CAT Questions | CAT Paragraph Completion Questions

The question is from CAT Paragraph Completion. CAT exam will have 1~2 questions from Paragraph Completion. Solve CAT Questions from Paragraph Completion to get more practice and 2IIMs CAT questions bank provides you with CAT questions from Para Completion that can help you gear for CAT Exam.

Question 22: _________________________________________________. In his book, The Republic, Plato proffered a parable in which Socrates celebrates the solitary philosopher. In the allegory of the cave, the philosopher escapes from the darkness of an underground den – and from the company of other humans – into the sunlight of contemplative thought. Alone but not lonely, the philosopher becomes attuned to her inner self and the world. In solitude, the soundless dialogue ‘which the soul holds with herself’ finally becomes audible.

Choose the option which fits in best in the given blank:

1. Philosophers have long made a careful, and important, distinction between solitude and loneliness.
2. Solitude is a state of mind essential to the development of an individual’s consciousness and conscience.
3. Philosophers recommend solitude in short bursts, to enable the process of self-discovery.
4. If we lose our capacity for solitude, our ability to be alone with ourselves, then we lose our very ability to think.

Explanatory Answer

Method of solving this CAT Question from Paragraph Completion:

The paragraph discusses a parable where a solitary philosopher escapes the darkness of an underground den (human company) to experience sunlight (contemplative thought). Though alone, the philosopher is not lonely. In solitude, she is able to hear her inner voice and reflect on the outer world better.

Option (a), which talks of the distinction between solitude and loneliness, is a good fit in the given paragraph, which echoes this idea in the phrase “alone but not lonely�. The paragraph argues that philosophers need solitude to get better attuned to their inner self and the outer world.

We can rule out option (b), as it refers to something new—the development of an individual’s conscience. This is not discussed in the paragraph.

Option (c) is not the right one either, as it says philosophers recommend solitude in “short bursts�. The paragraph does not say this.

Option (d) picks on an idea the paragraph discusses—that solitude is an important facilitator of contemplative thought. However, between options (a) and (d), we see that (a) is a better fit in the given paragraph. Option (d) stresses on the danger of losing our capacity for solitude. The paragraph, however, focusses on the importance of solitude for reflective thought. It tells us that being alone is not the same as being lonely. Option (a) makes a better starting sentence for the given paragraph.

The question is " Choose the Sentence that completes the Paragraph "

Hence, the answer is Sentence A

Choice A is the correct answer.