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XAT Pre-Session Test

Existential pedagogy applies to learners of all ages in all learning environments. However, existential
pedagogy may have particular relevance for adult and lifelong learners. Adult and later life learners pursue
learning opportunities for existential reasons. They may be attempting to overcome issues relating to
selfactualization, achieve goals, overcome confusion, or define their identities. Adult learners are often
intrinsically motivated, rather than extrinsically. Children tend to be more prone to be motivated extrinsically;
however, philosophical or existential learning activities can be effective in the development of children, and
children seem to enjoy such activities.

Existential pedagogy embraces neither realism nor relativism, but rather, it supports sound methodologies for
inquiry which are applied to any given situation. An existential worldview in which an honest and clear
assessment of reality is present, will naturally be inclined to be skeptical, logical, and rigorous in its
adherence to beliefs or alleged facts. Put another way, existentialism does not take leaps of faith about what
is true or untrue. It relies on available evidence, and forms conclusions carefully. One conclusion that is often
misinterpreted is that humans must treat each other with respect and promote freedom for all. While
arguments that existentialism is an intrinsically selfish philosophy are true to an extent, it is not selfish to the
point of dismissing or disrespecting others- contrarily, in order for selfish freedom to be enjoyed by an
individual, it must also be universally available for all people. Therefore, an existential pedagogy would not
reduce students to mere objects in a system, but would instead recognize the individuality and freedom of
everyone.

An existential pedagogy promotes self-worth, and takes into account individual learners as opposed to a
prescribed curriculum that disregards individuality. Independent learning is empowered by the use of
technology. For example, an elementary student takes great pride and ownership of a PowerPoint
presentation he creates about a topic he chooses, just as a graduate student takes pride and ownership of
the online research he conducts to write a paper, create a website, or compose a presentation about a topic
that is personally meaningful. Either student may have the additional freedom of earning credit online, which
further promotes freedom and flexibility for independent self-directed learning.

David Walters argues for an existential learning theory in which the student-teacher relationship fosters self-
worth and fulfillment of personal destiny. The instructor-student relationship should be one of mutual respect
and a regard for one another as dynamic, human beings. Dismissing one another with preconceived schema
about what an instructor or student is will be detrimental to both parties. Neither participant should objectify
the other. They will be missing out on the deeper learning opportunities that emerge in honest, respectful
relationships. As Walters writes, “Such relationships are continually committed to notions of personal worth
and to one’s destiny as an individual”. Walters also refers to the existential belief that one should lead by
example in what he refers to as a requisite “Giving of self’ by teacher, mentor or therapist, that is, a form of
pattern and example within mutual relating."

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Which one of the following is inconsistent with the views expressed in the passage?

Freedom is required for natural development.

Education should be according to the individual’s needs and abilities of the child.

The curriculum should avoid systematic knowledge or structured disciplines,

Subject matter takes second place to helping the students understand and appreciate themselves
as unique individuals who accept complete responsibility for their thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Teaching methods should focus on mastery of facts and basic skills through demonstration and
recitation.

A B-school is creating a curriculum. If the Dean of the B-School were to consult the author of the passage,
which of the following would the author recommend?

1. The students should be given the flexibility to choose the subjects they want to learn.
2. The solutions that students come up during the case discussions should not be rejected even if it
defies conventional wisdom.
3. A systematic schedule should be created to promote stuctured learning.
4. Students should be asked to choose the specialization before joining the B-School.

1 or 2

3 or 4

1, 2 or 4

1, 2, or 3

1, 3, or 4

Which of the following quotes would the author agree with the most?

A good teacher can inspire and instill a love of learning.

Change is the end result of all true learning.

Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.

Teaching shapes character, caliber, and future of an individual.

To be successful in anything, you have to have a passion for it.

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The proponents of the Modern Movement in architecture considered that, compared with the historical styles
that it replaced, Modernist architecture more accurately reected the functional spirit of twentieth-century
technology and was better suited to the newest building methods. It is ironic, then, that the Movement
fostered an ideology of design that proved to be at odds with the way buildings were really built.

The tenacious adherence of Modernist architects and critics to this ideology was in part responsible for the
Movement’s decline. Originating in the 1920s as a marginal, almost bohemian art movement, the Modern
Movement was never very popular with the public, but this very lack of popular support produced in
Modernist architects a high-minded sense of mission—not content merely to interpret the needs of the client,
these architects now sought to persuade, to educate, and, if necessary, to dictate. By 1945 the tenets of the
Movement had come to dominate mainstream architecture, and by the early 1950s, to dominate architectural
criticism—architects whose work seemed not to advance the evolution of the Modern Movement tended to be
dismissed by proponents of Modernism. On the other hand, when architects were identied as innovators—
as was the case with Otto Wagner, or the young Frank Lloyd Wright—attention was drawn to only those
featuresof their work that were “Modern”; other aspects were conveniently ignored.

The decline of the Modern Movement later in the twentieth century occurred partly as a result of Modernist
architects’ignorance of building methods, and partly because Modernist architects were reluctant to admit
that their concerns were chiey aesthetic. Moreover, the building industry was evolving in a direction
Modernists had not anticipated: it was more specialized and the process of construction was much more
fragmented than in the past. Up until the twentieth century, construction had been carried out by a relatively
small number of tradespeople, but as the building industry evolved, buildings came to be built by many
specialized subcontractors working independently. The architect’s design not only had to accommodate a
sequence of independent operations, but now had to reect the allowable degree of inaccuracy of the
different trades. However, one of the chief construction ideals of the Modern Movement was to “honestly”
expose structural materials such as steel and concrete. To do this and still produce a visually acceptable
interior called for an unrealistically high level of craftmanship. Exposure of a building’s internal structural
elements, if it could be achieved at all, could only be accomplished at considerable cost—hence the well-
founded reputation of Modern architecture as prohibitively expensive.

As Postmodern architects recognized, the need to expose structural elements imposed

unnecessary limitations on building design. The unwillingness of architects of the Modern Movement to
abandon their ideals contributed to the decline of interest in the Modern Movement.

Which one of the following is most similar to the relationship described in the passage between the new
methods of the building industry and pre-twentieth- century construction?

Clothing produced on an assembly line is less precisely tailored than clothing produced by a single
garment maker.

Handwoven fabric is more beautiful than fabric produced by machine.

Lenses ground on a machine are less useful than lenses ground by hand.

Form letters produced by a word processor elicit fewer responses than letters typed individually on
a typewriter.

Furniture produced in a factory is less fashionable than handcrafted furniture.

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With respect to the proponents of the Modern Movement, the author of the passage can best be described
as

forbearing

defensive

unimpressed

exasperated

indifferent

It can be inferred that the author of the passage believes which one of the following about Modern Movement
architects’ ideal of exposing structural materials?

The repudiation of the ideal by some of these architects undermined its validity.

The ideal was rarely achieved because of its lack of popular appeal.

The ideal was unrealistic because most builders were unwilling to attempt it.

The ideal originated in the work of Otto Wagner and Frank Lloyd Wright.

The ideal arose from aesthetic rather than practical concerns.

The author of the passage mentions Otto Wagner and the young Frank Lloyd Wright primarily as examples
of

innovative architects whose work was not immediately appreciated by the public

architects whom proponents of the Modern Movement claimed represented the movement

architects whose work helped to popularize the Modern Movement

architects who generally attempted to interpret the needs of their clients, rather than dictating to
them

architects whose early work seemed to architects of the Modern Movement to be at odds withthe
principles of Modernism

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The magic of Mahatma Gandhi is that he defies categorization. Would one call him a saint, philosopher,
social reformer, or politician? Actually, he was all of these and perhaps, much more than any of these. He
was a deeply religious person, but which religion could one ascribe his beliefs to? He was greatly influenced
by Vedanta, but was not really a traditional Vedantist. Vedantic thought tells us the atman or self in each
individual is essentially one, a part of the divine being or Brahman. The traditional interpretation of this
principle is an effort to disassociate oneself from the world and its machinations so that one becomes free of
maya or the illusion of a separately existing, ego-bound I . Gandhi applied this principle in his unique way,
extending it to strive for a better society, free of all divisions. He worked for caste and communal amity and
maintained that the service of the neediest people is the worship of Daridranarayan (God in the form of the
poor). His life’s mission was to work for the betterment of society by affirmative action. For him, India’s
independence was not merely about wrangling power from the British but about creating a more equitable
society or Swarajya, “for those toiling and unemployed millions who do not get even a square meal a day and
have to scratch along with a piece of stale roti and a pinch of salt”.

The Bhagavad Gita says, “You have the right to act, but do so without expecting the fruits of your action.”
From this, Gandhi drew inspiration to persevere undaunted in his struggle, fully understanding that his may
be a prolonged struggle which may or may not yield the expected results within a reasonable period of time.

Many attribute his fetish for fasts to the Jain philosophy, which was an early influence on him. However, there
was a key difference in the application of this principle by Gandhi. While the Jain concept of fasting is
renunciation of action that of Gandhi was fasting for a cause. In the Sermon on the Mount, another great
inspiration for Gandhi, Jesus says, “Resist not him that is evil, but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek
turn to him the other also.” Forgiveness, the central principle of Christ, was embraced by Gandhi, but he did
not stop at that. He extended this principle to make non-violent opposition a potent weapon. Fighting against
injustice without causing any harm or harboring any ill-feelings towards the enemy came to be his guiding
principle. Hence, though deeply religious, he cannot be categorized as belonging to any particular sect or
creed. Like all great messiahs and masters, he rose above the practices of the day and culled the essence
from each faith, beautifully interweaving various religious traditions to create a mosaic of spirituality that was
uniquely his own.

This passage principally intends to:

Extol disciplinary ideas.

Recognize the great work done.

Identify the creation and practice of an ideology.

Extend religious beliefs.

Create a feeling of curiosity.

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The phrase “defies categorization” in the passage means:

Challenges classification.

Resists grouping.

Rebels labeling

Disobeys groups

Dares tagging

The last paragraph of the passage succeeds mainly in:

Laying down the political ideologies of the times.

Bringing out the greatness of the future leaders.

Highlighting the evolution of Gandhian ideology.

Defining true religion.

Delineating the philosophy of life.

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The subject of punishment, in the sense of attaching legal penalties to the violation of legal rules, has always
been a troubling moral question. The trouble about it has not been that people disagree as to whether or not
punishment is justifiable. Most people have held that, freed from certain abuses, it is an acceptable
institution. Only a few have rejected punishment entirely, which is rather surprising when one considers all
that can be said against it. The difficulty is with the justification of punishment: various arguments for it have
been given by moral philosophers, but so far none of them has won any sort of general acceptance; no
justification is without those who detest it.

For our purposes we may say that there are two justifications for punishment. What we may call the
retributive view is that punishment is justified on the grounds that wrongdoing merits punishment. It is morally
fitting that a person who does wrong should suffer in proportion to his wrongdoing. That a criminal should be
punished follows from his guilt, and the severity of the appropriate punishment depends on the depravity of
his act. The state of affairs where a wrongdoer suffers punishment is morally better than the state of affairs
where he does not; and it is better irrespective of any of the consequences of punishing him.

What we may call the utilitarian view holds that on the principle that bygones are bygones and that only
future consequences are material to present decisions, punishment is justifiable only by reference to the
probable consequences of maintaining it as one of the devices of social order. Wrongs committed in the past
are, as such, not relevant considerations for deciding what to do. If punishment can be shown to promote
effectively the interest of society, it is justifiable, otherwise it is not.

I have stated these two competing views very roughly to make one feel the conflict between them: one feels
the force of both arguments and one wonders how they can be reconciled. From my introductory remarks it is
obvious that the resolution which I am going to propose is that in this case one must distinguish between
justifying a practice as a system of rules to be applied and enforced, and justifying a particular action which
falls under these rules; utilitarian arguments are appropriate with regard to questions about practices, while
retributive arguments fit the application of particular rules to particular cases.

We might try to get clear about this distinction by imagining how a father might answer the question of his
son. Suppose the son asks, ‘Why was J put in jail yesterday?’ The father answers, ‘Because he robbed a
bank at B. He was duly tried and found guilty. That’s why he was put in jail yesterday’. But suppose the son
had asked a different question, namely, ‘Why do people put other people in jail?’ Then the father might
answer, ‘To protect good people from bad people’ or ‘To stop people from doing things that would make it
uneasy for all of us; for otherwise we wouldn’t be able to go to bed at night and sleep in peace’. There are
two very different questions here. One question emphasises the proper name: it asks why J was punished
rather than someone else, or it asks what he was punished for. The other question asks why we have the
institution of punishment: why do people punish one another rather than, say, always forgiving one another?

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Consider the following statements on punishments by three persons.

Ambika: “a prison inmate suffering from a debilitating illness should be released from prison”.

Babita: “ a person who is insane or otherwise incompetent should not be punished”.

Kavitha: “a person who makes a conscious choice to upset the balance of society should be punished.”

Among the three, who definitely does not hold a utilitarian view?

No one

both Babita and Kavitha

both Ambika and Babita

both Ambika and Kavitha

only Kavitha

What does the writer suggest is the main reason punishment is a ‘troubling moral question’?

We don’t all agree that punishment is necessary.

We don’t always know what the consequences of punishment might be.

We can’t always decide on an appropriate punishment for the violation of the law.

We don’t all agree on the reasons for punishment.

We don’t know whether punishment is good for society as a whole.

All of the following are argued about retributive and utilitarian views of punishment EXCEPT:

Utilitarianism does not directly link an act to its punishment.

It is possible to reconcile retributive and utilitarian views of punishment.

Retributive views look at the wider implications of punishment for society as a whole.

Utilitarianism thinks society as a whole is more important than the actions of an individual.

Retributive views state that it is right to make the punishment fit the crime.

The main function of the example in the last paragraph is:

to show the similarities between two kind of theories.

to show that the overall justification of two theories are the same.

to show the contrast between two kinds of theories.

to show the effectiveness of applying the two theories.

to show that the two theories cannot be reconciled.

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