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CAT 2023 Slot 3 — VARC Question 18

Para CompletionEasy

There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide where (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.

Sentence: Beyond undermining the monopoly of the State on the use of force, armed conflict also creates an environment that can enable organized crime to prosper.

Paragraph: ___(1)___. Linkages between illicit arms, organized crime, and armed conflict can reinforce one another while also escalating and prolonging violence and eroding governance.___(2)___. Financial gains from crime can lengthen or intensify armed conflicts by creating revenue streams for non-State armed groups (NSAGs).___(3)___. In this context, when hostilities cease and parties to a conflict move towards a peaceful resolution, the widespread availability of surplus arms and ammunition can contribute to a situation of ‘criminalized peace’ that obstructs sustainable peacebuilding  efforts.___(4)___.

Answer & solution

  • A

    Option 2

  • B

    Option 4

  • Option 3

  • D

    Option 1

Solution

Easy

Sentence-insertion: the missing line names the broad relationship — armed conflict undermines the State’s monopoly on force and lets organized crime prosper. A line this general, introducing both "armed conflict" and "organized crime," is a topic-setter that should open the paragraph and be elaborated by the lines that follow.

1

Read the missing sentence: it links armed conflict to organized crime for the first time — a general claim, not a detail. Such umbrella statements belong at the start.

2

The line after blank (1) — "Linkages between illicit arms, organized crime, and armed conflict can reinforce one another…" — directly elaborates the connection the missing sentence introduces. That is the natural next step, so the missing line must precede it: blank (1).

3

The remaining sentences give specifics (revenue for non-State armed groups; "criminalized peace"). They are details, so the general opener cannot sit among them at blanks 2, 3 or 4.

Option 1 — the general "armed conflict enables organized crime" statement opens the paragraph and is then unpacked by the linkages sentence.

CAT 2023 Slot 3 VARC Q18: There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide where (option 1, — Solution | TheCATExam