Combs carved from animal antlers, as well as comb manufacturing waste and raw antler material has turned up at three archaeological sites in Denmark, including a medieval marketplace in the city of Ribe. A team of researchers from Denmark and the U.K. hoped to identify the species of animal to which the antlers once belonged by analyzing collagen proteins in the samples and comparing them across the animal kingdom, Laura Geggel reports for LiveScience. Somewhat surprisingly, molecular analysis of the artifacts revealed that some combs and other material had been carved from reindeer antlers.... Given that reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) don't live in Denmark, the researchers posit that it arrived on Viking ships from Norway. Antler craftsmanship, in the form of decorative combs, was part of Viking culture. Such combs served as symbols of good health, Geggel writes. The fact that the animals shed their antlers also made them easy to collect from the large herds that inhabited Norway.
Since the artifacts were found in marketplace areas at each site it's more likely that the Norsemen came to trade rather than pillage. Most of the artifacts also date to the 780s, but some are as old as 725. That predates the beginning of Viking raids on Great Britain by about 70 years. (Traditionally, the so-called "Viking Age" began with these raids in 793 and ended with the Norman conquest of Great Britain in 1066.) Archaeologists had suspected that the Vikings had experience with long maritime voyages [that] might have preceded their raiding days. Beyond Norway, these combs would have been a popular industry in Scandinavia as well. It's possible that the antler combs represent a larger trade network, where the Norsemen supplied raw material to craftsmen in Denmark and elsewhere.
The primary purpose of the passage is:
- to explain the presence of reindeer antler combs in Denmark.
- to contradict the widely-accepted beginning date for the Viking Age in Britain,and propose an alternate one.
- to challenge the popular perception of Vikings as raiders by using evidence that suggests their early trade relations with Europe.
- to argue that besides being violent pillagers, Vikings were also skilled craftsmen and efficient traders.
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
The primary purpose of the passage is:
The passage challenges the popular perception of Vikings solely as raiders by highlighting evidence that reveals their skills in trade and craftsmanship, particularly involving reindeer antler combs. The research signifies Vikings' role in trade relations in Europe prior to their raiding activities, suggesting that they were also efficient traders.
Solution Steps:
- The passage begins by addressing the stereotype of Vikings as purely fierce raiders and pillagers.
- It presents archaeological findings from Denmark, uncovering combs made from reindeer antlers, which are not native to Denmark.
- Molecular analysis indicated that the reindeer antlers likely arrived via Viking ships from Norway, inferring trade activities.
- The artifacts date back to the 780s or earlier, prior to documented Viking raids on Great Britain.
- The evidence suggests a larger trade network, indicating Vikings' involvement in trade well before their infamous raids.
Ultimately, the passage argues that the Vikings' historical narrative includes their proficiency in trade and craftsmanship, in addition to their reputation as raiders, as indicated by the presence of reindeer antler combs used in trading markets.
The evidence - "Most of the artifacts also date to the 780s, but some are as old as 725" - has been used in the passage to argue that:
- the beginning date of the Viking Age should be changed from 793 to 725.
- the Viking raids started as early as 725.
- some of the antler artifacts found in Denmark and Great Britain could have come from candinavia.
- the Vikings' trade relations with Europe pre-dates the Viking raids.
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
The passage provides insights into the activities of the Vikings before and during their famously known period. The key evidence provided that "most of the artifacts also date to the 780s, but some are as old as 725" contributes to an argument that antler artifacts found in Denmark and Great Britain may have connections to Scandinavia. Here's the reasoning:
- The discovery of artifacts in Denmark dated to as early as 725, significantly predates the traditionally recognized start of the Viking raids around 793. This suggests earlier contact and trade relations not limited to raiding activities.
- The mention of antler artifacts, specifically combs crafted from reindeer antlers – which need to be sourced from Norway due to the animal's natural habitat – supports the idea of these materials being transported via Viking trade networks.
- The presence of these crafted combs in Denmark and Britain indicates Scandinavia's active trade, further supported by archaeological findings in marketplace areas, implying trade, not raids.
- The passage posits potential pre-raid maritime experiences of Vikings, enhanced by the age of these artifacts, indicating established trade routes or networks before military exploits began.
Thus, considering the evidence of early-dated artifacts and the analysis provided in the passage, the argument supports the idea that some antler artifacts found outside Scandinavia could have origins there, tying into broader trade narratives.
All of the following hold true for Vikings EXCEPT
- Vikings brought reindeer from Norway to Denmark for trade purposes.
- Before becoming the raiders of northern Europe, Vikings had trade relations with European nations.
- Antler combs, regarded by the Vikings as a symbol of good health, were part of the Viking culture.
- Vikings, once upon a. time, had trade relations with Denmark and Scandinavia.
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
The comprehension passage discusses the historical perception of Vikings and their activities in northern Europe. It highlights the Vikings' involvement in trade relations before becoming known as raiders. Using this information, we need to identify which option does not hold true according to the passage content.
- Vikings brought reindeer from Norway to Denmark for trade purposes. This statement is supported by the passage; the Vikings brought reindeer antlers from Norway, as combs made from such antlers were found at archaeological sites in Denmark.
- Before becoming the raiders of northern Europe, Vikings had trade relations with European nations. This statement is also reinforced by the passage. It notes that Vikings engaged in trade activities in northern Europe before their raiding period began around 793.
- Antler combs, regarded by the Vikings as a symbol of good health, were part of the Viking culture. The passage directly states that decorative combs made from antlers were part of Viking culture and symbolized good health.
- Vikings, once upon a time, had trade relations with Denmark and Scandinavia. While it's true that Vikings had trade relations in Scandinavia, the passage suggests that the trade covered a wider European scope, not limited only to Denmark and Scandinavia. This option doesn't fully align with the broader context provided.
Therefore, the statement "Vikings, once upon a. time, had trade relations with Denmark and Scandinavia." is the exception as it oversimplifies the broader trading activities of the Vikings described in the passage.
Top Questions on Reading Comprehension
- Shown below are letters ‘e’ taken from four popular logos, arranged in a sequence. Which of the options is the correct sequence?
- UCEED - 2026
- English Language Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension
- Shown below are four options, each showing consecutive frames representing the movement of a pendulum of an old-style wall clock for an animation movie. Which is the correct option?
- UCEED - 2026
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- Acrucial moderating factor in how people experience comparisons is self-esteem. Individuals with high self-esteem are more likely to interpret upward comparison as informative rather than threatening. They are more resilient in the face of others’ success and more likely to believe they can reach their own goals. In contrast, people with low self-esteem are more prone to interpret comparison as judgment, reinforcing negative self-views and triggering feelings of inadequacy.
This dynamic creates a self-reinforcing loop. People with high self-esteem are less vulnerable to upward comparison, which intensifies those doubts. Those with a secure sense of self are more likely to use comparison as a learning tool. The same external stimulus—a colleague’s achievements, a friend’s popularity—can have radically different effects depending on internal stability.
Self-esteem also influences how people choose their comparison targets. Research has found that individuals often engage in “selective comparison,” seeking out those who confirm their existing beliefs about themselves. This can become a subtle form of self-sabotage. Someone who feels unworthy may subconsciously seek out targets that reinforce that sense, perpetuating a narrative of inferiority. One of the most promising antidotes to social comparison is temporal comparison—evaluating oneself not against others, but against one’s own past. This method has been shown to increase motivation and satisfaction, especially when individuals can see concrete progress. Temporal comparison activates the same reward circuits as social comparison but avoids the threat systems associated with social ranking. It also reinforces agency: individuals focus on what they can control and improve rather than what others control. In therapeutic and coaching settings, temporal comparison is used to help clients build self-efficacy and track growth over time.
Moreover, people who focus on self-improvement rather than social dominance are less likely to fall into cycles of envy or self-pity. They can still use others as inspiration, but they do so without attaching their self-worth to the outcome. This is not to say they never compare—but that they focus on learning, rather than judgment. The most skilful approach to comparison may lie in eliminating it, but in reframing it as feedback. When we interpret comparison as information rather than a verdict, we can ask, “What can I learn from this?” This shift turns comparison into a growth tool. Teachers mentor their students, not as rivals. Psychologists emphasize that the key variable here is mindset.
A fixed mindset sees comparison as a threat. If someone else is better, it means we are worse. A growth mindset sees comparison as a map. If someone else has reached a certain level, it means the path exists. This reframing is not just a cognitive trick. It changes the emotional tone of comparison, making it more likely to inspire than to wound. Reframing also requires emotional regulation—the ability to notice an initial pang of envy or shame without reacting impulsively. With practice, individuals can learn to pause, reflect, and reinterpret their emotional responses. Over time, this builds resilience and self-trust, allowing comparison to become a learning tool rather than a cage.- XAT - 2026
- Verbal and Logical Ability
- Reading Comprehension
When people who are talking don’t share the same culture, knowledge, values, and assumptions, mutual understanding can be especially difficult. Such understanding is possible through the negotiation of meaning. To negotiate meaning with someone, you have to become aware of and respect both the differences in your backgrounds and when these differences are important. You need enough diversity of cultural and personal experience to be aware that divergent world views exist and what they might be like. You also need the flexibility in world view, and a generous tolerance for mistakes, as well as a talent for finding the right metaphor to communicate the relevant parts of unshared experiences or to highlight the shared experiences while demphasizing the others. Metaphorical imagination is a crucial skill in creating rapport and in communicating the nature of unshared experience. This skill consists, in large measure, of the ability to bend your world view and adjust the way you categorize your experiences. Problems of mutual understanding are not exotic; they arise in all extended conversations where understanding is important.
When it really counts, meaning is almost never communicated according to the CONDUIT metaphor, that is, where one person transmits a fixed, clear proposition to another by means of expressions in a common language, where both parties have all the relevant common knowledge, assumptions, values, etc. When the chips are down, meaning is negotiated: you slowly figure out what you have in common, what it is safe to talk about, how you can communicate unshared experience or create a shared vision. With enough flexibility in bending your world view and with luck and charity, you may achieve some mutual understanding.
Communication theories based on the CONDUIT metaphor turn from the pathetic to the evil when they are applied indiscriminately on a large scale, say, in government surveillance or computerized files. There, what is most crucial for real understanding is almost never included, and it is assumed that the words in the file have meaning in themselves—disembodied, objective, understandable meaning. When a society lives by the CONDUITmetaphor on a large scale, misunderstanding, persecution, and much worse are the likely products.- XAT - 2026
- Verbal and Logical Ability
- Reading Comprehension
Later, I realized that reviewing the history of nuclear physics served another purpose as well: It gave the lie to the naive belief that the physicists could have come together when nuclear fission was discovered (in Nazi Germany!) and agreed to keep the discovery a secret, thereby sparing humanity such a burden. No. Given the development of nuclear physics up to 1938, development that physicists throughout the world pursued in all innocence of any intention of finding the engine of a new weapon of mass destruction—only one of them, the remarkable Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard, took that possibility seriously—the discovery of nuclear fission was inevitable. To stop it, you would have had to stop physics. If German scientists hadn’t made the discovery when they did, French, American, Russian, Italian, or Danish scientists would have done so, almost certainly within days or weeks. They were all working at the same cutting edge, trying to understand the strange results of a simple experiment bombarding uranium with neutrons. Here was no Faustian bargain, as movie directors and other naifs still find it intellectually challenging to imagine. Here was no evil machinery that the noble scientists might hide from the problems and the generals. To the contrary, there was a high insight into how the world works, an energetic reaction, older than the earth, that science had finally devised the instruments and arrangements to coart forth. “Make it seem inevitable,” Louis Pasteur used to advise his students when they prepared to write up their discoveries. But it was. To wish that it might have been ignored or suppressed is barbarous. “Knowledge,” Niels Bohr once noted, “is itself the basis for civilization.” You cannot have the one without the other; the one depends upon the other. Nor can you have only benevolent knowledge; the scientific method doesn’t filter for benevolence. Knowledge has consequences, not always intended, not always comfortable, but always welcome. The earth revolves around the sun, not the sun around the earth. “It is a profound and necessary truth,” Robert Oppenheimer would say, “that the deep things in science are not found because they are useful; they are found because it was possible to find them.”
...Bohr proposed once that the goal of science is not universal truth. Rather, he argued, the modest but relentless goal of science is “the gradual removal of prejudices.” The discovery that the earth revolves around the sun has gradually removed the prejudice that the earth is the center of the universe. The discovery of microbes is gradually removing the prejudice that disease is a punishment from God. The discovery of evolution is gradually removing the prejudice that Homo sapiens is a separate and special creation.- XAT - 2026
- Verbal and Logical Ability
- Reading Comprehension
Questions Asked in CAT exam
- The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
In the dynamic realm of creativity, artists often find themselves at the crossroads between drawing inspiration from diverse cultures and inadvertently crossing into the territory of cultural appropriation. Inspiration is the lifeblood of creativity, driving artists to create works that resonate across borders. In a globalized era of the modern world, artists draw from a vast array of cultural influences. When approached respectfully, inspiration becomes a bridge, fostering understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity. However, the line between inspiration and cultural appropriation can be thin and easily blurred.
Cultural appropriation occurs when elements from a particular culture are borrowed without proper understanding, respect, or acknowledgment. This leads to the commodification of sacred symbols, the reinforcement of stereotypes, and the erasure of the cultural context from which these elements originated. It is essential to recognize that the impact of cultural appropriation extends beyond the realm of artistic expression, influencing societal perceptions and perpetuating power imbalances.- CAT - 2025
- Para Summary
- The number of distinct integers $n$ for which $\log_{\left(\frac14\right)}(n^2 - 7n + 11)>0$ is:
- CAT - 2025
- Linear Inequalities
- In the set of consecutive odd numbers $\{1, 3, 5, \ldots, 57\}$, there is a number $k$ such that the sum of all the elements less than $k$ is equal to the sum of all the elements greater than $k$. Then, $k$ equals?
- CAT - 2025
- Number Systems
- The number of distinct pairs of integers $(x, y)$ satisfying the inequalities $x>y \ge 3$ and $x + y<14$ is:
- CAT - 2025
- Number Systems
For any natural number $k$, let $a_k = 3^k$. The smallest natural number $m$ for which \[ (a_1)^1 \times (a_2)^2 \times \dots \times (a_{20})^{20} \;<\; a_{21} \times a_{22} \times \dots \times a_{20+m} \] is:
- CAT - 2025
- Linear Inequalities