This expert article, fourth in the Verbal series, by Prof. SK Agarwal, author and seasoned CAT trainer in Verbal Area, provides important tips on the strategy to improve passage reading skill and how to solve the questions based on Reading Comprehension passages within the given time frame.
Other three published articles in Verbal series on types and tricks to solve CAT questions on Logical Reasoning ; Error correction in paragraphs and sentences; various types of Vocabulary questions , Anticipated surprise questions in Verbal Ability are of tremendous help to the aspirants to learn the next 7 days preparation path with strategy to perform better in Verbal section.
How important are the questions based on Reading comprehension passages, can be well understood by the fact that RC has a lion’s share in Verbal Ability section. One third part of the Verbal Ability & LR section and half of the Verbal Ability section is devoted to Reading Comprehension. Out of the 30 questions which include LR also, 9-10 questions are based on RC passages. Given the trend, one right answer awards a credit of three marks – if all the 9 are correct, it will bestow 27 marks and after the equated system calculated- percentile will improve to a great extent.
Topics that form the passages
RC passage could be on any topic under the Sun. CAT prefers to have passages on philosophy, psychology, facts, socio-economic, non controversial political, business & commerce topics. Length of the passage has been reduced, from 1200-1400 words to 800-900 words to enable the students to concentrate more on the reduced number of questions, although difficult to some extent. Every examination session in CAT-2012 had three passages followed by 9-10 questions based on them and the same pattern is expected in CAT 2013.
How to prepare and improve reading skills in 7 days
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.
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
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 day by day.
Go for versatile reading on different topics since you may or may not get the passages of your interest in the examination.
Example- RC Passage followed by questions- Please remember, Reading comprehension exercise is a passage upon which questions are set to test the student’s ability to understand the content of the given text and to infer information and meanings from it.
Directions for questions 1 to 5- Read the short passage below and answer the questions that follow
Language is not a cultural artefact that we learn the way we learn to tell time or how the federal government works. Instead, it is a distinct piece of the biological makeup of our brains. Language is a complex, specialized skill, which develops in the child spontaneously, without conscious effort or formal instruction, is deployed without awareness of its underlying logic, is qualitatively the same in every individual, and is distinct from more general abilities to process information or behave intelligently. For these reasons some cognitive scientists have described language as a psychological faculty, a mental organ, a neural system, and a computational module. But I prefer the admittedly quaint term ‘instinct’. It conveys the idea that people know how to talk in more or less the sense that spiders know how to spin webs. Web-spinning was not invented by some unsung spider genius and does not depend on having had the right education or on having an aptitude for architecture or the construction trades. Rather, spiders spin spider webs because they have spider brains, which give them the urge to spin and the competence to succeed. Although there are differences between webs and words, I will encourage you to see language in this way; for it helps to make sense of the phenomena we will explore
Thinking of language as an instinct inverts the popular wisdom, especially as it has been passed down in the canon of the humanities and social sciences. Language is no more a cultural invention than is upright posture. It is not a manifestation of a general capacity to use – symbols: a three year old, we shall see, is a grammatical genius, but is quite incompetent at the visual arts, religious iconography, traffic signs, and the other staples of the semiotics curriculum. Though language is a magnificent ability unique to Homo sapiens among living species, it does not call for sequestering the study of humans from the domain of biology, for a magnificent ability unique to a particular living species is far from unique in the animal kingdom. Some kinds of bats home in on flying insects using Doppler sonar. Some kinds of migratory birds navigate thousands of miles by calibrating the positions of the constellations against the time of day and year. In nature’s talent show, we are simply a species of primate with our own act, a knack for communicating information about who did what to whom by modulating the sounds we make when we exhale.
Once you begin to look at language not as the ineffable essence of human uniqueness but as a biological adaption to communicate information, it is no longer as tempting to see language as an insidious shaper of thought, and, we shall see, it is not. Moreover, seeing language as one of nature’s engineering marvels-“ an organ with ‘that perfection of structure and co-adaption which justly excites our admiration”, in Darwin’s words- gives us a new respect for your ordinary Joe and the much-maligned English language (or any language). ˜The complexity of language, from the scientist’s point of view, is part of our biological birth right; it is not something that parents teach their children or something that must be elaborated in school “ as Oscar Wilde said, “Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” A pre schooler’s tacit knowledge of grammar is more sophisticated than the thickest style manual or the most state-of-the-art computer language system, and the same applies to all healthy human beings, even the notorious syntax-fracturing professional athlete and the, you know, like, inarticulate teenage skateboarder. Finally, since language is the product of a well-engineered biological instinct, we shall see that it is not nutty barrel of monkeys that entertainer-columnists make it out to be
Q.1 According to the passage, which of the following does not stem from popular wisdom on language?
A. Language is a cultural artefact.
B. Language is learnt as we grow.
C. Language is a psychological faculty
D. Language is unique to Homo sapiens
E. Language is a cultural invention
1.A 2. B 3. C 4.D 5. E
Q.2-Which of the following can be used to replace the spiders know how to spin webs analogy as used by the author?
A. A donkey carrying a load
B. A kitten learning to jump to jump over a wall
C. Bees collecting nectar
D. A pet dog protecting its owner’s property
E. A horse running a Derby
1.A 2.B 3.C 4.D 5.E
Q.3.- According to the passage, which of the following is unique to human beings?
A. Ability to communicate information to other members of the species.
B. Ability to use sound as means of communication.
C. Ability to communicate with each other through voice modulation.
D. Ability to use symbols while communicating with one another
E. All of the above
1.A 2.B 3.C 4.D 5.E
Q.4 - According to the passage, complexity of language cannot be taught by parents or at school to children because-
A. children learn the language on their own.
B.children are born with the knowledge of semiotics.
C. children instinctively know language.
D. Children know language better than their teachers or parents
E. Language is not amenable to teaching
1. A 2.B 3. C 4.D 5.E
Q.5 Which of the following best summarizes the passage?
A. Language is instinctive ability of human beings.
B. Language is use of symbols unique to human beings.
C. Language is not a cultural invention or artefacts as it is made out.
D. Language is neither learnt nor taught
E. Language is unique to Homo sapiens.
1.A 2.B 3.C 4.D 5.E
Answers with Explanation tips
Q.1- Ans- 3.C- In the very first para author describes that Language is a psychological faculty.
Q.2-Ans.3.C – Spiders have the natural instinct to spin webs as common black bird build a cup nest or bees collect nectar.
Q.3-Ans- 3.C – Last three lines of second paragraph clarify the justification of the option ‘ who did what to whom by modulating the sounds we make when we exhale.
Q.4-Ans.-3.C – Second sentence of the first paragraph clarifies ‘….which develops in the child spontaneously….’
Q.5-Ans. 1.A- Author emphasizes that human beings have the instinct to develop the language, hence it their instinctive ability.
Important Tips to solve RC Passages
Concentrate on main/important words in the sentence and while you go on reading try to link their reference to other parts.
Central Idea of the passage, inferring the various types of information, the tone and purpose in the passage– go on to cover all of them while you are reading the passage. This will help you to promptly answer the questions accurately.
Read the passage and then proceed to questions. Jumping to questions before thoroughly reading the paragraph might affect adversely.
Keep a plain paper and pencil with you while reading a passage and proceeding to solve the questions based on it. The sentences and paragraphs in passage have important phrases and words that determine tone and purpose of the passage. Note them down, by the time you finish reading the passage you have all the material with you to answer almost all the questions like ‘What is the tone of the passage?’; ‘What is the purpose of writing the passage?’; ‘ the central/main idea of the passage’; besides, the meaning of various phrases and parts of the sentences will be clear to you. You may not need third reading of the passage. In the examination hall, you will be provided with scratch sheet, do not forget to make use of that especially in RC.
Questions on certain words used in paragraph are something to test your vocabulary. Even if they are unfamiliar you may check for the general meaning of the part of the paragraph. This will enable you to understand the options and mark your answer.
Scientific, technical, biological words wherever used, may be unfamiliar, but are the parts of the sentence and paragraph which you have understood in general, so nothing to worry. The options and the reference that you have made would, in all probability, be correct, if the general meaning is understood.
Time Management is must. Not more than ten-twelve minutes should be given to thoroughly read and understand the passages besides marking the answers. If you are unable to understand the passage, don’t waste time on it as you have two more passages to solve. Devoting more time on one passage will deprive you of the opportunity to answer other questions which are equally important.
My suggestion is to go for reading with understanding and read between the lines. Do not get panicky, depressed, do not be in a hurry, maintain your cool. Try to read the passage quite attentively, at least twice before marking the answers.
Next article in the series will guide you how to be the winner in Verbal Ability section. Read the earlier articles on types and tricks to solve CAT questions on Logical Reasoning ; Error correction in paragraphs and sentences; various types of Vocabulary questions and the article on Anticipated surprise questions in Verbal Ability .
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more Expert articles on CAT 2013 and other MBA exams.
