CAT 2022 Slot 2 — VARC Question 19
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
Several of the world’s earliest cities were organised along egalitarian lines. In some regions, urban populations governed themselves for centuries without any indication of the temples and palaces that would later emerge; in others, temples and palaces never emerged at all, and there is simply no evidence of a class of administrators or any other sort of ruling stratum. It would seem that the mere fact of urban life does not, necessarily, imply any particular form of political organization, and never did. Far from resigning us to inequality, the picture that is now emerging of humanity’s past may open our eyes to egalitarian possibilities we otherwise would have never considered.
Answer & solution
- A
The lack of hierarchical administration in ancient cities can be deduced by the absence of religious and regal structures such as temples and palaces.
- B
Contrary to our assumption that urban settlements have always involved hierarchical political and administrative structures, ancient cities were not organised in this way.
- C
The emergence of a class of administrators and ruling stratum transformed the egalitarian urban life of ancient cities to the hierarchical civic organisations of today.
We now have the evidence in support of the existence of an egalitarian urban life in some ancient cities, where political and civic organisation was far less hierarchical.
Easy
The passage's core claim: many of the earliest cities were egalitarian — urban life does NOT necessarily imply hierarchy, and new evidence opens our eyes to egalitarian possibilities. The best summary must keep both the egalitarian ancient cities point and the "new evidence / less hierarchical" framing.
Reduces the passage to a single inference ("absence of temples/palaces proves no hierarchy"). That's only one strand of evidence, not the main point. Too narrow.
Captures the contrast ("contrary to our assumption... ancient cities were not hierarchical") but omits the passage's forward-looking punch — that we now have evidence opening up egalitarian possibilities. Close, but incomplete.
Claims a class of administrators "transformed egalitarian cities into the hierarchical organisations of today." The passage explicitly says in some regions such a stratum never emerged; it does not narrate a transformation to modern hierarchy. Distorts the passage.
"We now have the evidence... egalitarian urban life in some ancient cities, where political and civic organisation was far less hierarchical." Keeps both the egalitarian ancient cities and the new-evidence note, hedged correctly with "some." Best fit.
Option D — it captures the egalitarian ancient cities plus the emerging evidence, without overreaching like A, B or C.