XAT 2018 Question Paper | Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning

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Please read the passage below and answer the questions that follow:

If history doesn’t follow any stable rules, and if we cannot predict its future course, why study it? It often seems that the chief aim of science is to predict the future – meteorologists are expected to forecast whether tomorrow will bring rain or sunshine; economists should know whether devaluing the currency will avert or precipitate an economic crisis; good doctors foresee whether chemotherapy or radiation therapy will be more successful in curing lung cancer. Similarly, historians are asked to examine the actions of our ancestors so that we can repeat their wise decisions and avoid their mistakes. But it never works like that because the present is just too different from the past. It is a waste of time to study Hannibal’s tactics in the Second Punic War so as to copy them in the Third World War. What worked well in cavalry battles will not necessarily be of much benefit in cyber warfare. Science is not just about predicting the future, though. Scholars in all fields often seek to broaden our horizons, thereby opening before us new and unknown futures. This is especially true of history. Though historians occasionally try their hand at prophecy (without notable success), the study of history aims above all to make us aware of possibilities we don’t normally consider. Historians study the past not in order to repeat it, but in order to be liberated from it. Each and every one of us has been born into a given historical reality, ruled by particular norms and values, and managed by a unique economic and political system. We take this reality for granted, thinking it is natural, inevitable and immutable. We forget that our world was created by an accidental chain of events, and that history shaped not only our technology, politics and society, but also our thoughts, fears and dreams. The cold hand of the past emerges from the grave of our ancestors, grips us by the neck and directs our gaze towards a single future. We have felt that grip from the moment we were born, so we assume that it is a natural and inescapable part of who we are. Therefore we seldom try to shake ourselves free, and envision alternative futures. Studying history aims to loosen the grip of the past. It enables us to turn our head this way and that, and begin to notice possibilities that our ancestors could not imagine, or didn’t want us to imagine. By observing the accidental chain of events that led us here, we realise how our very thoughts and dreams took shape – and we can begin to think and dream differently. Studying history will not tell us what to choose, but at least it gives us more options.

Question 1 : Based on the passage, which of the following options would be the most appropriate for citizens to learn history?

1. British names of streets in India should not be changed.
2. Every street in India should display a plaque that lists all its previous names.
3. British names of streets in India should be changed to Indian names along with an explanation of their history.
4. Names of Indian streets should be based on suggestions generated through an opinion poll.
5. Names of Indian streets should be periodically changed.

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Explanatory Answer

A. British names of streets in India should not be changed. – The passage states that we must study History to loosen ourselves from the grips of the past. This option is contrary to that view, as it suggests getting caught up in the past itself. This cannot be the right answer choice.
B. Every street in India should display a plaque that lists all its previous names. – This is the perfect answer choice that captures the essence of the passage in its fullest intensity. The past should not be forgotten while living in the present historical context; this awareness about the past opens up new horizons for different futures. This is the right answer choice.
C. British names of streets in India should be changed to Indian names along with an explanation of their history. – The passage clearly suggests that pasts should be remembered to think of possibilities of new futures. This option suggests an erasure or non-remembrance of the past, which is contrary to the idea of the passage. This cannot be the right answer choice.
D. Names of Indian streets should be based on suggestions generated through an opinion poll. – An opinion poll is mostly a very current aspect, and is not influenced by a long tradition of history. This cannot be the most appropriate choice.
E. Names of Indian streets should be periodically changed. – This option is entirely devoid of the “history”, since there is no mention of what happens to the old names (whether they will be remembered or not).

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The question is "Based on the passage, which of the following options would be the most appropriate for citizens to learn history?"

Hence, the answer is Every street in India should display a plaque that lists all its previous names.

Choice B is the correct answer.