CAT 2025 Slot 1 VARC Question & Solution
Question
Five jumbled sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence out and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.
1. Developments both technological and sociocultural have afforded us far greater freedom over death than we had in the past, and while we are still adapting ourselves to that freedom, we now appreciate the moral importance of this freedom.
2. But I believe that a type of freedom we can call freedom over death - that is, a freedom in which we shape the timing and circumstances of how we die - should be central to this conversation.
3. Legalising assisted dying is but a further step in realising this freedom over death.
4. Many people endorse, through their opinions or their choices, our freedom over death encompassing a right to medical assistance in hastening our deaths.
5. Freedom is a notoriously complex and contested philosophical notion, and I won’t pretend to settle any of the big controversies it raises.
Solution
Main Idea of the Paragraph
The sentences engage in a philosophical discussion about freedom over death—what this freedom means, why it matters, and how it informs debates such as assisted dying. The focus is on freedom as a moral and philosophical concept, rather than on public opinion or social trends.
Explanation of the Correct Sequence
Why Sentences 5 → 1 → 2 → 3 Fit Together
- Sentence 5 works as the opening because it highlights the philosophical complexity of freedom, setting a reflective and analytical tone.
- Sentence 1 follows by narrowing the focus to freedom over death, placing it within a historical and moral framework.
- Sentence 2 builds on this idea by arguing that freedom over death should be central to the broader ethical debate.
- Sentence 3 then applies the concept in practical terms, presenting legalized assisted dying as a way of realizing this freedom.
Together, these sentences move logically from abstract philosophy → specific moral focus → ethical priority → practical implication.
Why Sentence 4 Does Not Fit
- Sentence 4 shifts away from philosophical reasoning to make a descriptive claim about public opinion—what “many people endorse.”
- This reference to popular belief:
- Does not deepen the conceptual argument
- Does not connect to the moral or philosophical progression of the other sentences
As a result, it feels off-topic and disrupts the logical flow.