CAT VARC Important Topics
Based on the previous year’s CAT question paper and other general trends, the following topics are some of the most CAT VARC topics:
Topics | Expected No. of Questions | Difficulty Level |
Para-Summary | 2 to 3 Questions | Moderate |
Para-Jumbles | 2 to 4 Questions | Moderate |
Odd Sentences | 1 to 2 Questions | Moderate |
Reading Comprehension Passages | 24 Questions | Moderately difficult |
Sentence Completion and Correction | 2 to 3 Questions | Moderately Easy |
Word Usage (Vocabulary) | 1 to 2 Questions | Easy |
Fill in the Blanks | 1 to 2 Questions | Easy |
Para-Summary
Para-summary questions in the CAT VARC section test your ability to understand a passage and pick the option that best captures its main idea. To score well in these CAT VARC questions, focus on identifying the core message and eliminating choices that distort or add irrelevant details. Regular practice of para-summaries as part of your CAT VARC syllabus preparation boosts comprehension skills and helps improve your CAT VARC score vs percentile.
Examples:
1. The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
“It does seem to me that the job of comedy is to offend, or have the potential to offend, and it cannot be drained of that potential,” Rowan Atkinson said of cancel culture.“Every joke has a victim. That’s the definition of a joke. Someone or something or an idea is made to look ridiculous.” The Netflix star continued, “I think you’ve got to be very, very careful about saying what you’re allowed to make jokes about. You’ve always got to kick up? Really?” He added, “There are lots of extremely smug and selfsatisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
All jokes target someone and one should be able to joke about anyone in the society, which is inconsistent with cancel culture.
Every joke needs a victim and one needs to include people from lower down the society and not just the upper class.
Victims of jokes must not only be politicians and royalty, but also arrogant people from lower classes should be mentioned by comedians.
Cancel culture does not understand the role and duty of comedians, which is to deride and mock everyone.
Solution:
The core ideas presented in the passage can be distilled into the following points:
i) The fundamental purpose of a joke is to target and offend its subject, regardless of their societal status.
ii) The prevailing cancel culture deems it inappropriate to make jokes about individuals belonging to lower strata of society.
Option A aptly encompasses both of these primary concepts and, therefore, stands as the accurate choice.
In contrast, Option B deviates from the passage's main theme. The paragraph does not aim to persuade the inclusion of individuals from the lower class in jokes; rather, it scrutinizes the implications of cancel culture on humor.
Similarly, Option C strays from the central ideas of the passage. The focus is not on ensuring a diverse audience for jokes, but rather on the dynamics between jokes, targets, and societal status.
Option D also misrepresents the primary content of the passage. Nowhere in the text are the comedian's duties or responsibilities explicitly discussed.
Hence, the correct and comprehensive option that encompasses the main ideas is indeed Option A.
2. The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
To defend the sequence of alphabetisation may seem bizarre, so obvious is its application that it is hard to imagine a reference, catalogue or listing without it. But alphabetical order was not an immediate consequence of the alphabet itself. In the Middle Ages, deference for ecclesiastical tradition left scholars reluctant to categorise things according to the alphabet — to do so would be a rejection of the divine order. The rediscovery of the ancient Greek and Roman classics necessitated more efficient ways of ordering, searching and referencing texts. Government bureaucracy in the 16th and 17th centuries quickened the advance of alphabetical order, bringing with it pigeonholes, notebooks and card indexes.
Unlike the alphabet, once the efficacy of the alphabetic sequence became apparent to scholars and administrators, its use became widespread.
The alphabetic order took several centuries to gain common currency because of religious beliefs and a lack of appreciation of its efficacy in the ordering of things.
The ban on the use by scholars of any form of categorisation - but the divinely ordained one - delayed the adoption of the alphabetic sequence by several centuries.
While adoption of the written alphabet was easily accomplished, it took scholars several centuries to accept the alphabetic sequence as a useful tool in their work.
The core concepts articulated in the paragraph can be encapsulated as follows:
i) The adoption of alphabetical order as a system of organization didn't occur immediately upon the discovery of alphabets.
ii) During the medieval era, scholars were hesitant to classify things alphabetically, largely due to apprehensions about undermining what was believed to be a divine order.
iii) It wasn't until the rediscovery of the Greek and Roman classics, coupled with the development of government bureaucracy in later centuries, that the practice of organizing information alphabetically became accepted and commonplace.
When evaluating the options based on their adherence to these core themes, Option A falls short. While it may allude to the delayed adoption of alphabetical order, it fails to capture the reason behind the scholars' reluctance, which is a critical part of the narrative.
Option C is factually incorrect, as it suggests a "ban on use," which is not supported by the text. Option D suffers from the same deficiencies as Option A, notably its omission of the key issue that made scholars hesitant to categorize things alphabetically during the middle ages.
However, Option B accurately encapsulates the essence of the paragraph's main points. It adequately covers the late adoption of alphabetical order, why scholars were initially hesitant, and how eventual acceptance was facilitated by the rediscovery of ancient texts and the needs of government bureaucracy. Therefore, Option B is the most fitting choice that does justice to the main ideas presented in the paragraph. Hence, the correct option is B.
Para-Jumbles
Para jumbles in the CAT exam require you to rearrange shuffled sentences to form a coherent and meaningful paragraph. This tests your understanding of the logical flow and structure of ideas. To solve para jumbles, look for connecting words, pronouns, and sequences that link sentences together. Regular practice helps improve your ability to quickly identify the correct order.
Examples:
1. The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) below, when properly sequenced would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer.
1. It is regimes of truth that make certain relationships speakable - relationships, like subjectivities, are constituted through discursive formations, which sustain regimes of truth.
2. Relationships are nothing without the communication that brings them into being;
interpersonal communication is connected to knowledge shared by interlocutors, and scholars should attend to relational histories in their analyses.
3. A Foucauldian approach to relationships goes beyond these conceptions of discourse and history to macrolevel regimes of truth as constituting relationships.
4. Reconsidering micropractices within relationships that are constituted within and simultaneously contributors to regimes of truth acknowledges the central position of power/knowledge in the constitution of what has come to be considered true and real.
2314
2134
1234
4321
Solution:
Upon examining the sentences, it's evident that the focus is on diverse interpretations of relationships. Sentence 2 underscores that communication holds significant weight in this domain and merits thorough examination. Venturing beyond this conventional viewpoint, sentence 3 introduces a Foucauldian perspective that encompasses more than just interpersonal dynamics, extending to macro-level "regimes of truth." Sentence 1 elaborates on the pertinence of these "regimes of truth" in comprehending relationship dynamics. Finally, sentence 4 neatly ties the discussion together, highlighting how the intricate micro-practices embedded within relationships hint at the intertwined relationship between knowledge and power. Consequently, the most coherent arrangement is 2314.
2. The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) below, when properly sequenced would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer.
1. Businesses find automation, such as robotic employees, a big asset in terms of productivity and efficiency.
2. But in recent years, robotics has had increasing impacts on unemployment, not just of manual labour, as computers are rapidly handling some white-collar and service-sector work.
3. For years politicians have promised workers that they would bring back their jobs by clamping down on trade, offshoring and immigration.
4. Economists, based on their research, say that the bigger threat to jobs now is not globalisation but automation.
1234
4321
4231
3412
Upon first glance, the paragraph delves into the issue of unemployment stemming from automation. Commencing with sentence 3 offers a snapshot of the prevailing unemployment situation. While politicians typically pinpoint globalisation as the primary contributor to growing joblessness, sentence 4 introduces a deviation by suggesting that the narrative put forth by experts differs. According to them, automation, not globalisation, could be a pivotal factor intensifying the unemployment crisis. Sentences 1 and 2, when paired together, delve deeper into the nuances of how automation directly impacts job prospects, shedding light on its scale and nature. Thus, piecing the sentences together, the sequence that captures the essence most effectively is 3412.
Odd Sentences
Odd sentence questions in the CAT exam ask you to identify the sentence that doesn't fit within a given set of sentences. This tests your ability to discern the logical flow and thematic consistency of a paragraph. To solve these, look for sentences that break the sequence of ideas, introduce unrelated information, or disrupt the paragraph's coherence. Regular practice can help you quickly spot these discrepancies and improve your accuracy.
Examples:
1. Find the misfit sentence:
The rocket launch marked a historic moment in space exploration, as it ventured deeper into the cosmos.
The chef prepared a delectable five-course meal, showcasing culinary expertise.
The team of researchers uncovered archaeological artefacts that shed light on ancient civilizations.
The wolves' howls echoed through the forest, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Solution:
Sentence A is the misfit. The other sentences are related to scientific achievements, culinary arts, and natural sounds, while sentence B introduces a different context by discussing a rocket launch in space exploration.
2. Find the misfit sentence:
The entrepreneur's startup disrupted the traditional retail market.
The botanist discovered a new species of rare orchids deep in the rainforest.
The political debate focused on critical issues such as healthcare and taxation policies.
The summer breeze rustled the leaves, bringing relief from the sweltering heat.
Solution:
Sentence D is the misfit. The other sentences are about entrepreneurial disruption, botany, and political debates, whereas sentence D describes a natural phenomenon, the summer breeze, which is unrelated to the others.
