3 is the best starting sentence as it is the most general. 32 is a clear link: Sentence 3 states the creative industry is growing faster than the world economy and 2 adds to this saying that if the  creative element in other industries is taken into consideration, the creative element in the value of world industry would be larger still.

Sentence 1 carries forward the idea in 32, explaining how the creative element in product design can help sustain a competitive advantage. Sentence 4 concludes the paragraph saying that this is reason why today's trade issues are focused on intellectual property.

3214 is the most logical order.

The paragraph given lists the many reasons why the mind computes counterfactuals and states that this ability develops throughout childhood and contributes to reasoning about other people's beliefs. Option C is a good summary.

Option A suggests people intentionally create counterfactuals in order to reason about other people's beliefs. The paragraph, on the other hand, states counterfactuals are created spontaneously by the mind.

Option B is logically incorrect as it says counterfactual thinking helps to 'reverse' past and future actions.

Option D relates to specific reasons listed in the paragraph. C is a better summary.

A new kind of VARC question. The best way to place the missing sentence in the paragraph is to identify the position where the transition of ideas looks abrupt from the previous sentence to the next. The missing sentence would fit in that position.

Considering option 1, we see that there is a smooth transition of ideas from the previous sentence to the next. Never before has a population been exposed to so much information; yet it is not clear people today are more knowledgeable than their barely literate predecessors. So, we rule out option 1.

Considering option 2, we see again that the previous sentence is about access to new realms of knowledge and the transition from here to 'But such readily available knowledge...' is smooth.

In case of option 3 too, both the sentence before and the one after are about the negative effects of readily available knowledge.

The missing sentence would make best sense as the concluding sentence of the paragraph, as the paragraph itself is about how the Internet has proved to be both a blessing and a curse.

The main idea of the paragraph is that while heatwaves are becoming longer, frequent and intense due to climate change, even vulnerable people do not seem to perceive the risk of extreme heat and so news media should undertake to warn people about the potential danger. Option B sums up the paragraph best.

Option A talks about ineffective public policies on heatwaves. This is not what the paragraph is about.

Option C too, misses the key point about the role of news media and states 'measures' (which are not discussed in the paragraph at all) are ineffective. So, C is out.

Option D does not touch upon the risk heatwaves pose. Also, the paragraph does not talk about the effectiveness of news stories. B is a better summary than D.

There is a clear link between sentences 1 and 2: both these sentences are about the positive effect of shorter commutes on employee performance.

Similarly, 43 is a strong link: sentence 4 says commute-free working is seen as key to improving productivity by some; 3 states that this is not always the case and explains why.

There is also a link between sentences 1 and 4: Sentence 4 starts with the pronoun 'some'. This clearly refers to some company leaders, the subject of sentence 1. So, 4 follows immediately after 1.

Given these links, we see that 2143 is the most logical order.

4 is the best starting sentence.

13 is a strong link: 1 states that no single neuron holds complex information like self-awareness, hope or pride. 3 explains that, nonetheless, the sum of all neurons in the nervous system generates complex human emotions like fear and joy.

2 concludes the paragraph stating that though the mechanism by which emergence functions is not yet understood, most neurobiologists agree that complex interconnections among the parts give rise to qualities of the whole.

4132 is the correct order.

According to the given paragraph, we can realize how limited our capacity to understand the universe is when we enter the world of quantum mechanics and find that arbitrary distinctions between animate and inanimate simply cannot be made. Option A captures all key ideas.

Option B does not touch upon the distinction between animate and inanimate.

Option C says the inanimate world is 'cognizant', which is not what the paragraph says.

Option D is incorrect: the paragraph does not say the effect of stimuli on the animate and inanimate is "similar"; it only says that in many infinitesimal ways, the inanimate seem to be affected by stimuli just as humans are.

Sentence 4 is the best opening sentence.

43 is a strong link: 4 states the Western Christian concepts tend to deny or ignore the existence of an indigenous African tradition. 3 explains that this view contradicts reality.

Sentence 1 offers an example to support 3 and sentence 2 adds to 1.

4312 is the correct order.

All sentences except 2 focus on the banning and challenging of books in the US. Option 2 focuses on authors who have summoned courage in telling their stories. This is a related but slightly different idea.

Sentence 3 is the best opening sentence as it is the most general one. 5 adds to 3, supporting 3 with data. Sentences 4 and 1 discuss a specific case-- the banning of the book Northern Lights. 3541 makes a cogent paragraph.

Of the given sentences, only sentence 3 maintains that self-care may not necessarily result in negative outcomes.

24 is a strong link. These sentences discuss the main focus of the paragraph-children who routinely return home from school to empty homes and take care of themselves for extended periods of time.

51 is also a strong link, with 5 stating that self-care is not beneficial for development and 1 explaining why so.

2451 makes a cogent paragraph.

Sentence 3 is the odd one out.

The given sentence is about dualism, long held as a distinction between developing and developed countries. The sentence before option 2 introduces dualism and the sentence after it begins with 'while this distinction between developing and advanced economies..', making option 2 the best choice for fitting in the given sentence.

The given sentence begins with 'and probably much earlier...', so the sentence before must have some reference to time. This narrows down the options to 1 and 2. Of these options 2 makes better sense as the given sentence talks about documentation for kissing and the sentence before 2 talks about written sources that confirm new research findings.

Easy question. All options except D are true, based on the passage.

Option A is true, based on the lines, 'The economics of European productions are more appealing, too. American audiences are more willing than before to give dubbed or subtitled viewing a chance. This means shows such as "Lupin", a French crime caper on Netflix, can become global hits.'

Option B is true, too: 'In 2015, about 75% of Netflix's original content was American; now the figure is half, according to Ampere, a media-analysis company.'

Option C is clearly stated in the passage:'A bigger problem is that national broadcasters still dominate. Streaming services, such as Netflix or Disney+, account for about a third of all viewing hours, even in markets where they are well-established.'

Only option D is incorrect: 'Now Netflix has offices across Europe. But ultimately the big decisions rest with American executives.'

The author clearly sees Netflix as a unifying force in Europe: 'Now Netflix and friends pump the same content into homes across a continent, making culture a cross-border endeavour, too. If Europeans are to share a currency, bail each other out in times of financial need and share vaccines in a pandemic, then they need to have something in common-even if it is just bingeing on the same series.'

In the last paragraph, the author concludes that Netflix is a unifying force in Europe, making culture "a cross-border endeavour". If there were a wide variance in the popularity and viewing of Netflix shows across different EU countries, then the author's assumption that Netflix is popular across Europe, giving Europeans something to share across borders, is weakened. Option B is the correct answer choice.

All other options are unrelated to the author's conclusion in the final paragraph.

Talking about which shows have better appeal, the passage states, 'Not everything works across borders. Comedy sometimes struggles. Whodunits and bloodthirsty maelstroms between arch Romans and uppity tribesmen have a more universal appeal...'. So, a murder mystery drama set in North Africa and France is likely, according to the passage, to be successful with audiences across the EU.

Based on the lines above, option D is easily eliminated. The passage declares 'German television is not always built for export', so option B is also ruled out. The passage focuses on translations of European productions and their success. Option A does not relate to this.

If option B is true, that is, if facts are relative and subject to interpretation, then that strengthens the passage's claim that facts do not speak for themselves. So, option B is the right answer choice.

The passage claims that facts do not speak for themselves by arguing that while facts are objective and universal and hold true irrespective of the historian who expresses it, it is the historian who decides to which facts to give the floor, and in what order or context, thereby influencing their interpretation. So, all options except B, if true, weaken the passage's claim.

The main idea of the passage is that facts speak only when the historian calls on them. The author says that it is because historians regard the Battle of Hastings as a major historical event that we are interested in knowing about it. It is the historian's interpretation of facts that we are interested in. So, if the author were to write a book on the Battle of Hastings, the focus of the account would be on subjective interpretations, like exploring the socio-political and economic factors that led to the Battle.

Options A and D are easily ruled out as they focus on the importance of facts.

Option B is close, as 'nuanced interpretation' is what the author says historians have to focus on. But option B, unlike option C, emphasizes the role of auxillary sciences in helping a historian do his work. The author says relying on facts that can be gathered from auxiliary sciences of history is "a necessary condition" of a historians' work, "but not his essential function". So, option C is better than B.

Note the context in which the author talks about archaeology and other the "auxiliary sciences" of history: 'But [to] praise a historian for his accuracy is like praising an architect for using well-seasoned timber or properly mixed concrete in his building. It is a necessary condition of his work, but not his essential function. It is precisely for matters of this kind that the historian is entitled to rely on what have been called the "auxiliary sciences" of history-archaeology, epigraphy, numismatics, chronology, and so forth...'

The author states auxiliary sciences like archaeology only help historians to ascertain the accuracy of facts. They do not help in the essential function of his work, which is to interpret the facts.

Option C is the correct choice.

According to the passage, the "common-sense" view of history is influenced by the positivist view and so it places great weight on facts. In this view, facts are available to the historian in documents, inscriptions, and so on and history can be objective like the sciences if it is derived from historical facts.

The author's view is in contrast to the common-sense view. The author believes history is a 'selective' system of cognitive orientations to reality. Facts only speak as the historian interprets them. Option A is the correct answer choice.

In considering whether Deneen's argument on liberalism is convincing, the author points out Deneen's narrow definition of liberalism is limited to individual freedoms: ' He argues that the essence of liberalism lies in freeing individuals from constraints. In fact, liberalism contains a wide range of intellectual traditions which provide different answers to the question of how to trade off the relative claims of rights and responsibilities, individual expression and social ties..'

The author also says Deneen fails to recognise liberalism's ability to reform itself: 'Mr Deneen's fixation on the essence of liberalism leads to the second big problem of his book: his failure to recognise liberalism's ability to reform itself and address its internal problems.'

Finally, in the last two lines of the passage, the author states Deneen is wrong in his extreme pessimism about the future of liberalism.

Options B, C and D are true.

The author does not say that Deneen harks back to premodern notions of liberty. So, option A is the correct answer choice.

Consider option A. The author is likely to disagree with this. Note the lines, 'He argues that the essence of liberalism lies in freeing individuals from constraints. In fact, liberalism contains a wide range of intellectual traditions which provide different answers to the question of how to trade off the relative claims of rights and responsibilities, individual expression and social ties.'

Consider option B. The author starts the passage by saying, 'Over the past four centuries liberalism has been so successful that it has driven all its opponents off the battlefield'. He also argues in the penultimate paragraph that liberalism has the ability to reform itself to remain dominant. So, the author is likely to agree with this option. Option B is the correct choice.

Let us also consider options C and D to rule them out.

The author is likely to disagree with the statement that claims about liberalism's disintegration are exaggerated and misunderstand its core features. Note the lines, 'Mr Deneen is right to point out that the record of liberalism in recent years has been dismal. He is also right to assert that the world has much to learn from the premodern notions of liberty as self-mastery and self-denial.'

The author is also likely to disagree with the idea that if we accept that liberalism is a dying ideal, we must work to find a viable substitute. The author argues against liberation from liberalism and states the liberalism must heed the call to action and reform itself.

So, option B is the correct answer choice.

All options except B relate to liberalism and the problems caused by its disintegration. Technological advances cannot be considered evidence of the decline of liberalism.

Note the context in which the author talks about the 'Davos elite': 'The biggest enemy of liberalism is not so much atomisation but old-fashioned greed, as members of the Davos elite pile their plates ever higher with perks and share options.' Only option D relates to the greed of the Davos elite. This is the correct answer choice.

Refer to the last paragraph. All given reasons except C are mentioned. Option C contradicts what the passage says: ' There will always be a market for consignment...'

The passage states that though second-hand shopping can help reduce pollution due to clothing ending up in landfills, such purchases are actually effective in saving the planet only in the case of high-quality second hand clothes, as low-quality older clothes cause microfibre pollution.

If second-hand clothes only sold high-quality clothes, then the central idea of the passage, that not all second-hand clothing purchases are effective is saving the planet, would be undermined. Option C is the right choice.

Primark and Boohoo are, according to the passage, 'fast fashion' brands. That is, they sell inexpensive, low-quality trendy clothing. If option A were true, then it would support (not undermine) the central idea that people should not simply purchase second-hand clothes without considering whether what they are doing is effective.

Even if options B or D were true, these options do not directly undermine the question of effectiveness of second-hand purchases in saving the planet. So, these options are ruled out.

From the context in which the word 'thrifting' is used in the passage, we can conclude that it refers to the purchase of second-hand items at low costs, a practice which is now a trend as consumers get to be 'cool' while also caring for the planet. However, as explained in the passage, the act of thrifting can be considered ironic if, instead of saving the planet, it actually contributes to microfibre pollution of the rivers and oceans. Option A is the correct choice.

Fast fashion refers to inexpensively priced, low-quality clothing that is produced fast to meet market trends. The opposite of this, slow fashion, would most likely refer to clothes that are high quality and long-lasting.

Note that while option C is easily eliminated, options A and D both relate to the quality of clothing and can be thought of as attributes of slow fashion. However, B is a better choice than these options as 'long-lasting' is the direct opposite of 'fast' fashion which is produced fast to meet trends without considering quality.

This paragraph explains how intuition works: the human mind draws upon a 'deep memory well' based on decades of diverse qualitative experience to subconsciously spot patterns and fire neurochemicals in the brain and gut. Of the given options, D sums up the paragraph best.

Option A states that decisions based on intuitions are 'better'. The paragraph does not say so.

Option B is incorrect as it says intuitions 'may not be related to data'. This is the opposite of what the paragraph states.

Option C implies big data is based on rational thought while intuition is not. This is incorrect.

This paragraph states that while Brazilians have seen inequality falling and their financial situation improving due to economic stabilisation, the economy remains very unequal and the poor end up paying the biggest share of taxes despite getting the least services back from the government. Option A touches upon all key points and sums up the paragraph well.

Options B and C do not talk about the unfair taxation of the poor. So, they can be eliminated.

Option D states that the Brazilian economy is likely to be destabilised in the next few years. The paragraph makes no such prediction.

The paragraph given presents two opposing views on hard work. In one view, hard work has led to meaningless jobs as people strive to keep busy at all costs, while in the opposing view, hard work has brought about innovation and comfort. Option D sums up the paragraph well.

Option A is incorrect, as it states that hard work has 'led to greater idleness'. The paragraph does not say so.

Option B presents a one-sided view and is hence incorrect.

The paragraph does not talk about the importance of leisure time. So, option C is also incorrect.

While all other sentences are about gender inequality in the technology sector and its impact on society, sentence 4 is more general, about structural inequalities in the current organisation of work and employment.

3512 makes a cogent paragraph, with 3 stating the main idea of the paragraph, 5 adding on to 3, 1 citing an example to support 5 and 2 concluding the paragraph.

Sentence 3 is the best opening sentence. Sentence 3 talks about some European museums taking steps to return artefacts; 2 states what these steps are in response to. So, we have the order 32. 14 is a unit, with 1 talking about the legal hurdles in the restitution of artefacts and 4 following this up with what some countries would like to do, legal hurdles notwithstanding. So, 3214 is the correct order.

Sentence 2 offers the best start to the paragraph and talks about the importance of relational histories in the analysis of interpersonal communication. Sentences 1, 3 and 4 relate to the idea of 'regimes of truth', which is first introduced in 3, which talks about a Foucaldian approach going beyond the existing conceptions of discourse and history. So, 3 follows 2. Sentence 1 expands on 'regimes of truth' and how they make relationships speakable and sustain them. Sentence 4 adds to 1 and concludes the paragraph.

While all other sentences relate to Chinese business schools and the courses they offer, sentence 3 relates to Western schools and their offerings. So, 3 is the odd one out.

2514 makes a cogent paragraph, with 2 opening the paragraph stating how Chinese schools are growing distinct from their Western counterparts, 5 and 1 adding to 2 in terms of the courses offered and 4 concluding the paragraph with the additional incentive that these schools provide Chinese students.

Sentence 3 is the best opening sentence. 34 is a unit: 3 identifies trade, offshoring and immigration as threats to jobs, while 4 states that the bigger threat now is automation. 1 continues the idea in 4, stating the value that businesses find in automation. 2 adds to 1 and concludes the paragraph, elaborating on the impact of robotics on unemployment. 3412 is a cogent paragraph.

The central idea of the passage is that nano-robots, which were once part of science fiction and comics, have now come true, with scientific researchers making such autonomous devices from molecular parts. Option A is the correct choice.

Options B and D state some ideas from the passage, but not the central idea.

About the New X-Men, the first paragraph says that 'Our mutant heroes had been battling giant robots called Sentinels for years, but suddenly these mechanical overlords spawned a new threat: Nano-Sentinels!' So, option D is true

Trickily worded question. The scenario which if false, supports the passage is one that if true, is against the passage.

Of Nano-Sentinels, the passage states that 'No, they won't be invading our bodies and turning us into Sentinels'. That is, these Nano-Sentinel robots do not turn the body they are injected into to robots. So, option A, if true, goes against the passage. Hence, this is the correct answer choice.

The passage states that Nano-sentinels are ' assembled from two kinds of molecules - some that love water and some that avoid it'. So, option B is in line with the passage.

That robots made from smart materials are likely to become part of our everyday lives in the future is the central idea of the passage. So, C is also in line with the passage.

In the fourth paragraph, the passage discusses hydrogels and their applications. So, D is also in line with the passage.

Option A is the direct extension of 'some of them could one day swim through our bloodstream to heal us. They could also clean up pollutants in water or fold themselves into different kinds of vehicles for us to drive.'

Note the line: 'Unlike Mr. Chomsky, Mr. Pinker firmly places the wiring of the brain for language within the framework of Darwinian natural selection and evolution.' So, Pinker and Chomsky may disagree on the Darwinian explanatory paradigm for language.

The question asks us to pick an option which is not true.

According to the passage, Pinker 'effectively disposes of all claims that intelligent nonhuman primates like chimps have any abilities to learn and use language.' So, option A is not true (and hence the correct answer choice).

Option B is the exact opposite of A, and clearly true, as seen above.

According to the passage, a half-century ago, Chomsky/Pinker's idea of universal grammar 'would have been pooh-poohed as a "black box" theory' but 'neurosurgeons [have now found that this] "black box" is situated in and around Broca's area, on the left side of the forebrain'. So, option C is true.

The passage states that, according to Pinker, '....the "language instinct," when it first appeared among our most distant hominid ancestors, must have given them a selective reproductive advantage over their competitors (including the ancestral chimps)'. So, option D is also true.

In the last paragraph, the passage states that Pinker's proposition that the roots of language must be in the genes will 'undoubtedly raise the hackles of some behavioral psychologists and anthropologists, for it apparently contradicts the liberal idea that human behavior may be changed for the better by improvements in culture and environment'. So, Pinker's position is at variance with that of behavioural psychologists. Option D is not true about Pinker's book.

According to the passage, while Chomsky's book was full of 'theoretical linguistics, in discourse so opaque that it was nearly incomprehensible even to some scholars', Pinker's book is 'brilliant, witty and altogether satisfying'. So, option A is true.

That Pinker disagrees with Chomsky on some grounds is mentioned in the last line of the first paragraph, as well as in the third paragraph, where the passage states that 'Unlike Mr. Chomsky, Mr. Pinker firmly places the wiring of the brain for language within the framework of Darwinian natural selection and evolution'. So, option B is true.

Pinker's book, according to the passage, 'has brought Mr. Chomsky's findings to everyman'. So, option C is also true.

The author calls Pinker's book 'brilliant, witty and altogether satisfying'. In response to the claim that the book is racist, the author states that Pinkers stresses on the 'fundamental unity of humanity' and 'the universal grammar' of language- the universality of 'the language instinct', in other words, to counter such claims. So, option B is the right choice.

Option C is the exact opposite of the author's position.

According to the passage, Pinker argues that though chimps have the vocal apparatus to speak, their brains, unlike human brains, are unable to produce grammar as chimps do not have the 'language instinct'. The author agrees with Pinker's view, so option A is incorrect.

Again, option D is also incorrect, based on the last paragraph. The author says that while some behavioral psychologists and anthropologists believe human behavior may be changed for the better by improvements in culture and environment, Pinker's position (one that the author agrees with) is that the roots of language are in the genes.