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CAT 2025 Lesson : Inference - Solving Strategies
Solving Strategies
As RCs also have inferential questions, we need similar skills for solving these questions. Reading and understanding the author's view will help us. We also need to practise logical reasoning and elimination. As practice for this type of question, you can read shorter passages, editorials or analytical passages. Try and understand the author's argument and the main points for and against it. You can also debate topics with your friends – this will help you prepare for Inference and RC questions as well as the WAT and interviews.1.1 Key points
As we read the given paragraph(s), we need to quickly understand the context and the main points. We need to do this quickly, so that we can solve as many questions accurately as possible. The passages can be from a wide variety of genres such as – scientific (e.g. astronomy, medical, genetic, etc.), technological, historic, political, economic, business strategy, sociocultural, psychological, etc. You need to practise reading from a variety of sources so that you are comfortable with all these and more.For instance
Computers can now teach themselves to walk—stumbling, falling, but learning until they get it right. Their neural networks mimic the architecture of the brain. A computer recently beat one of the world's best players at the ancient strategy game of Go with a move that was so alien, yet so effective, that the human player stood up, left the room, and then needed 15 minutes to make his next move. The military potential of such superintelligence has not gone unnoticed by the world's major nuclear powers. The United States has experimented with autonomous boats that could track an enemy submarine for thousands of miles. China has demonstrated “swarm intelligence” algorithms that can enable drones to hunt in packs. And Russia recently announced plans for an underwater doomsday drone that could guide itself across oceans to deliver a nuclear warhead powerful enough to vaporise a major city.
Key points
- Computers are becoming superintelligent and excelling in really difficult things (Go, walking)
- Powerful countries see their military potential (US, China, Russia)
- These countries are testing military weapons – autonomous tracking boats, drone swarms, nuclear drones
For instance
Confirmation Bias is the tendency to look for information that supports, rather than rejects, one’s preconceptions, typically by interpreting evidence to confirm existing beliefs while rejecting or ignoring any conflicting data. One of the early demonstrations of confirmation bias appeared in an experiment by Peter Watson in 1960 in which the subjects were to find the experimenter’s rule for sequencing numbers. Its results showed that the subjects chose responses that supported their hypotheses while rejecting contradictory evidence, and even though their hypotheses were not correct, they became confident in them quickly.
Key points
- Confirmation Bias is the tendency to look for information supporting our beliefs
- We also tend to ignore information that doesn't fit our beliefs
- This has been experimentally proved by Watson
1.2 Author's Viewpoint
Understanding the author's viewpoint will help us answer the question accompanying the paragraph. Some questions will directly mention this (which of the following would the author agree with, which of the following will strengthen the author's view, which of these summarises the author's view). Other inferential questions can also be solved by understanding the author's PoV (point of view). For all Inference questions, you should take a minute to summarise the key points and then spell out the author's PoV – use this to answer the question(s).For instance
The human brain tends to discount risk, more so risks that could happen far in the future. Most germ-related risks happen far in the future, and even when they happen, it is almost impossible to link them back to germs. So, from a scientific point of view, the germ story may be a credible platform to build behaviour change strategies. But from the point of view of the human brain, it is not strong enough to inculcate new behaviours. We need a more efficient, alternative strategy for that. Crafting new social norms around new behaviours one wants to inculcate in society could be the alternative.
Key points
- Humans discount (do not give enough importance to) risks which impact us in the future
- For example, we do not work to avoid germs as the impact of germs (sickness) would occur in the future
- Therefore, we must create social norms to ensure cleanliness
Author's PoV– we must create social norms or habits for cleanliness as human brains are hard-wired to ignore future risks such as germs.
For instance
For an empire that collapsed more than 1,500 years ago, ancient Rome maintains a powerful presence. About 1 billion people speak languages derived from Latin; Roman law shapes modern norms; and Roman architecture has been widely imitated. Christianity, which the empire embraced in its sunset years, remains the world’s largest religion. Yet all these enduring influences pale against Rome’s most important legacy: its fall. Had its empire not unravelled, or had it been replaced by a similarly overpowering successor, the world wouldn’t have become modern..
Key points
- The Roman empire collapsed 1500 years ago
- Its impact is still visible in language, law, architecture and religion
- Its fall was the most important impact – modern civilisation would not have happened otherwise
Author's PoV– the Roman Empire's collapse was necessary for modern human civilisation..
In this example, we have eliminated the positive impact of the Roman empire, because the author's PoV clearly helps us understand that the Roman Empire had to collapse so that modern society could rise. Therefore, the positive points can be eliminated in the PoV.
For instance
All games of chance – whether casino games such as roulette, craps, blackjack and slots, or lottery and bingo, or card games such as poker or bridge – rely on certain basic statistical and probabilistic models. Uncertainty is built into them, which is what makes games ‘fun’ to play and also explains their continued existence. Casino games would never run if ‘the house’ wasn’t confident that they’d always win in the end. The mathematics of the games, including their rules and payout schedules, assures the house will profit in aggregate, regardless of individual behaviour.
Key points
- All games of change have uncertainty
- This makes it fun for the player
- It also ensures that the casino (informally called house) always wins in the end
Author's PoV– games of chance have some uncertainty, helping the casino to win overall..
Example 4
Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.
[XAT 2021]
Twitter is not on the masthead of a newspaper. But Twitter has become its ultimate editor. As the ethics and mores of that platform have become those of the paper, the paper itself has increasingly become a kind of performance space. Stories are chosen and told in a way to satisfy the narrowest of audiences, rather than to allow a curious public to read about the world and then draw their own conclusions.
Based on the passage, the writer’s disappointment can be BEST summarised as:
(1) Newspapers are ready to compromise with their ethics.
(2) Newspapers get influenced by the followers on social-media platforms.
(3) Newspapers create their own narratives to control the audience.
(4) Newspapers fear to speak outside the narrow confines of social media.
(5) Newspapers cave into the narratives shared on social-media platform
This is mentioned in options (2) and (5). Both are explaining how social media has impacted newspapers. Option (5) is preferable because it is stronger – using cave in (meaning submit under pressure), not just getting influenced. This is in line with the strong words used by the author.
Option (1) is too general and not speaking specifically about this issue. At the same time, compromising with ethics may be an incorrect inference as it is too strong.
Option (3) is factually incorrect, as the author explains how social media (specifically Twitter) is changing news coverage.
Option (4) is not an apt inference as there is no mention of fear. Therefore, we can eliminate this option as well.
Answer: (5) Newspapers cave into the narratives shared on social-media platforms.
[XAT 2021]
Twitter is not on the masthead of a newspaper. But Twitter has become its ultimate editor. As the ethics and mores of that platform have become those of the paper, the paper itself has increasingly become a kind of performance space. Stories are chosen and told in a way to satisfy the narrowest of audiences, rather than to allow a curious public to read about the world and then draw their own conclusions.
Based on the passage, the writer’s disappointment can be BEST summarised as:
(1) Newspapers are ready to compromise with their ethics.
(2) Newspapers get influenced by the followers on social-media platforms.
(3) Newspapers create their own narratives to control the audience.
(4) Newspapers fear to speak outside the narrow confines of social media.
(5) Newspapers cave into the narratives shared on social-media platform
Solution
In this paragraph, the author is against the way newspapers are changing because of Twitter. The author explains that newspapers are changing their stories to suit Twitter users, choosing the ones which would be preferred based by active social media users.This is mentioned in options (2) and (5). Both are explaining how social media has impacted newspapers. Option (5) is preferable because it is stronger – using cave in (meaning submit under pressure), not just getting influenced. This is in line with the strong words used by the author.
Option (1) is too general and not speaking specifically about this issue. At the same time, compromising with ethics may be an incorrect inference as it is too strong.
Option (3) is factually incorrect, as the author explains how social media (specifically Twitter) is changing news coverage.
Option (4) is not an apt inference as there is no mention of fear. Therefore, we can eliminate this option as well.
Answer: (5) Newspapers cave into the narratives shared on social-media platforms.
Example 5
Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.
There are two major ways of processing information facilitated by the human brain. Most decisions are made by a risk/reward comparison of the incoming sensory information within the emotional brain (‘System 1 thinking’) rather than within the rational brain (‘System 2 thinking’). System 1, the emotional system for processing sensory information and generating responses to it according to a risk or reward weighting, is automatic, intuitive, and fast, even impulsive. System 2 is the rational, slow, and controlled system of thought, where we reason through our options.
Which of the following would the author agree with?
(1) Our brain feeds information that we see or hear into the System 1 thinking
(2) People who are very emotional process using the System 1 thinking.
(3) We rarely use the System 2 thinking because it is slow.
(4) The System 2 thinking is based on affective risk-reward evaluation.
- our brains have two ways of processing information
- System 1 thinking is automatic, fast, intuitive and based on sensory inputs
- System 2 thinking is rational, slow but is used less than System 1 thinking
Based on these points, we can infer that the author will agree with option (1), as we know that System 1 thinking uses sensory information.
Option (2) may or may not be true. While the passage makes it clear that all brains use the System 1 thinking more often, we cannot infer based on different types of people.
Option (3) is also not mentioned in the passage.
Option (4) is incorrect, as it is the System 1 thinking which uses risk-reward evaluation based on sensory information. The word affective means emotional, whereas System 2 thinking is rational.
Therefore, option (1) is the correct choice.
Answer: (1) Our brain feeds information that we see or hear into the System 1 thinking.
There are two major ways of processing information facilitated by the human brain. Most decisions are made by a risk/reward comparison of the incoming sensory information within the emotional brain (‘System 1 thinking’) rather than within the rational brain (‘System 2 thinking’). System 1, the emotional system for processing sensory information and generating responses to it according to a risk or reward weighting, is automatic, intuitive, and fast, even impulsive. System 2 is the rational, slow, and controlled system of thought, where we reason through our options.
Which of the following would the author agree with?
(1) Our brain feeds information that we see or hear into the System 1 thinking
(2) People who are very emotional process using the System 1 thinking.
(3) We rarely use the System 2 thinking because it is slow.
(4) The System 2 thinking is based on affective risk-reward evaluation.
Solution
In this paragraph, the key points are:- our brains have two ways of processing information
- System 1 thinking is automatic, fast, intuitive and based on sensory inputs
- System 2 thinking is rational, slow but is used less than System 1 thinking
Based on these points, we can infer that the author will agree with option (1), as we know that System 1 thinking uses sensory information.
Option (2) may or may not be true. While the passage makes it clear that all brains use the System 1 thinking more often, we cannot infer based on different types of people.
Option (3) is also not mentioned in the passage.
Option (4) is incorrect, as it is the System 1 thinking which uses risk-reward evaluation based on sensory information. The word affective means emotional, whereas System 2 thinking is rational.
Therefore, option (1) is the correct choice.
Answer: (1) Our brain feeds information that we see or hear into the System 1 thinking.
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