CAT 2022 Question Paper | VARC Slot 1

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Question 23 : The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.

It's not that modern historians of medieval Africa have been ignorant about contacts between Ethiopia and Europe; they just had the power dynamic reversed. The traditional narrative stressed Ethiopia as weak and in trouble in the face of aggression from external forces, so Ethiopia sought military assistance from their fellow Christians to the north. But the real story, buried in plain sight in medieval diplomatic texts, simply had not yet been put together by modern scholars. Recent research pushes scholars of medieval Europe to imagine a much more richly connected medieval world: at the beginning of the so-called Age of Exploration, there is evidence that the kings of Ethiopia were sponsoring their own missions of diplomacy, faith and commerce.

Explanatory Answer

The paragraph given says that while historians have traditionally portrayed medieval Ethiopia as weak and seeking protection from Europe, the real story,"buried in plain sight" is that the medieval world was richly connected, with the kings of Ethiopia sponsoring their own missions of diplomacy, faith and commerce.

Of the given options, C and D can be eliminated right away. The main idea of the paragraph is not how strong connections between Christian communities of Ethiopia and Europe helped establish links between them but how traditional historical narratives are incorrect. So, option C is out. Option D is ruled out as it states historians were under an illusion. This is incorrect. They simply chose to ignore the real story, according to the given paragraph.

Options A and B are close. But between A and B, B is better. Option A says that powerful European forces were called upon to protect "weak African civilisations such as Ethiopia". The paragraph does not generalize this way. It is specific to relations between medieval Ethiopia and Europe.

The answer is 'Medieval texts have been 'cherry-picked' to promote a view of Ethiopia as weak and in need of Europe's military help with aggressive neighbours, but recent studies reveal it was a well-connected and outward-looking culture.'

Choice B is the correct answer.