Question

Choose the option that best summarizes the passage given below. Some decisions will be fairly obvious - "no brainers." Your bank account is low, but you have a two week vacation coming up and you want to get away to some place warm to relax with your family. Will you accept your in-laws' offer of free use of their Florida beach front condo? Sure. You like your current employer and feel ready to move forward in career. Will you step in for your boss for three weeks while she attends a professional development course? Of course.

• A. Some decisions are obvious under certain circumstances. You may, for example, readily accept a relatives offer of free holiday accomodation or step in for your boss while she is away, if you like the employer.
• B. Some decisions are no-brainers. You need not think while making them. Examples are condo offers from in-laws and job offers from bosses when your bank account is low ot the boss is away.
• C. Easy decisions are called "no brainers" because they do not require any cerebral activity. Examples such as accepting free holiday accomodation abound in our lives
• D. Accepting an offer from in-laws when you are short on funds and want a holiday is a no-brainer. Another no-brainer is taking the boss job when she is away
• E. The author tries to say that, for eg. accepting a holiday from relatives under some circumstances is a no brainer. He gives other similar examples.

Hint:

For summarization questions, a good summary must be a miniature version of the original text. It should state the central thesis and the main supporting evidence. Avoid options that are too narrow (only details), too broad, misinterpret the text, or comment on the author's style.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question requires summarizing a given passage. A good summary should capture the main idea of the passage and its key supporting points concisely and accurately, without adding new information or focusing too narrowly on minor details.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
First, let's break down the original passage:
Main Idea: Some decisions are very easy or obvious, called "no-brainers."
Example 1: When you are low on money but want a vacation, accepting a free condo from in-laws is a no-brainer. This highlights the context of "certain circumstances" (low funds).
Example 2: When you like your employer and want to advance your career, stepping in for your boss is a no-brainer. This again highlights the context (liking the employer, career ambition).
Now let's evaluate the options against this breakdown:
(A) Some decisions are obvious under certain circumstances...
This option perfectly captures the main idea ("obvious under certain circumstances") and accurately restates the two examples provided in the passage. It is a comprehensive and precise summary.
(B) Some decisions are no-brainers. You need not think while making them...
This option is good, but the phrase "You need not think" is a slight exaggeration. The passage says "fairly obvious," which is less extreme. Also, it contains a typo ("ot").
(C) Easy decisions are called "no brainers" because they do not require any cerebral activity...
Similar to (B), "do not require any cerebral activity" is an overstatement. This summary also only vaguely alludes to the examples ("accepting free holiday accomodation abound"), making it less complete than (A).
(D) Accepting an offer from in-laws... is a no-brainer. Another no-brainer is taking the boss job...
This option only lists the examples. It fails to state the main idea or the definition of a "no-brainer." It is a list of details, not a summary of the whole passage.
(E) The author tries to say that...
This option describes the author's writing strategy rather than summarizing the content of the passage itself. It provides commentary on the passage, not a summary of its message.

Step 4: Final Answer:
Option (A) is the best summary because it states the main point accurately (decisions are obvious under certain circumstances) and includes the key supporting examples from the text.