CAT 2024 - Slot 3 Varc Question 18

A useful strategy for determining where the given sentence best fits is to look for places where the flow of ideas feels awkward or disconnected. When we examine the sentences around Blank 1, we see that they are well-linked, moving smoothly from the broader issue of the drought to its immediate consequence, food insecurity. The same logic applies to Blanks 2 and 3 - there are no noticeable disruptions in the flow of ideas here. The structure remains clear and coherent even without inserting the given sentence into these blanks.
However, when we look at Blank 4, we notice a discrepancy. The sentence before Blank 4 mentions farmers and pastoralists, and the sentence following it continues discussing pastoralists, but there’s a slight gap in the connection. If the sentences were closely linked, the author could have used pronouns or rephrased the second sentence to refer to pastoralists more naturally. Additionally, there’s a shift in focus: the paragraph moves from talking about "leaving them on the brink of famine" to "never being able to go back as their livelihoods have been irreversibly wiped out." This jump in ideas suggests the need for a transitional sentence to bridge the two concepts - enter the given sentence. Moreover, the "Many... Some..." structure works well here. First, the author mentions the larger group of farmers and pastoralists and how they were displaced. Then, the sentence narrows the focus to a smaller portion of this group, highlighting how, even for those who were not displaced, their livelihoods were so affected that they may never recover. This progression makes the insertion of the given sentence at Blank 4 both logical and necessary for maintaining coherence.
Hence, option a is the correct choice.