CAT (VARC) PYQs

There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide where (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.

Paragraph: Bringing workers back to their desks has been a rocky road for employers and employees alike. The evolution of the pandemic has meant that best laid plans have often not materialised. ___ (1) ___ . The flow of workers back into offices has been more of a trickle than a steady stream. ___ (2) ___ Yet while plenty of companies are still working through their new policies, some employees across the globe are now back at their desks, whether on a full-time or hybrid basis. ___ (3) ___ . That means we're beginning to get some clarity on what return-to-office means what's working, as well as what has yet to be settled. ___ (4) ___ .

Sentence: This has meant a lot of uncertainty around what a wide-scale return to office might look like in practice.

There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide where (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.

Paragraph: ___ (1) ___ Prices are rising at their fastest rate in 40 years, consequently, return-to-office-related costs have shot up - think petrol and food, for instance. ___ (2) ___ . Yet wages haven't kept up with inflation even despite the salary growth many workers have enjoyed during a favorable pandemic labour market. ___ (3) ___ . This is especially jarring for workers who were able to save during remote work, when these expenditures weren't a factor. ___ (4) ___ . In April 2022, Umus, a London university lecturer, told BBC Work life that they were spending nearly a quarter of what they made every day on return-to-work costs.

Sentence: This reality is putting stress on employees who have to pay for transport, desk lunches, more childcare, clothing and that after-work socialisation - costs they haven't incurred for nearly two years.

There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide where (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.

Paragraph: For millennia, ghee has been a venerated staple of the subcontinental diet, but it fell out of favour a few decades ago when saturated fats were largely considered to be unhealthy ___ (1) ___ . But more recently, as the thinking around saturated fats is shifting globally, Indians are finding their own way back to this ingredient that is so integral to their cuisine ___ (2) ___ . For Karmakar, a renewed interest in ghee is emblematic of a return-to-basics movement in India ___ (3) ___ This movement is also part of an overall trend towards "slow food". In keeping with the movement's philosophy, ghee can be produced locally (even at home) and has inextricable cultural ties ___ (4) ___ At a basic level, ghee is a type of clarified butter believed to have originated in India as a way to preserve butter from going rancid in the hot climate.

Sentence: This was years in the making but fast-tracked during the pandemic, when "people started being more mindful about their food", he explained.