Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
cat 09--the surprise factor
Everybody knows that CAT is one of the most unpredictable exams held in India and abroad. Every year it presents a new surprise. The biggest one for 2009 or rather the biggest till date is the news that CAT 09 is going to be computer-based.
However, it would be wrong to assume that this will be the only surprise in store. MBA aspirants who have prepared themselves with information about past CATs wil find it easier to develop flexible time management strategies, thus eliminating the effects of a changed CAT pattern.
Towards this end, examination experts at www.TCYonline.com have done a critical analysis of the previous CATs by measuring the three most crucial factors that remain tricky in all CATs. These are:
- Number of questions and their break up into the Quant, Verbal and DI sections
- Total time and its break up into sub-sections
- Difficulty level of the questions
It has been observed that whatever CAT one takes for analysis, the interplay of these three factors has consistently been responsible for the 'surprise' factor.
Let us try to identify what were the indicators of the difficulty level of any section of CAT in the past. We recognise the fact that the level of difficulty is a quite a subjective experience. A section that is difficult for one candidate may be the only score getter for another. Still, a sprinter must know what the real obstacles are in his sprint so that he may adjust his pace and concentration in order to conquer them. Hence, a comprehensive knowledge of a different combination of the three factors -- which eventually boil down to TDS ie time, difficulty and speed -- will help us know the approximate dimensions of our obstacles (over and above those offered by its computer-based , which are discussed at http://getahead.rediff.com/report/2009/apr/29/cat-online-challenges-myths.htm) in CAT 2009.

When we look at all the possible ways the experts explored to define "difficulty" in a CAT, we found that most times it is the interplay of the total time available, the number of questions and length and complexity of their statement that decide whether a particular set of questions were easy, moderate or difficult. Hence, the importance of analysis and daily ranking (www.TCYonline.com/subscription) cannot be over emphasised.
Additionally, it can be seen that the questions are getting easier but trickier with each CAT since CAT 2004. This, together with the fact that Prometric -- the company who will administer CAT 09 -- has a track record of presenting trickier and lengthy statement-based questions in Quant as well as Verbal, has left no option for test-takers but to concentrate on each and every question that they come across throughout the year. The key is not to do more questions but to repeatedly do a balanced set of questions with optimum representation of all areas. One must understand that CAT 09 preparation is not a mere MOCK CAT game; rather one needs to know one's performance everyday and should get a chance to compare it with the best of the nation in each test.
At this crucial juncture, the FREE online CAT course offered by TCYonline.com (http://www.tcyonline.com/cat2009/cat_preparation.php) and the online tools like Test Generator (www.TCYonline.com/CreaTest) and Challenge Zone (www.TCYonline.com/LetUsChallenge) come handy for a CAT 2009 aspirant. These offerings can contribute for the missing technology-link that exists between the traditional CAT prep ways and the demands of the new computer-based CAT.
source:-rediff.com and tcyonline
technique of remembering words
NUMBER THEORY-basics
VERBAL TEST-1
DIRECTIONS for questions 1 to 4: Each question has a word that has been used in a sentence that gives its contextual usage. From the choices, choose the word that is the most appropriate substitue for the question word, in the context.
1. Scoffed(at): A 20% growth in exports is not something to be scoffed at.
(1) tanned (2) appreciated (3) devalued (4) followed
2. Flamboyance: Mr. Sarkar is known for his flamboyance but little else.
(1) exaggeration (2) flagellation (3) industry (4) ostentation
3. Reiterate: The minister in his speech has reiterated the established policy stance.
(1) repeated (2) opposed (3) supported (4) encouraged
4. Corroborative: It is not always possible to obtain corroborative evidence in insurgency cases.
(1) authentic (2) misleading (3) spurious (4) confirmative
DIRECTIONS for questions 5 to 8: For each word given below, a contextual usage is provided. From the alternatives given, pick the word that is the most inappropriate substitute for the question word, in the given context.
5. Jaundiced: The disillusioned prisoners of war developed a jaundiced view of the UN’s peace intiatives.
(1) cynical (2) puerile (3) pessimistic (4) disenchanted
6. Desecrated: The suburb was tense after an idol had seen desecrated by hooligans.
(1) vandalized (2) violated (3) defaced (4) impaired
7. Winding: Driving down the winding ghat roads requires great caution and skill.
(1) serpentine (2) aligned (3) sinuous (4) tortuous
8. Straitened: The sudden death of the patriarch left the family in straitened circumstances.
(1) penurious (2) destitute (3) dire (4) impoverished
DIRECTIONS for Questions 9 to 12: In each question, the word at the top of the table is used in four different ways, numbered 1 to 4.Choose the option in which the usage of the word is INCORRECT or INAPPROPRIATE.
9. Shadow
1 The children were having fun chasing each other’s shadow.
2 Though I tried hard, her work put mine in the shadow.
3 People live under the shadow of fear in a military regime.
4 I knew beyond a shadow of doubt that he was lying.
10. Bill
1 Post the bill quickly lest anyone should notice it.
2 His suffering from severe cold can be easily made out from his bill.
3 Look how sharp the bill of that woodpecker is.
4 The bill was passed by 290 votes to 85.
11. Concerned
1 We should make no compromise where safety is concerned.
2 Parents are concerned about excessive violence on television.
3 They were more concerned about how the speaker was dressed than about what she was saying.
4 She has started making a concerned effort to find a job.
12. Flag
1 Unless we flag him without food for two more days, he will not speak the truth.
2 Though indefatigable, he began to flag before the match ended.
3 Can you flag all the relevant pages in this book?
4 No other flag can be hoisted here except ours.
DIRECTIONS for questions 13 to 16: Select the correct word/words from the choices that complete the given sentence. Please note that more than once choice may fit in to make a syntactically correct sentence but select the choice that is logical in the context of the
sentence.
13. An experienced politician, who knew better than to launch a campaign in troubled political waters, she intended to wait for a more
______ occasion before she announced her plans.
(1) propitious (2) provocative (3) questionable (4) perfect
14. The judge ruled that the evidence was inadmissible on the grounds that it was not ______ to the issue at hand
(1) useful (2) germane (3) manifest (4) inchoate
15. To seek ______ from the ______ summer of the plains, many people prefer going to cooler climes during the summer months.
(1) refuge . . . scalding (2) shelter . . . boiling (3) respite . . . scorching (4) solace . . . blazing
16. The columnist was almost ______ when he mentioned his friends but he was unpleasant and even ______ when he discussed people who irritated him.
(1) recalcitrant . . . sarcastic (2) reverential . . . acrimonious
(3) sensitive . . . remorseful (4) insipid . . . militant
DIRECTIONS for questions 17 to 21: Fill the blanks in the passages below with the most appropriate word from the options given for each gap. The right words are the ones used by the author. Be guided by the author’s overall style and meaning when you choose the
answers.
Twenty-five years ago, when Mauritius gained independence from Britain, this nation of 1.1 million seemed like anything but paradise.With ----17--- unemployment and one of the fastest growing populations in the world, Mauritius looked as if it were ----18--- heading for disaster. Yet over the past decade, the island has witnessed an extraordinary economic boom. Mauritius today is a success and one of the few ----19--- democracies in Africa.
17. (1) chronic (2) lingering (3) characteristic (4) incessant
18. (1) irrefutably (2) irresistibly (3) irrationally (4) irretrievably
19. (1) malfunctioning (2) performing (3) functioning (4) farfetched
Turning out concise, cliched paragraphs, with little ----20--- but at high speed, is a talent that is greatly prized by international news agencies - along with a stomach for filthy coffee and the ability to work round the clock. Nothing will kill off a natural writing gift quite so well as a ----21--- news-agency training.
20. (1) orthodoxy (2) originality (3) authenticity (4) organization
21. (1) widespread (2) superficial (3) thoughtful (4) thorough
Friday, June 5, 2009
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR VOCABULARY
2.In different parts of the country people favor different words. Try picking up or subscribing to a newspaper from another part of the country. Or enlist a friend or relative from another area to join in on vocabulary improvement and offer to send them a copy of your heaviest big city newspaper in exchange for yours. Or go online and read such a newspaper on line for free.
3. To make learning easier and more productive, use flash cards in a new and more effective way to master several words at once. Instead of putting separate words on separate cards with separate meanings. Pick four words that all have the same or similar meanings and write them on one side with their meanings clearly identified on the other. Since you will be learning the same or very closely related word meanings for four words, you will be learning four words and one definition with slightly subtle changes. This brings it all together as one task in which you learn 4 times as much in about the same time.
4. Object words are easier because your are learning the definition of a word which is also a tangible item that you can picture in your mind. Go to a unique curio shop, specialty store or science or other obscure type of museum you have never been too before. Keep any brochures or other documentation that describes what you are seeing. Let the mental pictures drive the names of these items and their descriptions deep into your mind for recall later.
5. You learn much more by being humble than by being proud. Just as when driving you should be willing to stop and ask for directions, you shouldn't? be afraid to do some digging when there? a word you don? understand. Look it up or even have the courage to ask. Go on a word hunt. Write down what you didn't? understand and quickly. Hound that word and its meaning with your own research until you find it. The satisfaction of victory over your ignorance of that one word will bolster your confidence that you can learn many other words if you want to badly enough
