CAT 2023 Slot 3 · VARC · Question 24

CAT 2023 Slot 3 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.

Gradually, life for the island's birds is improving. Antarctic prions and white-headed petrels, which also nest in burrows, had managed to cling on in some sites while pests were on the island. Their numbers are now increasing. "It's fantastic and so exciting," Shaw says. As birds return to breed, they also poo. This adds nutrients to the soil, which in turn helps the plants to grow back stronger. Tall plants then help burrowing birds hide from predatory skuas. "It's this wonderful feedback loop," Shaw says. Today, the "pretty paddock" that Houghton first experienced has been transformed. "The tussock is over your head, and you're dodging all these penguin tunnels," she says. The orchids and tiny herb that had been protected by fencing have started turning up all over the place.

  1. A

    There is an increasing number of predatory birds and plants on the island despite the presence of pests which is a positive development.

  2. B

    Flowering plants, herbs and birds are now being protected on this wonderful Antarctic island.

  3. C

    There is a huge positive transformation of the ecosystem of the island when brought under environmental protection.

  4. D

    In the absence of pests, life on the island is now protected, and there has been a revival of a variety of birds and plants.

Pick an option, then check.
Answer & solution

Answer: Option D

The passage describes the island recovering after its pests were removed: birds that had clung on 'while pests were on the island' are increasing, their droppings feed the plants, taller plants shelter the birds, and orchids and herbs are spreading.

Option 4 – with the pests gone, birds and plants are reviving – captures this.

Option 1 says predatory birds are increasing 'despite the presence of pests'. The pests are gone, and it is burrowing birds, not predators, that are recovering.

Option 2 says the species 'are now being protected' and calls the island Antarctic; the passage describes recovery, not protection measures, and does not locate the island.

Option 3 credits 'environmental protection', which the passage does not mention as the cause.

Shortcut: check the tense and condition the passage implies – here, 'while pests were on the island' tells you the pests are no longer there.

Hence, the answer is option 4.

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