NinetynineCAT 2023 Slot 3 VARC Q23 Para Summary
Question 23 of the Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) section, CAT 2023 Slot 3, with CAT's official answer and a worked solution.
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
Gradually, life for the island's birds is improving. Antarctic prions and white-headed petrels, which also nest in burrows, had managed to cling on in some sites while pests were on the island. Their numbers are now increasing. "It's fantastic and so exciting," Shaw says. As birds return to breed, they also poo. This adds nutrients to the soil, which in turn helps the plants to grow back stronger. Tall plants then help burrowing birds hide from predatory skuas. "It's this wonderful feedback loop," Shaw says. Today, the "pretty paddock" that Houghton first experienced has been transformed. "The tussock is over your head, and you're dodging all these penguin tunnels," she says. The orchids and tiny herb that had been protected by fencing have started turning up all over the place.
Gradually, life for the island's birds is improving. Antarctic prions and white-headed petrels, which also nest in burrows, had managed to cling on in some sites while pests were on the island. Their numbers are now increasing. "It's fantastic and so exciting," Shaw says. As birds return to breed, they also poo. This adds nutrients to the soil, which in turn helps the plants to grow back stronger. Tall plants then help burrowing birds hide from predatory skuas. "It's this wonderful feedback loop," Shaw says. Today, the "pretty paddock" that Houghton first experienced has been transformed. "The tussock is over your head, and you're dodging all these penguin tunnels," she says. The orchids and tiny herb that had been protected by fencing have started turning up all over the place.
- AThere is an increasing number of predatory birds and plants on the island despite the presence of pests which is a positive development.
- BIn the absence of pests, life on the island is now protected, and there has been a revival of a variety of birds and plants.
- CThere is a huge positive transformation of the ecosystem of the island when brought under environmental protection.
- DFlowering plants, herbs and birds are now being protected on this wonderful Antarctic island.
Answer: (B) In the absence of pests, life on the island is now protected, and there has been a revival of a variety of birds and plants. Para Summary MCQ
Solution
- Core: with pests gone, burrowing birds are recovering and a feedback loop (droppings feed plants, tall plants shelter birds) is reviving the vegetation.
- B captures the pest-free revival of birds and plants. A says 'despite the presence of pests' and stresses predatory birds, both wrong; C is vague about 'environmental protection'; D omits the cause and the revival.