Reading Comprehension For CAT Exam- Intro, Questions, Tips, Resources, And More!

Every MBA aspirant dreams of crossing the 99+ percentile line and landing a spot in their dream B-school. If you're also one of them, then it's natural that you would be preparing and practicing for the upcoming CAT exam.

CAT is one of the toughest entrance exams in India, and every year lakhs of students attempt the exam. Divided into three sections, the CAT exam tests a candidate's English language and mathematical skills, as well as evaluates them on logical reasoning, data interpretation, and reading comprehension. Depending on a student's familiarity with a topic and natural aptitude for a subject, different sections may seem difficult to different students. But, reading comprehension is a section that can trump many - from regular readers to novices. 

Are you one of also them? Are you worried about how to deal with the VARC (verbal ability and reading comprehension) section of the entrance exam? If yes, then it's okay. We get the pressure you are under right now. To lighten the load on your mind, here is an addition to our CAT preparation series to help you champion the RC passage section of the CAT exam. 

In this article, we will detail everything you need to know about reading comprehension for CAT, its types, the types of questions asked, and how to prep for it. So read on!

Importance of Reading Comprehension for CAT

The comprehension passages section of CAT is one of the most important parts of the exam since it carries the highest sectional weightage. Of all the three sections in the CAT exam--VARC, DILR, and QA--the subsection RC passages carry 3/4 weightage of the VARC section. 

Out of a total of 24 questions in VARC, 16-18 are comprehension questions. This makes this subsection critical to getting an overall good percentile. The general pattern followed in the RC section is- you will get passages with comprehension questions. You will have to go through the entire passage and then answer the questions following the passage, based on your comprehension skills. To understand how this is done, let's first have a look at the topics covered in this section.

Reading Comprehension for CAT- Types & Topics/ Concepts

The types of reading comprehension passages can broadly be divided into three categories. They are:

• Descriptive passages
• Analytical passages
• Data-driven passages

The passages can further be classified based on the topics. The passages with questions in the RC section are considered tricky since the passages are based on abstract topics, followed by inferential questions. Some of the broad topic types covered in the RC passages section are:

• Business 
• Economics
• Social Sciences
• Science
• Humanities
• Current Affairs

These are broad umbrella topics, and the only way to perform well in RCs is to practice and develop strong reading skills, i.e. improve both, your reading speed and understanding of the language. 

Let's have a look at the RC topics (divided per the question paper - slot for each year) for the past three years in the tables below to get a clearer picture:

From this, you must be able to get an idea about the kind of topics covered in this section and how to prepare for them.

RC Passages For CAT- Type Of Questions

Every RC passage is followed by 3-5 questions in CAT exam. The types of RC questions can usually be classified as follow:

• Vocabulary based questions
• Questions based on the tonality/ tone of the RC passage
• Questions based on the Central Theme
• Fact-based questions
• Inference questions
• Title based questions
• Passage structure-based questions

The difficulty level for these questions also varies from moderate to high. Note that most of these questions will be MCQ-type (i.e. they have four answer options to choose from) and will hence carry a negative marking. Per the marking scheme for CAT, there is a negative marking of one mark i.e. -1 for every wrong answer. And the correct option or answer fetches you 3 marks, i.e. +3. 

RC Passages for CAT: Common Pitfalls for Aspirants

As mentioned before, these passages with questions can be a little tricky to deal with because the level of difficulty usually ranges from moderate to high, but is rarely very easy.

Here are some of the common mistakes aspirants make when preparing for RC passages that can lead to the downfall of your CAT preparation strategy:

• Becoming averse to section- Since most aspirants find RC to be difficult and at times boring, they tend to develop a disliking towards this section. They then end up waiting till the last moment to prepare for it, when it should be the other way around. The best way to get better at this section is regular practice.
• Not working on vocabulary building/ learning grammar- A lot of aspirants assume they have a good vocabulary and knowledge of grammar rules or don't give due importance to these segments. Thinking that building vocab is not important, or that they can easily wing it, is one of the biggest mistakes aspirants make, which shows on their CAT scorecard.
• Losing Patience- One key characteristic aspirants need to possess when solving RC- is patience. A lack of patience leads to a lack of focus and panic, and this reduces your comprehension abilities. 
• Looking for shortcuts- Like some other sections of the competitive exam, there are no shortcuts to solving RC questions. There is no quick formula to solving all RC questions, and it is a mistake to waste your time looking for one. It is better to spend time practicing, which will also help improve your reading speed.  
• Trying to memorize- A lot of aspirants make the mistake of trying to memorize the passage as they go about reading it, and this is a big waste of time since they should be focused on understanding the theme of the passage, its flow, etc. You can reread any information you think you have forgotten so don't focus on memorizing every word in the RC passage. 

It is important that you avoid these common pitfalls if you want a CAT scorecard that leads you to a top-tier B-School. Now that we know what RC is all about, and what common mistakes you should avoid making, let's have a look at a few tips that will give you the extra edge in handling the RC passages. 

Tips on How to Crack Reading Comprehension for CAT Exam

CAT is one of the toughest entrance exams out there, and your preparation level must be at par with that. Here are some tips to ace the RC section, irrespective of its level of difficulty:

• The first and most important thing for those who want to perform well in RC is- good reading skills. And the only way to become accustomed to reading, to begin with, and then improve upon your reading skills is to actually read. So start reading as many diverse blogs, editorials, newspapers, books, and reading passages as you can. Also, inculcate a habit of reading regularly - setting aside some time each day. Not only will this improve your reading speed, but also get you more comfortable with the section. We have listed a few good reading and practice resources for you later in this article. 
• Cultivating good reading skills is important, but not enough. A lot of us are readers, but how many are actually reading? Confused? What we are trying to say is that everyone consumes content, but not many acquire the information and make use of it in a meaningful manner. For most of us, the reason for this is the inability to identify information. And this is the next most critical thing for those who want to improve their comprehension abilities. 
• One way to inculcate comprehension skills is to write down an overall summary of every passage/ blog/ block of information you read. Writing this summary will help you understand the crux of the passage, and with enough practice, comprehension will come naturally to you.
• The next step after you write the summary is to look for and identify the key points that the passage/ blog is trying to convey to you. Develop a habit of looking for such information whenever you read, anything. 
• Once you have understood the crux of the information you are reading, you must then take a step back and try forming opinions/ arguments on the content matter. This introspection exercise will help improve your performance. 
• Reading comes with a lot of advantages, and one of those is improved vocabulary and grammar. But you need to pay attention to these two aspects. 
• RC is a combination of reading, comprehension, context, vocabulary, and grammar. Working on vocabulary calls for you to understand the meaning of words and the context in which they are used. To improve on these skills, you can try keeping a notebook where you jot down all the words you are unfamiliar with, their meaning, and their context. 
• You must have received this tip, time and again, and for every section- practice. It is important to solve past years' papers, take mocks, and more. This is how you will get a feel of the type of questions, the range of topics, the range of questions, etc. And these will help you prepare better.
• When you start solving RCs, don't start by reading the passage and then attempting questions. It is smarter to read the questions before you even begin reading that passage so that you have an idea of what you are looking for when reading. This saves time and helps you absorb the information you will actually need to answer the questions.

These tips will definitely help boost your preparation level for all types of RC Questions. Following these tips will also help inculcate good reading habits in you, which will help you out in every sphere of life.

Now let's have a look at a few examples of comprehension passages, and try to solve the type of RC questions that come along: 

Examples of Reading Comprehension for CAT

The following examples are from different CAT questions papers and the level of difficulty ranges from moderate to high. The question paper - slot for each example has also been listed. Take a look: 

Example 1- The example here is from CAT 2019 Question paper - slot 1

Here are the questions that followed the passage:

Q1. CAT 2019 Question Paper - Slot 1

Answer & Explanation-

The correct answer to the question is option D- "the cold Antarctic air whose temperature is higher than that of the plumage AND the fall in temperature of the Antarctic air after it has transmitted some heat to the plumage". Note that paragraph 3 explains how these penguins use thermal convection to draw small amounts of heat from the cold Antarctic air. And option D fits this explanation perfectly. 

Q2. CAT 2019 Question Paper - Slot 1

Answer & Explanation:

Think of the context in which the word 'paradoxically' is used to find the right answer to the question. In the passage, the word is used to explain how penguins actually manage to draw heat from the cold Antarctic air, by keeping the temperature of their outer surface below the temperature of the air around them. You will see that option B is the correct answer to this question. 

Q3. CAT 2019 Question Paper - Slot 1

Answer & Explanation: 

Here you need to start by looking at the impact each of the options has on the passage subject. Option A for example states that penguin plumage does not allow any transfer of heat either through convection or radiation. If this were true it would mean that penguin cannot minimize their body heat through their plumage, and this negates the findings of the study. So this is not the right answer.

The only option which does not negate the findings is option D. This statement says that the temperature of the feet of penguins is 2.76, which is still warmer than the air temperature, and the temperature of other body parts of the penguins. So in this case the overall findings of the study will still hold. 

Q4. CAT 2019 Question Paper - Slot 1

Answer & Explanation:

To find the answer to this question, read the last paragraph again. Here the author states that penguins trek far for reproduction during incubation the male penguin doesn't eat anything, so it is important that they conserve energy and give out as little heat as possible. This shows that option B is the correct answer. 

Example 2- The example here is from CAT 2020 Question paper - slot 1

Here are the questions that followed the passage:

Q1. CAT 2020 Question Paper - Slot 1

Answer & Explanation:

Look at the last paragraph of the passage for the answer to this question. The author states that Individual anarchists differed from other thinkers in their absolute mistrust of American capitalism and in their emphasis on mutualism. This indicates that while both free-market thinkers and individual anarchists gave importance to individual autonomy, they differed in where individualists distrusted capitalism while free-market thinkers did not. Hence the answer to the question is option B.

Moreover, all other options include ideas like altruism, state intervention, and moral capitalism, which are not discussed in the original passage. 

Q2. CAT 2020 Question Paper - Slot 1

Answer & Explanation:

The correct answer here is option B because this option mentions concepts of mainstream mistrust of collectivism, a point that isn't discussed or indicated by the original passage. Also, all other options have elements of truth to them in reference to the passage provided. 

Q3. CAT 2020 Question Paper - Slot 1

Answer & Explanation:

The correct answer here is option D. Also statement in B is incorrect as it talks about the primacy of individual power, while anarchy emphasizes mutualism. 

Q4. CAT 2020 Question Paper - Slot 1

Answer & Explanation:

Here option A is the correct choice as is evident in paragraph 3 where it clearly shows how the ruling class rode to power on the strength of workers' and then turned to oppress them. Read- "After every revolutionary uprising, usually won at a heavy cost for ordinary populations, the new rulers had no hesitation in applying violence and terror, a secret police, and a professional army to maintain their control."

Q5. CAT 2020 Question Paper - Slot 1

Answer & Explanation:

Begin by noting that only options A & D mention anarchism, which is the main subject of the passage. This eliminates options B & C as answers. Of the remaining two, D is the correct answer as option A misses out on concepts of freedom and individualism. 

Top Resources For CAT RC Practice

In this section, we have prepared lists of a few top resources that will help you prepare for the RC section of CAT. Also mentioned are practice resources to improve your performance. Take a look at the table below:

Here are some blogs that you can read for improvement in RC, as well as to keep your motivation levels pumped high:

Now let's have a look at some books that are sure to boost your reading comprehension performance and hence your CAT scorecard: 

Check out some other must-read best books for CAT preparation here. 

The emphasis one must pay to practice when preparing for CAT cannot be overstated. So here is a list of a few resources which give you access to practice papers/ sample papers/ mocks for RC preparation. Note that some of these portals might charge a fee for their services, while some are free access. 

RC Passages: Frequently Asked Questions 

1. How many questions in VARC are on RC?

While there is no fixed number of RC questions, on average,  70-80% of questions in the VARC section are on RC passages. This means, approximately 16-18 of the total 24 questions are on RC. The remaining 7-8 are on VA.

Take a look at the number of RC questions in the VARC section in the past three years to get more clarity: 

2020: 18 of the 26 VARC questions were on RC

2021: 19 of the 24 VARC questions were on RC 

2022: 16 of the 24 VARC questions were on RC

2. What type of RC questions are asked in the CAT exam?

RC passages are usually followed by MCQ-type questions. These questions have four answer options and only one correct answer. Wrong answers carry a negative marking of 1 mark. There is no negative marking for unattempted answers. 

3. What are some of the topics covered in the RC passages for CAT?

RC passages in CAT cover a wide variety of topics. There is no exhaustive list of topics covered under RC passages in CAT, but some of the broad topics are: 

• Business
• Economics
• Social Sciences
• Science
• Humanities
• Current Affairs

4. How do I identify the main idea/central theme of the RC passage given in the CAT exam?

Here are some tips that you can follow that will help you identify the central theme of the RC passage:

• First and foremost, read the passage slowly and carefully and pay attention to keywords or phrases. Keywords or phrases are terms that are repeated throughout the passage. 
• At the end of the passage, ask yourself what the author is trying to say. The answer to this question usually forms the crux of the passage. 
• Look at the overall structure of the passage - sometimes, the passage's theme is spelled out in the opening or ending paragraph.

There are a number of ways to improve your ability to understand a given passage: 

- Start summarizing whatever you read in one or two paragraphs. This will allow you to focus on the central theme. 

- Regularly practice RC passages by attempting exercises in RC prep books and online portals, as well as by taking mock tests and sectional exams. 

- Read a wide variety of material, in order to familiarize yourself with different types of content.

This brings us to the end of our journey in guiding you to ace the reading comprehension for the CAT section. Be regular with your CAT preparations, make a timetable, and stick to it too, and we are sure you'll make it to your dream B-School.

#BeUnstoppable 

Here are some other articles that might keep you motivated and help you out in your CAT preparation journey:

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2. How To Prepare For CAT Exam? Devise The Best CAT Preparation Strategy -By Nitish P Nair, 99.67 percentile, IIM Bangalore
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