CAT 2023 Slot 1 — VARC Question 23
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
Manipulating information was a feature of history long before modern journalism established rules of integrity. A record dates back to ancient Rome, when Antony met Cleopatra and his political enemy Octavian launched a smear campaign against him with “short, sharp slogans written upon coins.” The perpetrator became the first Roman Emperor and “fake news had allowed Octavian to hack the republican system once and for all”. But the 21st century has seen the weaponization of information on an unprecedented scale. Powerful new technology makes the fabrication of content simple, and social networks amplify falsehoods peddled by States, populist politicians, and dishonest corporate entities. The platforms have become fertile ground for computational propaganda, ‘trolling’ and ‘troll armies’.
Answer & solution
- A
Disinformation, which is mediated by technology today, is not new and has existed since ancient times.
- B
People need to become critical of what they read, since historically, weaponization of information has led to corruption.
- C
Octavian used fake news to manipulate people and attain power and influence, just as people do today.
Use of misinformation for attaining power, a practice that is as old as the Octavian era, is currently fueled by technology.
Easy
Para-summary. The best summary must hold all three load-bearing ideas: (i) using misinformation for power is old (the Octavian example), and (ii) in the 21st century technology amplifies it to an unprecedented scale. Reject options that drop a core idea or add an unstated one.
"Disinformation, which is mediated by technology today, is not new and has existed since ancient times." It gets "old" and "technology today," but reduces them to a bland aside and loses the central point — that this is done to attain power and is now at unprecedented scale. Thin. Reject.
"People need to become critical of what they read…" The passage never prescribes what readers should do; it is descriptive, not advisory. This adds an unstated recommendation. Reject.
"Octavian used fake news to manipulate people and attain power…" Octavian is only the historical example, not the main claim; this option omits the modern technology-driven escalation that the passage builds toward. Reject.
"Use of misinformation for attaining power, a practice that is as old as the Octavian era, is currently fueled by technology." Captures all three: misinformation → for power → ancient (Octavian) → now amplified by technology. Best summary.
Option D. It is the only choice that keeps both the "as old as Octavian" point and the modern "fueled by technology" point, around the central idea of seeking power.