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CAT 2024 Slot 2 VARC Question & Solution

Verbal AbilityMedium

Question

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

Recent important scientific findings have emerged from crossing the boundaries of scientific fields. They stem from physicists collaborating with biologists, sociologists and others, to answer questions about our world. But physicists and their potential collaborators often find their cultures out of sync. For one, physicists often discard a lot of information while extracting broad patterns; for other scientists, information is not readily disposed. Further, many non-physicists are uncomfortable with mathematical models. Still, the desire to work on something new and different is real, and there are clear benefits from the collision of views.

Options

Despite differences in their research styles, physicists’ research collaborations with scholars from other disciplines have yielded important research findings.
Large data sets and mathematical models in physics research combined with the research methods of non-physicist collaborators have yielded important scientific findings.
The desire to diversify their research and answer important questions has led to several collaborations between physicists and other social scientists.
Physicists have successfully buried their differences on research methods applied in other fields in their desire to find answers to baffling scientific questions.

Solution

Option A is the correct answer.

Option A captures the core idea that their collaborations have led to valuable scientific discoveries despite differences in research methods between physicists and other scientists. The passage emphasizes how these contrasting approaches still lead to productive outcomes, demonstrating the benefits of cross-disciplinary work.

Option B: While large data sets and mathematical models are mentioned, this option incorrectly focuses on "large data sets and mathematical models" as the main contributor, which is not the main point of the passage.

Option C: This is partially true, but the passage does not emphasize the "desire to diversify" research or focus on social scientists. It is about the collaboration of different scientific fields, not specifically social science.

Option D: This is inaccurate because the passage does not state that physicists have "buried" their differences; rather, it says that their differences exist, but the collaboration is still valuable. This is an extreme interpretation.