" Cat Praparation - lessons -Verbal ability

Logical expression
The characters of Steven Spielberg’s English films are as unrealistic and overblown as the characters of king of Hindi films, Subhash Ghai.

Sentence fragments
Modern literature, a relic of the reign of the revisionist fervor sweeping Europe at the time, and reacting against the traditional story-telling and starting a new trend of staccato sentences.

Misplaced modifies.
Bedecked with jewels, drunk with the wine of her youth, Upagupta saw the courtesan walking towards him.

Punctuation
Rabindranath Tagore did more than just write poems in Bengali, he translated them to English.

Directness and conciseness
In the event that he decides to buy a motorcycle, I for one, would recommend that he buy a Kawasaki.

Double negatives (incorrect)
I am innocent. I don’t know nothing about the crime.

Gerund versus infinitive
Many people bully others, satisfying a need to suppress their inferiority complexes.

Prepositions (idiomatic usage)
The girl fainted and we had to sprinkle water on her to make her come about.

Unacceptable usage
Since it was very late, we decided to return back to the camp.

The following comprehensive example should make this question type clearer.

E.g. 1 - Replace the underlined part of the following sentence with the best alternative, grammatically idiomatically and semantically. Mark (a) if the original sentence is correct.

In the event that he decides to buy a motorcycle, I for one, would recommend that he buy a Kawasaki.

(a) In the event the he decides to buy a motorcycle, I for one.

(b) If he was to buy a motorcycle, I

(c) If he were to buy a motorcycle, I for me.

(d) If he were to buy a motorcycle, I

In this example, we see that all the four answer choices are syntactically acceptable, except perhaps choice (b) which is relatively a recent Americanism i.e. was. So the focus shifts from choosing the correct alternative to choosing the most correct alternative. The first step towards getting the answer to this type of question will obviously be having a strong base in English Grammar.

For people who have what has been called earlier, a ‘feel’ of the language, the job is slightly easier, others will have to test the sentences for grammatical purity. The second thing that is important here is that the student has to gauge the meaning of the sentence and take care that it does not change when selecting what might otherwise seem to be a grammatically correct sentence.

Unacceptable usage
Since it was very late, we decided to return back to the camp.

The following comprehensive example should make this question type clearer.

E.g. 1 - Replace the underlined part of the following sentence with the best alternative, grammatically idiomatically and semantically. Mark (a) if the original sentence is correct.

In the event that he decides to buy a motorcycle, I for one, would recommend that he buy a Kawasaki.

(a) In the event the he decides to buy a motorcycle, I for one.

(b) If he was to buy a motorcycle, I

(c) If he were to buy a motorcycle, I for me.

(d) If he were to buy a motorcycle, I

In this example, we see that all the four answer choices are syntactically acceptable, except perhaps choice (b) which is relatively a recent Americanism i.e. was. So the focus shifts from choosing the correct alternative to choosing the most correct alternative. The first step towards getting the answer to this type of question will obviously be having a strong base in English Grammar.

For people who have what has been called earlier, a ‘feel’ of the language, the job is slightly easier, others will have to test the sentences for grammatical purity. The second thing that is important here is that the student has to gauge the meaning of the sentence and take care that it does not change when selecting what might otherwise seem to be a grammatically correct sentence.

The third and final tip is that after eliminating one or more sentences, if two or more sentence seem to be both grammatically and semantically correct, the student should choose that which is most concise i.e. conveys the same meaning in the least number of words. In the above example, we find that although choices (a), (c) and (d) are all grammatically acceptable, (d) is the most concise and clear because it is not encumbered by the weight of the extra words the other choices have but still retains the meaning. Therefore, the answer is (d).

E.g. 2 - Replace the underlined part of the following sentence with the best alternative, grammatically, idiomatically and semantically. Mark (a) if the original sentence is correct.

The Pakistani Army Commandant, General Niazi, decided to surrender after he realized that the Pakistani Army was surrounded on all sides, seeing the Indian Army.

(a)  was surrounded on all sides, seeing the Indian Army

(b)  was surrounded on all sides.

(c)  was surrounded by the Indian Army

(d)  seeing the Indian Army was surrounded.

Following, the same method of elimination as above and because ‘surrounded on all sides’ is a tautology and is not really necessary, the correct answer is (c).

There are a few variations of the above question type which a student might expect in the examinations In the first variation, four versions of a statement are given and the student has to choose as the correct answer the best version, syntactically, semantically, idiomatically and conventionally.

E.g. 3 - From the following sentences, choose that the statement that is most correct, grammatically and semantically

(a)  Sitting below an apple tree, an apple fell on Newton’s head.

(b)  Newton was sitting below an apple tree when an apple fell on his head.

(c)  When sitting below an apple tree, an apple fell on Newton’s head.

(d)  An apple fell on Newton’s head when Newton was sitting below an apple tree.

Obviously, (a) and (c) cannot be the answer because there is an ambiguity in whether Newton or the apple was sitting below the tree! (b) and (d) are both acceptable but (d) has needless repetitions of words. Therefore (b) is the answer.

II.    The second popular variation of this question type is where one sentence is given with four parts underlined and named (a), (b), (c) and (d). One of the underlined parts is unacceptable in standard English and the student is supposed to mark that as the answer.

The Critical Reasoning section of the CAT is designed to test your ability to evaluate an assumption, inference, or argument. Each question consists of a short statement or paragraph followed by a question or assumption about the statement. Each question or assumption has five possible answers. Your task is to evaluate each of the five possible choices and select the best one. Unlike reading comprehension, here every single word should be considered carefully, shades of meaning are very important.The exercises are a test of your reading speed, but more importantly how easily you fall into the writers shoes.

TYPES OF CRITICAL REASONING QUESTIONS

Following are the type of questions you might encounter -

Inference or Assumption
These questions test your ability to evaluate an assumption, inference, or argument. you will be given a statement, position, argument, or fact and will be asked to identify a conclusion or claim and the premise on which it is based.

An inference is basically an underlying or implicit conclusion.

Types of inference questions:

INFERENCE QUESTIONS

Arguments in the EXAM may ask you to make inferences.’’ inference’’ has a unique meaning in the EXAM, it means something that must be true on the information in the argument. Here are some examples of the ways in which these questions can be worded:

I. Which of the following inferences is best supported by the statement made above?

II. If the statement above is true, which of the following must also be true?

III. Which of the following is implied in the passage above?

IV. Which of the following conclusions can most properly be drawn if the statement above is true?

Note that some of these questions appear to be conclusion questions, and may not even use the word infer. In general to spot inference questions, look for words as:

1) Infer

2) Most reasonably

3) Imply

4) Must also be true

5) lmplicit

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CONCLUSION AND AN INFERENCE

Sometimes there is no difference. When the conclusion to an argument is not explicitly stated in the passage, it is something you could infer. In other cases, inferences have nothing to do with the main point of an argument. You can make inferences from the facts that are stated as premises.Conclusion is the resulting outcome from a set of statements after consideration.

Identifying a conclusion:

The conclusion does not necessarily come at the end of the paragraph; it may come somewhere in the middle or even at the begining.

Words that signal a conclusion are:

1) Therefore

2) Thus

3) Implies

4) So

5) Hence

6) Indicates

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ASSUMPTION AND AN INFERENCE

Assumption is something that has to be valid for a given argument to be true. If the assumption is not true, the conclusion of the argument cannot be true.

An assumption question asks you to identify an unstated premise of the passage.

An inference is a statement that is true if the given argument is true. Hence, Eliminate any answer choice that ‘could be false’.

All inference questions ask you to find something that is known to be true from the information presented in the argument.

Use the Denial Test for inferences. If any answer choice could not pass the Denial Test, it is to be eliminated.

Inferences are like chemical reactions –

You get the right PRODUCT only when you –

A. Add the right ingredients (i.e. the right EVIDENCE)

B. Give the right treatment (choose the right assumption)

Solved Example

An inference example :

At the time of independence the total area under cultivation was only 29%. Yet for almost 2 decades the production of food grains kept on increasing. In 1965, the food grains production was increasing at the rate of 7% per annum. In 1985 the total area under cultivation was 69% but the rate of increase in the production was less than 1.5%. It was less than the minimum required to feed the increasing population.

It can properly be inferred from the passage that:

(a)  For the production rate to be high, there must be a relatively large percentage of area under cultivation.

(b)  The most significant factor influencing the food grains production is whether the country is politically stable.

(c)  Unless there are extraordinary circumstances, rate of production will not dip below the level needed to feed the population.

(d)  The food production rate is not directly proportional to the area under cultivation.

(e)  The data is only a manipulation of figures, and really doesn’t mean anything.

The evidence presented here falls into two categories :- evidence of area under cultivation and rate of increase of food grain production. The last line is in fact misleading. Based on common sense, there can only be positive relationship between rate of increase in grain production and rate of increase in area under cultivation. But as that is refuted by the evidence presented, the only other claim that can be made is – there is no relationship between the two factors. So the correct answer choice is (d). 

Four years ago the government introduced the Youth Training Program to guarantee teenagers leaving school, an alternative to the dole. Today, over 150,000 16 and 17-years-olds are still signing on for unemployment benefits.

Which of the following, if true, does not explain the situation described in the above excerpt?

(a) The program provides uninteresting work.

(b) It is difficult to find work for all the program’s graduates.

(c) The number of 16-and 17-year-old youths has increased over the past four years.

(d) Unemployment benefits are known while future salaries are not.

(e) Youths are unaware of the program’s benefits.

The correct answer is (c). The fact that the number of 16-and 17-year-old youths has increased does not explain why unemployed high school graduates do not opt for the training program.

All other answer alternative do given possible reasons.

FLAW

In this type of questions, you are asked to choose the best alternative answer that either represents a flaw in the statement position, or if true, would weaken the argument or conclusion.

Solved Example

Many people are murdered by killers whose homicidal tendencies are triggered by an official execution. Since 1977, for each execution there were about four homicides. If each of the 1,788 death row prisoners were to be executed, up to 7,152 additional murders would be one of the results.

Which of the following, it true, would weaken the above argument?

(a) The rate of murders to executions is 1 to 1.66

(b) There is no relation between executions and murders.

(c) Executions result from the higher incidence of violent crime.

(d) The death penalty will be abolished.

(e) Not all death row prisoners will be executed.

The correct answer is (b). The author’s assumption is that there is a relation between executions and homicides. As executions increase, so will homicides – at a given rate. Of course, if (d) occurred, presumably the homicide rate, according to the author’s argument, will decline. However, (b) is the strongest argument – if true- against the author’s premise.

Four years ago the government introduced the Youth Training Program to guarantee teenagers leaving school, an alternative to the dole. Today, over 150,000 16 and 17-years-olds are still signing on for unemployment benefits.

Which of the following, if true, does not explain the situation described in the above excerpt?

(a) The program provides uninteresting work.

(b) It is difficult to find work for all the program’s graduates.

(c) The number of 16-and 17-year-old youths has increased over the past four years.

(d) Unemployment benefits are known while future salaries are not.

(e) Youths are unaware of the program’s benefits.

The correct answer is (c). The fact that the number of 16-and 17-year-old youths has increased does not explain why unemployed high school graduates do not opt for the training program.

All other answer alternative do given possible reasons.

FLAW

In this type of questions, you are asked to choose the best alternative answer that either represents a flaw in the statement position, or if true, would weaken the argument or conclusion.

Solved Example

Many people are murdered by killers whose homicidal tendencies are triggered by an official execution. Since 1977, for each execution there were about four homicides. If each of the 1,788 death row prisoners were to be executed, up to 7,152 additional murders would be one of the results.

Which of the following, it true, would weaken the above argument?

(a) The rate of murders to executions is 1 to 1.66

(b) There is no relation between executions and murders.

(c) Executions result from the higher incidence of violent crime.

(d) The death penalty will be abolished.

(e) Not all death row prisoners will be executed.

The correct answer is (b). The author’s assumption is that there is a relation between executions and homicides. As executions increase, so will homicides – at a given rate. Of course, if (d) occurred, presumably the homicide rate, according to the author’s argument, will decline. However, (b) is the strongest argument – if true- against the author’s premise.