GATE Aerospace Engineering General Aptitude Syllabus

What are homophones? Give an example set.

Homophones are words that sound alike but differ in meaning and usually spelling, e.g. 'their', 'there', and 'they're', or 'to', 'too', and 'two'.

Distinguish the commonly confused words 'affect' and 'effect'.

'Affect' is usually a verb meaning to influence ('Rain affects the crop'). 'Effect' is usually a noun meaning a result ('The effect was severe').

What is an idiom?

An idiom is a fixed expression whose figurative meaning cannot be deduced from the literal meanings of its individual words (e.g. 'kick the bucket' means to die).

What does the idiom 'to bite the bullet' mean?

To force oneself to do something unpleasant or to bravely endure a difficult or painful situation.

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

Something that seems bad or unfortunate at first but later turns out to be beneficial.

What does the idiom 'once in a blue moon' mean?

Something that happens very rarely.

What does the idiom 'to let the cat out of the bag' mean?

To reveal a secret, usually carelessly or by mistake.

In sentence usage, distinguish a phrase from a clause.

A phrase is a group of related words lacking a subject-verb pair ('on the table', 'running fast'). A clause contains a subject and a verb ('because he ran') and may be independent or dependent.

What is the difference between a phrasal verb and an idiom? Give an example phrasal verb.

A phrasal verb combines a verb with a particle (preposition/adverb) to create a new meaning, e.g. 'give up' (quit), 'look after' (care for). It is a specific subtype of idiomatic expression centred on a verb.

In reading comprehension, what is the difference between the main idea and a supporting detail?

The main idea is the central point the whole passage conveys. A supporting detail is a specific fact, example, or reason that develops, explains, or backs up that main idea.

In comprehension, what does it mean to 'infer' from a passage?

To infer is to draw a logical conclusion that is not stated explicitly, using evidence in the text combined with reasoning.

What is the difference between the tone and the purpose of a passage?

Tone is the author's attitude or emotional colouring toward the subject (e.g. critical, optimistic, sarcastic). Purpose is the author's reason for writing (e.g. to inform, persuade, entertain, describe).

What is narrative sequencing (sentence/paragraph ordering), and what clues help solve it?

Narrative sequencing is arranging jumbled sentences into a coherent, logical order. Clues include the opening idea, pronoun references, connectives (however, therefore), chronological/cause-effect signals, and article use ('a' for introduction, 'the' for subsequent reference).

In a jumbled-sentence (para-jumble) question, how do you usually identify the opening sentence?

The opening sentence introduces the topic independently: it has no back-references (no 'this', 'it', 'such', 'however'), introduces nouns with 'a/an', and makes complete sense on its own without prior context.

What is data interpretation (DI) in an aptitude test?

Data interpretation is the skill of reading, analysing, and drawing conclusions from data presented in tables, charts, or graphs to answer quantitative questions about it.

What does a bar graph display, and when is it most appropriate?

A bar graph uses rectangular bars whose lengths are proportional to the values they represent. It is best for comparing discrete categories or showing changes over time across categories.

What does a pie chart represent, and what do the whole circle and each slice correspond to?

A pie chart shows the composition of a whole as proportional slices. The full circle represents the total ($100\%$ or $360^{\circ}$), and each slice's angle/area is proportional to that category's share.

In a pie chart, what central angle corresponds to a category that is a fraction $p$ of the total? Give the formula and the angle for $25\%$.

The central angle is $\theta = p \times 360^{\circ}$. For $25\%$, $\theta = 0.25 \times 360^{\circ} = 90^{\circ}$.

In a pie chart, how do you convert a sector's central angle $\theta$ back into its percentage of the total?

Percentage $= \dfrac{\theta}{360^{\circ}} \times 100\%$. For example, a $72^{\circ}$ sector equals $\frac{72}{360}\times 100\% = 20\%$.

What is a line graph best suited for displaying?

A line graph plots points connected by line segments and is best for showing trends and continuous change in a quantity over time or another continuous variable.

What does a histogram show, and how does it differ from a bar graph?

A histogram shows the frequency distribution of continuous (grouped) numerical data, with adjacent bars (no gaps) over class intervals. A bar graph compares discrete categories and has gaps between bars.

What is the formula for percentage change between an old value and a new value?

$$\text{Percentage change} = \frac{\text{New value} - \text{Old value}}{\text{Old value}} \times 100\%$$ A positive result is an increase; a negative result is a decrease.

How is the arithmetic mean (average) of $n$ data values $x_1, x_2, \dots, x_n$ calculated?

$$\bar{x} = \frac{1}{n}\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i = \frac{x_1 + x_2 + \cdots + x_n}{n}$$

In data interpretation, how do you find what percentage value A is of value B?

$$\text{Percentage} = \frac{A}{B} \times 100\%$$ For example, if A $=45$ and B $=180$, then A is $\frac{45}{180}\times 100\% = 25\%$ of B.

What is the median of a data set, and how is it found?

The median is the middle value when the data are arranged in order. For an odd count it is the central value; for an even count it is the average of the two central values, $\frac{x_{n/2}+x_{n/2+1}}{2}$.

What does a scatter plot (a type of 2-dimensional plot) reveal?

A scatter plot displays paired $(x, y)$ data as individual points on two axes, revealing the relationship, correlation, or pattern between two variables (e.g. positive, negative, or no correlation).

What additional information does a 3-dimensional plot (surface plot) convey compared with a 2-D plot?

A 3-D plot uses three axes ($x$, $y$, $z$) to show how one dependent variable $z$ varies with two independent variables $x$ and $y$ simultaneously, depicting a surface rather than a flat curve.

On a map, what is a scale, and how is a representative-fraction scale interpreted?

A map scale is the ratio of a distance on the map to the corresponding real distance on the ground. A representative fraction such as $1:50{,}000$ means $1$ unit on the map equals $50{,}000$ of the same units on the ground.

In reading a data table, what do the rows and columns typically represent, and how do you read a single value?

Rows and columns each represent a category or variable; their headers define what the data mean. A single value is read at the intersection (cell) of the relevant row and column, interpreted in the units given by the headers.