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CAT MANIA |
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Verbal Ability |
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5. Odd man out : In this question type, four words or sentences are given. The candidate has to identify the one which does not belong to the category of the other three and mark that as the answer. So, identify the logic on which three of the four choices can be considered to belong to a group. If all four appear to ‘belong’ to a group, see on what basis one of them can be eliminated from the group. 6. Best summary : A small paragraph is given in the question followed by four choices, all of which seem to mean the same as the original. The candidate has to identify the choice that is the best restatement of the given paragraph and mark that as the answer. The best summary is the one that captures the main points but omits all examples, redundancy, and circumlocution. On reading the question the candidate should make a mental note of the points made and select the answer choice that retains the important points and the tone of the original text. 7. Meaning–Usage match : The candidates are tested on their ability to identify the meaning of word in a context. Each question consists of a word followed by four different dictionary meanings of the word. Four sentences using this word are also given – each sentence using the word with a different meaning – corresponding to the four meanings. The candidate is expected to match each of the meanings with the appropriate sentence that has this meaning. The word may have altogether different meanings or the shades of meaning may be different. The word may sometimes be use as noun, verb, adjective etc. The candidate should zero in on that meaning–sentence combination which he is sure is correct, then look for the choice that has this combination and check out the other combinations in it. 8. Inappropriate substitute : This question type has a word used in a sentence followed by four words given as answer choices. One of these words cannot substitute the question word in the sentence, without altering the meaning. The other three words are synonyms or near synonyms of the word in the sentence. Even if the candidate does not know the word given in the question, he can still identify the synonyms in the answer choices and pick the one that does not mean what the other three mean. Thus, this question type reduces to an oddman out question. 9. Cloze Passage : The is a type of question of the ‘Fill in the Blanks’ variety. In this, a paragraph or a small passage is given with a few blanks which indicate missing words. These blanks are numbered serially. For each blank, four words are given. The candidate has to identify the words that most appropriately fit into the blank and mark them as the answers. In answering this question type, the candidate would do well to read the whole paragraph to get the tone, attitude and a grasp of the content. The candidate should be guided by these when choosing the answers. Often a choice of one word in a blank automatically leads to the next. Hence never approach this in a piecemeal fashion. 10. Facts / inferences / Judgments : This is a question type that tests the ability of the candidate to classify a given statement as a fact or inference or judgment. The candidate should be able judge the nature of statement accurately and quickly. ‘Fact’ is defined as a piece of information that can be verified. ‘Inference’, is what is logically concluded from some data. ‘Judgment’ is what is in the nature of an opinion. In tackling this, the candidate should decide which sentence he is very confident about. For example, if you are sure that something is a ‘fact’, look for answer choices in which this is right, then verify the others given in that choice and choose the option in which the classification is correct. 11. Fill in the blanks (Grammar) : In this type of question, a part of a sentence is left blank and is followed by four choices. The candidate is expected to pick the option which when inserted into the blank, makes the sentence grammatically correct. In grammar questions, the main areas covered are, subject-verb agreement, positioning of the adverb, phrasal verbs, the infinitive, correlative conjunctions, modifiers, gerund form, prepositions etc. When answering these questions it may help to underline in the four choices, where the variations are and rule out ones you are sure are incorrect. 12. Inappropriate usage: A word is used in four different ways and the candidate has to identify the sentence in which the given word is used in a way that does not conform to standard English usage. Remember that it may be incorrect or inappropriate – meaning that a particular word may be grammatically wrong or inappropriate in the context. Here again the areas covered are articles, subject verb agreement, singular-plural in nouns or pronouns, preposition, position of the adverb, phrasal verbs, idioms etc. Sometimes a word that is close to the appropriate word is used. For example, ‘host’ may be used instead of ‘home’. Here again, what is tested is familiarity with the language and hence a wide reading is useful.
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