CAT Verbal Ability And Reading Comprehension (Varc) Flashcards

24 sample cards from the Verbal Ability And Reading Comprehension (Varc) deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

1. What is the role of vocabulary building in CAT VARC and an efficient way to do it?

   Strong vocabulary speeds reading, aids vocabulary-in-context and para-based questions. Build it via roots, prefixes, and suffixes (learning word families), context-based learning from reading, and review of high-frequency CAT word lists.

2. Give the meanings of the roots 'bene-', 'mal-', 'chrono-', and 'anthro-'.

   bene- = good (benevolent), mal- = bad (malevolent), chrono- = time (chronology), anthro-/anthropo- = human (anthropology).

3. What is a sentence correction question in CAT VARC, and what error types does it test?

   You identify and fix the grammatically/idiomatically incorrect part of a sentence. Common error types: subject-verb agreement, tense, pronoun reference, modifiers, parallelism, idioms/prepositions, redundancy, and comparison errors.

4. What is a common 'comparison' error tested in sentence correction?

   Illogical or unlike-element comparisons, e.g., comparing a thing to an unmatched thing ('His salary is higher than a clerk' should be 'than a clerk's'). Comparisons must be between parallel, like items.

5. What is redundancy/pleonasm in sentence correction, with examples?

   Using unnecessary words that repeat meaning, e.g., 'return back', 'free gift', 'past history', 'each and every', 'advance planning'. The correct version removes the redundant word.

6. In argument structure, define a premise and a conclusion.

   A premise is a statement offered as evidence or support; a conclusion is the claim the argument is trying to establish, which the premises are meant to justify. The conclusion is what the author wants you to accept.

7. How do you locate the conclusion of an argument?

   Look for conclusion indicators (therefore, thus, hence, so, consequently) or ask 'what is the author ultimately trying to prove?' The conclusion is the point all other statements support, not the support itself.

8. What is an assumption in an argument, and the 'negation test'?

   An assumption is an unstated premise the argument needs to be valid. Negation test: negate a candidate assumption; if the argument falls apart, it is a necessary assumption; if the argument still holds, it is not.

9. What does it mean to 'strengthen' an argument?

   To add information that makes the conclusion more likely to follow from the premises, typically by supporting an assumption, ruling out an alternative explanation, or providing confirming evidence.

10. What does it mean to 'weaken' an argument?

    To add information that makes the conclusion less likely, typically by attacking an assumption, offering an alternative cause/explanation, or presenting counter-evidence. Weakening does not require disproving the conclusion outright.

11. In strengthen/weaken questions, why focus on the assumption and the conclusion?

    Because the assumption is the logical gap between premises and conclusion; strengthening defends that gap and weakening exploits it. Options that don't touch the link between premises and the conclusion are usually irrelevant.

12. What is the difference between weakening an argument and contradicting a premise?

    Weakening attacks the support for the conclusion (the reasoning/assumption); you generally accept the stated premises as true. Simply denying a stated premise is usually out of scope and not the intended way to weaken.

13. Identify common reasoning patterns/flaws tested in CAT critical reasoning.

    Correlation mistaken for causation, sampling/generalization errors, false analogy, circular reasoning, ad hominem, appeal to authority, false dilemma, and confusing necessary with sufficient conditions.

14. What is the 'correlation is not causation' flaw, and how is it commonly weakened?

    Assuming that because two things occur together one causes the other. It is weakened by an alternative cause, a reversed causal direction, or showing the correlation is coincidental.

15. Distinguish a necessary condition from a sufficient condition.

    A necessary condition must be present for an outcome but doesn't guarantee it; a sufficient condition, if present, guarantees the outcome. Confusing the two ('if A then B' wrongly read as 'if B then A') is a classic flaw.

16. What is a 'sample/generalization' flaw, and how do you attack it?

    Drawing a broad conclusion from an unrepresentative or small sample. Weaken it by showing the sample is biased or atypical; strengthen it by showing the sample is large and representative.

17. What is a false analogy flaw?

    Concluding that because two cases are alike in some respects they are alike in another relevant respect, when the cases differ in a way that matters to the conclusion.

18. How should you handle a 'paradox/resolve the discrepancy' reasoning question?

    Find the option that explains how two seemingly contradictory facts can both be true, without denying either fact. The correct option reconciles them; wrong options merely restate or worsen the paradox.

19. What is the author's 'tone' and why does it matter in CAT RC?

    Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject (e.g., critical, appreciative, neutral, skeptical, ironic). Recognizing it helps answer tone questions and eliminate options whose attitude doesn't match the passage.

20. What is the difference between the 'main idea' and the 'primary purpose' of a passage?

    Main idea is WHAT the passage says (its central content/claim); primary purpose is WHY the author wrote it (to argue, explain, criticize, describe, compare). Purpose answers often start with verbs like 'to explain', 'to argue'.

21. For 'EXCEPT' / 'LEAST' questions in CAT RC, what changes in your approach?

    The correct answer is the one NOT supported (the odd one), so three options will be supported by the passage. Verify each option against the text and pick the one that is false, unstated, or least supported.

22. In para jumbles, how does a definite article ('the') or demonstrative help with ordering?

    'The X' or 'this/that X' refers to something already introduced, so its sentence cannot start the paragraph and must follow the sentence that first introduces X with an indefinite article ('a/an X').

23. What is the 'scope' criterion used across summary, para completion, and inference questions?

    The answer must stay within the boundaries of what the passage/paragraph actually addresses. Options that broaden, narrow, or shift the topic (out-of-scope) are wrong, even if individually true or sensible.

24. What practical reading habit best improves CAT VARC accuracy across all topics?

    Daily reading of varied, dense non-fiction (editorials, essays on economics, science, philosophy, arts) to build speed, comprehension, vocabulary, and exposure to argument structures, combined with reviewing why each wrong option was wrong.

What this deck covers

Verbal Ability And Reading Comprehension (Varc) flashcards FAQ