We all have learned about the eight parts of speech in our school days. If you recall, these parts of speech form the building blocks of English grammar. But, how is it important for CAT? Well, learning about the various parts of speech and the related rules will help you answer the grammar-based questions accurately. Such questions may feature in form of error detection, sentence correction, fill in the blanks and word usage. In other words, the grammar section holds a crucial weight in CAT verbal ability. An interesting thing about words is that they can be of more than one type depen

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We all have studied modifiers in our school days. But since it is an optional element in the English language, it is not treated as an important topic. Then why do you need to learn about it now? Well, CAT and other MBA entrance exams often feature questions based on Sentence correction and these questions often contain modifier-based errors. Apart from that, it will help you improve your grammar and aid in tackling the verbal ability section. But, what exactly is a modifier? What if, you want to be more specific while describing something? Well, that’s the very purpose of modifiers. As t

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Verbs and Tenses are the basic parts of English Grammar. We all have studied about verbs and tenses in our school days. But what does verb tenses refer to? If you recollect, the actions words- verbs take various forms depending upon the time frame (present, past, future) as well as state/aspect (simple, perfect, progressive). Hence the name ‘verb tenses’. But how are verb tenses relevant to CAT? Well, questions based on sentence correction check your knowledge of verb tenses. The usage of verb tenses varies according to tense, person, and number. As you know, verbs form an essential

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Seemingly a basic topic of English grammar, Subject-verb agreement forms an essential part of the English language. But how is it required for CAT preparation? Well, as you know, questions based on sentence correction are commonly asked in CAT and other MBA entrance exams. So, you are expected to be aware of the fundamental rules of subject-verb agreement. While you may think they are just the basic rules, the related questions may seem tricky to handle. Starting with the basic, a sentence, as you know, is composed of two main parts: Subject and Verb. The subject indicates what the se

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Verbal Ability is an important part of the CAT syllabus. Roughly 15-20 % of CAT paper is based on Verbal Ability (not including Reading Comprehension). A significant part of questions on Verbal Ability are based on logic and reasoning, sometimes also referred to as Critical Reasoning. The other part is based on Grammar and Vocabulary. Although the number of questions which are directly based on Grammar and Vocabulary is not high, having a good command over these topics helps you do well in the exam. Couple of weeks ago, I was speaking to one of my friends about the same and he offered to

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I hope that anyone reading this article would know that the CAT exam is broadly divided into 3 areas: Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation Quantitative Aptitude I guess that some of you would not know how important Reading Comprehension is in the entire scheme of things. What I know for a fact, is that a large number of CAT aspirants neglect ‘Reading Comprehension’ in the early stages of their preparation and more often than not – never actually end up performing up to their peak potential. It is a problem that is quite co

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The XAT Verbal and Logical Ability section can appear difficult for most test-takers. The reading comprehension passages are often dense and taken from arcane subjects while the critical reasoning questions are always challenging. However, there is a small silver lining to this section. IMPORTANCE OF VOCABULARY It cannot be stressed enough that a b-school candidate must have a good knowledge of the meanings of difficult words as well as the ability to make sentences out of them. This will serve a test taker well not only in the XAT but in b-school and beyond. A mastery over vocabulary wil

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Official CAT 2020 Paper – Questions, Answers, and Detailed Solutions CAT 2020 Questions and Answers – Morning Slot Verbal Ability - Reading Comprehension – Morning Slot – CAT 2020 Q.1-4 In the late 1960s, while studying the northern-elephant-seal population along the coasts of Mexico and California, Burney Le Boeuf and his colleagues couldn’t help but notice that the threat calls of males at some sites sounded different from those of males at other sites. . . Q.4-8 Few realise that the government of China, governing an

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Reading Comprehension – Vocabulary used in speech or writing organizes itself Slot - 1 - RC Vocabulary used in speech or writing organizes itself in seven parts of speech (eight, if you count interjections such as Oh! and Gosh! and Fuhgeddaboudit!). Communication composed of these parts of speech must be organized by rules of grammar upon which we agree. When these rules break down, confusion and misunderstanding result. Bad grammar produces bad sentences. My favorite example from Strunk and White is this one: “As a mother of five, with a

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RC Writing Styles As the name states, writing styles is the way a writer chooses to express himself/herself through a piece of writing. But what exactly would be a writing styles for RC? Well, just like each one of us has a unique dressing style, so does CAT RCs differ in the way they are written. And just like you dress differently for different occasions and places, so does a passage is written according to its purpose, audience and context. But the question is why it is important to identify the writing style of a passage? Well, the author intends to convey some ideas and opinions throu

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