Ever since you learned to read, you’ve been tested on your comprehension of written material, so it’s no surprise that Reading Comprehension is the most familiar section in all of standardized testing. Medicine, law, archaeology, psychology, denti…
Ever since you learned to read, you've been tested on your comprehension of written material, so it's no surprise that Reading Comprehension is the most familiar section in all of standardized testing. Medicine, law, archaeology, psychology, dentistry, teaching, business-the exams that stand at the entrance to study in these and other fields have one thing in common: Reading Comprehension passages. No matter what academic area you pursue, you have to make sense of dense, even unfamiliar prose, and business school is no exception.
If you're looking to score a 100 percentile on the CAT or XAT, then you shouldn't expect to see too many easy Reading Comp passages. For the purposes of this thread, I have compiled for your test-taking pleasure a group of the densest, nastiest passages we could find. If you can ace these in a reasonable amount of time, it's safe to say that you have absolutely nothing to fear from Reading Comp questions come test day.
My Planning for articles in this thread
1. Some basic techniques
2. Practice for every techniques discussed
3. Toughest Practice material in question format
4. Some dense reading material (for this I am dependent on you people. Search the editorial and other articles page of international newspaper like NYT, The Guardian (IIMs favourite) Wall Street Journal etc.
5. Analysis and explanation.
5.
If you're looking to score a 100 percentile on the CAT or XAT, then you shouldn't expect to see too many easy Reading Comp passages. For the purposes of this thread, I have compiled for your test-taking pleasure a group of the densest, nastiest passages we could find. If you can ace these in a reasonable amount of time, it's safe to say that you have absolutely nothing to fear from Reading Comp questions come test day.
My Planning for articles in this thread
1. Some basic techniques
2. Practice for every techniques discussed
3. Toughest Practice material in question format
4. Some dense reading material (for this I am dependent on you people. Search the editorial and other articles page of international newspaper like NYT, The Guardian (IIMs favourite) Wall Street Journal etc.
5. Analysis and explanation.
5.
Reading comprehension tests critical reading skills. Among other things, it tests whether you can:
Summarize the main idea of a passage
Differentiate between ideas explicitly stated in a text and those implied by the author
Make inferences based on information in a text
Analyze the logical structure of a passage
Deduce the author's tone and attitude about a topic from the text
In reading comp, you are presented with a reading passage (in an area of business, social science, biological science, or physical science), and then asked 3 - 6 questions about that text. You are not expected to be familiar with any topic beforehandall the information is contained in the text in front of you. In fact, if you happen to have some previous knowledge about a given topic, it is important that you not let that knowledge affect your answers.
Naturally, some passages will be easier than others, though all will present a challenge. The passages will have a tone and content that one might expect from a scholarly journal. Expect to see 3 or 4 Reading Comp passagesin areas of business, social science, and natural scienceand a total of about 15 - 25 questions.
Summarize the main idea of a passage
Differentiate between ideas explicitly stated in a text and those implied by the author
Make inferences based on information in a text
Analyze the logical structure of a passage
Deduce the author's tone and attitude about a topic from the text
In reading comp, you are presented with a reading passage (in an area of business, social science, biological science, or physical science), and then asked 3 - 6 questions about that text. You are not expected to be familiar with any topic beforehandall the information is contained in the text in front of you. In fact, if you happen to have some previous knowledge about a given topic, it is important that you not let that knowledge affect your answers.
Naturally, some passages will be easier than others, though all will present a challenge. The passages will have a tone and content that one might expect from a scholarly journal. Expect to see 3 or 4 Reading Comp passagesin areas of business, social science, and natural scienceand a total of about 15 - 25 questions.
_______________________________________________________________________
Don't feel that you have to memorize or understand every little thing as you read. You can always refer to the passage to clarify the meaning of a specific detail.
_______________________________________________________________________
Don't feel that you have to memorize or understand every little thing as you read. You can always refer to the passage to clarify the meaning of a specific detail.
_______________________________________________________________________
THE 4 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF READING COMPREHENSION
Here are the basic things that you need to succeed on Reading Comprehension:
1. Look for the topic and scope of a passage; the author's purpose and structure; and the author's voice.
Usually we read to learn something or to pass the time pleasantly. Neither of these goals has anything to do with the CAT. Nor does reading for content. On the CAT, we don't want to read for overall contentwe want to read strategically. There's just no time under strict test conditions to understand everything that's being said, and, as we'll see, no payoff in it either.
So what does CAT reading involve? Broadly stated, it involves reading to identify 3 general elements: topic and scope, the author's purpose and passage structure, and the author's voice.
Here are the basic things that you need to succeed on Reading Comprehension:
1. Look for the topic and scope of a passage; the author's purpose and structure; and the author's voice.
Usually we read to learn something or to pass the time pleasantly. Neither of these goals has anything to do with the CAT. Nor does reading for content. On the CAT, we don't want to read for overall contentwe want to read strategically. There's just no time under strict test conditions to understand everything that's being said, and, as we'll see, no payoff in it either.
So what does CAT reading involve? Broadly stated, it involves reading to identify 3 general elements: topic and scope, the author's purpose and passage structure, and the author's voice.
Topic and Scope
As you work through the first few sentences of a passage, you need to determine the topic. If it's a science passage, what branch of science is it about? If it's astronomy, what part of astronomy? Stars?
Now, as to scope. Think of scope as a narrowing of the topic. If the topic is industrial safety regulations, what narrower definition can we present that still describes all of the passage? Is there a comparison to another type of safety regulation? Is there a comparison between safety regulations in different historical eras? Is there an analysis of the regulations' histories? Or is the passage concerned only with a small aspect of the regulationsthe ones pertaining to pregnant workers, for example?
Notice the questions in the previous paragraph. They may not read well, but we left them that way for a reason. Those questions illustrate the kind of thinking you'll need to do as you work through a passage on Test Day. Once you have the topic and narrowed down its scope, you have finished step 1. But what then? You still don't have a firm grasp of the passage.
As you work through the first few sentences of a passage, you need to determine the topic. If it's a science passage, what branch of science is it about? If it's astronomy, what part of astronomy? Stars?
Now, as to scope. Think of scope as a narrowing of the topic. If the topic is industrial safety regulations, what narrower definition can we present that still describes all of the passage? Is there a comparison to another type of safety regulation? Is there a comparison between safety regulations in different historical eras? Is there an analysis of the regulations' histories? Or is the passage concerned only with a small aspect of the regulationsthe ones pertaining to pregnant workers, for example?
Notice the questions in the previous paragraph. They may not read well, but we left them that way for a reason. Those questions illustrate the kind of thinking you'll need to do as you work through a passage on Test Day. Once you have the topic and narrowed down its scope, you have finished step 1. But what then? You still don't have a firm grasp of the passage.
Author's Purpose and Structure
Almost every Reading Comp question hinges on your ability to step back from the text and analyze why the author is writing in the first place. The CAT demands that you figure out the author's purpose and the passage structure, because that's the best way for the test makers to test how you think about the prose you read.
Like most sophisticated writing, the prose you will see on the CAT doesn't reveal its secrets so explicitly. Authors always have a purpose, of course, and always have a structural plan for carrying out that purpose, though they don't often announce them. That's your job, as the reader.
Baldly laying out the why and how of a passage up front isn't a hallmark of CAT Reading Comp passages. And even more important (as far as the test makers are concerned), if ideas were blatantly laid out, the test makers couldn't ask probing questions about them. So, in order to set up the questionsto test how we think about the prose we readthe CAT uses passages in which authors hide or disguise their statement of purpose and challenge us to extract it. If you came across the following first sentence of a typical passage, could you identify the topic and scope?
Almost every Reading Comp question hinges on your ability to step back from the text and analyze why the author is writing in the first place. The CAT demands that you figure out the author's purpose and the passage structure, because that's the best way for the test makers to test how you think about the prose you read.
Like most sophisticated writing, the prose you will see on the CAT doesn't reveal its secrets so explicitly. Authors always have a purpose, of course, and always have a structural plan for carrying out that purpose, though they don't often announce them. That's your job, as the reader.
Baldly laying out the why and how of a passage up front isn't a hallmark of CAT Reading Comp passages. And even more important (as far as the test makers are concerned), if ideas were blatantly laid out, the test makers couldn't ask probing questions about them. So, in order to set up the questionsto test how we think about the prose we readthe CAT uses passages in which authors hide or disguise their statement of purpose and challenge us to extract it. If you came across the following first sentence of a typical passage, could you identify the topic and scope?
The great migration of European intellectuals to the United States in the second quarter of the 20th century prompted a transmutation in the character of Western social thought. ...........
First, what's the topic?
Second, what's the scope?
Why the author is writing?
Reply.
First, what's the topic?
Second, what's the scope?
Why the author is writing?
Reply.
next post will be after sufficient reply
The great migration of European intellectuals to the United States in the second quarter of the 20th century prompted a transmutation in the character of Western social thought. ...........
First, what's the topic?
Second, what's the scope?
Why the author is writing?
Reply.
According to me:
Topic :- The topic of the passage is regarding the migration of European intellectuals to the US.
Scope :- The scope of the passage is to discuss the effects of the migration on social thought.
Why the author is writing is to elaborate on the topic and the scope.
According to me:
Topic :- The topic of the passage is regarding the migration of European intellectuals to the US.
Scope :- The scope of the passage is to discuss the effects of the migration on social thought.
Why the author is writing is to elaborate on the topic and the scope.
liked the thread????????
Topic:
Sociology
Scope:
Effect of the great migration on the western social thought
why the author is writing?
He/She is trying to find out the after-effects of great migration on the western social thought
Awesome thread Kant bhai...where were you four months back?
tatimatla SaysAwesome thread Kant bhai...where were you four months back?
usually I score well in RC. So I thought there is no need of any specialized for this area of CAT preparation.
Also every one was cool in this side till this year CAT.
The great migration of European intellectuals to the United States in the second quarter of the 20th century prompted a transmutation in the character of Western social thought. ...........
First, what's the topic?
Second, what's the scope?
Why the author is writing?
Reply.
First, what's the topic?
The migration of European intellectuals to the United States in the second quarter of the 20th century.
That's clear.
Second, what's the scope? (How can we narrow the topic?)
Well, the passage looks as if it will discuss the effects of this migration on social thought.
So, using what we know about topic and scope, we can easily deduce why the author is writing.
His purpose, we might say, is "to explore how the arrival of European thinkers during the period 1926-1950 changed Western social thought."
And notice the implied structure of what will follow. Don't you expect the author to first describe the migration westward and then explain what the "transmutation" was? (And it probably will be in that order; CAT authors are nothing if not logical.)
The author will never say, "Here's why I write." But unless you figure out why he is writing, you won't be able to analyze why each piece-each paragraph and each detail-is there and how it's being used.
Test yourself: TSP
If you came across the following first sentence of a typical passage, could you identify the TOPIC , SCOPE and PURPOSE (TSP)
1. Cyberspace is often thought of as a realm of freedom, even of fun.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
2. As Asia faces the global economy of the future, it is necessary to take stock of the once arcane issue of intellectual property.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
3. The idea that the human species could alter something as huge and complex as the earths climate was once the subject of an esoteric scientific debate.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
4. Footie totty, tennis babes, brolly dollies - these cliched images of women for whom the biggest decision of the day is a leg wax or a manicure still persist.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
5. It is a leap to go from writing poems about ruins to making ruins to represent poems, but early eighteenth century England did just this.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
6. The story of jazz is a miniature history of the modern mind.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose
7. Warhol was one of the few artists of his time to acknowledge the capitalist nature of art capitalism.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
8. Perhaps more than any other single experience, the Irish migrations of the nineteenth century have captured the modern popular imagination as the most disturbing, indeed by some accounts the most tragic, chapter in the recent history of human relocations.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
9. Visiting South Korea at the end of 1998 was rather like visiting a once-proud friend who has suddenly been engulfed by a profound identity crisis.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
10. The growth of the new nationalism and social and political particularism summarized by Michael Walzer in 1992 as the new tribalism is one of the most profound crises in the familiar sphere of political culture at the end of the twentieth century.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
11. The overwhelming majority of people who develop problems with anorexia nervosa and bulimia regardless of nationality or social class are female.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
12. Now for the more conservative approach to the Grandmother Paradox: time travelers dont change the past because they were always a part of it.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
13. Montana Scalps provocative statement about her intentions in writing Mrs. Dalloway has regularly been ignored by the critics, since it highlights an aspect of her literary interests very different from the traditional picture of the poetic novelist concerned with examining states of reverie and vision and with following the intricate pathways of individual consciousness.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
14. To teach is to create a space in which obedience to truth is practised.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
15. Innovations, development of new products, to extend the lines and expand the markets of existing products by adding new features, styles, packaging, pricing all these inexorably belong to the arsenal of devices by which a modern company competes.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
16. Science does not grow by simple accumulation.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
17. It was late October, and the lights had been dimmed in the Beckman conference center at the University of California at Irvine. The chief technology officer of Total Entertainment Network (TEN), a gaming company, was demonstrating how a group of players in cyberspace could match wits in an animated shoot-em-up called Quake.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
18. Beijings trendy taverns generally have two distinct sets of patrons.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
19. Talk with ever-voluble Sun Microsystems Inc. CEO Scott McNealy, and you may hear one of his favorite quips: Conventional wisdom doesnt contain a whole lot of wisdom. He believes it because of his own experience.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
20. With its dimpled aluminum facade and TV-screen-shaped windows, Pittsburghs Alcoa Building once exemplified the power and pizzazz of the classic corporate skyscraper.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
If you came across the following first sentence of a typical passage, could you identify the TOPIC , SCOPE and PURPOSE (TSP)
1. Cyberspace is often thought of as a realm of freedom, even of fun.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
2. As Asia faces the global economy of the future, it is necessary to take stock of the once arcane issue of intellectual property.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
3. The idea that the human species could alter something as huge and complex as the earths climate was once the subject of an esoteric scientific debate.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
4. Footie totty, tennis babes, brolly dollies - these cliched images of women for whom the biggest decision of the day is a leg wax or a manicure still persist.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
5. It is a leap to go from writing poems about ruins to making ruins to represent poems, but early eighteenth century England did just this.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
6. The story of jazz is a miniature history of the modern mind.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose
7. Warhol was one of the few artists of his time to acknowledge the capitalist nature of art capitalism.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
8. Perhaps more than any other single experience, the Irish migrations of the nineteenth century have captured the modern popular imagination as the most disturbing, indeed by some accounts the most tragic, chapter in the recent history of human relocations.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
9. Visiting South Korea at the end of 1998 was rather like visiting a once-proud friend who has suddenly been engulfed by a profound identity crisis.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
10. The growth of the new nationalism and social and political particularism summarized by Michael Walzer in 1992 as the new tribalism is one of the most profound crises in the familiar sphere of political culture at the end of the twentieth century.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
11. The overwhelming majority of people who develop problems with anorexia nervosa and bulimia regardless of nationality or social class are female.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
12. Now for the more conservative approach to the Grandmother Paradox: time travelers dont change the past because they were always a part of it.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
13. Montana Scalps provocative statement about her intentions in writing Mrs. Dalloway has regularly been ignored by the critics, since it highlights an aspect of her literary interests very different from the traditional picture of the poetic novelist concerned with examining states of reverie and vision and with following the intricate pathways of individual consciousness.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
14. To teach is to create a space in which obedience to truth is practised.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
15. Innovations, development of new products, to extend the lines and expand the markets of existing products by adding new features, styles, packaging, pricing all these inexorably belong to the arsenal of devices by which a modern company competes.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
16. Science does not grow by simple accumulation.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
17. It was late October, and the lights had been dimmed in the Beckman conference center at the University of California at Irvine. The chief technology officer of Total Entertainment Network (TEN), a gaming company, was demonstrating how a group of players in cyberspace could match wits in an animated shoot-em-up called Quake.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
18. Beijings trendy taverns generally have two distinct sets of patrons.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
19. Talk with ever-voluble Sun Microsystems Inc. CEO Scott McNealy, and you may hear one of his favorite quips: Conventional wisdom doesnt contain a whole lot of wisdom. He believes it because of his own experience.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
20. With its dimpled aluminum facade and TV-screen-shaped windows, Pittsburghs Alcoa Building once exemplified the power and pizzazz of the classic corporate skyscraper.
Topic -
Scope -
Purpose -
Subodh Kant Saysliked the thread????????
Arrey Sirji
Aapne thread shuru kiya aur woh pasand nahi aaye aisa ho hi nahi sakta!!!
Its an awesome thread & again a gr8 initiative!!!
No replies to the questions posted?
1. Cyberspace is often thought of as a realm of freedom, even of fun.
Topic It deals with Cyberspace.
Scope To discuss the general perception about cyberspace.
Purpose Author will present what people think about cyberspace and then probably will discuss why this is so?
2. As Asia faces the global economy of the future, it is necessary to take stock of the once arcane issue of intellectual property.
Topic Its regarding intellectual property.
Scope To discuss effect of global economy on intellectual property in Asia.
Purpose Author wants to draw attention to the importance of intellectual property issue in the wake of Asia facing the global economy.
3. The idea that the human species could alter something as huge and complex as the earths climate was once the subject of an esoteric scientific debate.
Topic changing climate of the Earth
Scope To Discuss the effect of activities of humans on changing climate of Earth
Purpose Author wants to discuss the changing climate of the Earth, which was once thought to be esoteric scientific debate.He will probably elucidate what is the effect of activities of humans on earth's climate and why it is no longer an esoteric debate.
4. Footie totty, tennis babes, brolly dollies - these cliched images of women for whom the biggest decision of the day is a leg wax or a manicure still persist.
Topic To discuss the general perception about women.
Scope To discuss how women are still thought to be worried with trivialities.
Purpose Author will describe the common perception held about women and then probably will refute the argument.
5. It is a leap to go from writing poems about ruins to making ruins to represent poems, but early eighteenth century England did just this.
Topic To describe early eighteenth century England.
Scope To discuss the bearing of England on the world in eighteenth century.
Purpose Author will probably discuss how England ruined most of the world by exploitation in 18th century.
Subodh bhai,
That's my understanding.First correct these five then I will post the next set.
Topic It deals with Cyberspace.
Scope To discuss the general perception about cyberspace.
Purpose Author will present what people think about cyberspace and then probably will discuss why this is so?
2. As Asia faces the global economy of the future, it is necessary to take stock of the once arcane issue of intellectual property.
Topic Its regarding intellectual property.
Scope To discuss effect of global economy on intellectual property in Asia.
Purpose Author wants to draw attention to the importance of intellectual property issue in the wake of Asia facing the global economy.
3. The idea that the human species could alter something as huge and complex as the earths climate was once the subject of an esoteric scientific debate.
Topic changing climate of the Earth
Scope To Discuss the effect of activities of humans on changing climate of Earth
Purpose Author wants to discuss the changing climate of the Earth, which was once thought to be esoteric scientific debate.He will probably elucidate what is the effect of activities of humans on earth's climate and why it is no longer an esoteric debate.
4. Footie totty, tennis babes, brolly dollies - these cliched images of women for whom the biggest decision of the day is a leg wax or a manicure still persist.
Topic To discuss the general perception about women.
Scope To discuss how women are still thought to be worried with trivialities.
Purpose Author will describe the common perception held about women and then probably will refute the argument.
5. It is a leap to go from writing poems about ruins to making ruins to represent poems, but early eighteenth century England did just this.
Topic To describe early eighteenth century England.
Scope To discuss the bearing of England on the world in eighteenth century.
Purpose Author will probably discuss how England ruined most of the world by exploitation in 18th century.
Subodh bhai,
That's my understanding.First correct these five then I will post the next set.
@subodh bhai....Kaash aap CAT06 se kaafi pahley PG par aatey,so VA wudn hav screwed me like it did...This is simply mindblowing indeed....No words...:)