Question
Most experts feel that in spite of possessing all the technical skills required to be a batsman of the highest order, he is unlikely to be so due to lack of requisite temperament. He was guilty of throwing away his wicket several times after working hard to lay a strong foundation. His critics pointed out that until he addressed this problem, success at the highest level will continue to elude him.
Which of the statement(s) below is/are logically valid and can be inferred from the above passage?
(i) He was already a successful batsman at the highest level.
(ii) He has to improve his temperament in order to become a great batsman.
(iii) He failed to make many of his good starts count.
(iv) Improving his technical skills will guarantee success.
Official answer and solution
- Official answer
- B
- From
- Official GATE 2015 answer key
Solution
Assess each candidate statement against the explicit factual claims stated in the passage.
Analyze each statement based strictly on the text:
- Statement (i): "He was already a successful batsman at the highest level."
The text states "success at the highest level will continue to elude him", meaning he has not yet achieved success at the highest level. Statement (i) is false. - Statement (ii): "He has to improve his temperament in order to become a great batsman."
The passage notes "unlikely to be so due to lack of requisite temperament... until he addressed this problem...". Thus, improving his temperament is necessary for greatness. Statement (ii) is valid. - Statement (iii): "He failed to make many of his good starts count."
The passage says "He was guilty of throwing away his wicket several times after working hard to lay a strong foundation." This directly equates to failing to convert good starts. Statement (iii) is valid. - Statement (iv): "Improving his technical skills will guarantee success."
The text already establishes that he possesses "all the technical skills required", so the deficiency is purely temperamental, not technical. Statement (iv) is false.
Statements (ii) and (iii) are logically valid and supported by the passage. This matches option B.
B
Inferring statement (iv) on the assumption that technical skills always improve outcomes, despite the passage explicitly stating he already has all required technical skills.
The answer is the one in the official GATE answer key. The solution is this site's own explanation.
Source
- Paper
- GATE 2015 Computer Science and Information Technology (CS) Session 3
- Question
- 9 of 65, printed as GA Q.9
- Section
- General Aptitude
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