Comprehension
Read the following passage and answer the three questions that follow.
Most of recorded human history is one big data gap. Starting with the theory of Man the Hunter, the chroniclers of the past have left little space for women’s role in the evolution of humanity, whether cultural or biological. Instead, the lives of men have been taken to represent those of humans overall. When it comes to the lives of the other half of humanity, there is often nothing but silence.
And these silences are everywhere. Our entire culture is riddled with them. Films, news, literature, science, city planning, economics. The stories we tell ourselves about our past, present and future. They are all marked— disfigured—by a female-shaped ‘absent presence’. This is the gender data gap. The gender data gap isn’t just about silence. These silences, these gaps, have consequences. They impact on women’s lives every day. The impact can be relatively minor. Shivering in offices set to a male temperature norm, for example, or struggling to reach a top shelf set at a male height norm. Irritating, certainly. Unjust, undoubtedly.
But not life-threatening. Not like crashing in a car whose safety measures don’t account for women’s measurements. Not like having your heart attack go undiagnosed because your symptoms are deemed ‘atypical’. For these women, the consequences of living in a world built around male data can be deadly. One of the most important things to say about the gender data gap is that it is not generally malicious, or even deliberate. Quite the opposite. It is simply the product of a way of thinking that has been around for millennia and is therefore a kind of not thinking. A double not thinking, even: men go without saying, and women don’t get said at all. Because when we say human, on the whole, we mean man.
This is not a new observation. Simone de Beauvoir made it most famously when in 1949 she wrote, ‘humanity is male and man defines woman not in herself, but as relative to him; she is not regarded as an autonomous being. [...] He is the Subject, he is the Absolute—she is the Other.’ What is new is the context in which women continue to be ‘the Other’. And that context is a world increasingly reliant on and in thrall to data. Big Data. Which in turn is panned for Big Truths by Big Algorithms, using Big Computers. But when your big data is corrupted by big silences, the truths you get are half-truths, at best. And often, for women, they aren’t true at all. As computer scientists themselves say: ‘Garbage in, garbage out.’
Question: 1

Based on the passage, which of the following statements BEST explains “absent presence”?

Updated On: Aug 22, 2025
  • The presence is felt due to the specificity of the absence.
  • The absence makes the case for the need for presence.
  • By its sheer absence, it is present.
  • Because of the absence, one can recognise its presence.
  • The absence is female-shaped, making it present.
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

To understand the concept of “absent presence,” it's essential to look at how the term is illustrated in the passage. The passage discusses the historical and cultural neglect of women's roles and contributions, highlighting how their absence in records and narratives paradoxically signifies their presence. This absence is not a mere neglect; it's both a silence and a statement. In analyzing the given options:
  • The presence is felt due to the specificity of the absence.
  • The absence makes the case for the need for presence.
  • By its sheer absence, it is present.
  • Because of the absence, one can recognise its presence.
  • The absence is female-shaped, making it present.
The answer "By its sheer absence, it is present." most accurately captures the described "absent presence." The passage explains how the lack of data on women underscores a significant, yet unrecorded existence. This paradoxical presence through absence is evident in the way significant impacts on women are often overlooked because the data (or lack thereof) highlights their unnoticed presence. Thus, the "absent" creates a presence that should not be ignored.
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Question: 2

Based on the passage, which of the following options BEST describes “double not thinking”?

Updated On: Aug 22, 2025
  • Men, over millennia, always confused human with being only male.
  • Men not thinking and women not being allowed to think is due to double not thinking.
  • Over millennia, men and women have been conditioned to treat women as unequal.
  • Whenever humans are mentioned, it is men; further, women are not mentioned.
  • Men’s rejection of women as humans and women’s acceptance of it is the double not thinking.
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

The concept of "double not thinking," as derived from the passage, relates to an ingrained cultural bias where men are automatically considered the standard for "human," and women are thus excluded or omitted from this definition. The passage describes how historical narratives and cultural norms have perpetuated a gender data gap, which results in male experiences being generalized for humanity as a whole, while female perspectives are invisible—this is the essence of "double not thinking." Among the options provided, the statement "Whenever humans are mentioned, it is men; further, women are not mentioned" encapsulates this idea accurately. It highlights the one-sided nature of the definition of humanity, where men's experiences are noted, and women’s are consistently overlooked, aligning perfectly with the passage’s theme of women’s roles not being acknowledged when defining humanity.

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Question: 3

Which of the following statements can be BEST concluded from the passage?

Updated On: Aug 22, 2025
  • Women have never been treated as distinct identities which causes the gender data gap.
  • The need of the hour is to revisit the past, and reduce the gender data gap at the earliest.
  • The gender data gap is amplified by data-based decision making.
  • Over millennia, men ignored women, which resulted in the gender data gap and deadly consequences.
  • Emphasis on data-based decision making, can be devastating to women, given the gender data gap.
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The Correct Option is

Solution and Explanation

To determine the best conclusion from the passage, let's analyze the provided information. The passage discusses the historical and ongoing 'gender data gap' where women have been largely ignored or underrepresented in records, decision-making, and data collection. This gap results in a lack of understanding and consideration in areas impacting women’s lives, such as medicine and safety measures. It emphasizes that the reliance on data-based decision-making in a male-centric recorded history perpetuates inequalities that can be harmful or even deadly to women.
Given this context, let's review the given options:
  • Women have never been treated as distinct identities which causes the gender data gap.
  • The need of the hour is to revisit the past, and reduce the gender data gap at the earliest.
  • The gender data gap is amplified by data-based decision making.
  • Over millennia, men ignored women, which resulted in the gender data gap and deadly consequences.
  • Emphasis on data-based decision making, can be devastating to women, given the gender data gap.
Option 1 touches on the cause but doesn't focus on the consequences. Option 2 suggests an action, which is not the primary focus of the passage. Option 3 points out the amplification of the gap but lacks a detailed conclusion. Option 4 acknowledges historical neglect, but Option 5, which is the correct answer, directly addresses the consequence of emphasizing data-based decision-making, which could be devastating for women due to existing data gaps. Thus, the last option effectively captures the essence of the passage: the critical impact of the gender data gap in a data-driven world.
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