CAT Questions | CAT Paragraph Summary Questions

The question is from CAT Paragraph Summary. Paragraph Summary for Verbal Ability for CAT. Paragraph Summary questions often feature in the CAT. Given a paragraph and four choices, you are asked to choose the option that summarizes the paragraph best. Have a look at this question from Paragraph Summary. Solve CAT Questions from Paragraph Summary to get more practice and 2IIMs CAT questions bank provides you with CAT questions that can help you gear for CAT Exam .

Question 7: Since the Holocaust is an axial event of modern history, its misunderstanding turns our minds in the wrong direction. When the Holocaust is blamed on the modern state, the weakening of state authority appears salutary. On the political right, the erosion of state power by international capitalism seems natural; on the political left, rudderless revolutions portray themselves as virtuous. In the 21st century, anarchical protest movements join in a friendly tussle with global oligarchy, in which neither side can be hurt since both see the real enemy as the state. Both the left and the right tend to fear order rather than its destruction or absence.

1. The Holocaust was a result of an all-powerful state, which forced order through fear and crushed dissent from both the political right and the political left.
2. Following the Holocaust, the power of the state has been systematically eroded by international capitalism and rudderless revolutions, as both the right and the left fear order more than its absence.
3. The weakened state is the fundamental reason for disorder in the world, be it anarchical uprisings, global oligarchy or the Holocaust.
4. The Holocaust is not to be blamed on the modern state, but on the tussle between the political right and the political left.

Explanatory Answer

Method of solving this CAT Question from Paragraph Summary:

The paragraph asserts that we have misunderstood the reason for the Holocaust, blaming it on the modern state. In fact, it was the weakening of state authority that led to the Holocaust. However, given the misconception that the Holocaust was due to a powerful state, we accept the erosion of state authority by international capitalism on the right and rudderless protest movements on the left as something quite natural. Both the right and the left fear the order that a strong state can bring forth.

Now, let us look at the options to sum up the paragraph:

Option A- The Holocaust was a result of an all-powerful state, which forced order through fear and crushed dissent from both the political right and the political left.

This contradicts the main idea of the paragraph. So we rule this option out right away.

Option B- Following the Holocaust, the power of the state has been systematically eroded by international capitalism and rudderless revolutions, as both the right and the left fear order more than its absence.

While the part of the sentence about the right and the left fearing order is true according to the paragraph, this option talks of the weakening of state power as something that has happened “following the Holocaust�. The paragraph given, however, argues that the Holocaust itself was the result of weakening of state power. So this is not the right option to sum up the paragraph.

Option C- The weakened state is the fundamental reason for disorder in the world, be it anarchical uprisings, global oligarchy or the Holocaust.

This option sums up the paragraph well. Anarchical uprisings and global oligarchy are possible only in the absence of order that a strong state can command. Weakening of state authority led to the Holocaust.

Option D- The Holocaust is not to be blamed on the modern state, but on the tussle between the political right and the political left.

While the first part of the above statement is true according to the paragraph, the second part, that the Holocaust is to be blamed on the tussle between the right and left is incorrect.

The question is "Choose the option that summarizes the paragraph best "

Hence, the answer is C

Choice C is the correct answer.