CAT 2024 Slot 1 VARC Question 22

Type-in-the-answer (no negative marking) · Verbal Ability · Odd One Out · Try it, then check the answer and solution below.

Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.
1
Urbanites also have more and better options for getting around: Uber is ubiquitous; easy-to-rent dockless bicycles are spreading; battery-powered scooters will be next.
2
When more people use buses or trains the service usually improves because public-transport agencies run more buses and trains.
3
Worsening services on public transport, terrorist attacks in some urban metros and a rise in fares have been blamed for this trend.
4
It seems more likely that public transport is being squeezed structurally as people's need to travel is diminishing as a result of smartphones, video-conferencing, online shopping and so on.
5
There has been a puzzling decline in the use of urban public transport in many countries in the west, despite the growth in urban populations and rising employment.
TITA Answer:
Answer and solution

Answer: 2

Step-by-Step Explanation:
1
Passage Context & Central Idea: The passage discusses the puzzling decline in urban public transport usage in Western countries, despite urban growth. The central idea explores possible reasons for this decline, including service quality and technological changes reducing the need to travel.
2
Question Stem Analysis: The question asks to identify the sentence that doesn't fit with the others, forming a coherent paragraph about the decline and its causes.
3
Option-by-Option Elimination:
Sentence 1: Describes increased transportation options, fitting the context of urban mobility changes.
Sentence 2: Talks about increased usage improving service, which contradicts the decline narrative and doesn't explain it.
Sentence 3: Blames decline on service issues and attacks, aligning with the problem.
Sentence 4: Attributes decline to reduced travel needs due to technology, fitting the structural explanation.
Sentence 5: Introduces the decline, setting the context.
4
Final Answer Confirmation: Sentence 2 is the odd one as it introduces a positive correlation that doesn't fit the decline narrative.
Correct Answer: 2

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