Once a society accepts a secular mode of creativity, within which the creator replaces God, imaginative transactions assume a self-conscious form. The tribal imagination, on the other hand, is still to a large extent dreamlike and hallucinatory. It admits fusion between various planes of existence and levels of time in a natural and artless manner. In tribal stories, oceans fly in the sky as birds, mountains swim in water as fish, animals speak as humans and stars grow like plants. Spatial order and temporal sequence do not restrict the narrative. This is not to say that tribal creations have no conventions or rules, but simply that they admit the principle of association between emotion and the narrative motif. Thus stars, seas, mountains, trees, men and animals can be angry, sad or happy.
It might be said that tribal artists work more on the basis of their racial and sensory memory than on the basis of a cultivated imagination. In order to understand this distinction, we must understand the difference between imagination and memory. In the animate world, consciousness meets two immediate material realities: space and time. We put meaning into space by perceiving it in terms of images. The image-making faculty is a genetic gift to the human mind—this power of imagination helps us understand the space that envelops us. With regard to time, we make connections with the help of memory; one remembers being the same person today as one was yesterday.
The tribal mind has a more acute sense of time than the sense of space. Somewhere along the history of human civilization, tribal communities seem to have realized that domination over territorial space was not their lot. Thus, they seem to have turned almost obsessively to gaining domination over time. This urge is substantiated in their ritual of conversing with their dead ancestors: year after year, tribals in many parts of India worship terracotta or carved-wood objects representing their ancestors, aspiring to enter a trance in which they can converse with the dead. Over the centuries, an amazingly sharp memory has helped tribals classify material and natural objects into a highly complex system of knowledge. . .
One of the main characteristics of the tribal arts is their distinct manner of constructing space and imagery, which might be described as ‘hallucinary’. In both oral and visual forms of representation, tribal artists seem to interpret verbal or pictorial art as demarcated by an extremely flexible ‘frame’. The boundaries between art and non-art become almost invisible. Atribal epic can begin its narration from a trivial everyday event; tribal paintings merge with living space as if the two were one and the same. And within the narrative itself, or within the painted imagery, there is no deliberate attempt to follow a sequence. The episodes retold and the images created take on the apparently chaotic shapes of dreams. In a way, the syntax of language and the grammar of painting are the same, as if literature were painted words and painting were a song of images.
Non-human living forms exhibit human emotions in tribal narratives because tribal narratives:
Show Hint
- accommodate existential fluidity.
- abandon all rules and regulations.
- have a self-conscious form.
- are rudimentary and underdeveloped.
The Correct Option is A
Approach Solution - 1
The question asks why non-human living forms exhibit human emotions in tribal narratives. To answer this, we need to refer to the provided comprehension passage and analyze the given options.
- Analyzing the Correct Answer:
- The correct answer is "accommodate existential fluidity." This option aligns with the description in the passage that tribal imagination admits fusion between different planes of existence naturally and artlessly. The tribal stories allow entities from different realms to intermingle and exhibit varied emotions, illustrating the lack of strict separation between humans and non-human entities.
- Eliminating Incorrect Options:
- "Abandon all rules and regulations." This is incorrect because the passage mentions that tribal narratives do have conventions and rules, even though they are different from conventional narratives.
- "Have a self-conscious form." This is incorrect because the passage contrasts the tribal imagination, which is dreamlike and hallucinatory, with secular creativity which is self-conscious.
- "Are rudimentary and underdeveloped." This option is incorrect as the passage emphasizes the complexity and depth in tribal systems of knowledge and artistic creation.
- Conclusion:
- The concept of 'existential fluidity' is evident in the ability of tribal narratives to let non-human entities express human emotions, reflecting their unique narrative style that merges different aspects of existence seamlessly.
Approach Solution -2
To determine why non-human living forms exhibit human emotions in tribal narratives, we need to examine the characteristics of tribal imagination as discussed in the comprehension.
- The passage describes tribal imagination as being dreamlike and hallucinatory. This suggests that tribal narratives don't adhere strictly to realistic representations and rules.
- The fusion between different planes of existence and levels of time is mentioned, indicating an artless manner in the storytelling. This means that the narrative can easily move between different forms and states of being.
- The passage highlights that stars, seas, mountains, trees, men, and animals can express emotions such as being angry, sad, or happy. This is attributed to the principle of association between emotion and the narrative motif in tribal stories.
- The concept of 'existential fluidity' is present in tribal narratives. This means that tribal stories accommodate a fluid interaction between different states of existence, allowing non-human entities to express human emotions.
- The correct answer is "accommodate existential fluidity," as it aligns with the idea that tribal narratives naturally incorporate various forms and emotions without the confines of rigid structures, demonstrating the fluid nature of existence in their storytelling.
In conclusion, the narrative structure in tribal storytelling inherently supports the blending of forms and emotions through its flexibility and imaginative nature, thereby accommodating existential fluidity.
On the basis of the passage, which one of the following explains the main difference between imagination and memory?
Show Hint
- Imagination helps humans make sense of space while memory helps them understand time.
- Tribal groups value memory over imagination when it comes to creating art and literature.
- Imagination needs to be cultivated whereas memory is more intuitive because it is racial and sensory.
- Imagination is a genetic gift to humans whereas memory is central to human consciousness.
The Correct Option is A
Approach Solution - 1
To determine the main difference between imagination and memory based on the provided passage, we need to closely analyze the contents and themes discussed in the text.
- The passage describes imagination as a tool that human beings use to make sense of space. Imagination is referred to as a "genetic gift" that helps humans perceive their surroundings through images.
- On the other hand, the passage emphasizes that memory is crucial for understanding time. Memory enables the continuity of consciousness and involves remembering past experiences and identities.
- The differences are further emphasized through the description of tribal societies, where it is mentioned that these communities have a more acute sense of time due to their rituals and practices that focus on time and ancestry.
Considering these points, let's evaluate the options:
- Option 1: "Imagination helps humans make sense of space while memory helps them understand time."
- This option accurately captures the essence of the passage, describing the distinct roles of imagination and memory as outlined in the text.
- Option 2: "Tribal groups value memory over imagination when it comes to creating art and literature."
- This option does not capture the main difference between imagination and memory; rather, it focuses on a specific aspect of tribal cultural practices, which is not the primary focus of the passage.
- Option 3: "Imagination needs to be cultivated whereas memory is more intuitive because it is racial and sensory."
- This option partially aligns with the text, but the main difference of space (imagination) versus time (memory) is more central according to the passage.
- Option 4: "Imagination is a genetic gift to humans whereas memory is central to human consciousness."
- While this is discussed, it does not directly highlight the space-time dichotomy which is the central theme regarding the main difference in the passage.
Based on the above analysis, Option 1: "Imagination helps humans make sense of space while memory helps them understand time." is the correct answer as it accurately reflects the main distinction between imagination and memory presented in the passage.
Approach Solution -2
The given comprehension passage explores the notion of how humans and tribal groups experience and interpret space and time. Derived from the passage, we aim to identify the main difference between imagination and memory.
To tackle this question, let's dissect the relevant parts of the passage:
- The passage states, "We put meaning into space by perceiving it in terms of images. The image-making faculty is a genetic gift to the human mind—this power of imagination helps us understand the space that envelops us."
- It further explains, "With regard to time, we make connections with the help of memory; one remembers being the same person today as one was yesterday."
From this, we learn:
- Imagination: Helps humans make sense of space by using images, which are a genetic gift.
- Memory: Assists in understanding time by forming connections and continuity of identity.
Now, analyzing the options:
- Imagination helps humans make sense of space while memory helps them understand time.
This option accurately describes the difference mentioned in the passage. - Tribal groups value memory over imagination when it comes to creating art and literature.
This statement is not directly related to the core difference discussed in the passage. - Imagination needs to be cultivated whereas memory is more intuitive because it is racial and sensory.
This is incorrect as the passage suggests that imagination is a genetic gift and memory involves experience which is significant in tribal contexts. - Imagination is a genetic gift to humans whereas memory is central to human consciousness.
While part of this is correct, it does not fully encompass the core difference in terms of space and time as per the passage.
Conclusion: The correct answer is that imagination helps humans make sense of space while memory helps them understand time. This captures the essence of the explanation provided in the passage about both faculties.
All of the following statements may be considered valid inferences from the passage EXCEPT that:
Show Hint
- Tribal art excludes the depiction of the mundane reality of everyday life and objects.
- Shamanic rituals involving conversing with the dead often feature in tribal stories.
- Tribal narratives exhibit a chronological beginning, middle, and end.
- Tribal stories depict the natural world in accordance with rational scientific knowledge.
The Correct Option is D
Approach Solution - 1
To solve this question, we need to determine which statement does not align with the information provided in the passage regarding tribal imagination and narratives.
- Tribal art excludes the depiction of the mundane reality of everyday life and objects.
This statement suggests that tribal art does not focus on mundane or everyday realities, which is consistent with the passage. The passage describes tribal narratives as dreamlike and hallucinatory, focusing on a fusion between different planes of existence rather than the mundane. Thus, this statement can be considered an inference from the passage. - Shamanic rituals involving conversing with the dead often feature in tribal stories.
The passage describes tribal communities' engagement in rituals to converse with their dead ancestors. This indicates that such practices and beliefs are an integral part of tribal life, and therefore this statement aligns well with the text. - Tribal narratives exhibit a chronological beginning, middle, and end.
The passage explicitly mentions that tribal stories do not follow a deliberate sequence or temporal order, akin to the chaotic shapes of dreams. Hence, this chronological structure is inconsistent with what is described about tribal narratives. - Tribal stories depict the natural world in accordance with rational scientific knowledge.
The narrative implies that the tribal imagination is artistic and imaginative, not bound by rational scientific knowledge. Tribal stories include fantastical elements such as oceans flying and mountains swimming. Therefore, this statement is the correct answer as it contradicts the passage's portrayal of tribal imagination.
The correct answer is the statement that does not align with the passage's information: Tribal stories depict the natural world in accordance with rational scientific knowledge.
Approach Solution -2
To address this question, the task is to identify which statement is not a valid inference from the given passage. Let us analyze each option against the content provided in the passage:
-
Tribal art excludes the depiction of the mundane reality of everyday life and objects.
- The passage states that "a tribal epic can begin its narration from a trivial everyday event," indicating that tribal art can indeed involve everyday objects. Therefore, this statement is a valid inference.
-
Shamanic rituals involving conversing with the dead often feature in tribal stories.
- The passage describes rituals where tribals converse with their ancestors, supporting this statement as a valid inference.
-
Tribal narratives exhibit a chronological beginning, middle, and end.
- The passage suggests that tribal narratives do not have deliberate attempts to follow sequence. Nevertheless, it acknowledges that tribal art has a "hallucinary" style without specified chronological order.
-
Tribal stories depict the natural world in accordance with rational scientific knowledge.
- The passage describes tribal imagination as dreamlike and hallucinatory, not constrained by scientific rationality. This statement opposes the passage's description, identifying it as the incorrect inference.
Conclusion: The statement that "Tribal stories depict the natural world in accordance with rational scientific knowledge" is not a valid inference drawn from the passage as it conflicts with the description of tribal imagination being dreamlike and unconstrained by scientific realities.
Which one of the following best explains why tribals in India worship their dead ancestors?
Show Hint
- Tribals seek territorial domination over the spaces that they inhabit.
- For tribals, conversing with the dead becomes a way of seeking control over time.
- Tribals show respect to their ancestors through terracotta and carved-wood objects.
- Tribals possess a sophisticated knowledge system that is based on memory.
The Correct Option is B
Approach Solution - 1
To answer the question about why tribals in India worship their dead ancestors, one must look into the cultural and philosophical context provided in the comprehension passage. The comprehension highlights the characteristics of tribal imagination and their relation to time and space as follows:
- Tribal Imagination and Time: The passage describes tribal imagination as dreamlike and hallucinatory, suggesting flexibility and fluidity in their perception of reality. It indicates that the tribal mind places a significant emphasis on time, more so than space, and that their connection to time is strengthened through memory.
- Domination Over Time: The passage explicates that tribals, historically, seemed to have realized that territorial space is not within their grasp for domination. As a result, they have channeled their efforts toward gaining control over time. This control over time is achieved through rituals such as conversing with their deceased ancestors.
- Rituals with Ancestors: It is mentioned that tribals engage in worshipping ancestors using terracotta or carved-wood objects, attempting to reach a trance state where they can converse with the deceased. This act underscores their quest to dominate time instead of space.
Given this detailed analysis, the correct answer is: "For tribals, conversing with the dead becomes a way of seeking control over time."
Let's evaluate why the other options are incorrect:
- Tribals seek territorial domination over the spaces that they inhabit.: The passage clarifies that tribals have historically not aimed for territorial domination; instead, they focus on temporal dominance.
- Tribals show respect to their ancestors through terracotta and carved-wood objects.: While true, this option does not address the reason for this practice, i.e., controlling time by conversing with ancestors.
- Tribals possess a sophisticated knowledge system that is based on memory.: Though correct about their knowledge system, it does not specifically explain ancestor worship. It is their manner of achieving temporal control that is emphasized in the passage.
Understanding these aspects within the context of the passage leads to the most accurate explanation for the tribal practice of ancestor worship.
Approach Solution -2
To solve this question, we need to determine why tribals in India worship their dead ancestors. The options provided offer different perspectives, and we need to choose the one that best aligns with the context given in the comprehension passage.
Analysis of Options
- Option A: "Tribals seek territorial domination over the spaces that they inhabit."
This option contradicts the passage, which explicitly mentions that tribal communities do not focus on territorial domination. - Option B: "For tribals, conversing with the dead becomes a way of seeking control over time."
This option aligns with the passage, which suggests that the tribal mind has a more acute sense of time than space. The act of worshipping ancestors is linked to an obsession with gaining domination over time. - Option C: "Tribals show respect to their ancestors through terracotta and carved-wood objects."
Although this statement describes a method of ancestor worship, it doesn't explain the underlying reason for this practice. The focus is on respect, not on the control over time implied in the passage. - Option D: "Tribals possess a sophisticated knowledge system that is based on memory."
This statement is true but again doesn't directly answer why tribals worship their ancestors. It emphasizes the role of memory but does not explain the purpose of ancestor worship concerning control over time.
Conclusion
Based on the passage, the most suitable option is Option B: "For tribals, conversing with the dead becomes a way of seeking control over time." This explanation connects with the text's emphasis on the tribal communities' focus on time over territorial space.
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
- English Language Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension
- 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