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CAT (Common Admission Test) Verbal Ability (VARC) - Reading Comprehension Flashcards
50 question-and-answer cards covering Verbal Ability (VARC) - Reading Comprehension as it is examined in CAT (Common Admission Test). 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Verbal Ability (VARC) - Reading Comprehension deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
How do you answer a 'function of a paragraph' question?
Determine the paragraph's relationship to the surrounding text and the main argument, e.g., 'provides a counterexample', 'introduces a contrasting view', 'summarizes the argument'.
Define a 'structure' question in RC.
A question about how the passage is organized overall, e.g., 'presents a problem then a solution', 'states a thesis and defends it', 'compares two views then evaluates them'.
Name common passage structures tested in structure questions.
Problem-solution, claim-evidence, compare-contrast, cause-effect, chronological/historical, thesis-antithesis-synthesis, and general-to-specific (or specific-to-general).
What is a 'trap option' in RC, broadly?
An answer choice deliberately crafted to look correct but containing a subtle flaw, designed to attract students who skim or over-reason.
What is the 'extreme language' trap?
An option using absolute words like 'always', 'never', 'all', 'only', 'must', or 'impossible' that overstates the passage. CAT passages are usually nuanced, so such options are typically wrong.
What is the 'out of scope' trap?
An option introducing information, comparisons, or topics never addressed in the passage. Even if plausible, it lacks textual support and is incorrect.
What is the 'distortion' or 'half-right' trap?
An option that starts accurately but twists a detail, reverses a relationship, or adds an unsupported claim. Partly correct still equals wrong.
What is the 'reversal' trap in RC options?
An option that swaps cause and effect, or attributes a view to the wrong party (e.g., the author vs. the opposing view it describes). Always check who said what.
What is the 'too literal vs. too inferential' balance in trap analysis?
For detail questions, avoid options that over-infer; for inference questions, avoid options that merely restate but go nowhere, or that leap too far. Match the option to the question type's demand.
What is a 'right answer to a different question' trap?
An option that is true and supported by the passage but does not answer the specific question asked (e.g., a detail offered for a main-idea question). It must match the question's intent.
Define 'paraphrase' in RC and why it matters.
Paraphrase is restating the passage's meaning in different words. The correct RC answer usually paraphrases the text rather than quoting it; recognizing this is essential to picking it.
Why are options that copy the passage's exact words often traps?
CAT frequently uses verbatim wording in WRONG options as bait, while the correct answer paraphrases the idea. Matching words is not the same as matching meaning.
What is the key skill in paraphrase recognition?
Identifying when two differently worded statements convey the same meaning, and rejecting options that change the meaning even while keeping similar vocabulary.
How does paraphrase recognition help eliminate distractors?
By mapping each option back to the precise idea in the text; if an option's paraphrase shifts scope, strength, or relationship, you can confidently eliminate it.
What is the typical time budget per RC passage in CAT?
Roughly 8-12 minutes per passage depending on length and difficulty, balancing reading time against answering 3-6 questions; aim to leave buffer for verbal logic questions.
What is the general accuracy target for RC in CAT?
High accuracy (commonly aiming for 80%+ on attempted RC questions) is prioritized over volume, because negative marking penalizes guesses and RC carries the largest VARC weight.
What is the recommended attempt strategy across multiple RC passages?
Scan and attempt easier/familiar passages first, bank accuracy, and tackle the densest passage last. Do not let one hard passage consume disproportionate time.
Why is selective attempting important in CAT VARC?
Because of negative marking and time pressure, attempting fewer questions with high accuracy often scores better than attempting all with errors. Skipping a likely-wrong question protects your score.
How does negative marking affect RC guessing strategy?
Each wrong answer costs marks (typically -1 vs +3 for MCQs), so guess only after eliminating at least two options; blind guessing has negative expected value.
What is a good way to manage time on a single difficult RC question?
Set a soft cap (e.g., 1.5-2 minutes per question); if stuck, eliminate what you can, mark it, and move on rather than sinking time and risking other passages.
What is the 'elimination method' for RC options and why use it?
Systematically rejecting flawed options (out of scope, extreme, distorted, reversed) until the best-supported choice remains. It is more reliable than confirming a single option in nuanced RC.
When two options seem close in RC, how do you decide?
Find the single word or phrase that makes one option unsupported, too strong, or out of scope. The correct answer survives full textual scrutiny; the trap fails on one detail.
What pre-reading habit improves both speed and accuracy in RC?
Building reading stamina and vocabulary through daily reading of quality non-fiction (editorials, journals), which makes dense passages faster to parse and tone easier to detect.
What is the final verification step before locking an RC answer?
Confirm the chosen option is directly supported by the text, fully answers the exact question asked, and contains no extreme, out-of-scope, or distorted element.
What this deck covers
The Verbal Ability (VARC) - Reading Comprehension deck follows the CAT (Common Admission Test) Verbal Ability (VARC) - Reading Comprehension syllabus — 3 chapters and 10 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 16.7 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 170 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
Verbal Ability (VARC) - Reading Comprehension flashcards FAQ
How many Verbal Ability (VARC) - Reading Comprehension flashcards are in this CAT (Common Admission Test) deck?
50 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these CAT (Common Admission Test) flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 50-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Verbal Ability (VARC) - Reading Comprehension cards cover?
They follow the CAT (Common Admission Test) Verbal Ability (VARC) - Reading Comprehension syllabus — 3 chapters and 10 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.