You may laugh at a hat, but what you are making fun of, in this case, is not the piece of felt or straw, but the shape that men have given it, -- the human caprice whose mould it has assumed. It is strange that so important a fact, and such a simple one too, has not attracted to a greater degree the attention of philosophers. Several have de ned man as "an animal which laughs." They might equally well have de ned him as an animal which is laughed at; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object, produces the same effect, it is always because of some resemblance to man, of the stamp he gives it or the use he puts it to.
Here I would point out, as a symptom equally worthy of notice, the ABSENCE OF FEELING which usually accompanies laughter. It seems as though the comic could not produce its disturbing effect unless it fell, so to say, on the surface of a soul that is thoroughly calm and unru ed. Indifference is its natural environment, for laughter has no greater foe than emotion. I do not mean that we could not laugh at a person who inspires us with pity, for instance, or evenwith affection, but in such a case we must, for the moment, put our affection out of court and impose silence upon our pity. In a society composed of pure intelligences there would probably be no more tears, though perhaps there would still be laughter; whereas highly emotional souls, in tune and unison with life, in whom every event would be sentimentally prolonged and re-echoed, would neither know nor understand laughter. Try, for a moment, to become interested in everything that is being said and done; act, in imagination, with those who act, and feel with those who feel; in a word, give your sympathy its widest expansion: as though at the touch of a fairy wand you will see the imsiest of objects assume importance, and a gloomy hue spread over everything. Now step aside, look upon life as a disinterested spectator: many a drama will turn into a comedy. It is enough for us to stop our ears to the sound of music, in a room where dancing is going on, for the dancers at once to appear ridiculous. How many human actions would stand a similar test? Should we not see many of them suddenly pass from grave to gay, on isolating them from the accompanying music of sentiment? To produce the whole of its effect, then, the comic demands something like a momentary anesthesia of the heart. Its appeal is to intelligence, pure and simple
What does the author BEST mean when they say, “it seems as though the comic could not produce its disturbing effect unless it fell, so to say, on the surface of a soul that is thoroughly calm and unruffled?”
Show Hint
- Unless one is emotionally detached from the event, it is impossible to appreciate a comical view.
- To appreciate humour with an unsettling tone, people benefit from being in a calm state.
- Comics are the most effective when the audience is unaware of the context.
- Comical behaviour disturbs those more deeply whose minds are calm and composed.
- Relaxed people tend to find edgy or disturbing comedy funnier.
The Correct Option is A
Approach Solution - 1
To understand what the author meant by saying "it seems as though the comic could not produce its disturbing effect unless it fell, so to say, on the surface of a soul that is thoroughly calm and unruffled," we need to analyze the idea presented in the provided reading passage.
- The passage discusses how laughter typically occurs in an environment devoid of strong emotions. The author suggests that for something to be perceived as comic, the observer needs to be emotionally detached.
- This concept is highlighted by the phrase "absence of feeling" accompanying laughter. Laughter, according to the text, has no greater foe than emotion. This implies that to find something funny, individuals must temporarily suppress their emotions like pity or affection.
- The passage further explains that if someone becomes deeply involved or connected emotionally, many jokes or comical situations might lose their humor and become serious. Thus, it suggests a calm state of mind is necessary to fully appreciate comedy.
- Among the given options, “Unless one is emotionally detached from the event, it is impossible to appreciate a comical view” accurately captures this idea. This option emphasizes the need for emotional detachment, aligning with the author's point that a calm, detached demeanor is needed for humor to evoke laughter effectively.
- The other options do not closely align with the author’s mention of the need for a "thoroughly calm and unruffled" state. Instead, they imply conditions such as humor being unsettling or requiring ignorance of context, which are not supported by the passage.
In conclusion, the key idea is that emotional neutrality allows for a better appreciation of comedy, thus making the correct answer “Unless one is emotionally detached from the event, it is impossible to appreciate a comical view.”
Approach Solution -2
The line in question highlights that comic effect works only when the “soul is thoroughly calm and unruffled.” This implies that laughter requires absence of deep emotional involvement. If a person is emotionally stirred—whether by pity, grief, or strong sentiment—laughter cannot occur.
Step 2: Interpret the role of detachment.
The passage stresses the “absence of feeling” as the natural environment of laughter. Thus, to appreciate something as comical, one must not be emotionally entangled in the situation. In other words, detachment allows for a humorous interpretation.
Step 3: Evaluate options.
- Option A: Correct. It directly reflects the author’s point that emotional detachment is necessary for a comical view. - Option B: Partly correct, but it narrows the meaning by focusing on “unsettling tone” rather than the general necessity of detachment. - Option C: Incorrect. The author does not discuss audience unawareness of context, but rather emotional detachment. - Option D: Incorrect. Calm and composed minds are not “disturbed more deeply”; rather, they enable humor. - Option E: Incorrect. Relaxed people enjoying “edgy/disturbing” comedy is not the point being made.
Step 4: Conclude.
The author emphasizes detachment from emotion as the essential condition for laughter. Therefore, Option A best captures the intended meaning.
Final Answer: \[ \boxed{\text{A}} \]
Based on the passage, which of the following statements CANNOT be inferred?
Show Hint
- Comic happens in a setting of emotional detachment, having a sense of distance.
- Inanimate objects can become a subject of laughter because they may project human characteristics.
- Humour only springs from experiences that demand momentary anesthesia.
- When strong emotions are involved, laughter cannot be evoked.
- When you laugh at a hat, you laugh at a human being it represents.
The Correct Option is C
Approach Solution - 1
To determine which statement CANNOT be inferred from the passage, we examine each given option against the information provided in the comprehension.
Comic happens in a setting of emotional detachment, having a sense of distance.
Explanation: The passage explicitly states that laughter requires an indifferent environment and is opposed by emotion. This suggests that the comic effect occurs when there is a sense of distance or detachment.
Inference: This statement can be inferred from the passage.
Inanimate objects can become a subject of laughter because they may project human characteristics.
Explanation: The passage talks about how inanimate objects or animals can evoke laughter when they resemble humans or reflect human traits. This correlation lies at the heart of their comedic potential.
Inference: This statement can be inferred from the passage.
Humour only springs from experiences that demand momentary anesthesia.
Explanation: While the passage discusses the concept of "momentary anesthesia of the heart" as a condition for experiencing humor, it does not say that humor only arises from such experiences. It suggests that this anesthesia is typical for comedy but does not classify it as the sole derivation source.
Inference: This statement cannot be fully inferred from the passage as it overgeneralizes the conditions under which humor arises.
When strong emotions are involved, laughter cannot be evoked.
Explanation: The passage mentions that laughter opposes strong emotions, which aligns with this statement. It implies that strong emotions could inhibit laughter.
Inference: This statement can be inferred from the passage.
When you laugh at a hat, you laugh at a human being it represents.
Explanation: The passage explains that laughing at an object like a hat is essentially laughing at the human characteristics or creations it symbolizes.
Inference: This statement can be inferred from the passage.
Conclusion: The statement
Humour only springs from experiences that demand momentary anesthesia.
cannot be directly inferred from the passage, making it the correct answer.
Approach Solution -2
The passage stresses that laughter requires absence of deep feeling (emotional detachment). It can arise from objects resembling humans (like hats, animals, etc.) and cannot coexist with strong emotions like pity or sorrow.
Step 2: Check each option.
- Option A: True. The passage explicitly says laughter happens when the “soul is calm and unruffled,” i.e., emotional detachment. - Option B: True. The passage notes that even inanimate objects (like hats) can be laughed at when they carry resemblance to humans. - Option C: Incorrect. The passage says laughter is associated with absence of feeling, not that humor only springs from anesthesia-like experiences. The phrasing “only springs” overstates the case, making it not inferable. - Option D: True. The author stresses that strong emotions prevent laughter. - Option E: True. The author mentions laughing at a hat but actually at the human it represents.
Step 3: Conclude.
The only option that CANNOT be inferred is (C).
Final Answer: \[ \boxed{\text{C}} \]
Based on the passage, which of the following statements will the author BEST agree with?
Show Hint
- Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.
- Life is a tragedy when seen in close up but a comedy in long-shot.
- Comedy is an escape, not from truth but from despair.
- A person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused.
- Comedy is but tragedy, cunningly disguised and popularized for the multitude.
The Correct Option is B
Approach Solution - 1
The question requires us to determine which statement the author would most likely agree with based on the provided passage. Let's analyze the passage to identify the author's main idea and how it relates to the given options.
The passage explains that humor often arises from detachment and a lack of emotional involvement. The author suggests that by stepping back and viewing life from a distance or with disinterest, situations that typically appear serious may seem comedic. The passage points out that laughter is often tied to the absence of emotion and is more about intellectual detachment than emotional involvement.
Now, let's examine the options:
- Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.- This contradicts the passage as it emphasizes laughter arising from detachment rather than the seriousness being presented in a funny manner.
- Life is a tragedy when seen in close up but a comedy in long-shot.- This aligns perfectly with the passage's argument. The author claims that viewing life from a detached point of view can turn serious, emotional scenarios into comedic ones.
- Comedy is an escape, not from truth but from despair.- This option introduces the idea of 'escape' which isn't directly addressed in the passage. The passage focuses on detached observation rather than escape.
- A person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused.- This speaks of self-directed humor, which isn't directly discussed in the context of the passage.
- Comedy is but tragedy, cunningly disguised and popularized for the multitude.- This suggests the idea of comedy being crafted from tragedy, but the passage talks more about perspective and detachment rather than disguise.
Based on these analyses, the statement the author would MOST agree with is:
Life is a tragedy when seen in close up but a comedy in long-shot.
The author emphasizes that detachment turns drama into comedy, and hence, this statement effectively encapsulates the author's viewpoint of how perspective changes our interpretations of life events.
Approach Solution -2
The passage emphasizes detachment and looking at life as a “disinterested spectator.” It suggests that from a calm, distant view, drama can turn into comedy, since emotions are absent.
Step 2: Check each option.
- Option A: Too simplistic. The author does not say comedy is just another way of being serious. - Option B: Correct. This matches the author’s argument that life, when viewed from close with emotions, appears tragic, but when seen with detachment (long-shot), it can become comic. - Option C: Incorrect. The passage does not frame comedy as an “escape from despair,” but rather as a perspective requiring detachment. - Option D: Too individualistic. The passage is about general conditions of laughter, not self-laughter. - Option E: Incorrect. The author does not reduce comedy to disguised tragedy.
Step 3: Conclude.
Option B perfectly aligns with the author’s philosophy of comedy.
Final Answer: \[ \boxed{\text{B}} \]
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 XAT exam
- An artificial swimming pool is circular and water is flowing clockwise at a speed of 3 km/hr. Two swimmers Ayub and Rana start from diametrically opposite points, Ayub in the anticlockwise direction and Rana in the clockwise direction. They first meet at a point such that Ayub has covered 60 m by that time. Their second meeting point is such that Rana has covered another 180 m after the first meeting point. If the speed of Rana in still water is 3 km/hr, find the time taken by Ayub to cover one full circle in the clockwise direction.
- XAT - 2026
- Time and Work
- Arrange the following generations from the oldest to the youngest:
1. Generation X
2. Silent Generation
3. Generation Alpha
4. Baby Boomers
5. Millennials
- XAT - 2026
- Current Affairs
- Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.
Brijbhushan, a microfinancier, lends money at the rate of Rs.10 per square meter to small farmers at a village. He charges an annual interest rate of 10%. All the farming plots in that village are rectangular, with areas varying between a minimum of 1000 square meters and a maximum of 10,000 square meters.
This year, Brijbhushan has lent money only to five farmers: Aditya, Binod, Chhuttan, Dabloo and Govind. The perimeter of Chhuttan’s plot is 250 meters, with the length and width being at a ratio of 4:1. Aditya’s plot has an area three times the area of Govind’s plot. The area of Aditya’s plot is also the average of the areas of Govind’s plot and Dabloo’s plot. The plots belonging to Aditya, Binod and Dabloo are of the same width, but of different lengths. Moreover, the length of Binod’s plot is the sum of the lengths of Aditya’s plot and Dabloo’s plot.- XAT - 2026
- Mensuration
Light Chemicals is an industrial paint supplier with presence in three locations: Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The sunburst chart below shows the distribution of the number of employees of different departments of Light Chemicals. There are four departments: Finance, IT, HR and Sales. The employees are deployed in four ranks: junior, mid, senior and executive. The chart shows four levels: location, department, rank and gender (M: male, F: female). At every level, the number of employees at a location/department/rank/gender are proportional to the corresponding area of the region represented in the chart.
Due to some issues with the software, the data on junior female employees have gone missing. Notice that there are junior female employees in Mumbai HR, Sales and IT departments, Hyderabad HR department, and Bengaluru IT and Finance departments. The corresponding missing numbers are marked u, v, w, x, y and z in the diagram, respectively.
It is also known that:
a) Light Chemicals has a total of 210 junior employees.
b) Light Chemicals has a total of 146 employees in the IT department.
c) Light Chemicals has a total of 777 employees in the Hyderabad office.
d) In the Mumbai office, the number of female employees is 55.
- XAT - 2026
- Pie Charts
An investment company, Win Lose, recruit's employees to trade in the share market. For newcomers, they have a one-year probation period. During this period, the employees are given Rs. 1 lakh per month to invest the way they see fit. They are evaluated at the end of every month, using the following criteria:
1. If the total loss in any span of three consecutive months exceeds Rs. 20,000, their services are terminated at the end of that 3-month period,
2. If the total loss in any span of six consecutive months exceeds Rs. 10,000, their services are terminated at the end of that 6-month period.
Further, at the end of the 12-month probation period, if there are losses on their overall investment, their services are terminated.
Ratan, Shri, Tamal and Upanshu started working for Win Lose in January. Ratan was terminated after 4 months, Shri was terminated after 7 months, Tamal was terminated after 10 months, while Upanshu was not terminated even after 12 months. The table below, partially, lists their monthly profits (in Rs. ‘000’) over the 12-month period, where x, y and z are masked information.
Note:
• A negative profit value indicates a loss.
• The value in any cell is an integer.
Illustration: As Upanshu is continuing after March, that means his total profit during January-March (2z +2z +0) ≥
Rs.20,000. Similarly, as he is continuing after June, his total profit during January − June ≥
Rs.10,000, as well as his total profit during April-June ≥ Rs.10,000.
- XAT - 2026
- Logical and Analytical Reasoning Skills