CAT 2025 Question Paper | VARC Slot 1

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Question 7 : The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.

Zombie cells may contribute to age-related chronic inflammation: this finding could help scientists understand more about the aging process and why the immune system becomes less effective as we get older. Zombie or “senescent” cells are damaged cells that can no longer divide and grow like normal cells. Scientists think that these cells can contribute to chronic health problems when they accumulate in the body. In younger people, the immune system is more effective at clearing senescent cells from the body through a process called apoptosis, but as we age this process becomes less efficient. As a result, there is an accumulation of senescent cells in different organs in the body, either through increased production or reduced clearance by the immune system. The zombie cells continue to use energy though they do not divide, and often secrete chemicals that cause inflammation, which if persistent for longer periods of time can damage healthy cells leading to chronic diseases.

Explanatory Answer

The paragraph says that zombie cells, that may contribute to age-related chronic inflammation and diseases, accumulate with age due to less efficient apoptosis in the body. Option 1 touches upon all key ideas and is a good summary. Options 2 and 3 pick on specific ideas from the paragraph but are incomplete as summaries. Option 4 does not mention 'zombie cells' and incorrectly uses the term 'dead cells'.

The answer is 'Aging leads to less effective apoptosis, and therefore zombie cells start to accumulate in the body, causing inflammation, which accelerates aging and leads to chronic diseases.'

Choice 1 is the correct answer.

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