CAT 2014: How to deal with Reading comprehension; time consuming but important to crack CAT

Updated on November 10, 2014

CAT 2014 has changed the exam pattern and most of the changes have been brought to Verbal Ability section

Instead of earlier 10 questions based on 3 Reading comprehension passages, CAT 2014 is expected to have 4 Reading Comprehension passages followed by 16 questions

CAT 2014 has changed the exam pattern and most of the changes have been brought to Verbal Ability section. Instead of earlier 10 questions based on 3 Reading comprehension passages, CAT 2014 is expected to have 4 Reading Comprehension passages followed by 16 questions. The difficulty level of RC passages is expected to remain moderate to difficult. The length of RC passages is also expected to be of 800-900 words each.

While one of the RC passages is expected to be followed by 3 questions, 2 passages by 4 questions, one passage could be lengthier followed by 5 questions. So far CAT used to place 3 passages, 2 of them were followed by 3 questions each while one passage was longer followed by 4 questions. The pattern has changed this year for CAT 2014.

RC: The most important part in Verbal

Reading comprehension will play the most important role in Verbal Ability section. The 16 RC questions out of 34 questions on Verbal Ability in second section with 50 questions constitute roughly 32% share in the entire section and about 50% of the Verbal Ability questions which will be a major part to push the percentile up in CAT 2014 exam.

It is undoubtedly correct that Reading Comprehension passages consume more time in reading, understanding their twisted, figurative and phrasal type of language and then choosing the correct answer option out of the closely placed answer options. But the silver lining attached to one RC passage should not be missed. In fact one passage is followed by multiple questions and if you can decode one RC passage in 10-12 minutes, it may not be considered a loss of time for you as you will be able to answer 4-5 questions in one go after reading one RC passage.

How to deal with RC passages in CAT

In view of Prof S K Agarwal, Verbal Ability expert and mentor on CAT preparation, Reading comprehension test, paves the way of the candidate to the managerial capability as well, where, at every step throughout the life he/she is required to interpret the ideas, draw inferences, analyse the reports & references, utilise the stuff for ongoing and developing management skills. Written submissions in every sphere of life might do wonders and build more and more confidence.

Reading comprehension needs specific attention and without this, it is not possible to build the castle of your preparation. Students must improve the skills and efficiency to enhance the confidence level in usage of various distinctive parts of speech, correction of grammatical errors, application & use of vocabulary.

While you are reading an article, passage, book – pick out the words which are of interest to you- find out their meaning-try to understand the context in which they are used and follow the structure of sentence. When you write, try to frame good sentences using the new words. This will give you ample opportunity to rectify the errors in sentences, improving the vocabulary, improving the speed and accuracy of reading and the skill to pick out the wrong sentences as well as how to complete the sentence or paragraph

Tips to prepare and improve reading skills

Prof S K Agarwal shares following tips for the benefit of aspirants to quickly improve their reading skills and come out of the CAT testing room with flying colours

→ Make it the regular practice to read the editorials, articles in the news paper,

→ Underline the difficult words-search out their meanings and put them to use in writing, in conversation etc. Tests have shown that the number of unfamiliar words in a passage, if exceeds about one in twenty, the reader will lose track. If the proportion is lower, the reader may skip over the unfamiliar words and grasp, at least the general meaning.

→ This procedure reinforces the parts that the reader half-knows. Then he or she can look up those new words that seem most interesting or important, to have proper understanding of the passage.

→ Have a good book on grammar and reading comprehension with plenty of exercises. Get your concepts cleared and then attempt the exercises. At a later stage on line mock tests will enable you to have proper feel of examination hall and your level of preparation as well. So take on the challenge.

→ Read the passage/article fairly quickly to get the general idea.

→ Read again, if possible, a little slowly so as to understand the details.

→ Write a summary in your own words neatly and precisely – with one third/fourth in length to the original length of the passage.

→ Use complete sentences, Take care to understand

→ Make a chart on time consumed in reading and writing the summary of the passage. Check whether the time is getting reduced after a day or two.

→ Go for versatile reading with different topics. Try to mark and note down the interesting/important words or sentences.

RC: Testing room strategy

In the testing room you will be provided with the scratch sheet and the pen to do rough work and calculation. Prof S K Agarwal strongly advises the CAT 2014 aspirants to make use of the scratch sheet provided in the examination hall and write down the keys words, sentences indicating the main idea in each of the paragraph of the passage. Important key words in each sentences can also be jotted down. By the time the passage is over, the candidate will not only have the good understanding of the passage but also will be fairly equipped to answer almost all the questions based on the RC passage.

Common questions on all the RC passages like ‘Tone of the author’; ‘Main idea of the passage’; ‘Purpose of passage’ may get twisted form in CAT 2014. Question to ‘pick out the meaning of phrases as used in the passages’ is expected to be there. Tone of the author might be replaced with ‘Attitude’ of the author. While the passages made available in the practice test are either not very difficult or are taken from past CAT exams, the expected difficulty level in actual CAT 2014 exam is expected to be higher.

Example RC Passage followed by questions

Direction for questions 1 to 3- Read the short passage below and answer the questions that follow

There are moments in our lives that remind us of our true Divine nature and oneness with all of creation. In these moments we get a glimpse of our true nature as living sparks of a loving God.

Sometimes we understand and experience things that we cannot easily put into words. Like when we are listening to good music or meditating and suddenly we feel a moment of bliss and expansion in our consciousness. Many times you may have been listening to a score of music or meditating and felt a sudden surge of love towards not just all of humanity, but all of creation itself. A wave of love erupts from the depths of our hearts and travels across cities, nations, continents, planets, star systems, galaxies, galactic clusters and universes in just a few seconds. In that moment of pure ecstasy, you feel oneness with all beings. You feel love that cannot be described in words other than to say that it is more intense than anything else you have ever felt.

It is a feeling of complete unification with all things. In the physical world that we live in, we cannot become truly ‘one’ with other physical beings. But when we transcend the boundaries of physicality, we truly are able to merge together in the form of spirit and energy.

Think of it like this, there was a time billions of years ago, when everything in this universe -- from the largest galaxy to the smallest atom -- existed together inside a potentiality that was smaller than the smallest atom. Imagine the density of such a potentiality. Why we say ‘potentiality’ is because before the Big Bang took place, there was neither energy nor matter. Both of these were created in that instant that created the cycle of the universe. From that moment onwards, the tiny potentiality expanded in a flash of energy that is expanding to this day. Every star, planet, atom, everything that exists today – you, me, the chair you’re sitting on, the car you drive, the ring that you wear, the atoms that make up all those things -- were created in that flash of creation called the Big Bang. Since then things have just been expanding and getting readjusted.

Perhaps at the deepest level of Spirit, we know that we all came from the same source, at the same time, by the same word of creation that created all. It is clear that the primary motivation and energy behind Creation can be narrowed down to one single word – Love.

Love is the cement that binds all together. Love is the force that primal in nature. Before we were made as souls, we existed together in the potentiality of Love in the bosom of God where we basked in the glorious Love of God for eternity.

It is a small glimpse of this Divine Love that we experience in moments where the energy of certain music coupled with a particular state of mind can make our spirit transcend the physical world and its delusion of separation, so that we remember at the level of the soul how we felt when we were aware of our oneness with all that is.

These moments of transcending the physical bonds of Earth are just a glimpse of the unimaginable bliss and feeling of all-encompassing love that we will feel when our souls finally complete their journey on Earth and rise up into eternity to touch the face of God!

Question-1: In view of the author we feel sudden love towards the entire creation of God because-

A. We find ourselves busy in the serious routine work hence let it be our duty to feel benevolent towards the creation of God

B. It is the creation in the universe that attracts us with none of our efforts and blesses us with the bountiful gifts of nature. It is therefore, but natural to extend the passionate feelings towards it.

C. It is spontaneous and comes to us whenever our heart and soul get united in spiritual sense extending the feeling of passion to the largest possible extent.

D. We are gifted with senses and feelings to share with other creatures. These feelings are aroused when we find our conscience is regained.

1. A & B 2. B only 3. C only 4. D only

Question 2: The phrase transcend the boundaries of physicality, as used in the passage means-

100Author writes symbolically that the physical presence is not necessary at a particular place and we can have symbolic presence

A. Physical presence has to be within its limitations whereas our heart and soul can be present any where

B. No physical boundaries are to be recognised on the contrary all such barriers must be broken among the countries to make this earth as one.

C. This is the spiritual going in abstract form beyond the physical surroundings and boundaries; our spirit can surpass any limitations to be united with this universe conceptually

1.A 2. B 3. C 4. D

Question 3: Elaboration of ‘the Big Bang’ implies that the tone of the passage is

A. Related to the description of cosmological model describing the expansion of the universe

B. Related to the analysis of great explosion that gave birth to the life on the Earth

C. Related to the spiritual description of the existence of nature and God that gave birth to us all

D. Related to the narration making things clear scientifically that we all are unified at the root level

1. A 2. B 3. C 4.D

Answers with explanation

Ans. Question-1- 3.C only- second paragraph of the passage describes this feeling very well.

Ans. Question-2 – 4. D – Author means to go beyond any physical limitation in the abstract form of spirit and energy to get united with the universe while spreading love and passionate positive feelings

Ans. Question-3- 3.C – tone of the passage is spiritual, description of the Big Bang is to bring home our originating source which is one –to be termed as love of nature.