CAT 2023 Slot 2 · VARC · Question 1

CAT 2023 Slot 2 previous year question on Para Summary, with the answer and a step-by-step solution.

Para SummaryVerbal AbilityMultiple choiceMedium

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

People spontaneously create counterfactual alternatives to reality when they think “if only” or “what if” and imagine how the past could have been different. The mind computes counterfactuals for many reasons. Counterfactuals explain the past and prepare for the future, they implicate various relations including causal ones, and they affect intentions and decisions. They modulate emotions such as regret and relief, and they support moral judgments such as blame. The ability to create counterfactuals develops throughout childhood and contributes to reasoning about other people's beliefs, including their false beliefs.

  1. A

    Counterfactuals help people to prepare for the future by understanding intentions and making decisions.

  2. B

    People create counterfactual alternatives to reality for various reasons, including reasoning about other people's beliefs.

  3. C

    Counterfactual alternatives to reality are created for a variety of reasons and is part of one's developmental process.

  4. D

    Counterfactual thinking helps to reverse past and future actions and reason out false beliefs.

Pick an option, then check.
Answer & solution

Answer: Option C

The passage makes two points: the mind creates counterfactuals 'for many reasons' (explaining the past, preparing for the future, shaping emotions and moral judgments), and the ability 'develops throughout childhood'.

Option 3 – counterfactuals are created for many reasons and are part of development – keeps both points.

Option 1 picks only one function (preparing for the future) and links it wrongly to 'understanding intentions'.

Option 2 picks one function (reasoning about beliefs) as the example and drops the developmental point.

Option 4 says counterfactuals 'reverse past and future actions', which the passage never claims.

Shortcut: when a passage lists many functions, the right summary generalises ('a variety of reasons') rather than singling one out, and keeps any separate point (here, development).

Hence, the answer is option 3.

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