CAT(Common Admission Test)/MBA management exams

Practice Question for Sentence Completion

2006-04-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

If you come across any unfamiliar words below, look them up in a dictionary for your future knowledge after you have completed these sentence completion questions.

1.) His ---- sense of humor caused more ---- than he must have intended.
(A) debunk..sobriety
(B) wry..confusion
(C) prominent..impudence
(D) dry..jargon
(E) incorrigible..paucity

2.) Because Jim was generally ---- on the football field, he was genuinely touched by the amount of praise he received for his game-winning touchdown.
(A) indelible
(B) methodical
(C) succinct
(D) pious
(E) unheralded

3.) Although the professor was quite prominent in her field, she wore an air of --- while lecturing her students.
(A) unanimity
(B) sanction
(C) modesty
(D) parsimony
(E) morose

4.) Don't ---; you have to get over your disappointment and get on with your life.
(A) deliberate
(B) temper
(C) rejoice
(D) lament
(E) obscure

5.) While the winemakers were exhausted at the end of their first season, they took --- in the fact that the vines would require much less effort in the coming years.
(A) solace
(B) prerogative
(C) vagaries
(D) urgency
(E) divergence

Answers:

1.) B. The clue word in this sentence is "caused". The speaker had some unintended effect on his audience. Wry means dry or twisted humor and confusion would certainly be a potential unintended effect from this speaking style. Hopefully, you were able to use process of elimination on many of these answer choices as the dual words doubles the chances you will know the meaning of at least one of the words and be able to eliminate the answer choice if it does not fit.

2.) E. This sentence's clue word is "because". Unheralded means unappreciated or unnoticed. Clearly Jim was not the star of this team and was not used to receiving accolades.

3.) C. Although is the clue word. Choice A may have confused you if you mistook unanimity with anonymity. This is an example of 2 words that are similar in appearance and enunciation, but vastly different in meaning. This is also another reason you should examine all 5 answer choices in the SAT's sentence completion sections.

4.) D. Did you notice the negative in "Don't"? If you missed this, you probably selected choice C (rejoice). Choice B may have appeared inviting if you confused the meaning of the verb "temper" with its meaning as a noun. (As a verb, it means to make less extreme.)

5.) A. The clue word was "While". Solace means relief. The other answer choices simply do not work. Hopefully, you didn't waste any time trying to determine why they didn't work. It's a simple fact of life that many of the choices you will see on the SAT just do not make any sense and it's not worth losing sleep over.

Verbal Tips

2006-04-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

Sentence Completion

The good news is that there are some pretty well-defined procedures for tackling the sentence completions question.

Read the sentence carefully for meaning

You are never going to determine the answer until you understand the question.
Think about the sentence means and what part of speech is necessary to correctly complete the sentence.

Think of an answer that makes sense before you read the choices

This exercise will help you to analyze the sentence and, should your choice not be found in the answer choices, begin to reexamine the question in case you misinterpreted the "clue" word.

Look out for clue words

Clue words indicate the types of answer choices that will best fit in the sentence and can indicate directional changes to the sentences' structures.
Examples of clue words include: however, because, although, so, for etc...
Negative clue words such as not, un-, none, etc.
Every sentence has at least one clue word. Nearly every answer choice will appear correct if you do not find the clue word. This is why it is so imperative that you find the clue words before you look at the answer choices.

Always read all 5 answer choices

The CAT ( Common Admission Test) wants you to select the best answer choice in the sentence completion section and, if you are strapped for time and you select "A" because it works without checking the other choices, it just may be that answer choice "E" was an even better selection.

Use process of elimination

This is especially true of the questions with 2 blanks. This essentially doubles the chances you will know at least one of the 2 words in the answer choices and that you can eliminate the choice from consideration if the words do not make sense.

Study your vocabulary

You can use the roots, suffixes, and prefixes to help you understand the meaning of the answer choices.
Beware of similar sounding words such as abrogate and abdicate and disparage and disparity.

Time-Table for March & English Tips

2006-03-23T11:57:00.000-08:00

Time-Table for March

This is a rough timetable, which I will advise to all the CAT aspirants who are taking CAT this year. There is still time left and a sincere attempt can give you, what you are dreaming for admission into IIM's through CAT.

Continue to spend 1 Hour on reading newspapers, magazines etc everyday. But make sure now that you are using all the speed enhancement technique.
Start working on Data Interpretation and Data sufficiency fundamentals. Devote 1 hour daily on them.
Continue to spen 1 hour on Quant everyday.
Till now you must have completed atleast one chapter of Quants if not, make sure you complete two in this month. Again my advice is to go for Algebra, because you can find 10 problem from this in CAT (common admission test).

Most importantly Keep on using all the speed enchancement technique that you are using currently. Continue to work on vocabulary.

English Improvment Techniques: To increase understanding in English a CAT aspirants should read from various sources on different subjects and always conclude a column once he/she is finish with it. This will give you the idea how well he/she has understood the whole column. Below are the some tips on how to work on different areas of CAT (common admission test) english paper.

Analogies

Before looking at the answer choices, try to establish a precise relationship between the words in the given pair. It is usually helpful to express that relationship in a phrase or sentence. Next, look for the answer choice with the pair of words whose relationship is closest to that of the given pair and can be expressed in a similar fashion.
Occasionally, more than one of the answer choices may seem at first to express a relationship similar to that of the given pair. Try to state the relationship more precisely or identify some aspect of the relationship between the given pair of words that is paralleled in only one choice pair.
Remember that a single word can have several different meanings. Check to be sure you have not overlooked a possible secondmeaningg of one of the words.
Never decide on the best answer without reading all the answer choices.
Practice recognizing and formulating relationships between word pairs.

Antonyms

Remember that you are looking for the word that is the most nearly opposite to the given word; you are not looking for a synonim. Since many words do not have a precise opposite, you must look for the answer choices that expresses a concept most nearly opposite to the given word.
In some cases more than one of the answer choices may appear at first to be opposite to the given word. Questions that require you to make fine distinctions among two or more answer choices are best handled by defining more precisely or in greater detail the meaning of the given word.
It is often useful, in weighting answer choices, to make up a sentence using the given word or words. Substituting the answer choices in the phrase or sentence and seeing which best "fits", in that it reverses the meaning or tone of the sentence or phrase, may help you in determing the best answer.
Remember that a particular word can have more than one meaning.
Use your knowledge of root, prefix, and suffix meanings to help you determine the meanings of words with which you are not entirely familiar.

Sentence completions

Read the entire incomplete sentence carefully before you consider the answer choices. Be sure you understand the ideas expressed and examine the sentence for possible indications of tone (irony, humor, and the like).
Before reading the answer choices, you may find it helpful to fill in the blanks with a word or words of your own that complete the meaning of the sentence. Then examine the answer choices to see if any of them parallels your own completion of the sentence.
Pay attention to grammatical clues in the sentence. For example, words like although and nevertheless indicate that some qualification os opposition is taking place in the sentence, whereas moreover implies an intensification or support of some idea in the sentence.
If a sentence has two blanks, be sure that both parts of your answer choice fit logically and stylistically into the sentence.
When you have to choose an answer, read the complete sentence through to check that it has acquired a logically and stylistically satisfying meaning.

Reading comprehension

Since reading passages are drawn from many different disciplines and sources, you should not expect to be familiar with the material in all the passages. However, you should not be discouraged by encountering material with which you are not familiar; questions are to be answered on the basis of the information provided in the passage, and you are not expected to rely on outside. knowledge, which you may or may not have, of a particular topic.
Whatever strategy you choose, you should analyze the passage carefully before answering the questions. As with any kind of close and thoughtful reading, you should be sensitive to clues that will help you understand less explicit aspects of the passage. Try to sepparate main ideas from supporting ideas or evidence; try also to sepparate the author's own ideas or attitudes from information he or she is simply presenting. It is important to note transitions from one idea to the next and to examine the relationships among the different ideas or parts of the passage. For example, are they contrasting? Are they complementary? You should consider both the points the author makes and the conclusions he or she draws and also how and why those point are made or conclusions drawn.
Read each question carefully and be certain that you understand exactly what is being asked.
Always read all the answer choices before selecting the best answer.
The best answer is the one that most accurately and most completely answers the question being posed. Be careful not to pick an answer choice simply because is a true statement; be careful also not to be misled by answer choices that are only partially true or only partially satisfy the problem posed in the question.
Answer all the questions on the basis of the information provided in the passage and do not rely on outside knowledge. your own views or opinions may sometimes conflict with the views expressed or the information provided in the passage; be sure that you work within the context provided by the passage. You should not expect to agree with everything you encounter in reading passages.

Quant speed enchancement tips - 2

2006-03-12T10:34:00.000-08:00

Knowledge of Vedic Mathematics can really get good marks in Quant section of a Common admission test (CAT) paper. Vedic Mathematics introduces the wonderful applications to Arithmetical computations, theory of numbers, compound multiplications, algebraic operations, factorisations, simple quadratic and higher order equations, simultaneous quadratic equations, partial fractions, calculus, squaring, cubing, square root, cube root , coordinate geometry and the wonderful Vedic Numerical code.

SQUARE OF A 3-DIGIT NUMBER: One of the short cut that is being given by Vedic Mathematics to find the square of a 3-digit number is listed here. Let the number be XYZ.

Steps to be follwed
1 Last digit = Last digit of Sq (Z)
2 Second last digit = 2*Y*Z + any carryover from STEP 1
3 Third last digit 2*X*Z+ Sq (Y) + any carryover from STEP 2
4 Fourth last digit is 2*X*Y + any carryover from STEP 3
5 Beginning of result will be Sq (X) + any carryover from Step

Example: Let us find the square of 431

1 Last digit = Last digit of Sq (1) = 1
2 Second last digit = 2*3*1 + any carryover from STEP 1=6+0=6
3 Third last digit 2*4*1+ Sq (3) + any carryover from STEP 2 = 8+9+0 = 17 i.e. 7 with carry over of 1
4 Fourth last digit is 2*4*3 + any carryover from STEP 3 = 24+1 = 25 i.e. 5 with carry over of 2
5 Beginning of result will be Sq (4) + any carryover from Step 4 = 16+2 = 18
Square for 431 is = 185761.

DIVISIBILTY RULES:One of the main advantage of Vedic Mathematics is given here. These are the short cut to find the divisibilty of numbers 13 & 7.

RULE FOR 13:

Example1: Let us take 1035327800

Separate it into sets of 3 numbers starting from right 001, 035, 327, 800
Now add the sets at odd and even positions i.e. 001 + 327 = 328 and 035 + 800 = 835.
Now take the absolute difference between the two sums.

Difference is |328 - 835| = 507

Check for divisibility of 507 by 13 (which is relatively much simpler task) and if its divisible then the whole

number is divisible.

Example2: Let us take 12436

Separate it into sets of 3 numbers starting from right 012, 436.
Now take the absolute difference between the two sums.

Difference is |012 - 436| = 424

Check for divisibility of 424 by 13. This is not divisible by 13 and hence the whole number.

RULE FOR 7
Take the last digit, double it, and subtract it from the rest of the number. If the answer is more than a 2 digit number perform the above again.

Example1: 259/7: 9*2= 18.
25-18 = 7 which is divisible by 7. So 259 is also divisible by 7.

Example2: 2793/7: 3*2= 6
279-6= 273 now 3*2=6
27-6= 21 which is divisible by 7 so 2793 is also divisible by 7

UNIQUE NUMBERS:

153 is a neat number:Here are the reasons,
1. 153 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 + 17
2. 153 = 1! + 2! + 3! + 4! + 5!
3. 153 = 13 + 53 + 33

Remainder 3
1. Choose any prime number greater than 3. (19)
2. Square that number (19 x 19 = 361)
3. Add 14 (361 + 14 = 375)
4. Divide by 12 (375/12 = 31 with remainder 3)

Divide by 7, 11, 13
1. Pick any 3-digit whole number. (185)
2. Repeat the digits. (185,185)
3. Divide by 7 (185,185/7 = 26,455)
4. Divide by 11 (26,455/11 = 2405)
5. Divide by 13 (2405/13 = 185)

Quants speed enhancement Tips

2006-03-02T12:34:00.000-08:00

Speed with accuracy is what CAT (common admission test) exam needs in a CAT (common admission test) aspirant . I have seen many student getting good marks just because they can do fast mental calculation and read faster then the normal CAT (common admission test) aspirant . Therefore, improvement in speed is an essential part of the CAT (common admission test) exam preparation.

Tips to increase reading speed have already discussed in last topic. Now, this column dedicated to Quant section.You must be knowing the importance of fast mental calculation in CAT (common admission test) exam, they can save you valuable time and help you in getting good score. However, remembering so many numbers might not be easy for everyone.

MULTIPLICATION OF TWO DIGIT NUMBER

To do any multiplication a CAT (common admission test) aspirant have to know the table of atleast one of the number.
The main advantage of this method is that a CAT (common admission test) aspirant just have to remember the tables till 30*10, no need of remembering tables till 30*30.

Example 1: If you have to find out what 12 * 26=?

The first part is to subtract the second number (26) form its unit digit. 26 - 6 = 20.

Now multiply the reminder 20 by 12, 12*20= 240.

Now multiply that unit digit 6 with 12, 12*6=72

Now add 72 and 240.

So, answer for this will be 240+72 =312.

Example 2: If you have to find out what 23 * 77=?

Subtract the second number (77) form its unit digit 77 - 7 = 70.

Now multiply the reminder 23 * 70 = 1610.

Now multiply the unit digit 23*7 = 161

Add 161 and 1610

So, answer for this will be 1610 + 161 = 1771.

DETERMINING LOGARITHMS

To determine the log vale of a positive number try following steps.

When someone gives you any positive number, you should immediately 'write' that number in scientific notation in your head.
Next, focus only on the exponent of the number (written in scientific notation). This number will be the basis of you answer.
Estimate the logarithm of the abscissa in your head (that’s the number between 1 and 9.999999..., not part of the exponent). Note: you'll need to memorize the table below (its not that hard).
Add the logarithm of the abscissa to the exponent you found in step 2.

What follows are the values for the logs you'll need to have memorized for step 3..

log[1]= 0

log[2]= .30

log[3]= .48

log[4]= .60

log[5]= .70

log[6]= .78

log[7]= .85

log[8]= .90

log[9]= .95

Lets find the logarithm of 29,012. Written in scientific notation, that would be 2.9012 X 10^4. So, the exponent is 4. Now, we need to concentrate on the abscissa (2.9012 is very very close to 3). From our table above (which we have memorized for the trick), the logarithm of 3 is 0.48. So, we add the exponent (4), to the log of the abscissa (0.48), to get a value of 4.48. A calculator reveals how good this method is (4.46 out to two decimal places).

SQUARE OF ANY TWO DIGIT NUMBER

To perform the Square operation, first check the last digit of the given number, and based on that select the particular row in the table.

"a" in the following table is a digit in tens place. Replace "a" with digits from 1-9.
If the ending digit of your two-digit number is between 1-4, the operation is subtraction.
If the ending digit is between 6-9, the operation is addition.

Example:

DETERMINING SQUARE ROOT

If a CAT(common admission test ) aspraint is good with long division, here's a quick way to find pretty accurate square roots without the aid of a calculator.

Let's try 24.6.

Make a guess. It can be a very bad guess. It doesn't matter. You can even guess 1. Let's try 5 since 5 square is 25, which is pretty close to 24.6.
Divide 24.6 by 5 24.6 / 5 = 4.92.
Now, comes the trick: Pick a new guess between 5 and 4.92 and divide it into 24.6 again. Let's try 4.95. 24.6 / 4.95 = 4.96. 4.96 is pretty close to 4.9598 which is the actual square root of 24.6.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 to any desired level of accuracy.
The further you go, the harder the long division becomes. But the first few cycles yield a pretty close answer.

The reason this works is because n*n = 24.6 and n = 24.6 / n. Therefore, the real square root will always be somewhere between 24.6 / n and n.

Tips to increase English performance with Time-Table for Feb-March

2006-02-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

For all the CAT/ MBA aspirants this site might give you what you all are looking for, some great tips to crack the CAT/MBA exam. To crack the CAT/MBA exam, first thing a CAT/MBA aspirant need is a time table because I have seen many student who even could not finish there course till the CAT D-Day. Even, some of you must have seen the same thing. Second thing that a /MBA aspirant should be looking at is his/her area of strength and weakness. Because CAT is not all about getting higher percentile but also about how well you are working in all areas of CAT exam. Everybody has some weakness and some strength, and this is the time to make sure you over come your weakness. Those who do not have any idea about their weakness can write two CAT mock tests and spend 2 hours on analysis of each. While analyzing check how many question are wrong, how many of wrong questions were guessed ones and the most importantly how many are left out because they will tell you how much work has to be done in that area. By the end of this exercise, you will be able to find out what are your weak and strong areas.

Time-Table for Feb to March:

Following is a rough timetable, which I will advise to all the CAT aspirants who are taking CAT this year. There are still, 9 months left and a sincere attempt can give you, what you are dreaming for admission into IIM’s through CAT

Start working on speed enhancement techniques, because in 120 min even 30 seconds can make a big difference.
Start working on mental calculation, mug up all the tables till 30.
Mug up square, cubes, inverse of numbers, factorial and log values till 30.
Start working on vocabulary and for RC section now, as this cannot be done in a short time and needs a continues efforts over a period of time. You may devote 2 hour a day for this section by reading newspapers and magazines.
Go through a grammar book, revise all the basics, and apply them in you daily reading routine..
Start working on fundamentals of number system since this is the area from where a CAT aspirants can get 10 marks so better have a mastery on it, early in the year or on topics where you consider yourself weak.

Tips for English Improvement

To increase understanding in English a CAT aspirants should read from various sources on different subjects and always conclude a column once he/she is finish with it. This will give you the idea how well he/she has understood the whole column. CAT aspirants should not look at the dictionary while reading; instead try to guess the meaning of the word. This will allow you to remember the word for a long time. CAT aspirants should check the dictionary after finishing every column you read. Note down every new word you come across and revise it before you go to bed.

How much VOCABULARY do I need to crack the CAT?

Well everybody says you need to know almost the whole dictionary. Though this may be not possible but the more you know the better your chances are. Usually the words used in recent magazines, newspapers and recently published books are more likely to be examined.
There is one more way to increase you vocabulary for CAT and it is through flash card. Flash cards are used to memorizing new words. Take some cards and note down every new word you come across on one side of a card and the meaning of that word on its other side. Always try to write similar words on a card. Now create such card whenever you come across a new word. Soon you will have a stack of cards, which you can call, stack 1. During your free time take out a card from stack 1 and see if you remember the meaning of the word written on the other side of the card and vice versa. If you do not remember the meaning of the word on the card put it back to the stack. If you remembered the meaning of word on a card by heart, you may remove the card from the stack 1 and put it on another stack of cards, which you can call, stack 2. You need to refer to stack 1 more often. Occasionally you need to check stack 2 also. If you take a card from stack 2 and find that you do not remember the meaning of the word on it, you need to put it back to stack1.