VARC CAT Questions – Concepts, Topics, Tips to Prepare | Download CAT VARC Questions PDF

What are VARC CAT Questions?

Before the candidates start practising and attempting the CAT VARC Questions, they should be aware of the CAT Syllabus related to this section. The CAT VARC Questions asked in the exam are based on the following topics

• Reading Comprehension
• Para- Summary
• Para Jumbles
• Odd-one out

VARC CAT Questions are all passage-based questions. The candidates have to read these passages to find the answers correctly. Candidates need to be thorough with the type of VARC CAT Questions to ace this section. Though exam authorities do not release syllabus, the sectional syllabus and topics covered are based on the previous year’s trends.

☛ See Also: CAT Registration

CAT VARC Questions – Topic-wise Weightage

VARC CAT Questions consist of both Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability Questions. Based on the CAT Exam Analysis, the total number of CAT VARC Questions asked was 24 in the last year. There were 4 RC passages consisting of 4 questions each which sum up to 16 Questions based on RCs. The VARC CAT Questions on Verbal ability consisted of 8 Questions. The segregation is tabulated in the below table.

VARC CAT Questions Sample

VARC section combines questions from Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. CAT VARC Questions include questions from Reading Comprehension, Para-Jumbles, Para-Summary, and Odd Ones Out. Candidates can check the VARC CAT Questions given below to get an idea of the type of questions asked.

Question 1: The sentences given in each question, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labeled with a letter. Choose the most logical order of sentences from among the given choices to construct a coherent paragraph.

1. On the other hand, a creative artist cannot do the work of a critic because he has neither the time nor the inclination to master the necessary critical apparatus.
2. Hence critical work seldom or never satisfied the artist, and the artist’s ideal of what critical work ought to be is an impossible dream.
3. There is a one-sided feud between artists and critics.
4. Artists expect from critics an imaginative comprehension, which in the nature of the case, only a creative artist can possess.
5. The finest and the only first-rate criticism is produced when, by an exceptional accident, a creative artist of a balanced and powerful temperament is moved to deal exhaustively with a subject.

1) ECDAB 2) CDABE 3) CDAEB 4) EBCDA

Solution: The paragraph talks about the feud between artists and critics. C introduces this feud; D and A spell out the reasons why artists have a problem with critics; B sums up the situation. Thus CDAB has to be in that order. E extends and completes the paragraph since it moves on from the feud and talks about how first-rate criticism is produced. Hence, (2).

Question 2: DIRECTIONS for questions 45 and 46: The five sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) given in this question, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper order for the sentences and key in this sequence of five numbers as your answer.

1) This is not the first instance that gravitational waves, predicted by Albert Einstein in his beautiful General Theory of Relativity, were detected by scientists.

2) Finally, they were involved in a massive smash-up, generating a huge amount of energy.

3) 130 million light-years away, two super-dense celestial objects, neutron stars, had started encircling each other, stretching and distorting space-time.

4) The ripples of the event in the form of ‘gravitational waves’ reached Earth only a couple of months ago.

5) It happened when Earth was ruled by dinosaurs.

Solution: We can see that sentences [1], [2], and [4] cannot start the passage as they refer to some event or occurrence. In fact, we can easily form the sequence 241 as the event described in [2], ( a massive smash-up ), led to gravitational waves reaching the Earth only a couple of months ago (sentence [4]); and this was not the first instance of gravitational waves being detected by scientists as given in sentence [1]. Looking at sentences [3] and [5], it is clear that the passage can start with either the 35 sequences or the 53 sequences as well. However, sentence [3] is the only one that logically leads to [2]: wo super-dense celestial objects that started encircling each other were finally involved in a massive smash-up. Thus, sentence [5] will have to go before [3], and our answer is 53241.

☛ Related Links:

• CAT Cut Off
• CAT Admit Card
• CAT Answer Key

Odd One Out:-

Question 3: Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph. Identify the odd one out. Choose its number as your answer and key it in.

1) In Pakistan, further sites have been found, not only in Sind and Punjab (where at Fort Derawar on the desert frontier with India, a third major city stood), but as far away as the Iranian frontier in Baluchistan and in the North-West Frontier Province.

2) At numerous sites to the west of the Indus in Baluchistan and Afghanistan, as well as in the Indus valley itself, sufficient pre-Harappan and Early Harappan settlements have been found to establish a local progression from hunter-gatherer to urban dweller by way of all the various stages of pastoralism, agricultural settlement, technological advance and cultural refinement.

3) With Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa nearly six hundred kilometers apart, it is obvious that the ‘Indus valley’ civilization was more extensive than its contemporaries – Egypt’s Old Kingdom and Mesopotamia’s Sumeria.

4) India itself, not to be outdone, now boasts an important cluster of sites in Gujarat, another in Rajasthan, and more scattered settlements in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

5) The Indus valley, however, has proved to be only the core area: subsequent to the discovery of its two principal sites (Mohenjo-daro in Sind and Harappa in Punjab), knowledge of the Harappan civilization has been a steadily decade. by more than a province a decade ago.

Solution: At first glance, all the sentences seem quite related to one another. The best approach in such questions would be to try to discover a mandatory pair to begin with. Sentence 5 says, The Indus valley, however, has proved to be…. If we try to relate this however to another sentence, we can see that it comes directly after sentence 3. Sentence 3 says that in spite of being 600 kms apart, the cities of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa were still not the entire extent of the Indus valley civilization. However, these cities were only the core area of the civilization. Hence we can understand that 3-5 is a mandatory pair. Now, it is easy to relate the other sentence to the 3-5 pair.

Sentences 1 and 4 can be related to 3 -5, and we get the sequence 3-5- 1-4, all of which explain how vast the Indus valley civilization was, with Mohenjodaro and Harappa being only the core area.

And, it is not possible to relate sentence 2 to this theme. Sentence 2 talks about the civilization from the point of view of progression from hunter-gatherer to urban dweller by way of all the various stages of pastoralism, agricultural settlement, technological advance and cultural refinement … The theme pursued in the other sentences is limited to the geographical extent of the civilization. Hence the correct answer is ‘sentence 2’.

Summary:-

Question 4: The passage given below is followed by four alternative summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage. Key in the number of the option you choose as your answer.

It is only here in England, in her homeland, that Agatha Christie has not been given the respect she deserves. Europeans as eminent as Roland Barthes and Umberto Eco describe her as ‘brilliant’ and ‘extraordinary’ without a blush; Americans as distinguished as Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder

viewed her as one of the most exciting novelists of her time. The king of the self-consciously highbrow French literary scene, Michel Houllebecq, writes a hymn of praise to her in his latest novel, Platform. Yet the English insist on seeing her as fodder for the tourists and perhaps the regions, a writer of elaborate crossword puzzles, not literature.

1) In her homeland, i.e. England, Agatha Christie does not have a reputation as a good writer, but she enjoys considerable popularity around the world.

2) It is unfortunate that Agatha Christie does not get the credit she deserves in her own homeland (England), whereas the Europeans, the Americans and the French praise her.

3) While Agatha Christie has not got the recognition she deserves in England, she is a very popular writer among Europeans (including the French) and Americans.

4) It is only in England, her homeland, that Agatha Christie is considered an inferior writer, whereas eminent Europeans, Americans and French praise her.

Solution: Option 1 does not mention the names of the places where Agatha Christie is popular, though these are mentioned in the passage, so it is not a comprehensive summary.Option 2 fails to mention what she should get credit for (i.e. her writing), so it too can be ruled out. Option 3 misses out on the point that England is Christie’s homeland, so it is not comprehensive either. Option 4 is, however, a perfect summary. Hence, [4].

Question 5: The passage given below is followed by four alternative summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage. Key in the number of the option you choose as your answer.

Various countries have set standards in the legislation of emissions in the form of concentration levels that are believed to be low enough to protect public health. Source emission standards are also specified to limit the discharge of pollutants into the air so that air-quality standards will be achieved. However, the nature of the problem requires the implementation of international environmental treaties, and to this end, 49 countries agreed in March 1985 at a United Nations convention to protect the ozone layer. This ‘Montreal Protocol’, which was renegotiated in 1990, calls for the phase-out of certain chlorocarbons and fluorocarbons by the end of the century and provides aid to developing countries in making this transition.

1) In a bid to protect public health, apart from legislating on the limits to concentration levels and source emissions, 49 countries are implementing the international treaty of the Montreal Protocol of 1985 and have renegotiated it to phase out chlorocarbons and fluorocarbon by the end of the century.

2) Various countries have set up legislative standards to specify concentration limits and emission standards in the interest of public health. International treaties are also required to help countries in this effort, such as the Montreal Protocol signed by 49 countries at a UN Convention in 1985.

3) Taking the cue from the signing of several international treaties like the Montreal Protocol, many countries are now setting up legislative standards to deal with environmental pollution by specifying concentration and emission limits in a bid to protect public health.

4) Various countries have initiated legislation standards to curb environmental pollution, including setting limits for concentration and emission levels, besides signing environmental treaties. In this regard, a UN Convention against ozone layer depletion has been signed, apart from protocols such as the Montreal Protocol.

Solution: Option 2 is incorrect because it does not include the 1990 negotiations or the emission goals by the end of the century. Option 3 misses out on the millennium goals and the 1990 renegotiations to Montreal Protocol. Option 4, apart from missing out on important details like the health concern and millennium goals, it makes it appear as if the UN convention and the Montreal Protocol are different agreements. Hence, 1.

VARC Questions for CAT PDF

The VARC CAT Questions carry maximum weightage in the CAT exam with 24 questions from VARC out of the total 66 questions. Therefore, candidates are advised to prepare well for this section. The candidates are advised to attempt the CAT Previous Year Question Papers and CAT Mock Test for this section. Candidates can download the PDF of VARC CAT Questions given below

☛ Download CAT VARC Questions PDF

How to solve VARC CAT Questions

As CAT Questions on VARC are an important part of the exam because of the weightage that it carries, it is important that the candidates are aware of the strategies for preparing this section.

Strategies for Reading Comprehension

The candidates need to develop a reading habit as the RC passages are asked from diverse topics. For attempting the VARC CAT questions, it is best that a candidate has a sound vocabulary. The faster the candidate is able to scan the passage, the better it is for them. But it is equally important that accuracy is also maintained.

As the CAT passages are on diverse topics, for example- Psychology, Technology, Philosophy, History, Sociology, Geography, and Culture to name a few. Candidates should read from these sources – Aeon, NYT, The Guardian, and Smithsonian Magazine. So the more you read the better you will be with understanding the wide spectrum of topics.

Strategies for Verbal Ability

The Verbal Ability questions include questions on Grammar and vocabulary. Though, usually, it has been seen that there is no direct question on Grammar but candidates need to be well-versed in the basics of grammar. Para Jumbles, Odd one out, and Para Summary are questions that are a part of the CAT VARC Questions.

Candidates need to practice past year’s question papers to get themselves acquainted with the type of questions asked. Also, the candidate needs to practice VARC CAT questions so that they are aware of their strengths and weakness. Polish your basic grammar and maintain a journal so that you can jot the unfamiliar words in it. This section requires daily practice.

☛ See Also: CAT Preparation Tips

VARC CAT Questions Mock Test

It is important that candidates practice enough VARC CAT Questions to score well in the exam. In CAT 2022, the candidates needed to complete the 24 VARC CAT Questions in the given 40 minutes. Attempt BYJU’S Exam Prep test series. The CAT VARC Questions are based on the latest pattern. Candidates can attempt the VARC CAT Questions in order to get the actual exam experience.

===========================

Download the BYJU’S Exam Prep App NOW

The most comprehensive exam prep app.

If you are aiming to crack CAT and other MBA Exam, join BYJU’S Exam Prep Online Classroom Program where you get : 

• Live Courses by Top Faculty
• Daily Study Plan 
• Comprehensive Study Material 
• Latest Pattern Test Series 
• Complete Doubt Resolution 
• Regular Assessments with Report Card