AIMCAT DISCUSSION (1320 – 1317)

ANDAND

READING COMPREHENSION WORKSHOP

Verbal in CAT Verbal in CAT

�Reading Comprehension

�Verbal Ability�Verbal Ability

�Verbal Reasoning

Verbal Ability Verbal Ability Word Based questions Grammar Based Questions

Vocab : synonyms Error spotting

antonyms Sentence correction

analogies Multiple usage

odd man out

Usage based : Fill in the blanks

Multiple usage

Choose the appropriate words : homophones/misused words

Verbal Reasoning Verbal Reasoning

Conceptual Non-conceptual

Critical Reasoning Para Jumbles

Fact/Inference/Judgment Para Completion

Upstream and Downstream Argument Summary Based

Logical and far – fetched conclusion Restatement of an idea

Overview of the Overview of the AimcatsAimcatsAimcat RC questions Grammar Word based VR

1320 3Passages / 3 questions each

passage

Error Spotting

FIB / Multiple Usage PJ/PC

1319 3Passages / 3 questions each

Error Spotting

Choose the appropriate word

PJ/PCquestions each

passage Spotting appropriate word

1318 3Passages / 3 questions each

passage

Error Spotting

Choose the appropriate word

PJ/PC

1317 3Passages / 3 questions each

passage

Error Spotting

Multiple Usage PJ

Reading Comprehension Reading Comprehension

CAT No. of questions

in the Verbal section

RC Grammar Word based PJ/PC

2007 (PP) 25 3P * 4Q 3 ErrorIdentificatio

n

3 (choose the appropriate word)/

PJ = 4/PC = 3

2008 (PP) 40 4P * 5Q 4 Error 4 (choose the PC=42008 (PP) 40 4P * 5Q 4 ErrorIdentificatio

n

4 (choose the appropriate word)/4

DB/4 MU

PC=4

2009 (OL) 20 3P * 3Q ----- ----- -----

2010 (OL) 20 3P * 4/3/2 ----- ----- -----

2011 (OL) 30 (21 V + 9 LR)

3P4/3/2/

------- -------- --------

Reading Speed Exercise Reading Speed Exercise

Read the passage 2 from AIMCAT 1320

Write down the summary of the passage without revisiting the passage without revisiting the passage

� Assuming a student gives equal time per section at the outset

� And also that a student tries to maximize his/her attempts in the verbal section

Time allocationTime allocation

Time per passage : 10-12 minsReading time : 5 mins

Time taken to solve the questions : 7 mins

T.I.M.E.

Factors that make passages difficult Factors that make passages difficult to read to read

Read the passages in AIMCAT 1320 Read the passages in AIMCAT 1320

Factors that make passages difficult Factors that make passages difficult to read to read

� Subject

� Style � Style

� Language : words / jargons used

sentence construction

AIMCAT 1320Passage I : Social trends : marriage trends among

black women in AmericaPassage II : Others : way of living Passage III : Others : Various facets of travel

RC subjects in the RC subjects in the AimcatsAimcats

Passage III : Others : Various facets of travel AIMCAT 1319 Passage I : Books: theme : modern horror Passage II : Deep water drilling for oil

explorationPassage III : Natural Disaster management

T.I.M.E.

� AIMCAT 1318Passage I : Economics : trade in capital vs trade

in goodsPassage II : Literature : analysis of Mabanckou’s

works Passage III : Geology : changes in the ecosystem

RC subjects in the RC subjects in the AimcatsAimcats

Passage III : Geology : changes in the ecosystem� AIMCAT 1317Passage I : Internet : Authenticity Passage II : Capital punishment Passage III : Economics: the feeding pattern

among the poor

T.I.M.E.

Year Subject

2002 IPR,abstractionism,technology,music(arts)

2003 Education,history,culture,anthropology,sociology

2004 Social anthropology, fine arts , economics (capitalism), medicine, ecology

2005 Psychology,economics,language

Sub areas asked in CAT in the last 10 Sub areas asked in CAT in the last 10 yearsyears

2005 Psychology,economics,language

2006 Politics (communism),sociology , psychology

2007 Science,history,sociology (human interaction)

2008 Language,sociology,fine arts

2010 Abstraction, sociology (changing trends in society, problems people face),ecology (snow /ice masses),langage,economics,feudalism,plato,urbanism,nationalism,spiritual healing,

T.I.M.E.

� http://samsmithessays.blogspot.com/2006/06/practicing-anthropology-without.html(anthropology)

� http://www.economist.com/node/15172496?story_id=15172496&source=hptextfeature(anthropology)

� http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article432445.ece (Sociology)

� http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/gobekli-tepe/mann-text/1 (anthropology)

Anthropology /Sociology/CultureAnthropology /Sociology/Culture

T.I.M.E.

� http://www.sydneyline.com/Historical%20Truth%20and%20Postmodernism.htm(history)

� http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12522848 (history)

� http://www.historynet.com/the-war-over-plunder-who-owns-art-stolen-in-war.htm/1(history)

� http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/opinion/07friedman.html?_r=3&ref=thomaslfriedman (politics)

History/PoliticsHistory/Politics

dman (politics)

� http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/africa_china/61408 (politics)

� http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/john-gilmers-last-stand/ (politics)

� http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/books/review/adam-kirsch-on-new-books-about-world-war-ii.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all (world politics)

T.I.M.E.

� http://www.theamericanscholar.org/how-longfellow-woke-the-dead/ (literature)

� http://www.guernicamag.com/blog/2734/julianne_escobedo_shepherd_8_c/(literature)

� http://www.city-journal.org/2011/eon0517hm.html (education)

� http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/most+influential+history/4788014/story.html (literature)

Language/Arts/LiteratureLanguage/Arts/Literature

T.I.M.E.

� http://hinduism.about.com/od/vivekananda/a/vivekananda_speeches_2.htm (philosophy)

� http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_Monkey_Theorem (philosophy)

� http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulacra_and_Simulation (philosophy)

� http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/0517/Questions-about-God-Don-t-assume-all-religions-offer-similar-answers (religion)

� http://www.thehumanist.org/humanist/articles/dawkins.html (religion)

� http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/gobekli-tepe/mann-text/1 (religion)

� http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6711.html (morality)

Religion/PhilosophyReligion/Philosophy

� http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6711.html (morality)

� http://www.douglasadams.com/dna/980707-05-a.html (technology)

� http://grammar.about.com/od/classicessays/a/virhapmill.htm (philosophy)

T.I.M.E.

� Factual

� Analytical

� Argumentative

Style Style

� Narrative

� Descriptive

� Abstract

T.I.M.E.

� Read the passages in AIMCAT 1319 and identify the various styles of writing

Tone is the author’s attitude towards the central idea or the subject being discussed

Types of tonesPositiveNegative

TonesTones

NegativeNeutral : unbiased

disinterestedobjective

T.I.M.E.

üOptimisticüAssertiveü EuphemisticüAdvisory

ü Laudatoryü EulogisticüCritical Appreciation

Positive tonesPositive tones

üAdvisoryü SurpriseüDidacticüNostalgicü Passionateü Ethical

T.I.M.E.

üNegativeü PessimismüCondescendingüCritical

Acerbic

ü IndignantüConsternationüCynicalüDerisive

Disparaging

Negative tonesNegative tones

üAcerbicüCausticüVitriolicü Ironicü Paradoxicalü Shock

üDisparagingüDogmaticü SophistryüCasuistryü Incendiary

T.I.M.E.

Positive : when used for entertainment (PG Wodehouse);light-hearted, tongue in cheek, witty

Negative : when used to point out the fallacies in an individual or society

Negative humour tones:

HumourHumour

Negative humour tones:üSarcasmüMockeryüSatireüSpoof

T.I.M.E.

Guess the tone ? Guess the tone ?

Guess the tone? Guess the tone?

Guess the tone?Guess the tone?

Guess the tone?Guess the tone?

(A politician needs) the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen.

Guess the tone?Guess the tone?

However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.

You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else.

Tones Exercise Tones Exercise

� Read the passages in AIMCAT 1318 and identify the tone of the writer

� Direct questions : word based/phrase based / sentence based/quote based

� Partial Inferential : ‘except clause’

Types of Question Types of Question

� Partial Inferential : ‘except clause’

� Inferential : central idea , style , tone

T.I.M.E.

� Classify the various questions in AIMCAT 1317 in to the above categories

Questions from AIMCAT 1317Questions from AIMCAT 1317

Direct Questions Partially Inferential Inferential Questions

VERBAL ABILITY : VERBAL ABILITY : WORD BASED QUESTIONS :

MULTIPLE USAGE

Objective of these kind of questions in any entrance examinations

§ The words given in these type of question

Multiple Usage questionsMultiple Usage questions

§ The words given in these type of question are the commonly used words also called the high frequency words

§ The objective of this question is to evaluate a student’s language proficiency unlike vocabulary based questions

T.I.M.E.

Steps to be followed while solving these questionsü check the usage of the word in terms of the part

of speech [there are eight parts of speech : noun,pronoun,verb,adverb,adjective,preposition,conjunction,interjection]

ü The word in question could either be used as a

How to solve these questions?How to solve these questions?

ü The word in question could either be used as a noun or a verb.

E.g. the word nurse can be used in the following ways :

She works as a nurse in hospital. [noun]She nursed me throughout my illness. [verb]Do you nurse political ambitions ? [verb]

T.I.M.E.

ü if the word in question is used as a noun then check for the usage of the article [a,an,the] ; the error could be with the usage of article

E.g. Firm

Multiple usage continuedMultiple usage continued

E.g. Firm§ Lie on a firm mattress to avoid a backache.§ The new firm had several plans for

expansion.§ This is a residential school and kids here

need a firm hand to make them behave.

T.I.M.E.

ü If the word is used as a verb then the error could be with the preposition following it : a concept called ‘phrasal verbs’

E.g. Deal1. You begin a game by dealing 7 cards to each

player.

Multiple usage Multiple usage contdcontd

player.2. Parents find it difficult to deal with their

children’s hostile and stubborn attitude.3. The nuclear deal between India and the US has

sparked off a controversy.4. Judges usually deal in harsher sentences to

repeat offendersT.I.M.E.

Idioms : the error could be idiomatic (the incorrect idiom in terms of the meaning conveyed or in terms of the structure)

What are idioms?

If these don’t work then ….If these don’t work then ….

They are phrases grammatically with an implied meaning [a phrase is a group of words without a finite verb]

T.I.M.E.