We have already looked at solving Fact, Inference and Judgement questions in this article: Decoding Fact, Inference and Judgement Questions . Let us revise the concept again.
A fact is a statement dealing with information which can be easily verified. It is important to note that the statement mentioned may be true or false. The important thing is that the information can easily be checked. A fact is usually present in the form of figures, statistics, etc.
An inference is an opinion drawn from a fact. The word ‘infer’ itself means to deduce. Hence, an inferential statement will partly contain a fact while the other part will be the conclusion drawn from this.
A judgement on the other hand is an opinion of the author/speaker. It is a statement which may be disputed by another person. Although an inference and judgement are quite similar, the easy way to differentiate is to note that an inference has more legs to stand on because of the fact which precedes it. In contrast, a judgement is easily disputable.
To make things crystal clear, let’s head over to some examples. 2 CAT 2006 questions have been solved in the article linked previously. Here are 3 more:
Q.1.
- So much of our day-to-day focus seems to be on getting things done, trudging our way through the tasks of living- it can feel like a treadmill that gets you nowhere; where is the childlike joy?
- We are not doing the things that make us happy; that which brings us joy; the things that we cannot wait to do because we enjoy them so much.
- This is the stuff that joyful living is made of – identifying your calling and committing yourself wholeheartedly to it.
- When this happens, each moment becomes a celebration of you; there is a rush of energy that comes with feeling completely immersed in doing what you love most.
(1) IIIJ (2) IFIJ (3) JFJJ (4) JJJJ (5) JFII
Answer: In each of these statements, the author is stating his opinion. Each of these statements individually can be disputed. For example, look at statement 3. The author feels that identifying the thing which gives you joy and committing whole-heartedly to it is what joyful living is made of. I may personally feel instead that joy can be achieved at even small things and hence it is not necessary to commit yourself to only one thing. Hence, as the opinion of the author is not based on solid facts, this statement along with the other 3 is a judgement.
According to me, this was the easiest question in CAT 2006 and everyone should have got this right. (Note: another judgement! :))
Can you attempt the other 2 questions now? I’ll post the answers in the comments in a day or two.
Q.2.
- Given the poor quality of service in the public sector, the HIV/AIDS affected should be switching to private initiatives that supply anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) at a low cost.
- The government has been supplying free drugs since 2004, and 35000 have benefited up to now – though the size of the affected population is 150 times this number.
- The recent initiatives of networks and companies like AIDS Care Network, Emcure, Reliance-Cipla-CII, would lead to availability of much-needed drugs to a larger number of affected people.
- But how ironic it is that we should face a perennial shortage of drugs when India is one of the world‘s largest suppliers of generic drugs to the developing world.
(1) JFIJ (2) JIIJ (3) IFIJ (4) IFFJ (5) JFII
Q.3.
- Inequitable distribution of all kinds of resources is certainly one of the strongest and most sinister sources of conflict.
- Even without war, we know that conflicts continue to trouble us – they only change in character.
- Extensive disarmament is the only insurance for our future; imagine the amount of resources that can be released and redeployed.
- The economies of the industrialized western world derive 20% of their income from the sale of all kinds of arms.
(1) IJJI (2) JIJF (3) IIJF (4) JIIF (5) IJIF
P.S: We hope that this article series is benefiting you. In case of any feedback/brickbats (bouquets preferable :)), please mention it in the comments and we will try and incorporate it. Here are the other articles in this series: 75 Days to CAT.
