Reading Comprehension Questions in CAT 2018 Exam can make or break your chances of getting in an IIM. The RC section holds around 50% weight in the VARC in the MBA entrance test. However, last year, of the total 34 questions in the VARC, 24 questions i.e. 70% of the questions were from Reading Comprehension. These figures clearly suggest why answering Reading Comprehension questions with accuracy is of pivotal importance to crack CAT 2018 exam. Here are few simple tricks that can help you answer Reading Comprehension Questions easily.
Key Aspects to Answer RC Questions
When it comes to the Reading Comprehension Section, answering the questions requires the MBA aspirant to consider the following aspects:
- Comprehension & Retention of Information provided in the passage
- Efficient analysis and accurate understanding of the questions
- Reading speed to complete the comprehension process quickly
The biggest challenge when it comes to cracking RC questions for CAT 2018 is finding the right balance between these three aspects. At the first look, it seems that the factors listed above contradict each other. However, aspirants need to find the right balance between these three aspects in order to score good marks in the Reading Comprehension section.
Toppers Tips for RC: Get the Basics Right
Ask any CAT Topper their strategy for Reading Comprehension; they would surely list the following tips:
- Extensive Reading: MBA aspirants need to refer diverse range of reading material with quality language and relevant information. These include Newspapers, Magazines, Journals as well as fiction and non-fiction books.
- Build Vocabulary: RC Passages in CAT exam are often picked from newspaper editorials or research reports. This means that these passages would contain certain words that are not used in common parlance. This is where you need to build your vocabulary which will in turn help you to comprehend the RC passage easily and accurately as well as answer the questions.
- Focused Reading: While reading English, most of us are habituated to read where the sole intent is to collect the necessary information from the passage. This can prove to be a wrong approach for RC passages. One needs to comprehend the RC passage provided and understand the central theme along with the key information that it is trying to convey. This requires focused reading. Therefore, aspirants must practice focused reading through exercises and previous year questions.
- Regular Practice: When it comes to Reading Comprehension section for CAT exam, there are no shortcuts, tips or tricks that can help you out. Being a descriptive and language centric section, you need to regularly practice different types of RC questions that are asked in the exam. Regular practice of Reading Comprehension questions will not only help you familiarize yourself with the question format but also aid in improving your speed and accuracy in answering them.
Applying the RC Tips in Real Life
One of the most important aspects when it comes to answering the RC questions is the passage analysis. If we look at the tips listed above, one can infer that all of them are interconnected. Practicing reading by referring to Reading material from diverse sources will enhance your Vocabulary while also helping you improve your reading concentration and focus. Following these tips will help you decode complicated Reading Comprehension passages in an uncomplicated manner. The time you take to analyse and understand the central message of a passage will reduce and at the same time the accuracy with which you answer the RC questions will improve.
Reading Comprehension – Passage Analysis
The most critical component when it comes to Reading Comprehension lies in passage analysis. How quickly and effectively you analyse the passage will determine your success while answering RC questions. Effective analysis of RC passage will enable you to answer questions in a flash. In general, you must look at the passage that you have to comprehend as a detective who is looking for clues to solve a mystery without falling for the traps. In your case, the clues that you are looking for are:
- Central Theme of the Passage
- Structure and Organization of the Passage
- Author’s Tone and Attitude
- Title of the Passage
While analysing a passage, your sole focus should lie on decoding the message and information that the author is trying to convey through these aspects. Thorough analysis of these aspects will help you decode the RC passage and answer the related questions easily, quickly and accurately.
These were just a few tips which will help you answer the Reading Comprehension questions accurately and improve your chances of getting a high percentile. For more such informative article as well as tips and tricks to crack CAT 2018, please visit www.jagranjosh.com.
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