CAT 2022 Question Paper | VARC Slot 3

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Question 21 : There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide in which blank (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.

Sentence: This has meant a lot of uncertainty around what a wide-scale return to office might look like in practice.

Paragraph: Bringing workers back to their desks has been a rocky road for employers and employees alike. The evolution of the pandemic has meant that best laid plans have often not materialised. ___(1)___ The flow of workers back into offices has been more of a trickle than a steady stream. ___(2)___ Yet while plenty of companies are still working through their new policies, some employees across the globe are now back at their desks, whether on a full-time or hybrid basis. ___(3)___ That means we're beginning to get some clarity on what return-to-office means - what's working, as well as what has yet to be settled. ___(4)___

Explanatory Answer

Slightly tricky question. We can rule out option 4 as the sentence before says clarity is emerging, so the missing sentence, which is about uncertainty prevailing cannot be put in here. Option 3 can also be ruled out as the line before says some employees are now returning to their desks. The given sentence does not make sense here.
Both option 1 and 2 look like possibilities as 'this has meant a lot of uncertainty' can apply equally well to the sentence before each of these options. But looking at the sentence that follows and the flow of ideas, the given sentence makes better sense in option 2. Workers are returning in a trickle, rather than a steady stream--there is hence uncertainty about what a wide scale return to office might look like--yet, even as companies are still working on their new policies, employees are getting back at their desks on a full-time or hybrid basis.

The answer is 'Option 2'

Choice B is the correct answer.