more accurate, and the rationale behind it can be explained.
3. Decisions based on intuition and information result in differential speed and ability to provide a rationale.
4. While decisions based on intuition can be made fast, the reasons that led to these cannot be spelt out.
Answer & solution
Answer: 3
Medium
A good summary mirrors the passage's balance. Here the author contrasts two bases for decisions - intuition vs information - on two axes: speed (intuition fast, information slow) and the ability to explain the reasoning (intuition hard to justify, information clearly justifiable). No preference is expressed, so the summary must cover both options neutrally on both axes.
Option 3 - keep. "Decisions based on intuition and information result in differential speed and ability to provide a rationale." This names both factors and both axes of contrast, with no false preference - exactly the essence.
Option 1 - reject (distortion). It claims we choose between intuition and information "on the basis of the time available." The passage never says time availability is the deciding factor; speed is a property of each method, not the basis for choosing.
Options 2 and 4 - reject (preference / omission). Option 2 asserts "it is better to make decisions based on information" - the author voices no such preference. Option 4 describes only intuition (fast, hard to explain) and ignores the information side entirely, so it omits half the contrast.
Best summary: 3.