Chapter
1
READING
COMPREHENSION
Chapter Objectives:
After reading the chapter and doing the
exercises contained therein, students should be able to do the following:
- Know the importance of
Reading Comprehension in entrance tests
- Understand which type
of readings they have to do
- Get to know how
different types of questions use comprehension skills
- Increase your general
and specialized vocabulary through the use of structure and context clues
- Understand the role of
vocabulary and how to get meanings from context
- Learn to spot meaning
and ideas from small paragraphs
- Improve vocabulary by reading
Reading
Comprehension is an integral part of management entrance tests. Managers
typically have to process a lot of information and reading is an essential
skill that must be acquired. The problem arises because the reading habit is
not inculcated in schools and colleges. So graduate students face problems when
confronted with difficult passages that they find “boring.”
In
most management entrance exams 4-5 passages are given, with a few questions on
each. Almost half of the Verbal Ability section consists of Reading
Comprehension questions. So it cannot be ignored. Interestingly, the skill can
be acquired and with about 5-6 months practice and reading texts, students
report a marked increase in their scores. In our classroom sessions, almost all
students report an increase in speed and accuracy. In many cases, scores have
more than doubled after practice. However, please remember that improvement
takes time and students should not expect immediate results.
Topics
Passages are mix of subjects, ranging from economics, social
sciences, philosophy, and so on. A wide reading will hold you in good stead.
Clearly, your speed will be much better if you have read something before than
if your are reading it for the first time. So the importance of extra reading
cannot be over-emphasised. It is important to stick to the passage: if you have
prior knowledge about the subject, disregard it and stay with what is stated or
implied in the passage.
The
topics, length of passages and number of questions for the past 3 years CAT
[2006-2008] is given below:
CAT 2008
Topic
Words
Difficulty Level No. of Questions
Mayan
Civilization collapse 687 Easy 5
Codifying
of Art 612 Difficult 5
Morality
past and present 758 Easy 5
Development
of Language 638 Moderate 5
CAT 2007
Topic Words
Difficulty Level No. of
Questions
Biology
and human society 448 Difficult 3
Predictions
in History 558 Medium 3
Determinants
of Roles 420 Difficult 3
Arts
and Society 532 Difficult 3
CAT 2006
Topic
Words Difficulty Level No. of Questions Dogmatic and
scientific thinking 612 Difficult 5
Anti
Communist ideology in Europe 806 Moderate 5
Concept
of Natural Justice 663 Difficult 5
It
is seen from the above tables that the scope and subjects of the passages are
vast. What CAT expects from students is that they should be widely read and be
able to do understand passages that are not within their normal field of study.
Reading
comprehension is, however, not limited to the above passages only. Take a look
at the rest of the Verbal Ability section and you will find questions of (i)
Alternate summaries (ii) Critical Reasoning and (iii) Paragraph Completion. In
these questions a paragraph is given and the student is required to summarise
it, find meaning from it or to complete it. These questions too are extensions
of Reading Comprehension. If these are added to the questions given in
passages, we find that the weight of Reading Comprehension in the verbal
Ability section is well over 70%. Examples of these questions are given below:
(i)
Alternate Summary: Four alternative summaries are given
below each text. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the text.
The human race is spread all over the world,
from the polar regions to the tropics. The people of whom it is made up eat
different kinds of food, partly according to the climate in which they live,
and partly according to the kind of food which their country produces. In hot
climates, meat and fat are not much needed; but in the Arctic regions they seem
to be very necessary for keeping up the heat of the body. Thus, in India,
people live chiefly on different kinds of grains, eggs, milk, or sometimes fish
and meat. In Europe, people eat more meat and less grain. In the Arctic
regions, where no grains and fruits are produced, the Eskimo and other races
live almost entirely on meat and fish. [CAT
2004]
1. Food eaten by
people in different regions of the world depends on the climate and produce of
the region, and varies from meat and fish in the Arctic to predominantly grains
in the tropics.
2. Hot climates require people to eat grains while cold regions require
people to eat meat and fish.
3. In hot countries
people eat mainly grains while in the Arctic, they eat meat and fish because
they cannot grow grains.
4. While people in
Arctic regions like meat and fish and those in hot regions like India prefer mainly
grains, they have to change what they eat depending on the local climate and
the local produce.
This question requires that the student
understand the ideas contained in the given paragraph and then choose a summary
that contains the ideas in the best way. This is an extension of the Reading
Comprehension questions.
(ii)
Critical Reasoning: Read the paragraph given below and answer the question
based on it.
The
Kolahal party had to fight the Golmal party bitterly to win the mayoral
elections. One of the main features of its campaign was that it would make
public all the papers related to a scandal during the regime of the Golmal
party. After the victory, however, the new mayor got busy introducing many
schemes, both liked and not liked by the public. The Golmal party made only
mild protests but refrained from tabling a serious no-confidence motion in the
council which it could have won by obtaining the support of the independent
members. [CAT 1998]
Which
of the following statements, if true, implies that the Kolahal party is
blackmailing the Golmal party?
1. The papers mentioned in the election campaign are
prepared and ready.
2. Some members of the public disliked the reforms
made by the new mayor.
3. People complained about collusion between the two
parties.
4. Independent members were not keen on supporting
the Golmal party.
In
this question, the student has to understand the given paragraph and then be
able to answer the given question, which can only be done if you have good
comprehension skills.
(iii)
Paragraph Completion: Read the paragraph given below and then choose the option
that completes it in the most appropriate way.
Age
has a curvilinear relationship with the exploitation of opportunity. Initially,
age will increase the likelihood that a person will exploit an entrepreneurial
opportunity because people gather much of the knowledge necessary to exploit
opportunities over the course of their lives, and because age provides
credibility in transmitting that information to others. However, as people
become older, their willingness to bear risks declines, their opportunity costs
rise, and they become less receptive to new information. ______________________ [CAT
2006]
1. As a result, people
transmit more information rather than experiment with new ideas as they reach
an advanced age.
2. As a result, people are
reluctant to experiment with new ideas as they reach an advanced age.
3. As a result, only people
with lower opportunity costs exploit opportunity when they reach an advanced age.
4. As a result, people
become reluctant to exploit entrepreneurial opportunities when they reach an
advanced age.
5. As a result, people
depend on credibility rather than on novelty as they reach an advanced age.
The
above question requires the student to understand the thought contained in the
paragraph. The challenge is to complete the thought after understanding it. So
this question too becomes a question of Reading Comprehension.
We
have given the above examples to show that Reading Comprehension does not stay
limited to passages. Much of the Verbal Ability section can only be done if
your Reading Comprehension is good. It is essential that students develop this
skill, not only for the exam but for preparing for life as well.
Answers
to the above questions: (i) 1 (ii) 1(iii)
4
If other questions requiring reading skills
are added to the Reading Comprehension passages, then the weight of
Comprehension in the Verbal Section would be well over 70%.
Other exams
In
certain exams, long passages are asked. Typically, FMS sets long passages and
therefore are time consuming. If you are preparing for management entrance
tests, you must have a good reading practice and the ability to read and
comprehend large passages within a short time. Speed-reading is recommended in
these cases.
If
you are not appearing for these exams, you need not push yourself for
speed-reading. In other exams such as MAT, SNAP and CET, the comprehension
passages are not long. They can usually be attempted quite easily. This does
not mean that one can take it easy, of course, and it is never a bad thing to
have developed comprehension skills.
Aspirants
for these entrance tests should get into the habit of reading extensively.
Speed cannot be developed over a few weeks of practice so students must read
what they normally would not. It is important to develop a wide range of
interests and read topics related to science, business, art and philosophy. Reading
of current magazines helps, since some passages are taken from newspapers.
Be
prepared for the surprise element also. In the earlier years Reading
Comprehension would be a separate section with 45 questions. But since 1999,
this has become part of the Verbal Section. The number of questions have also
been reducing, in 2007 there were just three passages with 12 questions. In
2008, there were 4 passages with 5 questions each. The surprise element is
sometimes enhanced by dividing questions into easy questions with one mark
each, to difficult questions with 2 marks each. Note that the examiner is free
to introduce any new elements and your success depends on the fact that you do
not get confused when you see a totally new format or a totally new type of
question in the exam.
The Role of
Vocabulary
A
common problem that students face is vocabulary. Many students complain that
they stop when they come across a difficult word as they are reading. Some
underline the words they come across and check the dictionary – a tedious task.
Generally speaking, this practice is destructive: it does not result either in
increase in vocabulary nor in comprehension. So what is the solution?
Our
opinion is that there should be a systematic study on words. The study of
vocabulary has to be undertaken separately and must not be mixed with reading.
When one comes across a word that one does not know, it is best to guess from
the context – and keep moving on. The student should have the ability to make
out from the text whether a word is positive or negative. The dictionary should
be referred after the reading task is complete, so that the concentration is
not broken.
Refer
to a good word-list and also check up the new words you come across. Gradually,
your vocabulary will increase and your reading will become smoother.
Example
1.1: Tick
the word which is farthest in meaning to the underlined word.
The evidence was constructed from very parsimonious
scraps of information.
1. frugal 2. penurious 3.
thrifty 4.
altruistic
Assuming
that we do not know the meaning of ‘parsimonious’ we can try to figure it out
by asking whether the evidence was large or small. Since the words “scraps” is
given we can guess that the evidence was quite less. At the very least we can
make out that the word is negative. So the word that we need that is farthest
in meaning is large, or something positive. The first three relate to less. So
we are able to guess that the answer is (4).
What we have learnt:
Difficult words should not be speed breakers as you read. Usually meanings of
words can be guessed in the context of the passage. At the very least, students
should be able to judge whether a word is positive or negative, as one reads.
Do not spoil your speed by stopping at every difficult word and checking up the
dictionary.
Let
us try the above technique in the following questions. First, try to figure out
whether the word is positive or negative, then write a word that you think is
the meaning of the word. Your meaning may be pure guess-work. After doing the
exercise, check the correct meanings given at the end of the chapter. How many
could you get right? If you get more than half correct, it means that you can
pick up meanings from context. Do not stop while reading, but form the meaning
of difficult words in your mind. You will not lose much meaning if you develop
this ability.
Exercise
1.1
Directions: Given below is a passage in
which some words are highlighted. You are to guess the meaning of the word as
given in context of the passage and write your guess in the space provided.
Also tick whether you think the word is positive or negative. Then check the correct
meaning of the word given at the end of this chapter and see how many of your
guesses were correct.
If
you get 5 out of 10 words approximately correct, it means your contextual
reading is working and you do don’t need to stop everytime you encounter a
difficult word in a passage.
Passage
It’s a film where the first scene opens in a riot of colour. A dramatic
use of time lapse photography takes you back a few decades. You sit up, with
sensibilities on high alert. You're thinking: the art direction is brilliant,
the screen is like a painter's canvas and no, this can't be a movie — it must
be a still life painting or mural. Are you hallucinating? You're
watching "Frida": a film about Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, it is surreal
and hypnotic precisely for this ambiguity.
In those three odd hours, I alternated between quiet introspection and
dramatic participation, the vicarious experience of watching cinema. And
that's not all. Elsewhere in the film, when we actually see Kahlo's paintings,
live people mutate into the canvas and blood and teardrops trickle down
the painted faces. It was incredible. The animate and the inanimate,
human and objects and finally cinema and painting had been exquisitely juxtaposed
for superb equivocal effect.
But why the nagging sense of déjà vu? What made the art direction
seem so familiar? The link wasn't to another film, but interestingly an opera.
I remembered the exquisitely created sets of manors and romantic
landscapes at the Dorothy Chandler pavilion in Los Angeles.
Word +/-/neutral My guess
1.
mural +/-/neutral ____________________
2.
hallucinating +/-/neutral ____________________
3.
surreal +/-/neutral ____________________
4.
vicarious +/-/neutral ____________________
5.
mutate +/-/neutral ____________________
6.
incredible +/-/neutral ____________________
7.
juxtapose +/-/neutral ____________________
8.
déjà vu +/-/neutral ____________________
9.
equivocal +/-/neutral ____________________
10.
exquisite +/-/neutral ____________________
Now
check the answers and see how many words you could guess correctly. Do not go
for exact meaning, an approximate answer is also considered correct. If you are
able to guess half of the words correctly, it means that your contextual
reading is quite all right. The words that you could not guess should be
checked from a dictionary.
Having
done the above exercise, we can now attempt some questions that involve finding
the contextual meaning of words.
Exercise 1.2
DIRECTIONS : For each of the words below,
a contextual usage is provided. Pick the word from the alternatives given that
is most appropriate in the given context. (CAT
2002)
1. Opprobrium - The policemen were oblivious to the opprobrium
generated in the crowd by their partisan conduct
1. harsh
criticism 2. acute distrust 3.
bitter enmity 4.
stark oppressiveness
2. Portend - The US war on terrorism portends
trouble in the Gulf region.
1. introduces 2. evokes 3. spells 4. bodes
3. Prevaricate - When the video was played back and she
was asked to explain her presence then she started prevaricating,
1. speaking
evasively 2. speaking
violenty 3. lying
furiously 4. throwing
tantrums
4. Restive -The crowd grew restive, even as it
became 10 pm and the minister had still not arrived.
1. violent 2. angry 3. restless 4. distressed
5. Ostensible -Manish's ostensible job was to
guard a building at night.
1. apparent 2. blatant 3. ostentatious 4. insidious
DIRECTIONS
for questions 6 to 10: Each of the following questions has a
paragraph with one italicized word that does not make sense. Choose the most
appropriate replacement for that word from the options given below the
paragraph.
6. How they toiled
and bilated to get the hay in! But their efforts were rewarded, for the
harvest was an even bigger success than they had hoped.
1. sweated 2. grumbled 3. worked 4. scuffled
7. This oversight
of Freud’s occurred because of his extremely jilicarious nature: he
persisted in studying what was going on inside his patients.
1. interspersed 2. introverted 3. introspective 4. obstinate
8. Experts say that
the rate of blowtrising in India is among the lowest in the world.
India’s current 250 million city-dwellers will double in 10 years.
1. mortality 2. sanitation 3. urbanization 4. pollution
9. Technological
revolutions have opened enormous opportunities for mobile operators. These guratinimates
have not come too late. Ten years after mobile phones were launched in
India, the user base has touched seven crore, with about 30 lakh customers
being added every month.
1. reforms 2. renovations 3. discoveries 4. innovations
10. They are
probably right about deeply held colijences against the community.
Particularly when many Muslims believe that there is a global war being waged
against Islam.
1. prejudices 2. judgements 3. perceptions 4. deviations
READING SKILLS CAN BE IMPROVED
Reading comprehension
skills can be improved. Whether you consider yourself a poor reader or a good
one, focused and aggressive reading will enhance your understanding. You will
discover an amazing world where people are doing great things. You will
discover original thinking and how frontiers of human knowledge have been
pushed in every age. You will find places that you never knew could exist. When
such things are waiting to be discovered, what is holding you back?
Answers
Exercise 1.1
1.
mural neutral type of painting (on
wall)
2.
hallucinating - imagining,
false perception
3.
surreal neutral dreamlike; unreal
4.
vicarious - experienced
indirectly
5.
mutate - change form
6.
incredible + amazing,
beyond belief
7.
juxtapose neutral placed side by side
8. déjà vu neutral familiar
9.
equivocal - ambiguous;
double meaning
10.
exquisite + excellent,
beautiful
Exercise
1.2
1.
1 opprobrium – disgrace, shame
2.
4 portend – foreshadow
3.
1 prevaricate – speak evasively to
keep from getting caught
4.
3 restive – uneasy, impatient
5.
1 ostensible – seeming to be genuine
6. 1 The word must
match with toiled.
7.
4 If he persisted, we can say his
nature was obstinate.
8.
1 If the population will double, the
mortality rate must be lowest.
9.
4 The word must match with
technological revolution.
10. 1 The word must
match with “deeply held.”
There is more treasure in books than in all
the pirates’ loot on Treasure Island. Best of all, you can enjoy these riches
every day of your life. --Walt
Disney
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