But as the behavioral economists like to remind us, we are already prone to all sorts of reductions as a species. It’s not just the scientists. We compress complex reality down into abbreviated heuristics that often work beautifully in everyday life for high-frequency, low-significance decisions. Because we are an unusually clever and self-reflective species, we long ago realized that we needed help overcoming those reductive instincts when it really matters. And so we invented a tool called storytelling. At first, some of our stories were even more reductive than the sciences would prove to be: allegories and parables and morality plays that compressed the flux of real life down to archetypal moral messages. But over time the stories grew more adept at describing the true complexity of lived experience, the whorls and the threadlike pressures. One of the crowning achievements of that growth is the realist novel. That, of course, is the latent implication of Prince Andrei’s question: “innumerable conditions made meaningful only in unpredictable moments” would fare well as a description of both War and Peace and Middlemarch, arguably the two totemic works in the realist canon. What gives the novel the grain of truth lies precisely in the way it doesn’t quite run along the expected grooves, the way it dramatizes all the forces and unpredictable variables that shape the choices humans confront at the most meaningful moments of their lives.
When we read those novels—or similarly rich biographies of historical figures—we are not just entertaining ourselves; we are also rehearsing for our own real-world experiences….
Which of the following is the BEST interpretation regarding reductive instincts?
- Reductive instincts tell us to reduce every situation to a heuristic.
- After the invention of storytelling, humans have overcome their reductive instincts.
- Reductive instincts can help us in handling uncertainty.
- Reductive instincts have to be overcome for survival in the real world.
- Reductive instincts led to compression of complex reality to moral messages.
The Correct Option is
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Analyze the passage.
The passage discusses how humans naturally reduce complex realities into simplified forms, often as a way of managing their understanding. Storytelling is presented as a tool invented to address these reductive instincts and express complex realities in nuanced ways.
Step 2: Evaluate the options.
- Option 1: Incorrect. While reductive instincts simplify situations, they don’t reduce everything to heuristics.
- Option 2: Incorrect. Storytelling helps manage reductive instincts but does not eliminate them.
- Option 3: Incorrect. The passage does not explicitly connect reductive instincts to uncertainty.
- Option 4: Incorrect. The passage does not emphasize survival as a purpose of overcoming reductive instincts.
- Option 5: Correct. The passage explicitly states that reductive instincts led to storytelling that simplified reality into archetypal moral messages.
Final Answer: (5)
Why would a realist novel consist of “innumerable conditions made meaningful only in unpredictable moments?”
- To keep the reader engaged till the end of the novel.
- To bring in as much content as possible without making it seem forced.
- To showcase unexpected complexity while making it seem relevant in the given context.
- To show to the reader that realist novel does not work on expected lines.
- To engage the reader with realism and fantasy at the same time.
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Analyze the phrase “innumerable conditions made meaningful only in unpredictable moments.” The phrase highlights the unpredictable nature of events and how realist novels aim to portray the complexity of human life through such moments.
Step 2: Evaluate the options.
- Option 1: Incorrect. While engagement is important, it is not the primary focus of the phrase.
- Option 2: Incorrect. Including content without force is not central to the concept of unpredictability in realist novels.
- Option 3: Correct. Realist novels focus on presenting unexpected complexity to reflect the intricacies of life.
- Option 4: Incorrect. This option is irrelevant to the meaning of the phrase.
- Option 5: Incorrect. Realism and fantasy are not the focus of the passage or the phrase.
Final Answer: (3)
Top Questions on Reading Comprehension
“Why do they pull down and do away with crooked streets, I wonder, which are my delight, and hurt no man living? Every day the wealthier nations are pulling down one or another in their capitals and their great towns: they do not know why they do it; neither do I. It ought to be enough, surely, to drive the great broad ways which commerce needs and which are the life-channels of a modern city, without destroying all history and all the humanity in between: the islands of the past.”
(From Hilaire Belloc’s “The Crooked Streets”)
Based only on the information provided in the above passage, which one of the following statements is true?- GATE PH - 2025
- General Aptitude
- Reading Comprehension
Passage: Toru Dutt is considered the earliest Indian female writer in English. She travelled extensively in Europe from a young age with her family. She and her sister Aru became fascinated with Paris and French literature. In London, they came in contact with such august personages such as Sir Bartle Frere, the Gover- nor of Bombay from 1862 to 1867, and Sir Edward Ryan, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Calcutta, from 1837 to 1843. Toru Dutt was greatly influenced in her writings by French Romantic poets like Victor Hugo and English writers like Elizabeth Browning, John Keats, Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen. She was also intrigued by the legends and myths of India, and even learned Sanskrit. Her writings were marked by romantic melancholia and an obsession and preoccupation with death. This was partly due to her suffering and pain following the early tragic deaths of her siblings, especially her older sister Aru, with whom she was quite close. Her chosen subjects often portrayed separation, loneliness, captivity, dejec- tion, declining seasons and untimely death. She led an ”Ivory Tower existence” and her own death came quite early, at the age of 21, in the full bloom of her talent and on the eve of the awakening of her genius. Toru Dutt’s most famous work is A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields, an anthology of poems translated from French to English. It also contained a few original poems that showcase her vast insight into French literature. She used to publish poems in the Bengal Magazine, under the pseudonym ”TD”. But most of her powerful work was published posthumously, in- cluding the French novel Le Journal de Mademoiselle D’Arvers and the unfinished English novel Bianca, or, the Young Spanish Maiden. Her work Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan depicts a shrewd knowledge of Hindu mythology and an instinctive empathy with the conditions of life they represent. An assimilation of the Occident and the Orient nourished Toru’s poetic skills; in her, we find a tripartite influence of a French education, lectures at Cambridge and the study of Sanskrit literature.
- NPAT - 2025
- Verbal Reasoning
- Reading Comprehension
“Why do they pull down and do away with crooked streets, I wonder, which are my delight, and hurt no man living? Every day the wealthier nations are pulling down one or another in their capitals and their great towns: they do not know why they do it; neither do I. It ought to be enough, surely, to drive the great broad ways which commerce needs and which are the life-channels of a modern city, without destroying all history and all the humanity in between: the islands of the past.” (From Hilaire Belloc’s “The Crooked Streets”)
Based only on the information provided in the above passage, which one of the following statements is true?
- GATE CE - 2025
- General Aptitude
- Reading Comprehension
- “His life was divided between the books, his friends, and long walks. A solitary man, he worked at all hours without much method, and probably courted his fatal illness in this way. To his own name there is not much to show; but such was his liberality that he was continually helping others, and fruits of his erudition are widely scattered, and have gone to increase many a comparative stranger’s reputation.”
(From E.V. Lucas’s “A Funeral”)
Based only on the information provided in the above passage, which one of the following statements is true?- GATE CE - 2025
- General Aptitude
- Reading Comprehension
- Read the excerpt from a Handicrafts Manual: ‘Advanced Knitting Techniques’ and answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate answer.
THE FAIR ISLE METHOD: Fair Isle knitting is a traditional technique that involves using two or more colours of yarn in a single row to create intricate patterns and designs. This method requires careful tension management to ensure even stitches and prevent puckering. To begin, select your colours and cast on the desired number of stitches. As you knit, alternate between colours every few stitches, carrying the unused yarn along the back of the work. Mastering the Fair Isle technique allows you to create stunning visual effects in garments, accessories, and home textiles.
THE CONTINENTAL STYLE: The Continental knitting style, often referred to as “picking,” involves holding the yarn in the left hand while the right hand manipulates the needles. This method allows for greater speed and efficiency, particularly when working with complex patterns or multiple colours. To practice this style, start by casting on your stitches and using your left hand to tension the yarn. With each stitch, simply “pick” the yarn with your right needle, forming a quick and fluid motion. As you become comfortable with this technique, you may find that your overall knitting speed and comfort improve significantly.
THE SHORT-ROW TECHNIQUE: Short-row knitting is an advanced technique that allows for the creation of shaped garments, such as sleeves and shoulders, without the need for complex shaping. To make a sleeve using this technique, begin by casting on the required number of stitches. Work a portion of the row, then turn your work and return without completing the full row to create the “short rows” that shape the curves of the sleeve. To prevent holes at the turn, wrap the stitch before you turn your work. Repeat this process as needed to achieve the desired shaping and dimension of the sleeve. Once you have shaped the sleeve, you can then sew the side seams to connect the pieces of your garment and finally, complete the edges to ensure a clean finish. This method not only helps shape curves but also adds dimension to your piece, allowing you to enhance fit and style.- AILET BALLB (Hons.) - 2025
- English
- Reading Comprehension
Questions Asked in XAT exam
- In an 8-week course, the teacher conducts a test every week, and the scores are in the range of 1–4. There are only two students enrolled in the course, \(R\) and \(S\). The following conditions are given:
- \(R\) and \(S\) scored the same on the first test.
- From the second test onwards, \(R\) consistently scored the same (a non-zero score).
- The total of the first three test scores of \(R\) equals the total of the first two test scores of \(S\).
- From the fifth test onwards, \(S\) scored the same as \(R\).
- The scores of \(S\) from the first two tests and all the remaining tests follow a geometric progression.
- XAT - 2025
- Algebra
- Arya, a graduate from a reputable institute, got a job in an IT company but became bored after a year. Her best friend S, who worked at the same company, joined a top-tier B-school for an MBA, which tempted Arya to pursue the same path. Her friend assured her that an MBA would boost her career prospects and salary. Arya started preparing for an MBA while continuing her job, but the challenge of balancing preparation with work made her consider leaving the job.
- XAT - 2025
- Analytical Decision Making
- There’s a community 30 km outside of the main city. Mr. S started a grocery business in the community after winning the bid by offering way above the rent initially drafted by the community council. The community council, led by Mr. D, agreed to the offer with a performance review every three years. Mr. S also agreed to provide an additional 15% of his grocery sales to the council, banking on the prospect of selling in higher volumes. After setting up his business, Mr. S noticed that SUV owners in the community usually bought goods in bulk from the city once a week and used his store primarily for daily necessities and occasional big purchases like mixer grinders.
- XAT - 2025
- Analytical Decision Making
- Four reviewers (R1, R2, R3, R4) are in charge of reviewing products from companies A, B, C, and D. Each reviewer provides a rating between 1 and 5 for the products. Due to a technical glitch, the original ratings were deleted, and only the averages calculated for each product (A, B, C, D) and each reviewer (R1, R2, R3, R4) were saved. The data available is as follows:Tasks:
A B C D Average 3 4 4 ? 4 3 ? 5 ? 4 ? 3 3 ? 4 ? ? ? ? 4.25 4 4 4 4.25
1. What are the missing values in the table?
2. How were the missing values calculated?
3.Verify the correctness of the given averages for both rows and columns. - A bought a phone from a store and paid \(\frac{1}{6}\) of the price using UPI, \(\frac{1}{3}\) of the price in cash, and the remaining balance a year later. He also paid 10% interest on the remaining balance after one year. What was the original price of the phone?
- XAT - 2025
- Percentage