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CAT Full-Length Mock Test 5

CAT Full-Length Mocks • Medium • 68 Questions
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40:00
  1. VARC24 Qs
  2. DILR22 Qs
  3. QA22 Qs

Why Experts Disagree

Public debates often treat disagreement among experts as a sign that nobody knows anything. When economists predict different outcomes, or doctors recommend different treatments, onlookers may conclude that expertise is worthless. This conclusion misunderstands what disagreement usually means.

Experts typically agree on far more than they disagree about. Their disputes tend to arise at the edge of knowledge, where evidence is thin, or where questions combine facts with values. Two economists may share a model of how a tax will affect prices yet disagree about whether the effect is acceptable, because they weigh fairness and efficiency differently. That is a disagreement about priorities, not about evidence.

For non experts, the useful questions are therefore: what do the experts agree on, where exactly do they differ, and is the difference about facts or about values? Treating every disagreement as a reason to ignore expertise discards the large area of agreement along with the small area of dispute. It also leaves the public open to people who claim certainty precisely where the evidence is weakest.

VARC: Passage 1 Questions Questions 1-5
1

The central argument of the passage is that:

2

According to the passage, expert disputes tend to arise:

3

The example of the two economists is used to show that:

4

Which question does the author recommend non experts ask?

5

The final sentence warns that dismissing expertise may:

Inherited Advantage and Merit

Most societies like to believe that success reflects effort and ability. Yet studies of social mobility show that the circumstances of birth still strongly predict where people end up. Children from wealthier families tend to attend better resourced schools, receive more help at home and have contacts who can open doors, advantages that accumulate over a lifetime.

None of this means that individual effort is irrelevant. Many people overcome difficult starts, and many with advantages fail to use them. The point is that effort operates on very different starting conditions, so outcomes alone are a poor measure of merit. Two people with the same talent and determination may reach very different positions because of where they began.

Policies that aim to widen opportunity, such as early childhood support, funding for schools in poorer areas or transparent recruitment, are sometimes criticised as unfair to those who have earned their position. Their supporters reply that a competition is fair only when competitors start from comparable positions, and that reducing inherited advantage makes success a better reflection of merit, not a weaker one.

VARC: Passage 2 Questions Questions 6-10
6

The passage is mainly concerned with:

7

According to the passage, studies of social mobility show that:

8

The author says outcomes alone are 'a poor measure of merit' because:

9

Supporters of policies to widen opportunity argue that:

10

The author's own position is best described as:

The Night Shift

Modern economies never fully sleep. Hospitals, factories, transport systems and call centres run through the night, and a significant share of workers in many countries work outside normal daytime hours. Their work keeps essential services running, but it comes at a cost to the body, which is organised around a daily rhythm of light and darkness.

Working at night means sleeping during the day, when light, noise and family life make rest harder. Research has linked long term night work with poorer sleep, digestive problems and a higher risk of some chronic illnesses, though the size of the risk varies between studies and people. Workers who rotate between day and night shifts face the additional difficulty of repeatedly resetting their body clock.

Employers can reduce the harm. Shift schedules that rotate forward, from morning to evening to night, are generally easier to adapt to than those that rotate backwards. Limiting consecutive night shifts, providing time to recover and offering health checks can all help. Night work is unlikely to disappear, so the question is how to organise it with the least damage to those who do it.

VARC: Passage 3 Questions Questions 11-15
11

The passage is mainly about:

12

According to the passage, sleeping during the day is harder because of:

13

The phrase 'though the size of the risk varies between studies and people' suggests that the author:

14

Which schedule does the passage describe as generally easier to adapt to?

15

The final sentence suggests that the main question is:

Type in the answer for the para-jumble and odd-sentence questions. For the rest, choose the best option.

VARC: Verbal Ability Questions Questions 16-24
16

The four sentences below, labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4, form a coherent paragraph when arranged in the right order. Type the correct order as a four-digit sequence (for example, 1234). 1. In hot countries they shielded wealthy people from the sun. 2. Today rain umbrellas are far more common than sunshades in many cities. 3. Umbrellas were first used for shade rather than rain. 4. Later, waterproof materials allowed them to be used in wet weather.

17

The four sentences below, labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4, form a coherent paragraph when arranged in the right order. Type the correct order as a four-digit sequence (for example, 1234). 1. Reducing plastic use may therefore matter more than improving recycling alone. 2. Many plastics are mixed or contaminated, which makes them hard to process. 3. As a result, much collected plastic ends up in landfill or incineration. 4. Only a small share of plastic is actually recycled.

18

The four sentences below, labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4, form a coherent paragraph when arranged in the right order. Type the correct order as a four-digit sequence (for example, 1234). 1. In reality, audiences notice far fewer errors than speakers expect. 2. Many people fear speaking in public more than almost anything else. 3. Knowing this can help nervous speakers relax and focus on their message. 4. The fear often comes from imagining that the audience is judging every mistake.

19

Four of the five sentences below form a coherent paragraph; one is out of place. Type the number of the odd sentence. 1. Owls hunt mainly at night. 2. Their large eyes gather as much light as possible. 3. Soft edges on their feathers allow them to fly almost silently. 4. Many farmers keep cats to control mice in barns. 5. Sharp hearing helps them locate prey in darkness.

20

Four of the five sentences below form a coherent paragraph; one is out of place. Type the number of the odd sentence. 1. Mangroves grow along tropical coastlines. 2. Their tangled roots slow waves and reduce coastal erosion. 3. They also provide nurseries for young fish. 4. Coconut palms are grown widely for their oil. 5. Clearing mangroves for farms can leave coasts exposed to storms.

21

Choose the option that best summarises the following paragraph. Many people assume that multitasking saves time. Research suggests that switching between tasks has a cost: each switch takes a moment of reorientation, and errors increase. For tasks that need concentration, doing one thing at a time is usually faster overall.

22

Choose the option that best summarises the following paragraph. Tourism brings income to remote regions, but large numbers of visitors can damage the environments and cultures that attract them. Some destinations now limit visitor numbers or charge entry fees to protect sites while still earning income.

23

Choose the option that best summarises the following paragraph. Remote work has given many employees more flexibility and saved commuting time. However, some report feeling isolated and find it harder to learn from colleagues. Many organisations now favour hybrid arrangements that combine home and office work.

24

Choose the option that best summarises the following paragraph. Bilingual children sometimes mix languages in a single sentence. Parents may worry that this signals confusion, but linguists see it as a normal stage and even a sign of skill, since children choose words from the language that expresses an idea best.

What is in this test

  • VARC: Passage 1, questions 1-5
  • VARC: Passage 2, questions 6-10
  • VARC: Passage 3, questions 11-15
  • VARC: Verbal Ability, questions 16-24
  • DILR: Set 1, questions 25-29
  • DILR: Set 2, questions 30-34
  • DILR: Set 3, questions 35-40
  • DILR: Set 4, questions 41-46
  • QA: Quantitative Ability, questions 47-68

68 questions in 120 minutes, marked +3 for a correct answer and -1 for a wrong multiple choice answer, with no penalty on type in the answer questions. When you finish you get your marks, a section breakdown and a written explanation for every question. Learn the method first on the topic practice pages and keep the formula sheet handy while you review.