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CAT MANIA |
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Verbal Ability |
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INTRODUCTION TO VERBAL ABILITY
For the past four years, the CAT has been a three-section paper. One of the three sections, tests the candidate on English language ability. The section generally has around 50 questions and can be divided into two - the Verbal Ability section and the section on Reading Comprehension. Let us look at the Verbal Ability section today. Tables I and II give an analysis of the Verbal Ability section in terms of marks and the types of questions that have been given in recent years. The Verbal Ability section of CAT and similar examinations is designed to test the candidate on the following areas. (a) Vocabulary : Vocabulary questions test the candidate’s knowledge of the primary meanings of words, secondary shades of meaning, usage, idioms and phrases, antonyms, related words etc. (b) Grammar : Grammar-based questions test the candidate’s ability to spot and correct grammatical errors. CAT generally tests knowledge of high school level grammar and includes areas like subject-verb agreement, use of modifiers, parallel construction, redundancy, phrasal verbs, use of articles, prepositions etc. (c) Verbal reasoning : Verbal reasoning questions are designed to test the candidate’s ability to identify relationships or patterns within groups of words or sentences. It should be noted that very few question types fall into these neat compartments. Most questions simultaneously test the candidate on several areas. For instance, sentence completion questions test the candidate on vocabulary and verbal reasoning.
What you need to crack the Verbal Ability section
1. A good vocabulary : This is a prerequisite for doing well on a number of MBA entrance tests. As far as CAT is concerned, the vocabulary required is not very high in the sense that most of the words that the candidate is tested are those that a well read person would come across in his reading. The CAT tests the candidate’s knolwedge of the usage and secondary shades of meaning of common words like ‘help’, ‘bolt’, ‘passing’ etc. The best way to build vocabulary is by reading as much as possible. Get into the habit of reading newspaper editorials, good books etc. Every time you come across a new word, note it down, refer to a dictionary, learn the various meanings, usages (the prepositions that are to be used with the word), phrasal verbs and idioms related to that word etc. Note down the sentence in which you found the word and make a sentence of your own. Learn words in groups (i.e. when learning a word, learn its synonyms). Also find out whether the word has a positive or a negative connotation or whether it is neutral. Periodically, revise what you have noted down. Remember, words can be forgotten quite easily. The more you revise, the less the chances of forgetting.
2. Some idea of Grammar : As far as grammar is concerned, a sound knowledge of what you learnt in school (or failed to do so!) is all that is needed. Practise grammar exercises. A rule in grammar will be remembered only if you encounter it in usage a number of times.
3. Commonsense : Keep your wits about you. A certain amount of commonsense and logical reasoning is essential for handling questions like paragraph sequencing.
4. Extensive reading : There is no better way to improve your command over the language than reading extensively. Read newspapers, magazines and any good book you can lay your hands on. This will improve your awareness levels, and familiarize you with the nuances of the language and help you read between the lines. Once you are familiar with good writing, you will instinctively identify anything that is incorrect or inappropriate. In the final analysis, your performance on the Verbal Ability section will in the main depend on how well read you are. So read, read, read.
The time factor: The Verbal Ability section is generally considered the least challenging section on the CAT. There are few questions that a well-read candidate cannot crack. So, does that mean that you can take it easy? No way. The catch is the time available. The V.A. section is a scoring one, but one cannot afford to spend too much time on it. So, speed is the key, and this is a function of practice and familiarity with question types. So, clearly, the mantra is PRACTICE. Given below are tips on answering some important question types. Study these and answer the questions given below them.
Some important question types: 1. Analogies: A pair of words is given followed by four choices. The candidate is expected to identify the relationship between the main pair of words and select the choice in which the pair of words have the same relationship as the words in the question pair have. The words can be antonyms, or synonyms or may bear some other relationship (i.e. workman : tool e.g. surgeon : scalpel). Identify the part of speech of the given words i.e., noun, verb or adjective. Since a given word can have one meaning as verb and an altogether different meaning as noun or adjective, (for eg. ‘appropriate’) check if the given answer pairs bear, a clear and definite relationship. Eliminate those which have no proper relationship and for the remaining choices, look for any secondary meaning and sharply define the relationship between the pair of words. The choice that bears the identical relation as found in the question pair is the best choice. If more than one choice appears to be correct, check if the position of the words is reversed, as it sometimes is. 2. Reverse analogies: These questions are similar to analogy questions, but of the four choices given, three exhibit the same relationship as the main pair of words and only one pair DOES NOT exhibit the same relationship. In other words, identify the odd man out. This is easier than the previous type as there are four pairs of words that reveal the nature of the analogy. 3. Fill in the blanks: The candidate has to select the correct pair of words from the given choices that fit into the blanks in the given sentence. Read the complete sentence with the blank and try to understand the meaning, the tone, the attitude, the style, the type of language used. These could give a clue to the correct word. Think of what word you would use if you had to complete the sentence. See if both blanks take positive words, negative words or one positive and one negative. If you are not sure, try fitting each of the choices in the sentence and see if it sounds apt or jarring. Often two or three of the words may fit in the first blank or the second one and the combination of the two will help you decide on the right choice. 4. Jumbled paragraph: The sentences of a paragraph are jumbled and each sentence is denoted by a letter of the alphabet. The choices give different ways of arranging these sentences and the one which helps build a logically coherent paragraph should be marked as the answer choice. The number of sentences varies from four to six. Read the sentences to grasp the idea conveyed by it. Since they form a paragraph, look for the sentence that can be the opening or the closing sentence of the paragraph. Since the paragraph is built around a central idea, identify the topic sentence (which often begins the paragraph), try and find the logic or reasoning in the paragraph. Look for pronouns (he, they, it etc.) since pronouns stand for the nouns that go before them. This will help you to link the sentences. Look for conjunctions – and, but, though, still, unless, in spits of – that give clues on the order of sentences.
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