Verbal Ability

The verbal ability section can be solved the fastest in the exam. This section, however,
could be the most difficult one to prepare for, unless one has some amount of grounding
in grammar, and a sizeable vocabulary.
A typical 30 marks section of verbal comprises
eading !omprehension" #0$## %uestions
&ogical easoning" '$#0 %uestions
(ther )erbal %uestions" #0$## %uestions" This section includes components such
as sentence earrangement, *entence !orrection, +aragraph !ompletion,
)erbal$based reasoning and !ritical easoning.
*ince communication is very important in management, this section tests a person,s
-nglish language. The fact that an increased number of %uestions in this section, shows
the importance that the examiners have attached to )erbal Ability. .t shows whether a
person understands
The meaning of the words used
The overall message being conveyed
The undertones of the passage or the sentence
!orrectness of grammar
!onclusions hinted at
A few years back, %uestions on grammar and vocabulary were pretty straightforward.
(ver the last 3 / 0 years, !AT has been laying more emphasis on contextual
understanding of the language.
*teps to improve one,s )A"
#1 ead" The !AT exam has a lot of reading elements" !, para$2umbles, para$
completion and sentence completion, which involve reading and forming one,s own
perspective. 3hen reading, compare the author4s viewpoint with your own. Articles
mostly deal with economic, social and political issues and the impact of these issues on
the intended reader.
51 3ork on your 6rammar"
31 7evelop easoning Ability" )erbal reasoning is not limited to the reasoning %uestions
but is also a part of eading !omprehension, para$2umbles and sentence completion.
Try to find out the message or central idea behind the extract.
01 +ractice" +ractice and implement what you4ve learnt. Take as many practice tests as
possible to boost your confidence for this section. .n the )A section, there are broadly
four types of %uestions"
6rammar
eading !omprehension
+aragraph 8orming 9+ara :umbled ;uestions1
)ocabulary
)erbal needs to be prepared in totality, as different sections are found together in
practice. +ay attention to the vocabulary you encounter in a reading comprehension
passage and to the complex grammatical structures in a reasoning passage, work out
the line of reasoning that helps you arrive at a particular answer in a comprehension
passage. &ook at verbal ability as a long term benefit.
#
GRAMMAR
The study of grammar for a competitive examination is easier than the study of
vocabulary. .f you are good reader, the grammatical structures of a language are
instinctively mastered. *tudents attempting !AT need not be grammar experts, but must
develop ability in the functional usage of the language. 8irst complete the basics of
grammar, and then practice by attempting as many %uestions as possible.
The best way to prepare for grammar is to first learn the principles generally tested in the
examination and then solve as many %uestions as possible. &earn backwards, i.e., solve
%uestions, make mistakes, and learn all the principles from the explanations to these
answers.
PARAGRAPH FORMING (PARA JUMBLED QUESTIONS)
These consist of a group of 0$< sentences that have been 2umbled up and need to be
rearranged in their original se%uence. Around 3 such %uestions can be expected in a
!AT paper. The best approach for +ara 2umbles
7evelop high reading speed and scan all 0$< sentences. 6et the gist of the
passage.
Then scan the answer options.
Ea!"le#
#. (ne of the solutions provided by this calculator was the Torpedo Track Angle, the
gyro angle to be applied to the torpedoes. This angle was relative to the direction the
bow would be facing when the fish was fired.
5. The advantage of this was that the bow didn4t necessarily have to be pointed towards
the target.
3. 7uring the attack, estimated target speed, course and range were fed into a
mechanical angle solver 9=fruit machine=1 which was also provided with the
submarine4s gyro heading.
0. Torpedo spread was achieved by maintaining a steady course 9of the submarine1
and varying the gyro angle firing interval 9time between firing1 for each fish.
9#1 >!7A 951 A7!> 931 !>7A 901 !A7> 901 is correct.
VO$ABULAR%
!AT does not test candidates on difficult words directly. The passages and answer
options given in the eading !omprehension section may contain difficult words which
could decrease the candidate,s ability to understand the passage.
;uestions based on testing one4s vocabulary $ the plain =synonym $ antonym= %uestions
used to appear in !AT in the early 50004s? these have become very rare over the past
#0 years. +ure vocabulary based %uestions are unlikely these days.
An innovative way to remember the meanings of certain words is to know their origin.
;uite a few words have an interesting origin. @ake your base strong by intensive
reading. +ractice what you read in everyday conversation and writing. efer to a
dictionary
Sa!"le Q&e'ti()'
T-@+(A&" 7o not get tempted by these temporal pleasures. They do not last long.
9#1 -ternal 951 .mmortal 931 -verlasting 901 -phemeral 901 is correct
5
8ATA(A*" Be is far too sensible to have done a fatuous thing like this.
9#1 *tupid 951 .ntelligent 931 .nane 901 8oolish 951 is correct
@A!A>-" The office wore a macabre look on 8riday after the company downsized its
staff strength.
9#1 6risly 951 Tropical 931 6ruesome 901 &ugubrious 951 is correct
READING $OMPREHENSION
A !AT aspirant should be able to read and comprehend fast ! skills are necessary for
analysing data, and decision making. *tart from areas with which one is comfortable,
then move on to areas which are less familiar.
-ditorial page of one reputed daily
-ditorial page of one finance daily
@aterial from international magazines
Any of the books by reputed authors
*peeches and writings of eminent people
An average reading speed is in the range of 500 to 300 wpm. .mprove reading speed by"
*canning" &earn to Cscan, the material you read" Beadings, titles, chapters and
any other relevant divisions that might serve to break the reading down into
blocks.
Ad2ustment" Dou should learn to ad2ust your reading speed as you read the
passage. *low down when you want to be sure about having comprehended a
difficult section. +ump up your speed if you feel the need to skim through familiar
sections.
.gnore what is not important" Dou should focus on the key words in the
sentences. A lot of time during reading is wasted on con2unctions, prepositions or
articles. -liminate these from the horizons of your focus.
ead in blocks" 3hile reading, try to read blocks of words together. Dou can
boost your reading speed by absorbing several words in a line at one time,
instead of reading each word or focusing on each letter of the word.
+ractice speed reading
emember that the !AT is essentially a competition between those who are good in
mathematics with high verbal scores.
Sa!"le Q&e'ti()'
T%PE A
;uestion Eo.#
The following paragraph is made of sentences which are 2umbled. !an you un2umble this
paragraph and sort the sentences in their proper orderF
A. A pact to form a new government.
>. the E7+ and the &iberals have said they plan to bring down the Barper !onservative
government next @onday.
!. *hould the current one collapse due to lack of confidence,
7. !anada,s opposition leaders have signed
+ossible Answer" #. A7!> 5. 7A!> 3. 7A>! 0. A>!7
3
;uestion Eo.5
A. >egan after an armed chase near Gennedy oad and -glinton Avenue on @onday
afternoon.
>. +olice remain throughout the neighborhood
!. &ockdowns were lifted at !orvette :unior +ublic *chool and *t. @aria 6oretti !atholic
*chool by about 3"30 p.m.
7. +olice have lifted a lock down at two Toronto schools that
-. After four men with guns chased a fifth man inside a ten$story apartment building.
+ossible Answer" #. 7A!>- 5. -7A!> 3. ->A!7 0. 7A-!> <. A>!7-
;uestion Eo.3
A. Appeared in the #5th issue of 8ast !ompany in 7ecember of #''H.
>. *omehow, we ended up chatting over email,
!. 3hich led to a meeting over steaming plates of migas at the @agnolia !afIJ in
Austin.
7. .,ve been a fan of 7aniel +ink since the article K8ree Agent EationalL
-. Eext thing you know, my story is featured in 8ree Agent Eation, the book.
+ossible Answer" #. A>!7- 5. 7A!-7 3. 7A>!- 0. 7A-!> <. >A!-7
;uestion Eo.0
A. And stylistic rules than a business report.
>. &ikewise, the form of a blog post
!. Bas its own uni%ue set of re%uirements.
7. The form of any written communication can have a big impact on the message
conveyed.
-. (bviously, the form of a text message re%uires different demands
+ossible Answer" #. !A>7- 5. 7A>-! 3. 7-!A> 0. A>!7- <. 7-A>!
;uestion Eo.<
A. .f you find yourself moving to another topic,
>. (n individual topics than a long post that wanders all over the place.
!. @ost readers would rather read a number of short posts
7. *tay on topic.
-. *ave it for another post.
+ossible Answer" #. !>A7- 5. A7!-> 3. 7A-!> 0. 7A>-! <. >!A-7
;uestion Eo.M
A. (f manipulating, pushing, or tricking customers.
>. And some selling is 2ust that.
!. @any people think selling is a matter
7. !on men and boiler room operations are at the extreme edge of persuasive
communication,
-. And they give the rest of it a bad name.
+ossible Answer #. 7A!>- 5. !A>7- 3. -7A!> 0. A>!7- <. >7-A!
;uestion Eo.H
A. 8rom succeeding is a lack of knowledge.
>. *o the first thing that can keep you
!. And you need to know how to use them.
7. Dou need to understand the tactics, strategies and indicators
-. That make the difference between successful partnering and wasted time and money.
+ossible Answer" #. >A7-! 5. A>!7- 3. >A!-7 0. -7A!> <. !A7>-
;uestion Eo.N
A. The film doesn,t linger on the bad, though.
>. +riscilla uses humor to deliver messages
!. .nstead of being dark or dramatic,
0
7. .n full flamingo flamboyance.
-. :ust a taste is enough.
+ossible Answer" #. A-!>7 5. -7A!> 3. A>!7- 0. >!-A7 <. !>-A7
;uestion Eo.'
A. Are too concerned with affecting a style, or both.
>. 3hen writing fails, it,s probably because you don,t have something to say,
!. And you will avoid these problems and many others.
7. 8ollow the suggestions here,
-. +lus you will find that your copy is more lively, more meaningful, and more profitable.
+ossible Answer" #. >A7!- 5. A>!7- 3. 7-A!> 0. A7-!7 <. >A-7!
;uestion Eo.#0
A. 7ebating validity can be fun?
>. >e prepared to accept that someone,s arguments are true.
!. .t doesn,t always mean that you,re right.
7. The guy with the ship and the crazy ideas about a round earth went the extra mile to
test his theories.
-. Be sought proof for his own ideas and was prepared to face failure.
+ossible Answer" #. -7A!> 5. >A-7! 3. A>!7- 0. >A!7- <. !>7A-
T%PE B
;uestion Eo.#
@rs. O was delighted that the Ps have invited :ohn 9@r. O1 and QQ to their party.
*he them @rs. O her
;uestion Eo. 5
7oes your husband still QQ down for a nap after brunch.
&ie has lied lay lied
;uestion Eo.3
@ay be we are not as rich as QQ but we are a lot happier.
them any of the above him you
;uestion Eo.0
*alesman to customer, L3hat QQ car are you looking forFL
kind of a, kind a, kind of, of a
;uestion Eo.<" 8ill the blank
There is a beautiful moon out tonight and *onia and . are going for a drive. 3ould you
like to come along withQQQQF
her and me, she and me, her and him, she and .
;uestion Eo.M
3hen we saw @iss A openly flirting with O, we QQ hardly believe our eyes.
could, shouldn,t, should, couldn,t
;uestion Eo.H
Dour husband doesn,t believe that you are younger than Q.
my, me, mine, .
;uestion Eo.N
7oes your boss QQ you have as long a lunch break as you would likeF
allows, let,s, leave, let
;uestion Eo.'
Dou should QQ put more soda into your drink.
hasn,t, of, have, has
;uestion Eo.#0
Ashwarya feels that her QQ are impossible to gel along with.
brothers in law, brother in law, brother in laws, brother of laws
<
T%PE $
;uestion Eo.#
.dentify the verb forms for the following sentences"
#. @y mother sang lullabies to me when . was a child.
+ast *imple, +ast +articiple, .nfinitive
;uestion Eo.5
3ould you please cut the potatoesF
.nfinitive, >ase, +ast +articiple
;uestion Eo.3
. want to be a nurse when . grow up.
.nfinitive, 3rd +erson *ingular, >ase
;uestion Eo.0
.t is rainy out today.
+ast +articiple, 3rd +erson *ingular R +resent *imple, +ast *imple
;uestion Eo.<
+lease take anything you,d likeS
+ast +articiple, +resent +articiple, >ase
;uestion Eo.M
.t seems my friend is still working at ' o,clock pm.
+ast +articiple, +resent +articiple, .nfinitive
;uestion Eo.H
*he likes the >eatles 3rd album only.
+ast *imple, .nfinitive, 3rd +erson *ingular
;uestion Eo.N
3e may not finish the pro2ect on time.
+ast +articiple, .nfinitive, >ase
;uestion Eo.'
-ven though you were too young to remember, . was there for your first birthday party.
+ast *imple, +ast +articiple, >ase
;uestion Eo.#0
Dou have been good this whole trip, you deserve some ice cream.
+ast +articiple, .nfinitive, +ast *imple
M