CAT 2022 Slot 3 VARC Question & Solution

Reading ComprehensionMedium

Passage

A set of questions accompanies the passage below. Choose the best answer to each question.

Interpretations of the Indian past . . . were inevitably influenced by colonial concerns and interests, and also by prevalent European ideas about history, civilization and the Orient. Orientalist scholars studied the languages and the texts with selected Indian scholars, but made little attempt to understand the worldview of those who were teaching them. The readings, therefore, are something of a disjuncture from the traditional ways of looking at the Indian past. . . .

Orientalism [which we can understand broadly as Western perceptions of the Orient] fuelled the fantasy and the freedom sought by European Romanticism, particularly in its opposition to the more disciplined Neo-Classicism. The cultures of Asia were seen as bringing a new Romantic paradigm. Another Renaissance was anticipated through an acquaintance with the Orient, and this, it was thought, would be different from the earlier Greek Renaissance. It was believed that this Oriental Renaissance would liberate European thought and literature from the increasing focus on discipline and rationality that had followed from the earlier Enlightenment. . . . [The Romantic English poets, Wordsworth and Coleridge,] were apprehensive of the changes introduced by industrialization and turned to nature and to fantasies of the Orient.

However, this enthusiasm gradually changed, to conform with the emphasis later in the nineteenth century on the innate superiority of European civilization. Oriental civilizations were now seen as having once been great but currently in decline. The various phases of Orientalism tended to mould European understanding of the Indian past into a particular pattern. . . . There was an attempt to formulate Indian culture as uniform, such formulations being derived from texts that were given priority. The so-called ‘discovery’ of India was largely through selected literature in Sanskrit. This interpretation tended to emphasize non-historical aspects of Indian culture, for example, the idea of an unchanging continuity of society and religion over 3,000 years; and it was believed that the Indian pattern of life was so concerned with metaphysics and the subtleties of religious belief that little attention was given to the more tangible aspects.

German Romanticism endorsed this image of India, and it became the mystic land for many Europeans, where even the most ordinary actions were imbued with a complex symbolism. This was the genesis of the idea of the spiritual east, and also, incidentally, the refuge of European intellectuals seeking to distance themselves from the changing patterns of their own societies. A dichotomy in values was maintained, Indian values being described as ‘spiritual’ and European values as ‘materialistic’, with little attempt to juxtapose these values with the reality of Indian society. This theme has been even more firmly endorsed by a section of Indian opinion during the last hundred years.

It was a consolation to the Indian intelligentsia for its perceived inability to counter the technical superiority of the west, a superiority viewed as having enabled Europe to colonize Asia and other parts of the world. At the height of anti-colonial nationalism it acted as a salve for having been made a colony of Britain.

Question 1

It can be inferred from the passage that to gain a more accurate view of a nation’s history and culture, scholars should do all of the following EXCEPT:

develop an oppositional framework to grasp cultural differences.

examine their own beliefs and biases.

read widely in the country’s literature.

examine the complex reality of that nation’s society.

Solution:

Option A: "There was an attempt to formulate Indian culture as uniform, such formulations being derived from texts that were given priority... A dichotomy in values was maintained, Indian values being described as 'spiritual' and European values as 'materialistic', with little attempt to juxtapose these values with the reality of Indian society..."

It can be understood from the above lines of the passage that the author did not approve(even criticize) the position where one should develop an oppositional framework to grasp cultural differences. Thus, this will not bear any fruit in getting a more accurate view of one nation's history and culture. This is the correct option.

Option B: Throughout the passage, the author criticized the framework the Englishmen adopted to understand India's culture. Thus, the author will support this view that can help give a more accurate picture of a nation's history and culture; hence, this is not the correct option.

Option C: Reading widely into a country's literature without any selection bias will give a more encompassing view of the nation's history; hence, this is also not the correct option.

Option D: This can be rejected on the same ground as option B.

Thus, the correct option is A.

Question 2

It can be inferred from the passage that the author is not likely to support the view that:

India’s culture has evolved over the centuries.

the Orientalist view of Asia fired the imagination of some Western poets.

India became a colony although it matched the technical knowledge of the West.

Indian culture acknowledges the material aspects of life.

Solution:

Option A: Since the author criticized the uniform view adopted by the Englishmen to understand Indian culture, the author will support the argument presented in this option. Thus, this is not the correct option.

Option B: This can be understood from the starting and concluding lines of the second paragraph, and hence is not the correct option.

Option C: "It was a consolation to the Indian intelligentsia for its perceived inability to counter the technical superiority of the west, a superiority viewed as having enabled Europe to colonize Asia and other parts of the world."

Although it can be inferred from the above excerpt that the Indians underestimated their culture and knowledge, it cannot be inferred from this excerpt that they matched the technical understanding of the west.

Thus, this view will not be supported by the author and hence, C is the correct option.

Option D: "...it was believed that the Indian pattern of life was so concerned with metaphysics and the subtleties of religious belief that little attention was given to the more tangible aspects."

From the above excerpt, it can be inferred that the author disapproved of the Orientalist ignorance of the Indian view towards the materialistic(tangible) aspects. Thus, the author will agree with the view that the Indian culture acknowledges the material aspects of life.

Thus, the correct option is C.

Question 3

In the context of the passage, all of the following statements are true EXCEPT:

Indian texts influenced Orientalist scholars.

Orientalist scholarship influenced Indians.

India’s spiritualism served as a salve for European colonisers.

Orientalists’ understanding of Indian history was linked to colonial concerns.

Solution:

"It was a consolation to the Indian intelligentsia for its perceived inability to counter the technical superiority of the west, a superiority viewed as having enabled Europe to colonize Asia and other parts of the world. At the height of anti-colonial nationalism it acted as a salve for having been made a colony of Britain."

The author mentioned the reference to being a salve in the last paragraph of the passage(above excerpt). The above excerpt was not regarding colonisers; rather, it refers to the Indian intelligentsia (intellectuals or highly educated people as a group). Thus, it can be inferred that option C is not the correct inference and hence is the correct option.

Throughout the passage, it can be inferred that the Orientalist scholars’ understanding of Indian history and culture was selective, uniform, generalized, and biased. They viewed the Indian culture largely through the lenses of limited and selected literature in Sanskrit. Thus, option A can be inferred and is not the correct option.

"A dichotomy in values was maintained, Indian values being described as ‘spiritual’ and European values as ‘materialistic’, with little attempt to juxtapose these values with the reality of Indian society. This theme has been even more firmly endorsed by a section of Indian opinion during the last hundred years."

From the above lines, option B can also be inferred.

Thus, the correct option is C.

Question 4

Which one of the following styles of research is most similar to the Orientalist scholars’ method of understanding Indian history and culture?

Studying artefacts excavated at a palace to understand the lifestyle of those who lived there.

Reading 18th century accounts by travellers to India to see how they viewed Indian life and culture of the time.

Reading about the life of early American settlers and later waves of migration to understand the evolution of American culture.

Analysing Hollywood action movies that depict violence and sex to understand contemporary America.

Solution:

"There was an attempt to formulate Indian culture as uniform, such formulations being derived from texts that were given priority. The so-called ‘discovery’ of India was largely through selected literature in Sanskrit. This interpretation tended to emphasize non-historical aspects of Indian culture, for example, the idea of an unchanging continuity of society and religion over 3,000 years"

From the above excerpt of the passage, it can be inferred that the Orientalist scholars’ method of understanding Indian history and culture was selective, uniform, generalized, and biased. They viewed the Indian culture largely through the lenses of limited and selected literature in Sanskrit.

Thus, we need to select an option which resembles the same approach.

Out of the four options, only option D uses a very limited understanding(of selected American movies) to form a generalized view of a nation.

Thus, option D is the correct option.