CATSprint

CAT 2025Slot 2VARCQues & Sol

Verbal AbilityMedium

Question

The given sentence is missing in the paragraph below. Decide where it best fits among the options 1, 2, 3, or 4 indicated in the paragraph.

Sentence: The region’s Western customers found it hard to believe that Dhaka muslin could possibly have been made by human hands - there were rumour that it was woven by mermaids, fairies and even ghosts.

Once upon the silty banks of the Meghna River, a miracle was spun — a fabric so light it was called “baft-hawa”, or woven air. This was Dhaka Muslin — the world’s most coveted cloth. ____(1)____. Handspun from a rare cotton called Phuti Karpas, found nowhere else on Earth, and woven with a 16-step sacred ritual — beginning with cleaning the cotton using the teeth of a river catfish! ____(2)____. Every spring, the maple-like leaves pushed up through the grey, silty soil to produce a single daffodilyellow flower twice a year, which gave way to a snowy floret of cotton fibres. ____(3)____. Spun at dawn on boats by sharp-eyed young women, its threads were so fine the elderly could barely see them. Motifs of wildflowers, river breeze, and soul were etched into each piece — some so light, a 91-metre bolt could pass through a ring, or a 60' length fit inside a snuffbox. It draped Greek goddesses, Roman nobles, Mughal emperors, and European aristocrats. Marie Antoinette, Empress Joséphine — even Jane Austen adored its floating grace. ____(4)____.

Options

Solution

1. Determining the Correct Blank Placement

To decide where the given sentence fits best, we must analyze contextual references and paragraph flow.

2. Understanding the Key Clue in the Sentence

  • The sentence refers to "the region's Western customers". This clearly suggests that the region being discussed is not located in the West.

  • Therefore, the region must be Dhaka and its surrounding areas, where Muslin was produced and sold.

Eliminating Incorrect Blank Positions

❌ Why Blank-4 Is Not Suitable

  • The sentence before Blank-4 talks about varied places.
  • In contrast, the given sentence refers specifically to one region and its Western customers. This mismatch in focus makes Blank-4 an illogical placement.

❌ Why the Middle of the Paragraph Doesn’t Work

  • From "Handspun from a rare cotton..." to "...a 60' length fit inside a snuffbox," the passage explains how Dhaka Muslin was made.

  • Inserting the given sentence within this section would:

    • Break the technical explanation
    • Disrupt the natural flow of the paragraph Hence, the sentence should not be placed within this manufacturing description.

✅ Why Blank-1 Is the Best Choice

  • Blank-1 follows references to:

    • The silty banks of the Meghna river
    • Dhaka itself

  • Placing the sentence here:

    • Maintains geographical continuity
    • Smoothly introduces the idea of Western customers

Final Conclusion

Blank-1 is the most suitable position for the sentence.

Correct Answer: Option B