Lecture 1

Common question types that have appeared in the Reading Comprehension (RC) section of the CAT exam in recent
years (2017 onwards):

1. Main Idea/Central Theme Questions

These questions ask about the primary focus or purpose of the passage. They require you to identify the overall theme or
intent behind the passage rather than specific details.

2. Tone and Attitude Questions

These questions ask about the author's tone, mood, or attitude toward the subject. Common tones include critical, skeptical,
neutral, or optimistic, among others.

3. Fact-Based/Detail-Oriented Questions/Direct Assertion/True or False Questions

These questions focus on specific details mentioned in the passage. They test your ability to locate and recall information
accurately from the passage.

4. Logical Structure/Organization Questions

These questions focus on how the passage is structured. They ask you to identify the function of specific paragraphs or
sentences within the passage, such as the introduction of an argument or evidence supporting a claim.

5. Application-Based Questions
Application questions require you to apply the information, principles, or ideas discussed in the passage to a new context or
hypothetical scenario. These questions test your understanding of the concepts presented and your ability to extend them.

6. Title/Appropriate Heading Questions

These questions ask you to choose an appropriate title or heading for the passage. The correct answer usually reflects the
passage's main idea or central theme.

7. Summary/Paraphrasing Questions
Summary questions ask you to select the option that best summarizes a paragraph or the entire passage. These test your
ability to condense information and capture the essential points.

8. Purpose-Based Questions
Purpose questions ask why the author wrote the passage or included certain sections. These test your understanding of the
author's objective in presenting specific information.

9. Example/Illustration-Based Questions
Sometimes, questions will refer to examples or illustrations in the passage, asking you to identify the reason for their
inclusion or the principle they represent.

10. CR based questions

a. Conclusion: Find the author's main point or claim solely on the given premises and reasoning (logic or evidence) within
the argument.
b. Strengthen: Identify the option that reinforces the argument's conclusion by adding support, evidence, or justification to
the claim.
c. Weaken: Select the option that undermines the argument's logic or conclusion by introducing a flaw, alternative
explanation, or counter-evidence that challenges the link between premise and conclusion.
d. Assumption: Find the unstated premise that must be true for the argument to work. The argument depends on this for its
logic to be valid or conclusion to follow.
e. Inference-Based Questions: Inference questions require you to read between the lines and draw conclusions that are
implied but not directly stated in the passage. These questions test your ability to understand subtle hints or ideas that the
author has embedded.
f. Flaw: Detect the reasoning error in the argument-like causal confusion, false dilemma, or circular logic that weakens its
logical foundation or invalidates the conclusion.
g. Resolve the Paradox: Pick the option that best explains or reconciles an apparent contradiction or surprising situation in
the stimulus, often by introducing a missing piece of information.
h. Parallel Logic / Reasoning: Select the argument that mirrors the logical structure of the given one. Focus on the form of
reasoning, not content, to match the pattern of premises and conclusion.

What is a 'conclusion'?
'Conclusion' means the point that the author is trying to prove or convince you about based on the given facts.
'Strengthen' questions ask you to find:
A. a new piece of information that,
B. if added to the existing argument, will make the conclusion
C. more likely to be true (get strengthened)

Steps to find the correct answer:

1. Find the conclusion.
2. Find the option that has relevant information.
3. The relevant information should not be part of the argument given. It should be extra information.
4. Check whether that information is making the main conclusion more convincing or not.

The question stem may also look like these:

Which of the following, if true, would most bolster the argument above?
Which additional pieces of evidence would best support the conclusion above?
The author's conclusion would be most strengthened if it were found that:
Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest support for the argument above?

The 'Weaken' questions ask you to find:

1. a new piece of information that,
2. If added to the conclusion will make it
3. less likely to be true.

Three steps for WEAKENING an argument:

1. Find the conclusion.
2. Find the option that has EXTRA and RELEVANT information.
3. Check whether that information is making the main conclusion LESS CONVINCING or not.

Lecture 2
What are assumptions?
- Assumptions are unstated premises required for an argument.
- They bridge the gap between premises and conclusions.
Assumptions can be ‘ necessary’ or ‘ sufficient’

Let's consider this argument:

The global warming is increasing. It is time we switched to electric cars.
Let's analyze the argument:
Premise 1: The global warming is increasing.
Premise 2: Electric cars can help reduce global warming.
Conclusion: It is time we switched to electric cars.

What is a premise?
A premise is a statement that supports the conclusion.

Or

A premise is the basis for a conclusion.

3 important points about an 'assumption':

1. Assumptions are the unwritten part/information/premise of an argument.

2. Assumptions are always directly linked to the main conclusion.
3. Assumptions need to be true for the 'conclusion' to be valid.

(It can be called the 'belief of the author' or 'something that the author thought would be known to the reader'.)

3 important points about an 'assumption':

1. Identify the Core Argument (Conclusion + Premise)
A. Find the conclusion - what is the author trying to prove?
B. Spot the premise(s) - what evidence supports it?
C. The assumption is the "missing link" - an unstated idea that must be true for the conclusion to follow from the premise

Steps to find an assumption:

A. Look for Gaps Between Premise and Conclusion.
B. Assumptions often bridge a logical gap.
C. Ask: "What must be true for this leap to make sense?"
If a company assumes high pay = high performance, the assumption might be "employees are motivated by........

Steps to find an assumption:

A. Avoid Extreme or Irrelevant Choices
B. Assumptions are usually moderate and focused on the argument.
C. Be careful of:
Overgeneralizations (words like "always," "never")

Steps to find an assumption:

A. Use Scope Control: Match the Assumption to the Conclusion's Scope
B. If the conclusion is specific, the assumption must match that specificity.
C. Don't choose an answer that goes beyond what's being argued - even if it sounds true.

When in doubt, use 'Negation Test':

Dinosaurs are prohibited to enter this park.
Assumptions:
1. Dinosaurs exists.
2. Dinosaurs can be brought to this park.

1. Only 1 is true.
2. Only 2 is true.
3. Both are true.
4. Neither is true.

The 'negation test steps':

1. Add a 'no' or 'not' to the assumption.
2. If the assumption now contradicts the main argument or makes it weaker or untrue, then the assumption is valid.

Lecture 4
Different variations of the 'inference' question:
1. Which of the following can be most reasonably inferred from the passage?
2. Which statement, if true, is most supported by the information in the passage?
3. The author would most likely agree with which of the following statements?
4. Based on the information in the passage, which of the following is most likely to be true?
5. What does the passage suggest about a concept or idea mentioned?
6. Which of the following is best supported by the author's discussion of X?
7. It can be inferred that the author believes which of the following about Y?
8. The passage most strongly implies which of the following?
9. If all the statements in the passage are true, which of the following must also be true?
10. Which of the following conclusions is best justified based on the passage?

What is an inference?
1. It is a type of conclusion (minor conclusion).
2. It is a logical consequence from the given premises/information.
3. It has a high degree of probability relative to the premises.
4. It is usually unstated/ not written.
5. It's not the main conclusion of the passage. It can flow from any part of the passage
In short,
An inference is a guess based on evidence

How to Spot the Correct Inference:

1. Must be directly supported by the passage - logic or evidence must be present.
2. Avoid options that introduce new ideas or external facts.
3. Look for paraphrased statements.
4. Options with extreme language (always, only, never...) are likely to be wrong.
5. Use the 'Why this is Not' test - if it can be false, it's not the answer.

What is a paradox?
A seemingly absurd or contradictory statement.
What are we supposed to do in a paradox questions?
In a paradox question, you are supposed to find an EXPLANATION or REASON for the ABSURD or ILLOGICAL
situation given in the main argument!

Steps to resolve a Paradox:

Identify the absurd situation in the argument.
Find an option that has relevant information.
Then check whether the option provides 'reasonable explanation' to the absurd situation in the argument.

Lecture 5
What is a parallel logic question?
An argument/ stimulus is given, and you are asked to find whether a new argument follows the same reasoning pattern or
logical structure as the one given in the argument/ stimulus.

Other ways of asking this question:

1. Which of the following most closely parallels the reasoning in the passage above?
2. Which argument uses a pattern of reasoning most similar to the one used in the given passage?
3. Which of the following is logically most similar to the argument presented?
4. Which of the options exhibits reasoning most analogous to the passage above?
5. Which of the following follows the same flawed logic as the one above?
6. The logic in the passage is most similar to that in which of the following statements?
7. Which of the following arguments mirrors the structure of the above argument?
8. Identify the option that represents reasoning closest to the original argument.
9. Which of the following contains a reasoning error similar to the one in the passage?
10. Which option best replicates the type of logic used in the passage above?

Some common patterns:

1. Common Logical Patterns to Spot:
2. Conditional (If...then...)
3. Causal (X causes Y)
4. Analogy (X is to Y as A is to B)
5. Generalization → Application
6. Process with exception/contrast

3 key points to remember:

1) Use A,B,C or X,Y,Z to simplify the logical structure.
2) Focus on the logical structure rather than the wordings.
3) Avoid just similar keywords, or similar number of sentences. You need to match the logical structure