CAT 2021 Slot 3 — VARC Question 17
Directions for Summary: A paragraph is followed by four options which have summarized the passage in their own way. Pick the option that best summarizes the passage:
The human mind is wired to see patterns. Not only does the brain process information as it comes in, it also stores insights from all our past experiences. Every interaction, happy or sad, is catalogued in our memory. Intuition draws from that deep memory well to inform our decisions going forward. In other words, intuitive decisions are based on data, and not contrary to data as many would like to assume. When we subconsciously spot patterns, the body starts firing neurochemicals in both the brain and gut. These "somatic markers" are what give us that instant sense that something is right... or that it's off. Not only are these automatic processes faster than rational thought, but our intuition draws from decades of diverse qualitative experience (sights, sounds, interactions, etc.) - a wholly human feature that big data alone could never accomplish.
Answer & solution
- A
Intuition is infinitely richer than big data which is based on rational thought and accomplishes more than what big data can.
- B
Intuitions are automatic processes and are therefore faster than rational thought, and so decisions based on them are better.
- C
Intuition draws from deep memory, and may not be related to data, but to decades of diverse qualitative experience.
Intuitions are neuro-chemical firings based on pattern recognition and draw upon a rich and vast database of experiences.
Easy
This is a para-summary. Lock onto the paragraph's central claim, then reject any option that distorts the idea, adds a claim the author never makes, or omits the core point. The best summary restates the whole, not just a part.
Find the central idea. The mind is "wired to see patterns"; intuition draws on a "deep memory well" of every past experience. When we subconsciously spot patterns, the body fires neurochemicals ("somatic markers") that give an instant sense of right or wrong. So intuition is pattern recognition fed by a vast store of experience — something raw big data alone cannot reproduce.
Option (a) — adds an unsupported claim. Calling intuition "infinitely richer than big data" and saying it "accomplishes more than big data can" overstates the passage, which only notes a uniquely human feature big data alone could not accomplish — not a ranking of overall accomplishment. Reject.
Option (b) — distorts into a value judgement. The passage says intuitive processes are faster than rational thought; it never claims the resulting decisions are therefore better. Reject.
Option (c) — directly contradicts the text. The passage insists intuitive decisions "are based on data, and not contrary to data." Saying intuition "may not be related to data" reverses the point. Reject.
Option (d) — captures the whole. "Neuro-chemical firings based on pattern recognition" = the somatic markers triggered when we spot patterns; "draw upon a rich and vast database of experiences" = the deep memory well. Both halves of the paragraph are preserved without distortion. Keep.
The best summary is option (d): intuitions are neuro-chemical firings based on pattern recognition, drawing on a rich, vast database of experiences.