CAT 2025 Slot 2 VARC Question & Solution

Verbal AbilityMedium

Question

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

In 1903, left-wing feminist Elizabeth Magie invented The Landlord’s Game, the original version of what became Monopoly. It was designed as a powerful teaching tool to illustrate the dangers of monopolies and how wealth could concentrate in the hands of a few. The game featured a circular path, properties, and a “Go to Jail” space. Magie created two rule sets: one “monopolist” version where players crushed opponents through accumulation, and another, more radical “Prosperity” version, where everyone shared in the wealth, promoting fairness and equity. Years later, unemployed Charles Darrow sold a simplified version to Parker Brothers. They paid Magie only $500 for her patent—without royalties—and credited Darrow as the sole inventor. For decades, his tale of inventing the game in
his basement remained the official story, while Magie’s name and her original, anti-capitalist message were left in the shadows.

Options

It is ironical that a left-wing feminist lost credit for the Landlord’s Game to an unemployed man, who plagiarised and sold one version of the twin game to Parker Brothers for a meagre sum, denying her royalties.

Celebrated icons of the gaming industry, Charles Darrow and Parker Brothers, snatched the feminist icon Elizabeth Magie’s original design and transformed Monopoly into a worldwide phenomenon, while barely acknowledging her.

Only one version of Monopoly became famous because of Charles Darrow’s relentless basement work, carefully refining Elizabeth Magie’s original idea into an engaging and entertaining pastime that he successfully patented and sold, symbolizing what many regarded as the ultimate triumph of individual ingenuity.

Parker Brothers’ capitalist intent led to them acquiring from Charles Darrow a simplified version of Elizabeth Magie’s original game, transforming it into a widespread commercial success while providing her only minimal financial compensation and granting scant public recognition.

Solution

Identifying the Best Summary of the Passage

The central argument of the passage is that Elizabeth Magie originally created the game as an anti-monopoly, anti-capitalist teaching tool. However, her idea and message were later:

Appropriated and simplified
Credited to Charles Darrow
Left largely unrecognised
Poorly compensated financially

The passage highlights the irony that a game designed to critique monopolies ultimately enacted a monopoly against its own creator.

Why Option A Is the Best Choice

Option A captures the essence of the passage most effectively because it brings together all the key elements, namely:

Magie’s left-wing feminist identity
The irony of her losing credit for her own creation
Charles Darrow’s role in selling a version of the game
The small one-time payment Magie received
The denial of royalties

By combining these points, option A reflects both the historical injustice and the deeper irony at the heart of the passage.

Why the Other Options Fall Short

Option B:
- Overstates Darrow and Parker Brothers as “celebrated icons”
- Focuses more on their success than on Magie’s original intent
- Downplays the loss of the game’s anti-capitalist message
Option C:
- Is incorrect because it repeats the very myth the passage aims to debunk
- Portrays Darrow as the true innovator, which contradicts the passage
Option D:
- Shifts focus too heavily to Parker Brothers’ capitalist motives
- Underplays the central irony and misattribution surrounding Magie herself