CAT 2025 Lesson : Odd One Out - Logical consistency
1.2 Logical consistency
Once you have understood the key message the author is trying to convey, you can use logical reasoning to eliminate the sentence which does not seem to “fit” with the paragraph. Look out for the following:
(1) A sentence which does not support the author's hypothesis
(2) A sentence which is not in context with the rest of the paragraph
(3) A sentence which does not coincide with the paragraph's message
(4) A sentence which does not fit in sequence with the paragraph
For instance,
The phrase “common good” refers to those facilities or institutions that all or most members of a community agree are necessary to satisfy certain interests they have in common. A few of the things making up the common good in a modern democracy might include basic rights and freedoms, a transportation system, cultural institutions, police and public safety, a judicial system, public education, clean air and water, and national defence. From an economic standpoint, it is assumed that providing for the common good will require a degree of sacrifice by many members of the society, in the form of paying higher taxes or costs of industrial production. Humans tend to place themselves first, before the rest of society.
The sentence in red is against the author's hypothesis of the common good, as it speaks about humans being selfish individuals.
For instance,
Every day, a new application is found for carbon fibre. Carbon fibre has gone to the moon on spacecraft, but it is also used widely in aircraft components and structures, where its superior strength to weight ratio far exceeds that of any metal. 30 percent of all carbon fibre is used in the aerospace industry. From helicopters to gliders, fighter jets to microlights, carbon fibre is playing its part, increasing range and simplifying maintenance.
The sentence in red is not in the context of the rest of the paragraph, which speaks about the use of carbon fibre in aerospace and aircraft.
For instance,
Rome itself had developed a love-hate relationship with silk. In Rome, silk was synonymous with wealth but also with vanity. Several times in Roman history, laws were passed to regulate the trade, or use, of silk. However, silk was immensely popular across the Roman Empire. At the same time, there was intense Chinese demand for luxury goods from the West, including silver-making techniques, chairs, and ceramics.This weakness for a foreign luxury was bitterly criticized by Rome’s stern moralists. In the first century Pliny the Elder wrote: “At least a hundred million sesterces flow out of our empire every year to India, China, and Arabia. That is how much luxury and women cost us!”
The sentence in red is not in line with the key message, which is about Romans' desire for silk.
For instance,
Just off the southeast coast of the United States, there lies a span of ocean that’s long held a fearsome reputation. Ships traversing its choppy breadth disappear without a trace. Flights routed above the waters blink from radar screens, never to be seen again. The Bermuda Triangle stretches between Miami, San Juan, Puerto Rico and the island of Bermuda. The mysterious happenings have conjured stories of supernatural interference, alien kidnappings and an area somehow outside the normal bounds of physical reality. The Bermuda Triangle, it’s said, is a haunted place.
The sentence in red is not fitting in the sequence of the other sentences speaking about the Bermuda Triangle. It might come either before or after this paragraph.
Example 7
Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph. Identify the odd one out.
1. The planet's core is composed of iron and nickel — solid at the center, but liquid in the outer core.
2. The turning planet acts like a bar magnet, with its magnetic poles near the extremes of geographic north and south.
3. By contrast, the location of the North Magnetic Pole can be confirmed by direct observation.
4. These inner and outer cores spin at different speeds, this constant motion produces a self-sustaining electromagnetic field.
5. Earth’s magnetic field originates with its rotation.
Solution
This paragraph explains the earth's magnetic field and resultant magnetic poles. The magnetic field is introduced in statement 5. The origin of the magnetic field is explained in detail in statements 14. Statement 2 concludes with the effect (the generation of the magnetic poles).
Statement 3 is not in line with the crux of the passage. It speaks about observing the North Magnetic Pole, whereas the rest of the sentences explain how the magnetic field and poles were caused. Thus, it is the odd one.
Note that you can also use paragraph structure and sequences here – statement 5 is the introduction, and statement 2 is the effect. We cannot have statement 3 without these two sentences – as statement 5 speaks about rotation, whereas statement 2 speaks about the magnetic poles. Similarly, statements 14 is a sequence and we cannot eliminate either of these as the other will not fit.
Answer: 3. By contrast, the location of the North Magnetic Pole can be confirmed by direct observation.
Example 8
Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph. Identify the odd one out.
1. In 2006, the sum total of money in the world is about 60 trillion, yet the sum total of coins and banknotes was less than 6 trillion.
2. Money is not coins and banknotes, it is anything that people are willing to use for the purpose of exchanging goods and services.
3. Only a criminal buys a house, for example, by handing over a suitcase full of banknotes.
4. Accordingly, most business transactions are executed by moving electronic data from one computer file to another, without any exchange of physical cash.
5. More than 90 per cent of all money – more than 50 trillion appearing in our accounts – exists only on computer servers.
Solution
This paragraph is about digital money. The author explains how most of the money in today's world is digital. This is also bolstered by examples of people and businesses preferring electronic transactions.
The premise is present in statements 15 – telling us that 50 trillion of the total 60 trillion money in today's world is in the form of digital currency.
Statements 4 & 3 are the impact of businesses and people using digital currency. In statement 2, the author uses a criminal as an exception (anyone who is not a criminal buys houses using electronic transactions).
Statement 2, on the other hand, is not about this premise – it merely tells us that any medium can be used as money. This sentence probably comes before the remaining sentences in the actual passage. It explains why electronic currencies are in use today, but is not fitting in this sequence. Thus, it is the odd one.
Answer: 2. Money is not coins and banknotes, it is anything that people are willing to use for the purpose of exchanging goods and services.
Example 9
Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph. Identify the odd one out.
1. Today the whole of society is a factory.
2. This will be more than just an economic transition.
3. Today it is the network – like the workshop 200 years ago – that they “cannot silence or disperse”.
4. We all participate in the creation and recreation of the brands, norms and institutions that surround us.
5. At the same time the communication grids vital for everyday work and profit are buzzing with shared knowledge and discontent.
Solution
This paragraph is more abstract in nature, speaking about society being the means of production in today's world. This theory is introduced in statement 1, and explained further in statement 14. Thus, statements 14 are the initial sequence, explaining that we are all part of the creative or production process (creating brands, norms and institutions).
Statements 3 and 5 are speaking about the issues this has caused – people's communication is filled with discontent which cannot be silenced. Therefore, statements 53 is the following sequence as it speaks about one aspect of today's system.
Statement 2 is not related to this hypothesis, and hence, can be eliminated.
Answer: 2. This will be more than just an economic transition.
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