CAT 2023 Slot 3 VARC Question & Solution
Passage
The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question.
The biggest challenge [The Nutmeg’s Curse by Ghosh] throws down is to the prevailing understanding of when the climate crisis started. Most of us have accepted . . . that it started with the widespread use of coal at the beginning of the Industrial Age in the 18th century and worsened with the mass adoption of oil and natural gas in the 20th. Ghosh takes this history at least three centuries back, to the start of European colonialism in the 15th century. He [starts] the book with a 1621 massacre by Dutch invaders determined to impose a monopoly on nutmeg cultivation and trade in the Banda islands in today’s Indonesia. Not only do the Dutch systematically depopulate the islands through genocide, they also try their best to bring nutmeg cultivation into plantation mode. These are the two points to which Ghosh returns through examples from around the world. One, how European colonialists decimated not only indigenous populations but also indigenous understanding of the relationship between humans and Earth. Two, how this was an invasion not only of humans but of the Earth itself, and how this continues to the present day by looking at nature as a ‘resource’ to exploit. . . .
We know we are facing more frequent and more severe heatwaves, storms, floods, droughts and wildfires due to climate change. We know our expansion through deforestation, dam building, canal cutting - in short, terraforming, the word Ghosh uses - has brought us repeated disasters . . . Are these the responses of an angry Gaia who has finally had enough? By using the word ‘curse’ in the title, the author makes it clear that he thinks so. I use the pronoun ‘who’ knowingly, because Ghosh has quoted many non-European sources to enquire into the relationship between humans and the world around them so that he can question the prevalent way of looking at Earth as an inert object to be exploited to the maximum.
As Ghosh’s text, notes and bibliography show once more, none of this is new. There have always been challenges to the way European colonialists looked at other civilisations and at Earth. It is just that the invaders and their myriad backers in the fields of economics, politics, anthropology, philosophy, literature, technology, physics, chemistry, biology have dominated global intellectual discourse. . . .
There are other points of view that we can hear today if we listen hard enough. Those observing global climate negotiations know about the Latin American way of looking at Earth as Pachamama (Earth Mother). They also know how such a framing is just provided lip service and is ignored in the substantive portions of the negotiations. In The Nutmeg’s Curse, Ghosh explains why. He shows the extent of the vested interest in the oil economy - not only for oil-exporting countries, but also for a superpower like the US that controls oil drilling, oil prices and oil movement around the world. Many of us know power utilities are sabotaging decentralised solar power generation today because it hits their revenues and control. And how the other points of view are so often drowned out.
Question 1
On the basis of information in the passage, which one of the following is NOT a reason for the failure of policies seeking to address climate change?
Solution:
“Those observing global climate negotiations know about the Latin American way of looking at Earth as Pachamama (Earth Mother). They also know how such a framing is just provided lip service and is ignored in the substantive portions of the negotiations. In The Nutmeg’s Curse, Ghosh explains why. He shows the extent of the vested interest in the oil economy - not only for oil-exporting countries, but also for a superpower like the US that controls oil drilling, oil prices and oil movement around the world. Many of us know power utilities are sabotaging decentralised solar power generation today because it hits their revenues and control.”
From the highlighted part we can clearly infer Options A, B and C. The passage does not suggest that the decentralised characteristic of renewable energy resources like solar power is a reason for the failure of climate change policies. Instead, it mentions that power utilities may be sabotaging decentralized solar power generation because it affects their revenues and control, but it does not frame the decentralised nature of renewable energy as a cause for failure. Therefore Option D is not a reason for the failure of policies seeking to address climate change.
Question 2
Which one of the following, if true, would make the reviewer’s choice of the pronoun “who” for Gaia inappropriate?
Solution:
If non-European societies perceive the Earth as a non-living source of all resources, it contradicts the personification implied by the use of "who" for Gaia.
In the context of the passage, the author uses the word "curse" in the title, and the pronoun "who" is used for Gaia, suggesting a perspective that sees Earth as a living, conscious entity. If non-European societies do not share this perspective and view the Earth as a non-living source of resources, it challenges the appropriateness of using the pronoun "who" for Gaia in the context of their beliefs. This would make the reviewer's choice of the pronoun "who" inappropriate, given the differing perspectives on the nature of the Earth. Therefore Option D is the correct answer.
Question 3
All of the following can be inferred from the reviewer’s discussion of “The Nutmeg’s Curse”, EXCEPT:
Solution:
Option D cannot be directly drawn from the passage. The passage discusses the historical perspective on climate change presented in "The Nutmeg's Curse" and emphasizes the impact of colonialism on the contemporary dominant perception of nature and the environment. It suggests that there are alternative views from non-European and/or pre-colonial societies that can provide insights for environmental preservation policy makers. However, the passage does not explicitly state that academic discourses have always served the function of raising awareness about environmental preservation.
The passage connects the history of climate change with colonialism (Option A), highlights that colonial processes shaped the contemporary perception of nature and the environment (Option B) and suggests that non-European and/or pre-colonial societies hold valuable insights for environmental preservation policy makers (Option C).
Question 4
Which one of the following best explains the primary purpose of the discussion of the colonisation of the Banda islands in “The Nutmeg’s Curse”?
Solution:
“These are the two points to which Ghosh returns through examples from around the world. One, how European colonialists decimated not only indigenous populations but also indigenous understanding of the relationship between humans and Earth. Two, how this was an invasion not only of humans but of the Earth itself, and how this continues to the present day by looking at nature as a ‘resource’ to exploit”
The passage discusses how the colonization of the Banda islands, as presented in "The Nutmeg’s Curse," is used to illustrate the broader idea that colonialism played a significant role in shaping the mindset and practices that have led to climate change. The exploitation of both indigenous populations and the Earth's resources during colonialism is portrayed as a key factor in perpetuating the mindset that views nature as a resource to be exploited, contributing to the environmental challenges faced today. Therefore, the primary purpose of discussing the colonization of the Banda islands is to highlight how colonialism represented and perpetuated the mindset that has led to climate change. Therefore Option D is the correct answer.