The Cricket Board has long recognized John's potential as a leader of the team. However, his on-field temper has always been a matter of concern for them since his junior days. While this aggression has filled stadia with die-hard fans, it has always stopped John from converting his raw aggression into big scores. Over the past three seasons though, that picture of John has been replaced by a cerebral, calculative and successful batsman-captain. After many years, it appears that the team has finally found a complete captain. Which of the following statements can be logically inferred from the above paragraph? i. Even as a junior cricketer, John was considered a good captain. ii. Finding a complete captain is a challenge. iii. Fans and the Cricket Board have differing views on what they want in a captain. iv. Over the past three seasons, John has rectified his bowling. A. (i), (ii) and (iii) only B. (i) and (iii) only C. (ii) and (iii) only D. (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv)

GATE 2018 · General Aptitude · Passage Reading · hard

Answer: C. (ii) and (iii) only — these two statements are directly supported by the passage.

  1. Check statement (i): junior captain: The passage says the Board 'recognized his potential as a leader' since junior days. Recognizing potential is not the same as calling him a good captain. Statement (i) overstates what is written.
  2. Check statement (ii): finding a complete captain is a challenge: The passage ends with 'After many years, it appears that the team has finally found a complete captain.' The phrase 'after many years... finally' strongly implies that such a find was difficult and took a long time — a challenge.
  3. Check statement (iii): differing views of fans and Board: The Board viewed John's aggression as a 'matter of concern' that stopped him from converting into big scores. Fans loved the same aggression so much that it 'filled stadia.' These are directly opposite valuations of the same trait.
  4. Check statement (iv): bowling rectified: The passage describes John as a 'batsman-captain.' There is no mention of bowling anywhere in the passage. This statement introduces information absent from the text.