CAT 2026 Slot 1 VARC: Summary Questions with Solutions

A paragraph is followed by four options that summarize the passage in their own way. Pick the option that best summarizes the passage.

The discovery of mirror neurons has often been interpreted as evidence that the distinction between performing an action and observing it may be less clear-cut than previously assumed. Initially identified in monkeys, these neurons were found to respond both when an animal performed a particular action and when it observed another animal performing a similar action. This finding encouraged researchers to investigate whether the capacity to understand others' actions might be rooted partly in neural mechanisms that also support one's own actions. However, the tendency to treat mirror neurons as a comprehensive explanation for imitation, empathy and social understanding has been questioned. Observing an action and understanding its intention are not necessarily equivalent, and complex social abilities may depend on several interacting processes. The broader significance of mirror neurons, therefore, may lie less in providing a complete explanation of social cognition than in challenging the assumption that action and observation are processed entirely independently.

A paragraph is followed by four options which have summarized the passage in their own way. Pick the option that best summarizes the passage.

International medical-relief organisations working in impoverished regions often operate within insulated networks, staying in expensive accommodations, relying on private transportation, and limiting their interactions with local populations. While this separation may partly be explained by security concerns and the psychological strain of working in crisis situations, it can also generate resentment among the very communities they seek to assist. Rather than treating local populations merely as recipients of aid, a more effective approach would involve relief workers spending more time engaging with communities, understanding their concerns, and establishing trust instead of relying primarily on interactions with government authorities.