Step-by-step process: First, identify what "fabric" means here -> It's not talking about actual cloth, but using fabric as a comparison to describe elephant society's structure. Second, look at what caused the "fraying" -> The passage lists human activities: habitat loss, poaching, culling, and moving herds to different places. Third, recognize this is a metaphor -> The author is comparing elephant society to fabric that can be torn or damaged. From passage: "This fabric of elephant society, Bradshaw and her colleagues demonstrate, has effectively been frayed by years of habitat loss and poaching, along with systematic culling by government agencies" Thought process: Author uses fabric metaphor -> fabric = elephant social structure -> fraying = damage from human actions -> metaphor shows how human activities hurt elephant communities

Eliminating options: Students often get confused between options 1 and 3 because both seem to describe elephant society. Here's how to tell them apart: 🟢 Option 1 -> correct -> recognizes this is a metaphor about human impact on elephants 🔴 Option 2 -> irrelevant -> calls it "exaggeration" but the author is presenting research evidence, not exaggerating 🟠 Option 3 -> misses the point -> says it's an "accurate description" but ignores that "fabric being frayed" is metaphorical language, not literal description 🔴 Option 4 -> wrong literary term -> an "ode" is a praise poem, but this passage is analytical research, not poetry Key insight: When you see "fabric being frayed," ask yourself - is this literal or metaphorical? It's clearly metaphorical language describing how human activities have damaged elephant social structures.

CAT (VARC) PYQs

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