CAT Verbal Ability

Verbal Ability

If quant is maths in CAT exam, then verbal ability (VA) is the English portion that can be well cracked if a candidate possess basic basic knowledge of English with special focus on grammar. Vocabulary and verbal logic is also required for a good score from the VA section of CAT exam.

Under the broad head of verbal ability, there are seven kind of questions that are listed and described for your understanding:

One word substitution

Idioms and phrases

Critical Reasoning

Para completion

Deductive Logic

Para – Jumbles

Grammar

One word substitution

In this a word meaning is given in brief with four options. CAT candidates have to select the word that goes closest with the given meaning. This is a multiple choice question (MCQ) that will be easy for students who are well versed with English vocabulary.

Sample question:

A person with a long experience of any occupation.

1. Genius
2. Veteran
3. Seasoned
4. Ambidextrous

Idioms and phrases

Alike the previous one, in this you have to find the meaning of a given phrase. Optional phrase meanings will be four in number and you have to pick the one closest to it. The phrase is not given individually but along with a sentence which makes it little tough for CAT students to understand. For better reference, here is a sample idioms and phrases question that you can go through.

Sample question:

We planned for the dinner at the eleventh hour, so we decided to have a pot-luck dinner.

a. dinner where every-body brings something to eat

b. dinner where everybody pays for his food

c. dinner where only soup is served

d. dinner where people eat and play games at the same time

Critical Reasoning

As the name suggests, here CAT examinees have to use their logical reasoning capability to pick the right answer from a given choice of four. The questions may require a little bit of thinking or imagination. Please note, the answers are based on the information in the given question. Do not add hypothetical elements to crack the critical reasoning section of CAT exam.

Sample question:

The dominant modern belief is that the soundest foundation of peace would be universal prosperity. One may look in vain for historical evidence that the rich have regularly been more peaceful than the poor but then it can be argued that they have never felt secure against the poor, that their aggressiveness stemmed from fear; and that the situation would be quite different if everybody were rich.It can be inferred from the above passage that –

A    A lot of aggression in the world stems from the desire of the haves to defend themselves against the have-not.

B Universal prosperity as a foolproof measure of peace can no longer be accepted.

C Both 1 and 2

D Neither 1 nor 2

Para Completion

You have to complete a paragraph with information given as options. The missing blank can be placed in the beginning, middle or end of the paragraph. You have to read the paragraph cautiously to get the right answer. Check the sample question for para completion below and get a clear idea.

Sample question:

When we call others dogmatic, what we really object to is (………)

A. Their giving the dog a bad name.

B. Their holding dogmas that are different from our own.

C. The extremism that goes along with it.

D. The subversion of whatever they actually believe in concomitantly.

Deductive Logic

Similar to Critical Reasoning question, in this one you have to derive a logical conclusion from a given set of clauses or situation. To do this, a minute reading of the deductive logic question and applying rationality will let you reach the right answer. Check the deductive logic below for a better understanding.

Sample question

The following question consists of five statements followed by options consisting of three statements put together in a specific order. Choose the option which indicates a valid argument, that is, where the third statement is a conclusion drawn from the preceding two statements.

1. Traffic congestion increases carbon monoxide in the environment.
2. Increase in carbon monoxide is hazardous to health.
3. Traffic congestion is hazardous to health.
4. Some traffic congestion does not cause increased carbon monoxide.
5. Some traffic congestion is not hazardous to health.

A. CBA
B. BDE
C. CDE
D. BAC

Para Jumbles

Here you will be given four – five sentence. You have to arrange them to a coherent paragraph. Each sentence will be denoted with an alphabet like A, B, C or D. You have to pick the right sequence of the four alphabets that will together make the paragraph. For instance, if you think B, A, C, D is the order then you have to pick the option BACD. Check the following sample question for a clear understanding of para jumble question that comes in VA section of CAT exam.

A. That Hollywood is a man’s world is certainly true but it is not the whole truth.

B. Even Renaissance film actress Jodie Foster who hosts this compendium of movie history, confess surprise at this.

C. She says that she had no idea that women were so active in the industry even those days.

D. During the silent era, for example, female script writers outnumbered males 10 to 1.

ADBC

CABD

DBAC

ABCD

Grammar

Though Grammar may sound the easiest among all sections of CAT exam but its presentation in CAT exam is quite distinct than other entrance tests. Error recognition in sentences will fragmented into five parts and you have to pick the exact part where the mistake is. Check the CAT Grammar Sample question below to learn:

Sample question

Identify the error in the sentence given below:

A Forty percent of the people alive today have

B never made a phone call, but

C thirty percent still have no electricity connections

D to their homes.

E no error