CAT 2023 Question Paper | VARC Slot 3

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Question 24 : The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.

The weight of society's expectations is hardly a new phenomenon but it has become particularly draining over recent decades, perhaps because expectations themselves are so multifarious and contradictory. The perfectionism of the 1950s was rooted in the norms of mass culture and captured in famous advertising images of the ideal white American family that now seem self-satirising. In that era, perfectionism meant seamlessly conforming to values, behaviour and appearance: chiselled confidence for men, demure graciousness for women. The perfectionist was under pressure to look like everyone else, only more so. The perfectionists of today, by contrast, feel an obligation to stand out through their idiosyncratic style and wit if they are to gain a foothold in the attention economy.

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Video Explanation

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Explanatory Answer

The paragraph given states that society's expectations, though not a new phenomenon, are multifarious and contradictory. Perfectionism of the 1950s involved seamless conforming to values, behaviour and appearance while perfectionism of today is about standing out.

Option A is the best of the given summaries as it touches upon all key ideas.

Option B is incorrect. The paragraph does not say that pressure to appear perfect has been the cause of 'tension and conflict'.

Option C, which is about 'the desire to attract attention' being deep-rooted, is not related to the contents of the paragraph.

Option D talks about the role of media. The paragraph does not mention this.

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The answer is 'Though long-standing, the pressure to appear perfect and thereby attract attention, has evolved over time from one of conformism to one of non-conformism.'

Choice A is the correct answer.

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