Tips to crack Verbal Ability

This section cannot be mastered in one long cram session or within a scheduled number of days. You need to start small and then pick up fast, until the desire to know the language becomes second nature to you.

Here's how to make a start:

~ Pick up the Wren And Martin's High School English Grammar and Composition (often used in junior classes) for approximately Rs 85 to Rs 100.

Go through the chapters on nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives. Do not spend time on practising exercises; concentrate on the application of these words in sentences.

~ Get a pocket size dictionary, which truly is the best investment. Make it a point to read upto 10 to 15 words, or one page, every four hours. Don't memorise or cram.

Read complete meanings, usage and sentences. Use mnemonics; this means you create a mental image of the word.

For example, the word SUTURE means 'joining edges of a wound or incision by stitching'. You can relate this to your getting hurt and requiring stitches during an operation.

Similarly the word WARLOCK means 'sorcerer'. Make a mental picture of a wizard or magician to remember.

By the time you take the examination, make sure you have gone through the entire dictionary at least twice.

~ You will usually be tested on the application of the word, not its meaning. It is not possible to just cram and remember the approximately 5,000 odd words in any of the 'vocab lists' given to you.

~ As this is a multiple-choice type of test, you do not need to know meanings verbatim, nor exactly nor vaguely. It just pays to 'know' more words.

~ To enhance grammar skills, read books, magazines, newspapers and journals. The more you read, the better.

~ When you come across a new word, immediately check its meaning in the pocket dictionary

sentence completion

sentence completion
A sentence completion question consists of an incomplete sentence. The sentence may have one or two blanks. From the five answer choices given, you are required to choose an appropriate word or words that can serve as the missing word/ words that will best complete the meaning of the given sentence.

WHAT IS MEASURED

I. Skill of vocabulary
Sentence completion question is a test of your word power and diction. It is only if you know the meaning of word(s) that you will be able to choose confidently, the appropriate word to fill the incomplete sentence. Moreover the question sentence also may have difficult words in them, knowing the meaning of which is essential for understanding the sentence in totality and to choose the appropriate word(s).

ii. Skill of identifying clues
A sentence completion question is not merely a test of your vocabulary. It also tests your ability to analyze the given sentence and to identify the structural and semantic clues that decide on the meaning and nature of the word(s) to be chosen.

We will find one or two clues in a sentence completion question. Common key words such as and or but are all the more valuable for us in sentence completion. These are structural clues. (These are dealt with in detail later)

iii. Skill of semantics and syntax
A sentence has a semantic dimension (meaning) and a syntactical dimension (word arrangement). Knowledge of these two is a mandatory condition for you to be able to choose the appropriate word. You must understand the meaning of a sentence in order to identify the appropriate choice word that fills the blank and completes the sentence coherently.

We should have a fair understanding of the functions of structural words in a sentence such as unless, rather, yet, while, unfortunately, in contrast, despite

SENTENCE COMPLETION STRATEGIES

In order to answer sentence completion questions correctly, you should first read the entire sentence as you see it, without trying to fill in the word or words. Desist from working on each blank separately. The second part of the sentence may have a bearing on the first part of the sentence. And both words must fit into the meaning of the sentence; therefore read your choice into the sentence supplying and evaluating both words.

Each sentence contains a few crucial clues that determine the answers, and finding these clues will guide you to the correct answer. Look for what is directly stated. In sentence completion questions, you may also find poetic and literary language, which tests your understanding of figurative usage. The correct answer is the one that is directly implied in the sentence.
Ø Determine where the sentence is heading, using structural clues.
Ø Anticipate answers in your words.
Ø Look for answers that are similar to yours.
Ø Fix words in the sentence to see if they gel with the whole sentence.

Sentence completion strategy in a nutshell.

Strategy 1
Read the entire sentence

In both one and two blank sentences read the entire sentence before you inspect the choices. An overall understanding of the sentence is essential

Strategy 2
Identify structural clues to determine the nature of the word(s) required

You can determine the positive or negative tone of the expected word using structural clues. And identify the words whose synonym, antonym, parallel word or cause/ effect that you have to supply.

Strategy 3
Substitute your own words.
Place your own words in the blanks assuming that answer choices are not given, keeping in mind the clues you have identified

Strategy 4
Identify words similar to the ones you substituted
If the word you have substituted goes with the requirement of the sentence, you are sure to find a word(s) similar in meaning and tone to the ones you have substituted

Strategy 5
Read the sentence back with word(s) filled in.
Now read the entire sentence with the words filled in to see if the word(s) fit literally and figuratively

Identifying clues
Now let’s discuss in detail the types of sentence completion clues that are found in the CAT. Identifying these clues is the single most promising method of solving sentence completion questions.

A. THOUGHT CONTINUITY CLUES
In this type the first part of the sentence and the second part are parallel ideas. There is no shift in meaning. The missing word in the sentence is parallel to or has a meaning similar to a word already given in the sentence. One part of the sentence may support or elaborate another part. One part of the sentence may be complementary to the other part in meaning. These clues continue the sentence in the same direction. The positive or negative tone of what follows is not changed by these clue words

The words that indicate such continuity are:
v Similarly
v Because
v And
v Since
v Thus
v In fact
v More over
v In deed
v In addition
v Consequently

Study the following sentences:
1. Shakespeare lives forever; in fact he is immortal.
2. His argument was convincing and persuasive.
3. The film script showed depth and maturity; likewise the treatment showed profundity.

In the sentences above the words in italics are structural clues.
In the first sentence the clue to the word to be filled in is ‘in fact’, indicating that a word similar in meaning to the phrase ‘ lives for ever’ is required to complete the sentence.

In the second sentence, the word to be filled in should be parallel to ‘persuasive’, determined by the thought continuity word’ and’.
In the third sentence, the word ‘likewise’ indicates that a word parallel to depth and maturity completes the sentence.

B. PARALLEL IDEA CLUES

These clues are similar to the thought continuity clues. The word that completes the sentence is in the same tone as in the word already given. The word(s) that complete the sentence complements a word or phrase already given.All that the young ask of the political class is compassion and concern/ sympathy/ caring.
ii. On questions about political and electoral reforms, the respondents showed great forethought and vision/ rationality.

In the above sentences you may observe that the words given and the words that have to be filled in are parallel/ complementary or in the same tone.

C. THOUGHT REVERSAL CLUES

These change the direction of the sentence. They make one part of the sentence contradict or qualify another part. The word or phrase that completes the sentence is opposite in meaning to a word or phrase already given. The positive or negative charge of an answer is changed by these clues.
Such signs include


v But
v On the contrary
v In spite of
v Despite
v Yet
v However
v Unless
v Rather
v Although
v While
v Unfortunately
v Nonetheless
v Ironically
v Paradoxically

Illustrations:
i. His argument was flawed but persuasive.

ii. There is no cynicism in the way the young deal with issues; on the contrary they are optimistic toward life.

iii. The emphasis will not be on physical assets but on intangibles.

In the sentences above the words in italics are structural clues, which indicate that the words to be filled in are opposite in meaning to the words that are already given in the sentences

D. CAUSE EFFECT CLUES

While studying a sentence completion questions, you should be able to gauge as to which direction the sentence is heading. If the sentence has a causal idea it is possible to infer what would logically follow the causal phenomenon. In other words, we can anticipate the type of effect that the given cause would lead to. Similarly by analyzing the nature of an effect (sentences in which effect is given), we can also infer the plausible causal factor that would’ve contributed to the type of effect given. The easiest way is to identify the tone of the cause or effect to be supplied into the sentence - negative or positive.
Let’s work on sentences with cause effect relationship.

Torture is so prevalent and _____ of the hapless so common that these helpless beings are certainly _____ when they pour out their story of agony.
A. indemnifications ....... unhinged B. felicitation ....... believable
C. disparaging ...... credulous D. victimization ....... credible
E. endurance.......... fathomable

In the above sentence you observe that there are two clues: parallel and causal. Signaled by the word and the first blank needs a word parallel to torture i.e. victimization. The intensity of these two factors results in the possibility of the stories believable or credible.

Look at another example:

Higher education in India can no longer be allowed to remain as a/an _____ instrument that crushes the spirit of the individual while goading him into a _____ and consumerist mode.
A. innerving ...... boisterous B. emasculating ...... materialist
C. invigorating ...... pragmatic D. relegating ...... humanistic
E. riveting .... catholic

An instrument that crushes the spirit of the individual cannot be innerving or invigorating (both means energizing) nor can it be riveting, since rivet means to hold firmly and relegate meaning to lower in rank is closer but the latter word cannot be humanistic. The word that is parallel to consumerist is materialist

E. WORD DEFINITION CLUES

Yet another common clue found in sentence completion stimuli is the meaning or definition of the word to be filled given as part of the incomplete sentence itself. It is similar to the thought continuity clue except that in this case the meaning of the word or definition of the word to be selected is already given.


Let us study an example:
The great irony of Apple Computers is that the very posture that won Steve Jobs a cult following creating an exclusive group of _____ technicians who _____ refused to bow to IBM, hobbled his company.
A. iconoclastic ..... stubbornly B. conservative ..... invariably
C. rebellious ...... timidly D. traditional ..... out rightly
E. pre-meditated ...... obediently

In the sentence above you would’ve already observed the words ‘refused to bow’, which signals the word to be placed in the second blank. This phrase clearly defines the word stubbornly.
Another example

The crisis in modern education is not merely a constraint of _____ of funds but of _____ practices, unsuited for contemporary system.
A. scarcity ....... doctrinaire B. fulsomeness .... authoritative
C. restrictive ness ..... autocratic D. congruity ...... monolithic
E. paucity ........ anachronistic

In the above sentence the key to the latter word is ‘unsuited for contemporary education’.
You can now easily eliminate unsuitable choices and arrive at choice E, i.e. anachronistic

jumbled sentences

jumbled sentences
1. Paragraph anagrams

Rearrangement of sentences or paragraph anagrams is the most commonly seen question in the CAT and in most of other MBA admission tests. It interesting to know that this question doesn’t examine any previously learnt concepts, neither is it based on any particular logic. What it tests is common sense and speed. Extensive practice is the key.

However, we have a few strategies for you. Study them and use them in the exercise that follow and you’ll be comfortable with them.

Paragraph jumbles questions are presented in different forms.

a) Four/ five sentences either numbered 1,2,3,4,5 or lettered a, b, c, d, e are given in a jumbled form. The sentences are followed by choices of four possible combinations of arrangements of these sentences. You have to choose the most logical order of arrangement of these sentences to form a meaningful, coherent paragraph.

E.g. A. The managers are themselves parts of various hierarchies of managerial influence, coupled to one another by explicit and implicit codes of behaviour and information network.
B. Management science and MIS have introduced new elements of complexity into the manager’s world.
C. Management deals with complex social systems joined by physical and informational mechanisms to other social systems that are the responsibility of other managers.
D. If this seems to make the social system appear complex, it is so intended.
1. DCAB 2. ADCB 3. DBAC 4. CADB

b) A set of six sentences is given, in which the first and the sixth sentences are fixed at their respective positions. The four sentences that falls between the first and the sixth sentences are presented in a jumbled form. You are asked to choose the logical order of sentences from the choices.

E.g. 1. If the phenomenon of down gradation is understood and accepted, brands have to continuously seek options that offer better value to consumers.
A. Therefore, given an option, the consumer was willing to be satisfied by greater value from trusted brands rather than downgrade.
B. Tea in polypacks doubled their volume share between 1989 and 1991 in Bombay.
C. Biscuits in family packs witnessed phenomenal growth of such brands even during periods of inflation.
D. The onset of the down gradation phenomenon seems to be a good time to launch new products, or better still, create new sub-categories.
6. For instance, the more expensive gel toothpaste category upped its share in Bombay by six percent at the expense of popular and economy brands.
1. BCAD 2. CDAB 3. ADBC 4. DCBA

Strategies for sentence anagrams

Strategy 1
Avoid reading the sentences closely; that is not required and is a waste of time. Inspect the choices; if each of the choices begins with different letters, identifying the sentence to begin the sequence leads to the correct answer.

The following example illustrates this.


1. Small companies that compete effectively tend to grow, and growth brings increasing complexity and specialization in each function.
A. Technologists talk about processes, new materials, and worry about prototype results and technical problems; as regards language and interests, they have little in common with marketing.
B. As the company grows it tends increasingly to fragment into separate functional islands, each trying to solve its own problems, each using its own special language and having its own priorities.
C. Marketing people, for instance, talk about market segmentation, market growth, promotions and product image, and worry about changes in share.
D. Production people talk and worry about industrial relations, people arriving on time, and plant and equipment breakdown and delays.
6. They in their turn have little in common with either marketing or the technologists who, they consider, live in ivory towers.
1. DACB 2. BCAD 3. ACBD 4. CDAB

In the above question, the choices begin with different letters. The best strategy then would be to inspect sentence 1 and to identify the sentence that logically follows 1
Sentence 1 deals with growth of companies and sentence B begins with the continuity phrase, as the company grows. Consequently, B has to follow 1 and the answer therefore is choice 2. You require minimum steps in arriving at the answer in such questions.

Strategy 2
In choices that are closely related, identify a mandatory pair of sentences (two sentences that should form a sequence).



A. This linking of politics and music is of course ancient and even Aristotle in his book ‘Politics’ said, “We may compare the best form of government to the most harmonious piece of music.”
B. Mixing metaphors, Mr. Clinton referred to the symphony so central to western music and said, “It is time both nations heard the musical compositions of each other and understood each other better.”
C. The oligarchic and despotic to the more violent tunes; and the democratic to the soft and gentler airs.
D. The US President was confident that if governments and people of the two democracies made a determined bid to understand each other’s perspectives scripts, they could create new symphonies.
E. Such attempts to secure symphony would be so much better than the individual bids for virtuoso improvisations and adherence to classical compositions.
1. BACDE 2. DCAEB 3. DECAB 4. BDEAC

In the above question, observe that the choices are closely related. Two choices begin with D and the other two with B. In such cases avoid working from the first sentence; instead inspect the sentences quickly and identify a particular pair of sentences that are mandatory. In the above case EA is a mandatory sequence. Only choice 4 satisfies this condition, and therefore the most logical sequence.

Strategy 3
Look out for quick clues such as pronouns, conjunctions etc. in the beginning of sentences to help you establish a sequence.


E.g. 1. As a senior economist associated with the reforms programme used to say, a sure indication that the new economic policy was succeeding would be when foreign investors start trekking to Delhi in the sweltering heat of May and June.
A. If nothing else, India Power ‘94 came as a welcome break to the power ministry; most of the participants had complimentary things to say about government policy.
B. And there were would-be entrants like the Hong Kong-based China Light and Power Company who had turned up armed with a fax from the power ministry listing available projects in India.
C. Were that the only yardstick, then judging by the attendance at India Power ‘94, at least the reforms in the power sector could be declared a success.
D. There were the familiar names - Enron, AES, Cogentrix, and Spectrum Technologies.
6. This was in striking contrast to the adverse comments the ministry had been attracting so far.
1. ADBC 2. BDCA 3. CDBA 4. DBCA



In the above question, a smart test taker will quickly identify the phrase ‘ were that the only yardstick” in sentence C. This is a thought continuity of the idea in sentence 1 “ foreign investors trekking to Delhi……”. Consequently C has to follow 1; eliminate choices 1, 2, and 4.Choice 3 is the correct answer.

Strategy 4
In six sentences variety, work backward from sentence 6 if there is no obvious clue to work from sentence 1; many a time we overlook the hints that may be valuable


Let’s take a look at such an example.

1. A recent advertisement of Premier Instruments and Controls Ltd., a leading manufacturer of dashboard instruments, in a financial daily, summed it all up.
A. The fact is that executives from companies, ranging from Daimler Benz to General Motors, have been scouring the Indian countryside looking for suppliers of cheap components for products made in their European and American plants.
B. It obviously does not even have the time to make the investments required to set up a new plant.
C. Today, most Indian automobile component manufactures cannot produce enough to meet demand both domestic and international.
D. The company was soliciting spare capacities for the supply of intricate machines and sheet-metal components.
6. While some of them do find good deals, many have had to go back empty-handed.
1. ADCB 2. CBAD 3. BACD 4. DBCA


In the question given above, see that “them’ in sentence 6 refers to ‘executives’ referred to in sentence A. i.e. A precedes 6; choice 4 is the answer.

ANALOGIES

ANALOGIES
Analogies test your vocabulary and your ability to figure out the relationships between pairs of words. You're given a pair of capitalized words (for example, POTATO:VEGETABLE), and you're asked to determine their relationship, then identi@ the answer choice that has the same relationship.

The directions for this question type look like this:

Directions: In this question, a related pair of words is followed by five lettered pairs of words. Choose the one pair that best expresses a relationship similar to that expressed in the original pair.

THE FOUR FUNDAMENTALS

To improve your skill in answering analogy questions, you'll need to familiarize yourself
with the basic principles for approaching them-and you'll need some practice. The Four
Fundamentals below will help you to increase your skills and confidence as you approach the day of the test. And with skills and confidence, you'll be able to earn points on test day!

Analogy Questions Consist of Two Words
The two words, called the stem pair, are followed by five answer choices, each consisting of two words that are also separated by colons.Analogy questions on the look like this:
1. LITER : VOLUME ::
a) bottle : can
b)knob : radio
c) scale : height
d)gram : weight
e) juice : vitamin

There Will Always Be a Direct and Necessary Relationship between the Words in the Stem Pair

You can express the relationship between the two stem words by making a short sentence that we call a bridge. Your goals when you build an analogy bridge should be to keep it as short and as clear as possible.
For the analogy above, as strong bridge would be:
A LITER is by definition a measure of VOLUME.

WHAT'S A STEM PAIR?
Analogy questions consist of two words-the stem pair-that are separated by a colon.
Stem pairs look like this:

PREPARATION : SUCCESS ::

Try to Build a "Bridge" before Looking at the Answer Choices

In a standardized test, we'll find that certain kinds of bridges appear on the test over and over again. At VA4CAT, we call these frequently appearing bridges Classic
Bridges. Getting familiar with Classic Bridges now will help you quickly recognize these relationships when we encounter them on the CAT.

WHAT'S A BRIDGE?
A bridge is a short sentence that connects the two words in the stem pair. You should
always build a bridge before you look at the answer choices.

The Five Classic Bridges
1. Definition ("is always" or "is never")
2. Function or Purpose
3. Lack
4. Characteristic Actions or Items
5. Degree (sometimes to the point of excess)

Each of the five classic bridges are illustrated below.

The Definition Bridge
CYGNET : SWAN A CYGNET is a young SWAN.

The Function or Purpose Bridge
TRUSS : SUPPORT A TRUSS is used as a SUPPORT.

The Lack Bridge
LOUT : GRACE A LOUT lacks GRACE.

The Characteristic Actions or Item Bridge
SKUNK : SCENT A SKUNK defends itself with its SCENT.

The Degree Bridge (sometimes to the point ofexcess)
INTEREST : ENTHRALL To INTEREST greatly is to ENTHRALL.

Remember the five classic bridges and keep them in mind as you practice for the CAT

WHAT MAKES A STRONG BRIDGE?
We might think that the words apple and pie have a strong bridge. Don't be fooled. We can make many things other than pies out of apples, such as apple juice and apple
sauce. And there are many different types of pies. Apple and fruit, on the other hand,
do have a strong bridge. An apple is a type of fruit. This is always true: It's a strong,
definite relationship.

Watch Out for Common Wrong Answer Types
Because the bridges on CAT analogies are predictable, wrong answer types to these questions are also predictable. If you get stumped on any CAT analogy, we can earn points by ruling out as many wrong answer choices as we can and then picking from the remaining choices.
Here are some of the typical wrong answer choices that appear on analogies:

Unrelated Words
A pair of words with no strong relationship is a common wrong answer.

Same Subject Trap
The words in the answer choice are in the same fields (or have the same subject) as the words in the stem pair, but don't have the same bridge.

"Both Are" Bridges
This involves words that aren't related to each other, but are both related to a third word. For instance, the words bracelet: necklace refer to pieces of jewelry. Yet a bracelet has no necessary connection to a necklace.

Context Traps
Words that often appear together in context, but don't have any relationship. For instance, mitigating : circumstance

Reverse Analogy
The bridge would be right if the order of the words were reversed.

Opposite Bridge
The bridge is the exact opposite of the bridge between the wbrds in the stem pair.

Irrelevant Bridge
The bridge is strong, but it doesn't have anything to do with the bridge in the stem pair.

THE FOUR-STEP METHOD
Approaching analogies in a systematic manner is the best way to avoid common pitfalls and improve your score.

Find a Strong Bridge between the Stem Words
In most cases, the more precisely you can express the connection between the two
words, the better. A precise formulation is more likely to help you find the right
answer.

Plug the Answer Choices into the Bridge
1.Look for the answer choice pair that has the same relationship as the stem pair.
2.Immediately eliminate answer choices that don't fit the bridge.
3.Always try all the answer choices; you might find that more than one answer choice
works with the bridge that you built.
4.If only one answer choice works with the bridge you built, select that answer choice.

Adjust the Bridge, if Necessary
1.If more than one answer choice works, you'll have to narrow your bridge (make it
more precise).
2.If none of the answer choices work, you probably need to expand it (make it more
general).
3.Consider alternate definitions for the stem words. Perhaps your bridge uses the wrong

If Stuck, Build Bridges between Answer Choice Pairs and Work
Backwards
1.Eliminate all answer choices that have no strong bridge.
2.Eliminate all answer choices that have an identical bridge to another answer choice.
3.Beware of answer choices that reverse the bridge.
definition of a word.