CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Syllabus

What are the four standard categorical statements used in syllogisms?

Universal affirmative (All A are B), Universal negative (No A is B), Particular affirmative (Some A are B), and Particular negative (Some A are not B).

In syllogisms, what is the rule about a conclusion from two particular ('some') premises?

No definite conclusion can be drawn from two particular premises; at least one premise must be universal to yield a valid conclusion.

In syllogisms, what is the rule about two negative premises?

No valid conclusion can be drawn from two negative premises.

What is the syllogism rule regarding the middle term?

The middle term (common to both premises but absent from the conclusion) must be distributed at least once for a valid conclusion.

What is the goal of a Sentence Correction question?

To identify and fix grammatical, structural, or usage errors so the sentence is correct, clear, and concise.

What is subject-verb agreement?

The grammatical rule that a verb must agree in number with its subject—singular subjects take singular verbs and plural subjects take plural verbs.

What is a misplaced modifier?

A word or phrase positioned so that it appears to modify the wrong element of a sentence, causing ambiguity or unintended meaning.

What is a dangling modifier?

A modifying phrase (usually at the start of a sentence) whose intended subject is missing from the sentence, so it has nothing logical to modify.

What is parallelism (parallel structure) in grammar?

Using the same grammatical form for items in a series or comparison (e.g., 'reading, writing, and speaking'), ensuring consistency and balance.

In Error Spotting questions, what is the typical format?

A sentence is divided into parts/segments, and the candidate must identify which segment contains a grammatical error (or mark 'no error').

What is the difference between Sentence Improvement and Error Spotting?

Error Spotting asks you only to locate the error; Sentence Improvement asks you to choose the best replacement for an underlined/specified part to correct or enhance the sentence.

List the eight parts of speech in English grammar.

Noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

What is the function of an adjective versus an adverb?

An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun; an adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

What is a conjunction, and name the two main types?

A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses. Main types: coordinating (and, but, or) and subordinating (because, although, since).

What are the three main verb tenses, and what does each express?

Past (action already completed), present (action happening now or habitually), and future (action yet to occur).

What is the present perfect tense and when is it used?

Formed with 'has/have + past participle'; it describes an action completed at an unspecified time before now or one that began in the past and continues to the present (e.g., 'She has finished').

What is the difference between simple past and present perfect tense?

Simple past refers to a completed action at a specific past time ('I ate at 8'), while present perfect links a past action to the present without specifying when ('I have eaten').

What is the past perfect tense used for?

To describe an action completed before another past action; formed with 'had + past participle' (e.g., 'She had left before he arrived').

What is a synonym and what is an antonym?

A synonym is a word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another word; an antonym is a word with the opposite meaning.

In verbal analogies, what does the format A : B :: C : D represent?

It means 'A is to B as C is to D'—the relationship between the first pair must be the same type of relationship as the second pair.

Name three common relationship types tested in analogies.

Synonym/antonym relationships, part-to-whole (or whole-to-part), and cause-and-effect (others include worker-tool, category-example, degree of intensity).

What is the recommended approach to solving a verbal analogy?

Form a clear 'bridge' sentence expressing the relationship in the given pair, then apply the same sentence to the answer options to find the matching pair.

What does 'word usage' test in verbal ability?

Whether a word is used correctly and appropriately in a sentence according to its meaning, part of speech, and idiomatic/grammatical context.

What is an idiom?

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal meanings of its individual words (e.g., 'kick the bucket' means to die).

What does the idiom 'a blessing in disguise' mean?

Something that appears bad or unfortunate at first but eventually results in a good outcome.

What does the idiom 'bite the bullet' mean?

To force oneself to endure or face a difficult or unpleasant situation with courage.

What are homonyms?

Words that share the same spelling and/or pronunciation but have different meanings (an umbrella term covering homophones and homographs).

What is the difference between homophones and homographs?

Homophones sound alike but differ in spelling and meaning (e.g., 'their/there'); homographs are spelled alike but differ in meaning and sometimes pronunciation (e.g., 'lead' the metal vs 'lead' to guide).

Distinguish the commonly confused homophones 'principal' and 'principle'.

'Principal' means the head of a school or a chief/main thing or a sum of money; 'principle' means a fundamental rule, belief, or truth.

Distinguish the homophones 'affect' and 'effect'.

'Affect' is usually a verb meaning to influence; 'effect' is usually a noun meaning the result or outcome.

Give the synonym and antonym of the word 'abundant'.

Synonym: plentiful/ample; Antonym: scarce/sparse.