Practice Passages Set 4

Introduction

This set gives full-length passages of the kind CSAT uses, on governance, environment, economy and society. The first passages are solved in detail; then try the rest under time (about 6–7 minutes per passage) before checking the worked solutions.

Key concepts

How to use this set

1. Time yourself: aim for about 90 seconds per question including reading time.
2. Write a one-line summary of each passage before answering.
3. For each answer, point to the line in the passage that supports it.
4. After checking, classify each mistake: misread the question, used outside knowledge, chose an extreme option, or misunderstood a word.

Question types in this set

Solved passage 1: Science and doubt

Science advances not by proving theories true once and for all but by testing them against evidence and keeping those that survive. A good scientific claim makes predictions that could turn out to be wrong. When results surprise researchers, the response is not to discard everything known, but to check the measurements, repeat the experiment and, if the surprise holds, revise the theory. This is why scientists speak in terms of confidence and uncertainty. The public sometimes reads this caution as weakness, but it is the source of science's reliability: claims that have survived many attempts to refute them deserve our trust, even though they remain open to revision.

Question 1. According to the passage, a good scientific claim:

(a) Avoids making predictions (b) Can never be tested (c) Is proved true once and for all (d) Makes predictions that could turn out to be wrong

Question 2. How should scientists respond to surprising results, according to the author?

(a) Ignore the results (b) Check, repeat and revise if the surprise holds (c) Discard all existing knowledge (d) Publish them as final truth

Question 3. The author suggests that public perception of scientific caution is:

(a) Mistaken, since caution underlies reliability (b) Correct, since caution shows weakness (c) Irrelevant to science (d) The reason science fails

Question 4. Which statement would the author most likely agree with?

(a) Repeating experiments is a waste of time (b) Uncertainty means a claim is false (c) Well-tested claims deserve trust while remaining open to revision (d) Scientific claims are never trustworthy

Solved passage 2: Local languages in schools

Children learn best when they first learn in a language they understand. Yet many children start school in a language that is not spoken at home, and spend the early years struggling to follow lessons rather than learning to read and reason. Multilingual approaches begin with the home language and add the regional language and English gradually, building on what children already know. Critics worry that this may slow the learning of English, valued for jobs. Research suggests the opposite can happen: strong foundations in the first language make it easier to learn a second. The challenge lies in preparing teachers and materials for the many languages spoken in a single district.

Question 1. What problem does the passage identify?

(a) Children refuse to learn English (b) Children starting school in an unfamiliar language struggle to learn (c) Home languages have no scripts (d) Schools teach too many languages

Question 2. The critics' concern is that multilingual approaches may:

(a) Slow the learning of English (b) Reduce the number of teachers (c) Make children forget their home language (d) Cost nothing

Question 3. What does research suggest, according to the passage?

(a) Children cannot learn three languages (b) Home languages harm learning (c) Strong first-language foundations can help in learning a second language (d) Learning English first is always better

Question 4. The main practical challenge identified is:

(a) Convincing parents to stop speaking at home (b) Building new schools (c) Finding enough English teachers (d) Preparing teachers and materials for many languages

Practice passages

Time yourself: about 6–7 minutes per passage. Answers and explanations follow each passage.

Passage 1: Infrastructure and maintenance

New roads, bridges and water schemes are inaugurated with ceremony; their maintenance rarely is. Budgets tend to favour new construction, which is visible and politically rewarding, over routine upkeep, which is not. The result is assets that deteriorate early: potholed roads, leaking pipes and idle pumps. Engineers estimate that timely maintenance costs far less than rebuilding failed assets. Some governments now set aside a fixed share of capital budgets for maintenance and publish condition surveys of assets, making neglect visible. When citizens can see the state of their roads and pipes, maintenance becomes harder to ignore.

Q1. Why do budgets tend to favour new construction?

(a) It is cheaper than maintenance (b) Maintenance is illegal (c) It is visible and politically rewarding (d) Engineers prefer it

Q2. What is the consequence of neglecting maintenance?

(a) Construction costs fall (b) Assets deteriorate early (c) More ceremonies are held (d) Roads improve over time

Q3. How does publishing condition surveys help?

(a) It makes neglect visible to citizens (b) It replaces engineers (c) It ends budgets for new projects (d) It reduces construction

Passage 2: Volunteering and civic life

Civic life depends not only on elections but on the countless associations through which people solve common problems: residents' welfare groups, parents' committees, blood-donation networks and self-help groups. These associations build trust among strangers and teach the skills of negotiation and compromise. When people withdraw into private life, problems that could be handled locally are pushed upwards to the state, which may be slower and less informed. Encouraging associational life does not mean replacing the state's responsibilities; it means complementing them with local energy and knowledge.

Q1. According to the passage, civic associations help by:

(a) Building trust and teaching negotiation skills (b) Making laws (c) Collecting taxes (d) Replacing elections

Q2. What happens when people withdraw into private life?

(a) Elections are cancelled (b) Local problems are pushed upwards to the state (c) Associations become stronger (d) The state becomes faster

Q3. The author clarifies that encouraging associations:

(a) Is unrelated to problem-solving (b) Is harmful to democracy (c) Complements rather than replaces the state (d) Should replace the state

Passage 3: Tourism and carrying capacity

Hill towns that were once quiet retreats now receive crowds far larger than their roads, water supply and waste systems were built for. During peak season, traffic jams stretch for kilometres and garbage piles up on slopes. Tourism brings income, but beyond a point it degrades the very attractions people come to see. Some destinations now cap the number of vehicles, charge entry fees that fund local services, or promote travel outside peak months. Such measures can be unpopular at first, yet they may protect both the environment and the long-term income of residents.

Q1. The passage's main concern is:

(a) Tourism should be banned (b) Hill towns have too few hotels (c) Tourism exceeding what hill towns can sustain (d) Entry fees are always unfair

Q2. Which measure is mentioned as a response?

(a) Building more roads only (b) Capping the number of vehicles (c) Encouraging more visitors in peak season (d) Removing entry fees

Q3. The author suggests that unpopular measures may:

(a) Protect the environment and long-term income (b) Have no effect (c) Increase garbage (d) Destroy local income

Passage 4: Weather forecasts for farmers

Accurate weather forecasts can help farmers decide when to sow, irrigate, spray or harvest. Yet many farmers say forecasts are of little use to them. The problem often lies not in accuracy but in delivery: forecasts may be issued for large areas, arrive too late, or be phrased in technical terms. Where forecasts are made for smaller blocks, sent by voice messages in local languages and paired with specific advice – for example, delay spraying because rain is expected – farmers report using them more and saving on inputs. Information becomes valuable only when it reaches people in a form they can act on.

Q1. According to the passage, why do many farmers find forecasts of little use?

(a) Problems in how forecasts are delivered (b) Forecasts are always inaccurate (c) Weather does not affect farming (d) Farmers cannot read

Q2. Which change made forecasts more useful?

(a) Sending forecasts after harvest (b) Using more technical terms (c) Local-language voice messages with specific advice (d) Issuing forecasts for larger areas

Q3. The final sentence expresses the idea that:

(a) Farmers should ignore forecasts (b) Information is valuable only when actionable (c) Information is always valuable (d) Accuracy does not matter

Q4. Which example of specific advice does the passage give?

(a) Irrigate daily (b) Harvest during heavy rain (c) Sow before the rain stops (d) Delay spraying because rain is expected