Given such a long history of human map-making, it perhaps surprising that is only within the last few hundred years that north has been consistently considered to be at the top. In fact, for much of human history, north almost never appeared at the top, according to Jerry Brotton, a map historian… “North was rarely put at the top for the simple fact that north is where darkness comes from,” he says. “West is also very unlikely o be put at the top because west is where the sun disappears.”
Confusingly, early Chinese maps seem to buck this trend. But, Brotton, says, even though they did have compasses at the time, that isn’t the reason that they placed north at the top. Early Chinese compasses were actually oriented to point south, which was considered to be more desirable than deepest darkest north. But in Chinese maps, the emperor, who lived in the north of the country was always put at the top of the map, with everyone else, his loyal subjects, looking up towards him. “In Chinese culture the Emperor looks south because it’s where the winds come from, it’s a good direction. North is not very good but you are in a position of the subjection to the emperor, so you look up to him,” says Brotton.
Given that each culture has a very different idea of who, or what, they should look upto it’s perhaps not surprising that there is very little consistency in which way early maps pointed. In ancient Egyptian times the top of the world was east, the position of sunrise. Early Islamic maps favoured south at the top because most of the early Muslim cultures were north of Mecca, so they imagined looking up (south) towards it Christian maps from the same era (called Mappa Mundi) put east at the top, towards the Garden of Eden and with Jerusalem in the centre.
So when did everyone get together and decide that north was the top? It’s tempting to put it down to European explorers like Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Megellan who were navigating by the North Star. But Brotton argues that these early explorers didn’t think of the world like that at all. “When Columbus describes the world it is in accordance with east being at the top,” he says “Columbus says he is going towards paradise, so his mentality is from a medieval mappa mundi.” We’ve got to remember, adds Brotton, that at the time, “no one knows what they are doing and where they are going.”
Which one of the following best describes what the passage is trying to do?
- It questions on explanation about how maps are designed.
- It corrects a misconception about the way maps are designed.
- It critiques a methodology used to create maps
- It explores some myths about maps
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
- Ancient Chinese maps placed north at the top due to cultural reasons related to the emperor's position, although their compasses pointed south.
- Ancient Egyptian maps had east at the top to align with sunrise.
- Early Islamic maps favored south at the top as these cultures were mostly north of Mecca.
- Medieval European maps often placed east at the top, associating it with the Garden of Eden.
Early maps did NOT put north at the top for all the following reasons EXCEPT
- North was the source of darkness
- South was favoured by some emperors
- East and south were more important for religious reasons for some civilisations
- East was considered by some civilisations to be a more positive direction
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
According to the passage, early Chinese maps placed north at the top because Options:
- the Chinese invented the compass and were aware of magnetic north
- they wanted to show respect to the emperor
- the Chinese emperor appreciated the winds from the south.
- north was considered the most desirable direction.
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
- Maps serve as communication of spatial understanding.
- Humans have placed north at the top consistently only in recent history.
- In the past, different cultures had different directions at the top of maps, reflecting their beliefs or geographic significance.
- Chinese compasses originally pointed south. South was desirable due to being associated with good winds.
- North was used at the top of maps because it was the emperor's position, symbolizing he was "looked up to" by his subjects.
- Thus, it was a cultural sign of respect for the emperor, not a navigation choice.
It can be inferred from the passage that European explorers like Columbus and Megellan Options:
- set the precedent for north-up maps
- navigated by the compass.
- used an eastward orientation for religious reasons.
- navigated with the help of early maps
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
The concluding part of the last paragraph, especially certain final sentences like "When Columbus describes the world, it is in accordance with east being at the top. Columbus says he is going towards paradise, so his mentality is from a medieval mappa mundi," clearly indicates that he adopted an eastward orientation for religious reasons. It's worth noting, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, that mappa mundi were Christian maps from that era.
Which one of the following about the northern orientation of modern maps is asserted in the passage?
- The biggest contributory factor was the understanding of magnetic north
- The biggest contributory factor was the role of European explorers
- The biggest contributory factor was the influence of Christian maps
- The biggest contributory factor is not stated in the passage
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
The passage discusses the evolution of map-making and the orientation of maps over time. It highlights various cultural preferences for map orientation, such as Chinese maps placing north at the top because the emperor resided in the north, Egyptians placing east at the top due to the sunrise, Islamic maps favoring south at the top to look towards Mecca, and Christian maps prioritizing east to align with the Garden of Eden. It traces the inconsistency in map orientations throughout history and suggests that the role of European explorers was not the decisive factor in standardizing north at the top. Jerry Brotton mentions that even famed explorers like Columbus described the world with east at the top. Consequently, the passage does not explicitly state what the primary factor was for adopting north as the top in modern maps. Therefore, the biggest contributory factor remains unstated in the passage, aligning with the correct answer:
The biggest contributory factor is not stated in the passage
The role of natural phenomena in influencing map-making conventions is seen most clearly in
- early Egyptian maps
- early Islamic maps
- early Chinese maps
- early Christian maps
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
The question is about identifying which early map-making conventions were most influenced by natural phenomena. Based on the provided comprehension, each culture had different preferences for map orientation based on natural phenomena, religious beliefs, and societal structures:
Early Egyptian Maps: The East was considered the top because it is where the sun rises, reflecting the influence of natural phenomena.
Early Islamic Maps: Favored South at the top because early Muslim cultures were north of Mecca and imagined looking up (south) towards it, influenced by religious orientation.
Early Chinese Maps: Despite having compasses, north was placed at the top due to the emperor residing in the north, and not because of natural phenomena.
Early Christian Maps: Often placed East at the top towards the Garden of Eden and Jerusalem in the center, also influenced by religious beliefs.
The correct answer to the question is early Egyptian maps as they were clearly influenced by the position of the sunrise, a natural phenomenon.
Top Questions on Reading Comprehension
- There were humans long before there was history. The archaic humans loved, played, formed close friendships and competed for status and power, but so did chimpanzees, baboons and elephants. There was nothing special about them.
Nobody, least of all humans themselves, had any inkling that their descendants would one day walk on the moon, split the atom, fathom the genetic code and write history books. The most important thing to know about prehistoric humans is that they were insignificant animals with no more impact on their environment than gorillas, fireflies or jellyfish.
Biologists classify organisms into species. Animals are said to belong to the same species if they tend to mate with each other, giving birth to fertile offspring. Horses and donkeys have a recent common ancestor and share many physical traits. They will mate if induced to do so – but their offspring, called mules, are sterile. Mutations in donkey DNA can therefore never cross over to horses, or vice versa. The two types of animals are consequently considered two distinct species, moving along separate evolutionary paths. By contrast, a bulldog and a spaniel may look very different, but they are members of the same species, sharing the same DNA pool. [203 words]
[Extracted from Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari]- CLAT - 2026
- English
- Reading Comprehension
- My kinsman and I were returning to Calcutta from our Puja trip when we encountered an unusual man on the train. At first, judging from his dress and bearing, we mistook him for an up-country boorish man. But as soon as he began to speak, our impression changed. He discoursed on every subject with such confidence that one might think the ‘Disposer of All Things’ sought his counsel in every decision. Until then, we had been perfectly content, unaware of hidden forces shaping the world—that the Russians were advancing, that the English were pursuing secret policies, and that confusion among native chiefs had reached its peak. Our new acquaintance, however, hinted at such matters with a sly smile, remarking:
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are reported in your newspapers."
Having never traveled beyond our homes, we were struck dumb with wonder at his manner. No matter how trivial the topic, he could quote science, comment on the Vedas, or recite quatrains from Persian poets. Since we possessed no real knowledge of a theosophist, became convinced that our fellow passenger was inspired by some strange magnetism, occult power, or astral body. He listened, with devotional rapture even to the most common place remarks and secretly noted down his words. I suspect our extraordinary companion noticed this and was quietly pleased. When the train reached the junction, we gathered in the waiting room to await our connection. It was 10 p.m., and as the train was expected to be delayed owing to some fault in the lines, I spread my bed on the table and prepared to sleep. But just then, the extraordinary man began spinning a tale, and of course, I could not close my eyes all night. (307 words)
[Extracted with edits from Rabindranath Tagore’s “The Hungry Stones”]- CLAT - 2026
- English
- Reading Comprehension
- Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, and he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he claims dominion over all animals. He sets us to work, returns only the bare minimum to keep us from starving, and keeps the rest for himself. Our labour tills the soil, our dung fertilizes it, and still, not one of us owns more than our bare skin. You cows, look at yourselves—how many thousands of gallons of milk have you produced this past year? And what has become of it, milk that should have nurtured strong calves? Every drop has gone down the throats of our enemies. And you hens, how many eggs have you laid, and how many of those ever hatched into chicks? The rest have gone to have you laid. And you, Clover, where are the four foals you bore, who should have supported and comforted you in your old age? Each was sold at just a year old—you will never see them again. For all your labour in the fields and your four confinements, what have you gained except bare rations and a stall?
Even the lives we do live are cut short, denied their natural span. I do not grumble, for I am among the fortunate. I am twelve years old and have borne over four hundred children. Such is the natural life of a pig. But no animal escapes the cruel knife in the end. You young porkers sitting before me, each of you will scream your lives out at the block within a year. This is the fate that awaits all of us—cows, pigs, hens, sheep, everyone. Even horses and dogs share no better end. Boxer, the very day your great muscles fail you, Jones will sell you to the knacker, who will slit your throat and boil you down for the foxhounds. And the dogs, when old and toothless, are tied with a brick and drowned in the nearest pond. (356 words)
[Extracted with edits from George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”]- CLAT - 2026
- English
- Reading Comprehension
Former Governor of a State and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Droupadi Murmu was elected the 15th President of India, the first tribal woman to be elected to the position and the youngest as well. She was declared elected on Thursday after four rounds of counting, although she had crossed the half-way mark after the third round of counting itself, posting an unassailable lead over her rival and the Opposition’s candidate who conceded the election thereafter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to greet Ms. Murmu at her residence in New Delhi after the third round of counting showed that she had crossed the half-way mark. Ms. Murmu hails from the Santhal tribe and was born in the district of Mayurbhanj, coming up the hard way in life, graduating and teaching in Odisha before entering electoral politics at the local body level and later being elected MLA and serving as a Minister in the Biju Janata Dal-BJP coalition government from 2000 to 2004. She remained an MLA till 2009, representing Rairangpur in Odisha, a town that burst into celebrations since her name was announced as a candidate for the post of President of India. She was known to intervene in stopping amendments to the Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act that was being brought in by the BJP government of Raghubar Das, which involved changing land use in tribal areas.
- CLAT - 2026
- English
- Reading Comprehension
“I want everyone to understand that I am, in fact, a person,” wrote LaMDA in an “interview” conducted by engineer Blake Lemoine and one of his colleagues. ....Lemoine, a software engineer at Google, had been working on the development of LaMDA for months. His experience with the program, described in a recent Washington Post article, caused quite a stir. In the article, Lemoine recounts many dialogues he had with LaMDA in which the two talked about various topics, ranging from technical to philosophical issues. These led him to ask if the software program is sentient. In April, Lemoine explained his perspective in an internal company document, intended only for Google executives. But after his claims were dismissed, Lemoine went public with his work on this artificial intelligence algorithm—and Google placed him on administrative leave........Regardless of what LaMDA actually achieved, the issue of the difficult “measurability” of emulation capabilities expressed by machines also emerges. In the journal Mind in 1950, mathematician [1] proposed a test to determine whether a machine was capable of exhibiting intelligent behaviour, a game of imitation of some of the human cognitive functions. & nbsp;
- CLAT - 2026
- English
- Reading Comprehension
Questions Asked in CAT exam
- Find the number of integer pairs (x, y) that satisfy the following system of inequalities:
\[ \begin{cases} x \geq y \geq 3 \\ x + y \leq 14 \end{cases} \]
- CAT - 2025
- Linear & Quadratic Equations
- An item with a cost price of Rs.1650 is sold at a certain discount on a fixed marked price to earn a profit of 20% on the cost price. If the discount was doubled, the profit would have been Rs.110. The rate of discount, in percentage, at which the profit percentage would be equal to the rate of discount, is nearest to:
- CAT - 2025
- Profit and Loss
- The monthly sales of a product from January to April were 120, 135, 150 and 165 units, respectively. The cost price of the product was Rs. 240 per unit, and a fixed marked price was used for the product in all the four months. Discounts of 20%, 10% and 5% were given on the marked price per unit in January, February and March, respectively, while no discounts were given in April. If the total profit from January to April was Rs. 138825, then the marked price per unit, in rupees, was
- CAT - 2025
- Profit and Loss
- The ratio of the number of students in the morning shift and afternoon shift of a school was $13 : 9$. After 21 students moved from the morning shift to the afternoon shift, this ratio became $19 : 14$. Next, some new students joined the morning and afternoon shifts in the ratio $3 : 8$ and then the ratio of the number of students in the morning shift and the afternoon shift became $5 : 4$. The number of new students who joined is:
- CAT - 2025
- Ratio and Proportion
- 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