MAH CET 2015: Devote next 10 days to RC passages; expert tips to ace the Verbal Ability section

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MBAUniverse.com News Desk |
March 4, 2015
MAHCET 2015 is also a very good opportunity for the candidates who couldn’t score a high sectional score either in CAT 2014 or XAT 2015 and couldn’t get the call from IIMs or XLRI
RC passages in MAH CET are short say about 500 words followed by 10-12 questions as against CAT where a 900 worded passage is followed by 4 questions

Yet another good opportunity to pursue MBA from a top level B school in Maharashtra is only 10 days away in the form of MAHCET 2015 to be conducted on March 14 & 15, 2015. MAHCET 2015 is also a very good opportunity for the candidates who couldn’t score a high sectional score either in CAT 2014 or XAT 2015 and couldn’t get the call from IIMs or XLRI despite scoring a high over score.

MAHCET 2015 could prove to be a turning point in scoring high as the exam has no negative marking system and thereby getting an admission opportunity to get into JBIMS, SIMSREE, KJ Somaiya, DSIMS, NL Dalmiya, IESMCRC, MET, PUMBA and many more top B schools in Maharashtra.

With MAHCET round the corner and preparation level going high among the aspirants, MBAUniverse.com brings forth the expert tips from Verbal Ability expert Prof S.K. Agarwal in regard to preparation, probable type of questions, topics, number and pattern of questions expected in Verbal Ability section with focus on questions based on Reading Comprehension passages.

VARC: Maximum share of questions in MAHCET 2015
Total number of questions in MAHCET will be 200 in the form of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). Entire test has to be solved in 150 minutes. There is no negative marking in MAHCET, hence the cut off to top rated B schools may also be high. The test, with three sections of Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning and Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, carries maximum number of questions in VARC section.    
Moreover, questions on Reading comprehension passages form a lion’s share in Verbal Ability and RC section in MAHCET. Out of 80 questions in VARC, candidates can expect 30 to 36 questions based on 4-5 Reading comprehension passages.

Number and size of Reading comprehension passages
RC passages in MAH CET are short say about 500 words followed by 10-12 questions as against CAT where a 900 worded passage is followed by 4 questions. The passages have moderate level of difficulty. In case number of passages are less than 3 or 4 they may be followed by 12-14 questions each else by 8 to 10 questions each. There may be 3-4 passages in the test and therefore, you can expect 30 to 36 questions on Reading comprehension.

MAHCET 2015: Expected Types of RC passages
Type-1
There are two types of passages in MAH CET. One is of 60-70 words with 5-6 questions. The passage has number of blanks in it and out of the 5 options for each blank the test taker has to pick out the most appropriate one. Each of the blanks is numbered. Candidates have to find the word which fits the blank appropriately. There may be 6 to 8 questions on this pattern in this section.

Sample RC Passage: Type-1
The North-East India is Asia in miniature, a place (1) the brown and yellow races (2) and mingle. There are at least 262 (3) ethnic groups and the region is home to more than 150 million people. If one includes Bangladesh. Take (4) example the state of Manipur, which (5) Burma, with a population of 1.8 million people.

Q.1. (1) when (2) although (3) where (4) to (5) if
Q.2. (1) meet (2) desert (3) form (4) find (5) went
Q.3. (1) identical (2) closed (3) corresponding (4) homogeneous (5) separate
Q.4. (1) from (2) for (3) again (4) besides (5) to
Q.5. (1) holds (2) stretches (3) rules (4) borders (5) side

Ans. Q.1 (3) where; Q.2(1) meet; Q.3(4) homogeneous; Q.4(2) for; Q.5(4) borders.  All these words will come to mind spontaneously, when you read the passage.

Tips: How to prepare and solve
This passage with blanks is there to test your skill in the usage of Grammar as well as in Vocabulary. Answer options are also very close and to solve them you need to know different forms of verbs, nouns, adjectives, prepositions or other parts of speech, words and phrases which are to be inserted at the given numbers. The best way is to form the sentence in your mind and analyse whether it has been correctly formed. While solving it, go for elimination method.

Type-2
There would be 3-4 short passages. Although the questions based on them are not very difficult, the answer options are very close and to some extent are tricky. Every question is expected to be followed by 5 answer options.

Sample RC passage: Type-2
Q.1-14. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions.

There is no field of human endeavour that has been so misunderstood as health. While health which connotes well-being and the absence of illness has a low profile, it is illness representing the failure of health which virtually monopolizes attention because of the fear of pain, disability and death. Even Sushruta had warned that this provides the medical practitioner power over the patient which could be misused. Till recently, patients had implicit faith in their physician whom they loved and respected, not only for his knowledge but also in the total belief that practitioners of this noble profession, guided by ethics, always placed the patient’s interest above all other considerations. This rich interpersonal relationship between the physician, patient and family has, barring a few exceptions, prevailed till the recent past, for caring was considered as important as curing. Our indigenous systems of medicine like Ayurveda and Yoga have been more concerned with the promotion of the health of both the body and mind and with maintaining a harmonious relationship not just with fellow beings but with nature itself, of which man is an integral part.

Healthy practices like cleanliness proper diet, exercise and meditation are part of our culture which sustains people even in the prevailing conditions of poverty in rural India and in the unhygienic urban slums. These systems consider disease as an aberration resulting from disturbance of the equilibrium of health, which must be corrected by gentle restoration of this balance through proper diet, medicines and the establishment of mental peace. They also teach the graceful acceptance of old age with its infirmities resulting from the normal degenerative process as well as of death which is inevitable.

This is in marked contrast to the western concept of life as a constant struggle against disease, aging and death which must be fought and conquered with the knowledge and technology derived from their science a science which with its narrow dissective and quantifying approach, has provided us the understanding of the microbial causes of communicable diseases and provided highly effective technology for their prevention, treatment and control. This can rightly be claimed as the greatest contribution of western medicine and justifiably termed as ‘high’ technology. And yet the contribution of this science in the field on non-communicable
diseases is remarkably poor despite the far greater inputs in research communicable diseases is remarkably poor despite the far greater inputs in research and treatment for the problems of aging like cancer, heart diseases, paralytic strokes and arthritis which are the major problems of affluent societies today.

Q.1. Why, according to the author, people in India have survived inspite of poverty ?
(1) Their natural resistance to communicable diseases is very high.
(2) They have easy access to western technology.
(3) Their will to conquer diseases.
(4) Their harmonious relationship with the physician.
(5) None of these

Q.2. Which of the following has been described as the most outstanding benefit of modern medicine ?

(A) The real course and ways of control of communicable diseases.
(B) Evaluation of the concept of harmony between man and nature.
(C) Special techniques for fighting aging.

(1) Only (B) and (C) (2) Only (A) and (B) (3) Only (A) (4) Only (B) (5) Only (C)

Q.3. In India traditionally the doctors were being guided mainly by which of the following ?

(1) High technology (2) Good Knowledge (3) Professional ethics (4) Power over patient (5) Western concept of life

Q.4. Why has the field of health not been understood properly ?

(1) Difficulty in understanding distinction between health and illness.
(2) Confusion between views of indigenous and western system.
(3) Highly advanced technology being used by the professionals.
(4) Not given in the passage.
(5) None of these

Q.5. Why does the author describes the contribution of science as remarkably poor ?

(1) It concentrates more on health than on illness.
(2) It suggests, remedies for the poor people.
(3) It demands more inputs in terms of research and technology.
(4) The cost of treatment is low.
(5) None of these

Q.6. The author seems to suggest that -------

(1) we should give importance to improving the health rather than curing of illness.
(2) we should move towards becoming an affluent society.
(3) ayurveda is superior than yoga.
(4) good interpersonal relationship between the doctor and patient is necessary but not sufficient.
(5) Ayurvedic medicines can be improved by following western approaches and methods of sciences

Q.7. Which of the following can be inferred about the position of the author in writing in the passage ?

(A) Ardent supporter of western system in present context.
(B) Supremacy of ancient Indian system in today’s world.
(C) Critical and objective assessment of the present situation.

(1) Only (A) (2) Only (B) (3) Only (C)  (4) Neither (B) nor (C)  (5) None of these

Q.8. What caution proponents of indigenous systems have sounded against medical practitioners?
(1) Their undue concern for the health of the person.
(2) Their emphasis on research on non-communicable diseases.
(3) Their emphasis on curing illness rather than preventive health measures.
(4) Their emphasis on restoring health for affluent members of the society.
(5) None of these

Q.9. Which of the following pairs are mentioned as ‘contrast’ in the passage?
(1) Western concept of life and science.
(2) Technology and science.
(3) Western physician and western educated Indian physician.
(4) Indian and western concept of life.
(5) Knowledge and technology.

Q.10-12. Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning of the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

Q.10. Concerned (1) Diluted (2) Liberated (3) Indifferent (4) Divested (5) Relaxed

Q.11. Degenerative (1) Recuperative (2) Revolving (3) Productive (4) Innovative (5) Integrative

Q.12. Inevitable (1) Undesirable (2) Unsuitable (3) Detestable (4) Avoidable (5) Available

Q.13-14. Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

Q.13. Connotes (1) Helps (2) Cures (3) Follows (4) Confirms (5) Implies

Q.14. Aberration (1) Observation (2) Alternative (3) Deviation (4) Outcome (5) Stimulate

Ans.

Question no.

Correct Answer option

Question no.

Correct answer option

1

5

8

3

2

3

9

4

3

3

10

3

4

1

11

1

5

3

12

4

6

1

13

5

7

3

14

3

Expert tips: How to prepare and solve
Prof S K Agarwal Verbal Ability Expert and mentor on MAHCET 2015 preparation suggests the candidates to improve the reading speed. Aspirants can do it by reading the editorials in newspapers, looking up the meanings of difficult words and putting them in contextual usage.

Read the passage twice initially at a faster pace and then a little slowly. Note down the important words, phrases and sentences so that the passage is absolutely clear to you by the time you finish reading it.

After the first reading, you may read the questions and the appropriate answer options. This will help you to focus on selecting the right answer when you read the passage for the second time.

Don’t go by raw meaning: focus on contextual usage of vocab in RC
Questions on vocabulary words or phrases as used in the passage need special attention. We are not concerned with the core and dictionary meaning of the word or phrase but how they have been used in the passage is more important. Hence read the sentence and understand the context in which these words or phrases have been used. The dictionary meaning and use of the same in the passage may have some distinction. The aspirants should go by the passage and not by the dictionary meaning only.

Source of RC Passages in MAHCET: What happened in past
The passages, in most of the cases, appear to have been extracted from newspapers, periodicals, books on different topics or famous articles. If we look at the past trends in MAHCET, it has had varying types of passages. For example in MAHCET 2010, the passage on ‘Brain drain’ was of more than the length of 700 words followed by 8 questions which were direct, time consuming and formed 3 statements. Answer options had combination of statements. Questions were also based on synonyms, antonyms, phrases as used in the passage.

In 2011 four RC passages were followed by 32 questions. Two passages had moderate while other two had higher difficulty level. The questions were difficult and options were close ones. In 2012 the test remained tough and cut off also went down. There was no MAHCET 2013 and MAHCET 2014 also followed the trend of 2012.

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