rc techniques tones flashcards compilation (1)

8/11/2019 RC Techniques Tones Flashcards Compilation (1)

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What are Keywords Transition Words

Very simply put keywords are like road signs. Road signs tell the traveller what lies ahead ,sometimes where they are , and sometimes what they can and cant do on the road.

Likewise Keywords and Transition words tell the Reader what kind of information liesahead, the also establish a relationship between the reader has just read and what isabout to come.

Good readers are good at picking up keywords and hence following the exact flow ofinformation precisely the way the author meant it , information generated by the keywordalso helps a good reader predict what information is coming his way and thus helps himcomprehend the information more effectively even when the information is complex.

A course in Reading. Keywords/Transition words


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Pretty much like a good driver who seeing this sign will be ready for a curvey rideunlike a poor driver who will miss this sign and either end up in farmland by the road ortake last minute hurried action.

On the road following road signs and information can save your live and make for asmoother journey similarly in reading being aware of keywords , noticing them and readingaccordingly can make reading a pleasant journey.

Since our main idea is to convey to you the importance of keywords and how they canalmost magically influence your reading. i will be repeating the idea quite often. in differentwords using different details and supporting material. If by the end of the chapter yourbrain can become sensitized to keywords such that you notice them all around you thepurpose will be served.

An introduction to keywords and their Function

just the way road signs can be categorized by what function they serve , turns , roaddescriptions , speed limits , special hazards etc . Keywords can also be divided by whatfunction they are serving. Following is a list divided on the basis of function , you will find alot of keywords repeated in separate sections but remember _+_+_+++

Function:Addition , For continuing a common line of reasoning,


FurthermoreSentence A Sentence B

ShowsIdea in Sentence B is an Addition

to the idea in Sentence A


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Keywords serving this function :also, again, as well as, besides, coupled with, furthermore,

For Starters we are using the visual to emphasize the point that just looking at the keyword and

without looking at what is inside sentence A and B we can still determine the relationship between

the sentences. Now for an actual text sample sentences are numbered for better analysis.

(1)The human ability to assign arbitrary meaning to any object, behavior or condition makes

people enormously creative and readily distinguishes culture from animal behavior. (2)People can

teach animals to respond to cultural symbols, but animal cannot create their own symbols.

(3)Furthermore, animals have the capability of limited tool manufacture and use, but human tooluse is extensive enough to rank as qualitatively different and human tools often carry heavy

symbolic meanings. (4)They symbolic element of human language, especially speech, is againavast qualitative expansion over animal communication systems.

Text Analysis:Topic Statement and the main idea of the paragraph is underlined. Sentence 2 is an

elaboration of the Topic Statement , so is sentence 3 Furthermoreestablishes the relationship

between sentence 2 and 3 . SimilarlyAgain tells the reader that idea in sentence 4 has been already

mentioned.

(1)Culture lock -in results from the gradual stiffening of the invisible architecture of the

corporation, and the ossification of its decision-making abilities, control systems, and mental

models.(2)Itdampens a companys ability to innovate or to shed operations with a less-exciting

future. (3)Moreoverit signals the corporations inexorable decline into inferior performance.

Text Analysis: Sentence 1 idea what results in culture Lock in . Sentence 2 states theeffects of cultural lock-in , Moreoverin sentence 3 indicates that idea in sentence 3 will be

another detail about Cultural lock in .

(1)This dogmatism is to some extent necessary. (2)It is demanded by a situation which can only be

dealt with by forcing our conjectures upon the world.(3)Moreover,this dogmatism allows us to

approach a good theory in stages, by way of approximations: if we accept defeat too easily, we may

prevent ourselves from finding that we were very nearly right

Text Analysis: Topic statemement/main idea is underlined. Dogmatism is Necessary in statement 1

is explained in sentence 2 as well as 3 and 3rd is in addition to 2nd.



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Sample text and analysis

For some multi-layered materials this effect is particularly powerful and is, accordingly,called

"giant" magneto-resistance

he vast majority of people are consuming suboptimal amounts of most micronutrients, and most ofthe micronutrients concerned are very safe.Accordingly, a comprehensive and universal program

of micronutrient support is probably the most cost-effective and safest way of improving the

general health of the nation.

Each intervention on its own will hardly make enough difference to be measured. The best

therapeutic response mustthereforecombine micronutrients to normalise our internal physiology

We are a young world, your eminence. Inour short history we have had but few members

of the higher nobility visiting our poor planet. Hence, ourenthusiasm.

we often adapt our environments and attempt to change the very constraints that force our own

adaptation. Indeed, in our industrial, financial, and civil systems, often the antithesis of biological

laws are prescribed. As a result, there is considerable evidence that we are pushing the limits of our

existence.thus

This technique is so sensitive that it means the spots can be made smaller and packed closer

together than was previously possible,thusincreasing the capacity and reducing the size and cost

of a disk drive

Some anthropologist would define culture entirely as mental rules guiding behavior, although often

widely divergence exists between the acknowledged rules for correct behavior and what people

actually do. Consequently, some researches pay most attention to human behavior and its material

products.



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Function:Exemplification, Illustration, Moving to Specific Details

Keywords Phrases serving this function chiefly,especially, for instance, in particular, namely,

particularly, including, specifically, such as for example, for instance, namely, to illustrate, in

particular, specifically, such as, as an illustration, illustrated with, as an example, in this case ,

in particular, to explain, to list, to enumerate, in detail, namely, including.

Samples


ForInstance

Sentence A Sentence B

Showsthat Sentence B is a

specific Example of Idea insentence A


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Function : Emphasis , Focus , Special attention, Most important, special attention

Keywords/phrases serving this function

more importantly , above all, chiefly, especially, particularly, singularly , truly, in fact, to

emphasize

SAMPLE

The symbolic element of human language, especially speech, is again a vast qualitative expansion

over animal communication systems.

And when mental models are out of sync with reality, they cause management to make forecasting

errors and poor decisions. The assumption of continuity, in fact, is precisely the kind of disconnect

with reality that leads corporations into flawed forecasting and poor decisions.

Nearly 30 million children in the sixteen age group do not go to school-reason enough to make

primary education not only compulsory but a fundamental right. But is that the solution? More

importantly, will it work? Or will it remain a mere token, like the laws providing for compulsory

primary education?


Idea 1

Idea 2

Idea 3


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Function:Similarity , comparison , analogy

comparatively, coupled with, correspondingly, identically, likewise, similar, , Similarly, likewise,

in like fashion, in like manner, analogous to

A lump of clay is no entity, but merely part of an amorphous mass. A landscape, likewise, is merely

the sum total of its part

We must remember that the theme is as much material for the artist as is the clay, wood or stone.

The theme must likewise be brought to life;

Now a healthy interest is taken in the works of Bessie Head, Alex La Guma, Wole Soynika, Nadine

Gordimer, J.M Coetzee as literature that speaks independently of an African experience. Similarly it

is no longer possible to ignore the work of Anta Diop, Paulin Hountondjii, V. Y Mudimbe, Ali

Mazrui in even the most cursory survey of African history, politics, and philosophy.

There is also the resemblance of the plan of the city to the blade of such a knife, the curve of thedefile corresponding to the curve of the blade, the River Acis to the central rib, Acies Castle to the

point, and the Capulus to the line at which the steel vanishes into the haft.)


=Idea 1 Idea 2


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CAUSE AND EFFECT...

THEN, he moved on to the next work station.

AS A RESULT, the team lost the game.

FOR THIS REASON, she always went home for the weekend.

THE RESULT WAS always predictable.

WHAT FOLLOWED was as painful as it was inevitable.IN RESPONSE, he quickly upped the ante.

THEREFORE, the aircraft overshot the runway.

THUS, it was just a matter of time.

BECAUSE OF THIS, the results were always the same.

CONSEQUENTLY, he was no longer friends with Frank.

THE REACTION to this event was swift and decisive.



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RE DING

COMPREHENSION

Introduction

Feared by students more than Mondays, Reading comprehension is a test of

your ability to read and understand unfamiliar materials and to answer

questions about them. In reading comprehension, you will be given a

passage (or let us say a set of passages) to read, which will be like an excerpt

from a serious discussion of a topic from the natural sciences, the social

sciences, or a businessrelated field. Youll then have to answer a group of

questions about the passage, testing how well youve understood its content.

So far so good!

Reading Comprehension (RC) makes one of the major testareas in almost all

entrance tests. In the CAT the weightage RC is roughly 50% of the Verbal

Ability section. Even in the English Usage Section, more than half the

questions (for example, theme based questions) can be solved fast and

correctly only if one is good at RC. The weightage and the toughness level of

RC vary from test to test. RC in the CAT is the stiffest ordeal. Earlier there

generally were 5 6 passages with the average length of a passage being 600800 words. Now the number of passages has come down to four, but the

passages are abstract and most of the questions are inference based. Also the

passages are from very diverse fields of interest. It is generally seen that

students who are voracious readers (fiction/non fiction/general/specific

etc.) always have an edge over others who are not given to extensive

reading.

Why this Ordeal of Reading Comprehension in CAT?

Reading comprehension, as they say, is designed to measure your ability to

handle the varied kinds of sophisticated, complex, and subtle reading that

graduate business students are called upon to do. You wont right now

believe the amount of material you would have to go through as a manager.

Reading Comprehension prepares you for just that. But work is work!To top it

all, in order to answer the questions its not enough to understand the basic

facts presented in the passage; you also need to notice the more elusive

inferences in the passage (that is, ideas that are suggested rather than directly

stated) as well as the form, structure, and styleof the passage (that is, how

the author has chosen to present his/her ideas).


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Reading Practice

You are not expected to use any information other than the ideas explicit or

implicit of the passage. You should confine yourself only to the passage. In

the long run, the best approach would be to read books widely and

extensively and articles of all kinds. Reading the editorials in standard

newspapers will be of good support. Speed, stamina and the power to

comprehend the printed word will consequently improve.

READ, READ & READ!!!!

You will have to develop the skill to read the passage fast and with

concentration so as to intuitively spot the main theme or thrust of the

passage, supporting facts and arguments.This can come only with a good

knowledge of English, and a critical approach with sustained practice. While

examining the answer choices, you will have to pay attention to the language

as well as their import.

The Purpose of Reading:The purpose of reading is to connect the ideas in

the passageto what you already know. If you don't know anything about a

subject, then pouring words of text into your mind is like pouring water into

your hand. You don't retain much. For example, try reading these numbers:

7516324 This is hard to read and remember.

7516324 This is easier because of chunking.

1234567 This is easy to read because of prior knowledge and

structure.

Similarly, if you like sport, then reading the sports page is easy. You have a

framework in your mind for reading, understanding and storing information.

NittyGritties of Reading Comprehension

There are three elements of Reading Comprehension to be considered:

(A) Comprehension or Understanding

(B) Speed

(C) Application/Correlation

Key Point: Good reading means building frameworks for connecting

words to thoughts.


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Improving Comprehension

Try talking to a person who is relatively good at RC. More often than not it

will turn out that s/he has been fond of reading and has possibly read

hundreds of good books other than the normally prescribed text books for

routine studies. Avid readers invariably turn out to be inherently good at

cracking RC this applies even to those that might have been reading

basically fiction. What could explain this? The most likely reasons are that

such persons are not put off by lengthy and even abstract reading, have

better and longer concentration and have also learnt to read speedily with

good retention. Besides the general awareness level of such persons is also

higher as they have gained a lot of awareness through reading.

You can also increase our comprehension, retention and speed the same way.

Diversified reading, i.e. reading of diversified topics will help you in at least

three ways

It will improve your RC as stated and also increase your comfort

level with different RC topics.

It will improve your vocabulary, as different subjects use different

vocabulary

It will enrich your oral and written expression through the

storehouse of ideas gained through such reading.

Quite an arduous task but that is the way it goes!!! And it is never too late to

get started.

Sticking to the Purpose of Reading

Another point to be kept in mind is that the reading of an RC passage is for aspecific purpose that is to answer the questions correctly. When you go

through an RC passage, you have to keep two things in mind, viz. the main

point of discussion (what the author is driving at) and any ancillary

information that will help answer specific questions. So within the limited

time available, you ought to be looking for the grain rather than the chaff.

Half the passage or more may be irrelevant for your purpose. If you cannot

skip it totally, try to speed through it with minimum fuss.

Key Point:Please do not try to enjoy a passage or gain knowledge out ofit in an exam. You have the rest of your lives to do that and there are

better ways of committing suicide.

Toolkit


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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING RC FOR

CAT

1 What is the subject of the passages that we get for RC?

The passages in any Reading Comprehension would deal with the following

subjects:

1. Biological Sciences (Biochemistry, Botany, Medicine, Microbiology,

Pharmacy, Zoology, etc.)

2. Humanities (Art, Cinema, Literature, Music etc.)

3. Physical Sciences (Astronomy, Astrophysics, Chemistry,

Environmental Sciences, Geology, Mathematics, Physics etc.)

4. Social Sciences (Anthropology, Philosophy and this one is a favorite

- Business, Economics, Education, History, Politics, Psychology, Public

Administration, Sociology, etc.)

Each of these subjects has its own language.

2 How much time do we spend on reading the passage?

The goal is to spend no more than 34 minutes"reading" the entire

passage. Just remember that you don't get any points for readingthe

passages.

The Reading in Reading Comprehension

Reading a passage in a Reading Comprehension test is like a drive through a

strange city. The main idea of the passage is like the overall plan of the city;

the main idea of each paragraph is like the plan of the locality through which

you are driving. Reading the passage is like driving quickly through the city.

You do not waste time memorizing every detail of every locality; you just

develop a general sense of the layout of the city.

It is general assumed that all the information in the passage is important to

answer the questions correctly, but this isn't true. The questions against an

RC passage cover only a small fraction of the passage. You have to identify

the important parts and ignore most of the rest. The less time you spend

reading the passage, the more time you'll have for gaining the score .

Broadly speaking here are two types of questions in Reading Comprehension

and neither requires you to memorize specific information:


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1. General questions: To answer these, you need to have an

understanding of the main idea and, perhaps, the structure of the

passage.

2. Specific questions: Since you'll be asked about only a few specific

pieces of information, it makes sense only to have a vague idea of

where the specific information is located in the passage. That way

you'll know where to lookfor it if you need it.

3 Which passages are to be attempted out of the RC and

which of these are to be attempted first?

This is a question that often intrigues an MBA aspirant, particularly if

there are a number of passages to be attempted? Let us try analyzing

what to attempt and based on which criteria:

Length of the passage

Accept it or not, this is generally the first thing all of us consider. One

always tends to prefer a smaller passage to a longer one. (Who

wouldnt prefer a 1 page RC to a 3 page RC?)

Number of questions

The more the number of questions to be attempted, the higher is the

probability of you actually attempting more questions.

Type of questions

An analysis during practice of which questions are you comfortable

attempting & most often get correct would tell you which kinds of

questions should you attempt. More the number of those kinds of

questions in a passage, better it is for you to attempt that particular

passage.

Subject of the Passage

It is always advisable for you to attempt a passage based on the

subject you are acquainted with as the jargon there wont baffle you.

But please dont delve into the details of a subject of your knowledge.

This will increase the time you take. Remember, there are better ways

to commit suicide.

Key Point:You get points for answering questions NOT for reading the

passage.

Caution


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Tips & Traps:

The pitfall here might be that you read Q1 and look for the answer in

the passage. Then you read Q2 and search for its answer and so on.

Very human to do so! So, for 6 questions you might end up reading the

passage at least 4 times if not more. This means wastage of time.

III. Passage and Questions simultaneously

Reading two paragraphs and attempting the questions pertaining to

them and so on.

PassageQuestions

Tips & Traps:

This may not lead you anywhere.

IV So, a little safer strategy is.

Question stems

Passage Reading

Question solving

The above strategy works!

P.S.: Attempting a passage is a very relative process. Therefore, try

working on all these strategies and see what suits you the best.

6. Should we underline while we read?

Although we advise students to avoid use of a pen or pencil that runs

alongside words, for it hinders speed, a pen/pencil is handy for

marking the important points in the passage. While the students areskimming the passage, they should make it a point to underline if and

when they come across any phrase/point that they consider very

important. This is true particularly where the students have gone

through the questions and have a fair idea of what is required of them.

Later on, while answering the questions, the students will not need to

go through the detail, and can the required information from the

underlined part(s) only.

A word of caution! Care should be taken to avoid underlining each

and everything in the passage. Everything important means nothing is

important. As a thumb rule, the number of words underlined should

never exceed 5% of the total number of words in the passage. Also

what are to be underlined are the ideas in the form of short phrases,

not the detailed statements.


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7.When do we know that we have the right answer?

The Best Strategy is to arrive at the correct answer through a Process

of Elimination (POE) of the wrong answers based on the traps that the

examiner has set for you.

8. Can we answer the questions based on our prior

knowledge of the topic?

Strictly,NO. Prior knowledge may help you to get a grip of the topic.

But this should not come in way of the requirement to answer the

questions based entirely on the information furnished in the passage.

Be sure to work within the context of the passage. Your own views or

opinions may sometimes conflict with the views expressed in the

passage.

However, you will often be able to eliminate some of the answer

choices simply on the basis of commonsense, which you will be called

upon to use in ample measure.

TIP

A number of different reading strategies are tested by multiplechoice

questions. Some are straightforward comprehension questions where you

are expected to identify stated information. Others require you to read

between the lines and infer the writers meaning, which may be expressed

indirectly. Yet others ask you to identify and interpret opinions and thewriters attitude. The final questions in the series are often designed to test

understanding of overall meaning.

The multiplechoice question may therefore be more complex than it appears

and in all cases requires a close reading of the text. The incorrect options or

distracters in the multiplechoice question can be of several types.

untrue or contrary to what is stated in the text

not mentioned in the text (although they may be true)

only partially true

true but irrelevant to the question

The correct option will be the only one which is entirely true for a given text

and relevant to the question.


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ossible tone Meaning of the word

Acerbic Harsh/ severe; bitter

AggressiveForceful; tending towards unprovokedoffensiveness

Angry/indignant

Apathetic Emotionless; not interested/ concerned;indifferent; unresponsive

ApologeticExpressing remorse, regret, sorrow for havingfailed, injured, insulted or wronged another

Belligerent Aggressively hostile; bellicose

BiasedFavouring one thing/person/group over another

for personal reasons.

Caustic Biting; acerbic

CommiseratingFeeling/ expressing sorrow for; empathizing with;pity

CondescendingPatronizing; showing/implying patronising

descent from dignity/ superiority

Contemptuous Expressing contempt/ disdain

Cynicaldisplaying a belief that people are always self-

seeking and never altruistic in their actions

Derisive Unkind and displaying contempt

Disparaging Speak slightingly; depreciating; belittling

DogmaticAsserting opinions in an arrogant manner;

imperious; dictatorial

EmotionalEasily affected by feelings actuated byexperiencing love, hate, fear and the like

EthicalDealing with principles of morality; honest;

righteous

Euphemistic Substitution of mild, indirect or vague expressionfor one thought to be offensive, harsh or blunt

GrandioseMore complicated/ elaborated than necessary;pompous

HumanisticEvincing keen interest in human affairs, nature,

welfare, values

Humourous Funny and amusing

Introspective Consider one's own internal state of feelings

Incendiary Causing strong feelings

Laudatory Praising; extolling; applauding

Motivating Impelling; inciting

Obsequious Fawning; showing servile complaisance;flattering; deferent

Pedestrian Lacking vitality, imagination, distinction

PopulistEgalitarian; pertaining to the characteristics ofcommon people/ working class

Provocative Inciting; stimulating; irritating; vexing

RomanticFanciful; impractical; unrealistic; extravagant;

exaggerated


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SarcasticHarsh, bitter derision; taunting; sneering; cuttingremarks

SatiricalIronical; taunting; human folly held up to scorn/derision/ ridicule

SpeculativeTheoretical rather than practical; thoughtful;reflective; hypothetical

Technical

Using terminology or treating subject matter in a

manner peculiar to a particular field, as a writer

or a book

Vitriolic Full of anger and hatred

Vituperative Cruel and angry criticism


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RE DING

COMPREHENSION

Speed BuildingMany adults never get out of the habit of reading words; something they are

in habit of, since childhood. Reading words leads to slower reading

whereas if you learn to recognize thought patterns, your reading speed willincrease.

(A) Looking for Sign Posts!Coming back to our strange city example, when you drive through a

strange city you are always on a lookout for the signposts and landmarks. By

looking at them you are able to tell yourself that something is expected.

Similarly certain words instantly tell you a lot about the structure of a

passage. For example, if a sentence begins, on the one hand,you would

expect to find an on the other handlater in the sentence. These structural

signposts show an alert reader whats going to happen later in a passage.

Here are some structural signposts to look out for on the CAT.

Yet again special attention should be given to the words/phrases given

within inverted commas ( ), because invariably these words/phrases have

particular relevance in context of the passage.

Change is Upfront: Trigger WordsTake a look at the following example

First paragraph: Most people believe that the UFOs have extraterrestrial

origin

Second paragraph: HOWEVER (trigger word), scientists have unearthed

enough evidence Their genesis lies in the obscure labs sponsored by CIA.

In this example the trigger word signals that the second paragraph will

modify or qualify what was gone before. A trigger word at the beginning of

any paragraph is a sure sign that this paragraph will disagree with what was

stated in the preceding one.


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Trigger words are important even if they do not appear at the beginning of a

paragraph; they always signal a change of meaning, even if it is only within a

sentence. Here are the trigger words that often appear in the Comprehension

passages.

Although (even though) But

Despite (in spite of) Except

However Nevertheless

Nonetheless Notwithstanding

On the other hand Unless

While Yet

Continuing WordsSome structural signposts let you know that there willbe no contradiction,

no change in path. If you see a first of allit stands to reason that there willbe a secondand perhaps a third. Other signs of continuation:

By the same token

In addition

Likewise

Similarly

This (implies a reference to preceding sentence)

Thus (implies a conclusion)

YinYang WordsOne of frequently occurring types of passage contrasts two opposing view

points and certain words immediately give this away. See if you can supply

the second half of the following sentences:

1. The traditional view of the causes of global warming focuses on the

burning of fossil fuel.

(Second half: However, the new view is that there is some other cause.)

2. Until recently, it was thought that the Mayan civilization was

destroyed as a result of drought

(Second half: However, now we believe that space invaders destroyed

them.)

3. The classical model of laissezfaire capitalism does not even admit the

possibility of government intervention

(Second half: But the rock and roll version of laissezfaire capitalism

says, Let me just get my checkbook.)


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4. Before 1960, it was commonly assumed that the atom was the smallest

particle in the universe.

(Second half: However, after 1960 scientists began to suspect that there

was something even smaller.)

Whenever you spot a yin word, you should realize that there is a yangon the way. Some other yinyang words:

Yin Yang

Generally (however, this time . . . )

most scientists think (but Doctor Spleegle thinks . . .)

on the one hand (on the other hand . . . )

the old view (however, the new view . . .)

the widespread belief (but the believes . . .)

Getting Through the Passage FasterStructural elements like these can help you understand a passage faster, with

less reading. When you spot one of these signposts, make a mental note. If

it actually starts a paragraph, you might begin your threeword synopsis of

the paragraph with a big but. A structural signpost is usually more

important to your understanding of a passage than any individual fact

within that passage.

(B) Improving Speed Simple points to rememberMany of us have the habit of reading out loud. Try to avoid this. Read in

your mind. This will, in some measure, help you increase your reading

speed. Likewise avoiding use of a pen or pencil that runs alongside words

also needs to be avoided, for it hinders speed. The pen/pencil could,

however, be handy for marking the important points in the passage.

(C) Pre-reading, Skimming, Scanning and Prediction

CAT RC reading requires you to redefine the word reading.

Here reading can be categorized under three heads:

If the subject matter of the passage is entirely new to the student, it might

help if s/he does the reading twice: the first reading to be a birds eye-view or a pre-reading exercise only. The birds eye-view may constitute

reading the opening couple of statements, the first statement of each

body paragraph, and the concluding couple of statements. A birds eye

view will afford the students a good grasp of the main idea of the

passage. Such pre-reading will also enable the student to decide what to

look for and read in the second assay.


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Skimming means: Read some; Leave some. The students should develop

the habit of reading for idea that requires them to skip unnecessary/

supporting detail. There may be a small phrase in a sentence that is

worth noting. The rest needs to be skipped. Skimming is useful for

noting the important points of the passage. Scanning is like looking for a

needle in a pile of grass. Your eyes may be looking at the grass, but not

actually seeing it as the focus is only on the needle. This is literally like

Arjunas focus on the birds eye. Scanning is useful for locating specific

detail, where you know in which paragraph the detail may lie.

Prediction means trying to anticipate what may lie ahead. Trying to

predict not only helps build focus, but also increases reading speed.

(D) Eye Span; Column Reading

Increase your eye span Reduce fixation.If we read word for word, our eye-sight will be moving left to right across the

entire width of the text. This is not only tiring, but also time consuming. Since

the students know by now that reading of the entire passage is not needed to

answer the RC questions, they should develop the habit of moving across the

length of the passage skipping the text on the margins of their eye span. This

will speed up reading without seriously jeopardizing the comprehension of

the passage.

Linked with the eye span is the technique of column reading. Let us try out

an experiment. Take any article on the editorial page of a newspaper,

preferably on an abstract subject, of which you have no prior knowledge. Thearticle may run into 3-4 columns. Try going through any one column of the

article, skipping the rest. Then put the paper down and write down the main

idea of the article on a sheet of paper. You will find that invariably you are

able to get the main point of the article by reading one column/ part of the

text only. Likewise you may treat the text width of a reading passage as

consisting of columns and glance through only the part within your eye span.

(E) Phrase ReadingThe RC passage is not a collection of words. It is rather an expression of

ideas. The ideas are in phrase form. The grammatical structure of the

sentences is irrelevant for the purpose of reading comprehension. Only the

structurally important phrase needs to be read carefully. We need a lot of

practice so as to develop the habit of reading for the relevant phrases, not for

the words/sentences.


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(F) Varying reading speed:All the content of the reading passage is not equally important. So why

should you spend uniform time? The reading has to be at varying speed:

speed through the content till you come across something very important

slow down here, even mull what is being discussed here then speed upagain when the content is repetitive or elaborative detail that you can

always infer or predict

We do not prescribe a set reading style. Select the one that you are

comfortable with. Also vary the style as per the type of reading topic

involved and the type of questions that you have to answer. After all, you

cannot have the same speed for a work of fiction and for an abstract topic on

philosophy.

The varying reading speeds will help you make the most efficient use of the

limited time available and at the same time improve your comprehension.

A word of Caution: Speed with AccuracyCapacity to read fast is definitely an advantage, though you should bear in

mind that reading for speed alone could be counter-productive. Speed

reading is not the ultimate aim. The aim is to answer the questions correctly

and to make the fullest use of your capacity.

The need for assimilation: Reading is assimilation learning and all

learning is a digestive process. On the face of things, it seems that there is a

tradeoff between speed and assimilation if the reader goes twice as fast he

assimilates half as much but it need not be so.

Assimilation is somewhat faster if you are able to relate your knowledge of

the subject to the material you are reading. This is not to say that if you are

not familiar with the subject matter you will not be able to assimilate well.

You may just take a little longer and this will not reduce your speed

drastically.


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RC tests your ability to answer the questions correctly rather than your

ability to read fast.Hence, regardless of how fast you can read a given text, it

is the accuracy of the answers to the questions that matters in the test. Even if

your reading speed is just average, you can maximize the accuracy by using

appropriate techniques. Cracking the RC is a right combination of speed and

technique.

Toolkit

Key Point: Assimilation is measured by the quality of retention of

information and the ability to recall relevant information. If you try to

look at words rather than look for their meaning, you are being passive

instead of being proactive. This approach may increase your speed but

do nothing for assimilation. It is therefore a question of striking the right

balance between speed and comprehension and reading flexibly.


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RE DING

COMPREHENSION

Improving comprehension and Identifying main idea

Improving Comprehension

Reading comprehension requires motivation, mental frameworks for

holding ideas, concentration and good study techniques. Your arrows:

Develop a broad background.

Broaden your background knowledge by reading newspapers,

magazines and books. Become interested in world events.

Know the structure of paragraphs.

Good writers construct paragraphs that have a beginning, middle andend. Often, the first sentence will give an overview that helps provide a

framework for adding details. Also, look for transitional words,

phrases or paragraphs that change the topic.

Identify the type of reasoning.Does the author use cause and effect reasoning, hypothesis, model

building, induction or deduction, systems thinking?

Anticipate and predict.

Really smart readers try to anticipate the author and predict future

ideas and questions. If you're right, this reinforces your understanding.

If you're wrong, you make adjustments quicker.

Highlight, summarize and review.

Just reading a passage is not enough. To develop a deeper

understanding, you have to highlight, summarize and review

important ideas.


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Build a good vocabulary.

For most educated people, this is a lifetime project. The best way to

improve your vocabulary is to use a dictionary regularly. You might carry

around a pocket dictionary and use it to look up new words. Or, you can

keep a list of words to look up at the end of the day. Concentrate on roots,

prefixes and endings.

Use a systematic reading technique like SQR3.

Develop a systematic reading style, like the SQR3 method and make

adjustments to it, depending on priorities and purpose. The SQR3 steps

include Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review. See later for more

details on SQR3.

USING SQR3

How can you make sure you're focusing on the key facts? How can you boost

your comprehension and get the most from what you read? Try SQR 3, an

easy multistep reading technique that really works. Here's what the letters

mean:

S Survey

Q Question

R Read

R Recite

R Review

Steps to Follow

S Survey: When you survey a passage, you examine the material quickly

before you start reading it in depth. A survey is similar to a reading preview.

As you survey the reading, make predictions about the content. Based on

your survey, decide what information you are going to find in the passage.

As you survey, look at these places in the reading:

QQuestion: While you survey the passage, ask yourself questions

about the material and what you find. Asking questions makes you an active

reader, which greatly increases your comprehension. Start by turning the

title, heads, and subheads into questions. As you survey, think about possible

answers to these questions.

RRead: Now read the passage. Slow down when you come to key

passages and important ideas and of course the keywords we discussed

about. As you read, refer back to the predictions you made in the previous

two steps. Change your predictions as needed.


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RRecite: After you finish reading, look over the passage again. Focus

on the key places, such as the title, heads, and key paragraphs. Summarize

the material in your head, reducing what you learned to a few paragraphs.

Remember to recite your summary silently to yourself.

At first, you will probably stop, summarize, and recite after every paragraph

or so. But as you practice using SQR3, you will probably find that you can

bite off bigger and bigger chunks of text, building to a page or so at a time.

What happens if your mind goes blank? If you find you are having trouble

remembering what you have read, take a moment to skim the passage again.

It is vital that you make sure that you understood the concept of what you

read before you go any further.

RReview: As you review, think back to the predictions you made

during the Question step. Were your ideas on target? If so, isolate the details

you used to make your predictions. If your predictions were off base, think

about when and where you guessed incorrectly. Assessing your predictions

and revising your methods of making them will enable you to make more

accurate predictions next time.

Read for the Main IdeaEvery discussion, every article, every write-up has a main idea. Likewise

every RC passage has a main idea. The main idea is the nucleus of the

passage. Most of the questions based on the passage reading not only

concatenate, they also revolve around the main focus of the passage. So it is

very important to catch the main idea of the passage to be able to get most of

the answers right.

How to get the main idea of the passage? The main idea is the idea that

occurs repeatedly in the passage. So look for a repetitive word or phrase in

the passage. The first sentence of a paragraph should always be read

carefullysince it is so often the key to understand the entire paragraph. If it

seems difficult to catch the main idea of the entire passage, it might be useful

to catch the main point of every paragraph. As you read quickly through the

passage, write a oneor twoword summary of each paragraph on your

scratch paper. This is partly to make you articulate what the main idea ofeach paragraph is but it is also in order to remember them. Have you ever

had the experience of reading an entire passage, getting to the end, and then

saying, I have no idea what I just read? Most CAT passages inspire exactly

that thought. To avoid this kind of hangover jot down a couple of key words

on your scratch paper to encapsulate the main idea.


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RE DING

COMPREHENSION

TYPES OF QUESTIONS

MAIN IDEA, SPECIFIC DETAIL AND VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT

Questions will be based mainly on:

1. The main idea of the text. 2. The implied idea.

3. Specific detail. 4. Tone.

5. The logical structure of the passage. 6. Application questions.

7. Meanings in context

Most of the questions, however, are about implied idea and application,

although they revolve around the main point of discussion.

The Big Picture: Main IdeaThe questions in this category test your ability to formulate a big picture

from the small elements/ideas given in the passage. The format of these

questions would be:

(a) Which of the following is the main point of the passage?

(b) The primary purpose of the passage is to

(c) The author is primarily concerned with...

(d) Which of the following titles is most appropriate for the passage?

(e) Which of the following titles best describes the passage?

(f) Which of the following summarizes the authors main point?

The primary purpose or central idea is usually (NOT ALWAYS!)establishedin the first two sentences of the passage or the first sentence of each

paragraph. To attempt these questions, focus on the opening and closing

sentences of each paragraph and try to infer what the author is trying to

convey to you an the whole. At times the central idea would be evident in the

second or the third paragraph. The key is that you should be able to form a

big picture.


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SPECIFIC DETAIL QUESTIONS

These test your ability to understand what the author explicitly says. These

questions ask you to spot information mentioned in the passage. The

questions could ask for any detail such as numbers, dates, names, places,

methods mentioned, qualities of people mentioned, and experiments

conducted etc. These questions refer to a point mentioned by the author in

the passage as a part of the development of the theme of the passage.

These questions may be worded as follows:

(a) The author mentions which of the following

(b) According to the passage

(c) According to the author

(d) The passage says that

(e) All of the following are supported by the passage/author EXCEPT

(f) Which of the following is not true

(g) The author refers to . In order to

(h) The author provides information that would answer which of the

following questions?

It is easier to answer specific detail questionsthan inference questions. The

latter requires a greater understanding of the words (and language) in the

passage, while specific detail questions call for a greater scrutiny of the

information presented in the passage.

Such questionsrequire a detailed and careful reading of the information or

data given. But often these questions provide very direct clues about where

an answer may be found, or a text link. Recognize the key phrase in the

question. Now locate the sentence in which this key word or phrase or its

synonym occurs. Read one or two sentences above and below this line and

you will find the answer. Remember you should not assume anything nor

should you mark an answer based on your general knowledge.

Key Point:The primary purpose of the passage, title, central idea etc is

one, which is mentioned repeatedly in the passage. At times there is a

strong temptation to choose an answer which has been mentioned only in

one of the paragraphs, has been stated in one or two sentences or has

been touched obliquely in the passage. Avoid these traps and reject these

choices in favour of the one, which is referred to repeatedly in a major

part of the passage. Again, although the main idea/theme/title of the

passage and the authors purpose could, in most cases, be the same. Yet,

in some cases, there could be a fine line of distinction between the two.

The authors purpose may not be expressly stated in the passage, though

it can always be inferred.

Toolkit


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Word Meaning / Vocabulary in ContextThese questions include unfamiliar words where you have to guess their

meanings from their contexts, and the way in which they are used. This type

includes proverbs, idioms, technical words, unfamiliar words, quotations

and foreign expressions also. Sometimes familiar words are also used in anunfamiliar context, i.e. in their secondary meaning, which may be technical

or special e.g. The common clay assumed an artistic beautyand shape as the

potter threw the vase in less than an hour with expert skill (here, threw

means to shape on a potters wheel).

The best strategy is to find out the contextual meaning of the given word. Try

to answer by reading the context. Special technical words can be guessed by

their context. Watch out for help from the author. Sometimes difficult words

are explained by the authors in parenthesis to make the meaning clear. The

words in the immediate vicinity of the word or phrase in question are alsouseful clues to a difficult or unknown word.


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RE DING

COMPREHENSION

TYPES OF QUESTIONS

LOGICAL STRUCTURE/ ATTITUDE OF THE AUTHOR/ SOURCE/

FIGURE OF SPEECH

(A) ATTITUDE/TONE QUESTIONS

These questions ask you to gauge the authors attitude towards a person or a

thing or a quality discussed in the passage. The questions in this category

could be worded as follows:

(a) The authors attitude towards can be best described as

(b) The author regards the with

(c) In terms of its tone and form, the passage can be best described as

(d) The tone of the passage is

Most students falter at questions regarding TONEand therefore tend to get

scared away from them. Here, as nowhere else, a sense of language plays a

major role. Judgment or evaluation based on the evidence in the text is

required in such questions.

Attitude refers to the mode of thinking or the opinion of the author as

conveyed directly or indirectly in the passage. Tone is manifest in the

writers use of words and syntax. In order to answer attitude/tone type

questions, watch out for words that convey emotion, values, positive and

negative connotations. Connotation is what is implied in addition to the

literal meaning of a word. For instance, some words acquire a good or badshade of meaning e.g. a champion carries a good connotation and a

chauvinist carries a bad connotation. Look for descriptive adjectives and

phrases that convey the mood.


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The different attitudes conveyed by the author may be

Abnormal Admiring

Adulatory Ambivalent Amused

Analytical Cautious Conciliatory

Consistent Controversial Condescending

Cynical Criticizing Critical/ Censorious

Defensive Denigrating Derisive

Descriptive Disputatious Disinterested

Disparaging Dogmatic

Explanatory Enthusiastic Euphoric

Exemplary Facetious Grudging respect

Guessing Happy Harmonious

Hostile Humorous Implausible

Indifferent Indignant Indignant denial

Introspective Ironical Lampooning

Laudatory Lukewarm review Metaphor

Marked indifference Model Moderate Amusement

Neutral Nostalgic Objective

Optimistic Polemical Praising

Prejudiced Qualified admiration Respectful

Reverential Ridiculing Sarcastic

Serious reservation Skeptical Sharp derision

Speculative study Strange Suspicious

Unenthusiastic Uninterested Unlikely

Unrelenting Wary Unresolved ambivalence

Let us see some different types of attitudes and tones. You are advised to

look out for the rest of them as you come across the RCs in due course of

your preparation.

A string of words /sentences spewing sarcasm would obviously mean that

the writers tone is sarcastic.

Trenchant criticism, without any positive suggestions shows a cynicaltone.

The cynics work, after all, like that of the opposition, is to oppose

everything, propose nothing. For example, a passage where the writer raves

and rants about the commercialization of art, evincing scant respect for all the

means and reasons of commercialization without suggesting any remedy

would belong to the cynicaltone category.

Sarcastic

Cynical


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Description without criticism or analysis would make the passage a

descriptive one, while description with some analysis would render it a

combination of the two

A detailed examination of a topic taking into consideration both its merits

and demerits is the sign of an analyticalpassage. The writer does not usually

take any definite stand visvis the topic or the argument but simply lists

the facts of the case in an unbiased manner.

A tongue in cheek humor, using humorous anecdotes, puns, jocular jibes

at someone or something, provides a humoroustone.

If the writer shows absolute lack of respect for the object criticism or

discussion, and does not mince his / her words in proving so, the tone is

derisive.

Some passages might have a strident, angry, indignant tone. These would

concentrate mainly on the writer protesting vehemently against something or

somebody.

Very often the writer says something in an ironical manner. He/she uses

words and phrases (often humorous or sarcastic), which have an underlying

meaning or implication. It must be remembered though, that sarcasm and

irony have a subtle difference. While irony could veer more towards humour,

bite is inherent to sarcasm, which is also a distinguishing feature of certain

passages.

Passages, in which the writer takes a close look at himself, his mental and

emotional self, carry an introspectivetone.

There could also be different shades as deep skepticism, strong indignation

etc. or combination of two of the tones/attitudes mentioned above.

It is not possible to describe the various types of tone since it requires careful

study and perseverance on the student. The more one works at solving

comprehension passages, the betterequipped will one be to solve these

questions. Familiarity in this case breeds expertise.

The best strategy for this type of questions would be to create a continuum of

the answer choices and locate the authors attitude or tone in that continuum.

For instance

The tone of the passage is best described as:

(a) outrage (b) approval

(c) objectivity (d) alarm enthusiasm

Descriptive

Analytical

Humorous

Derisive

Indignant

Ironical

Introspective


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Arrange these attitudes in a line from the most negative to the most positive

()outragealarmobjectivityapprovalenthusiasm (+)

(B) FIGURE OF SPEECH

Related with the attitude/tone of the author, there could occasionally be aquestion on the figure of speech used by the author in a particular

expression/statement. The figures of speech could be

Simile - a figure of speech in which one thing is likened to another,

dissimilar thing by the use of like, as,etc. (e.g. shining like a star)

Metaphor a figure of speech containing an implied comparison, in

which a word or phrase ordinarily and primarily used of one thing is

applied to another (e.g. a heart of gold).

Personification a figure of speech in which a thing, quality, or idea is

represented as a person.

Hyperbole exaggeration for effect and not meant to be takenliterally.

Litotes understatement for effect, esp. such understatement in which

something is expressed by a negation of the contrary.

(C) LOGICAL STRUCTURE

These questions ask you to state the technique adopted by author in

presenting the facts of the topic, his views, his ideas etc. These questions test

your ability to sport special effects used by the author like analogies,

examples, comparisons, parallelism, allegories, puns etc. and also his method

of organization of the paragraphs. The questions in this category would beworded as follows:

The author develops the passage primarily by

The author mentions in order to

The author uses all of the following to make his point EXCEPT

Which of the following best explains why the author introduces

Which of the following is the most accurate description of the organization of

the passage?

Which of the following statements best describes the organization of thelines

Answering such question requires you to read the opening sentences

carefully, and see how a paragraph relates to the passage as a whole and to

other paragraphs, how the author builds up his argument etc.


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(D)SOURCE/ IDENTITY QUESTIONS

These questions ask you to identify the source from which the passage

has been extracted, or the profession etc. of the author. Sometimes the

question asks you to identify the audience. The clue here is that a passage

sourced from an ordinary newspaper/journal caters to the requirements

of the general public and is invariably related to current affairs, whereas

that extracted from a specialized journal will cater to the specialists in the

field and will also employ technical/ profession-specific jargon.

Similarly, a passage extracted from, say a college text book, will be

didactic in nature.

Likewise a journalists way of writing and that of a politician or a

bureaucrat will be entirely different. The bureaucrats writing is

explanatory, that of a politician is either adulatory or highly critical,

depending on which side of the fence he sits; that of a journalist is

pragmatic and analytical.


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RE DING

COMPREHENSION

TYPES OF QUESTIONS

INFERENCE/APPLICATION/ AUTHORS PURPOSE

(A) INFERENCE QUESTIONS

Inference questions ask you to identify an information or idea which isimplied or suggested in the passage, or which can be inferred from the

passage. These questions ask about what is not mentioned explicitly in the

passage, but can be logically inferred from the information in the passage. So

the answer is not stated directly in the passage but has to be inferred through

a slight logical extension of the information that appears specifically in the

passage. Some question types could be:

(a) The passage implies that...

(b) The author implies that

(c) The passage suggests

(d) The author uses the phrase ... to mean...(e) The author would support which of the following

(f) It can be inferred from the passage that

(e) Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

To tackle these questions it is essential to read between the lines so as to

understand the implications (for implied idea) of certain phrases, words,

sentences, etc. You should learn to recognize the key words/phrases in the

question. Choose an answer which would be a logical development of ideas

provided by the author. Base your answer on what the passage implies, not

what it states directly. Then match this with the options given and you will

hit the right answer. Remember you must go beyond the obvious.

Of late, there has been an increased emphasis on inference based questions in

the CAT examination. Students find such questions quite a bit more difficult

to handle. These questions require a greater understanding of the passage,

though minute details may not be necessary. Having a clear understanding

of the main idea, and to an extent the subsidiary ideas of the passage, is quite

helpful. Since there may be a few close answer options, it is advisable to

proceed on the basis of POE only.


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(B) APPLICATION QUESTIONS

These questions are similar to implied idea questions, but unlike the latter,

they require you to apply information or ideas used in the passage. These

questions test the ability to recognize how the authors idea might apply to

other situations outside the parameters of the passage. You should be able to

apply and collate ideas extending them to situationsor statements outside

the scope of the text. Primarily these questions are intended to test the critical

reasoning skills of the test takers.

This category can be further divided into several types some of which are:

Audience/Source Questions

1. With which of the following statements is the author most likely to

agree?

2. The passage is most probably taken from

3. The author of this passage is most likely a/n

Agreement Questions

1. Which of the following aphorisms/proverbs would the author be

in strongest agreement with?

2. The author would most strongly agree/disagree with which of the

following statements?

Extrapolation Questions

1. Which of the following situations is most closely analogous to the

situation described by the author?

2. Most nearly parallel, in its fundamental approach, to the research

program described in the passage would be a program designed to3. Which of the following describes a situation most analogous to

the situation described in lines

Reasoning Questions

1. The authors argument would be most weakened by the discovery of

In dealing with such answers, try to perceive feelings of the author.

This, like inferential questions, requires that you go beyond what the

author explicitly states. Therefore, being inferential in nature, they can

be answered quite easily on the basis of the substance of the passage.

Least agree Questions

These questions would have one wrong answer option, all the others being

the right answer options. Students have to identify the wrong answer option.

Even if these questions are not inference based, and can be answered directly

based on the information furnished in the passage, they are still time taking.

This is because, unless we are able to identify all the right answers based on

the passage, we shall not know what the wrong answer option is. These

questions could be answered after we have answered the other questions and

have a better idea of the right answers.


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All of these/None of these (type) answer options

If a student is positive that more than one answer options are correct, the

right answer option is more likely to be all of these. The reverse is true in

case of none of these.

(C) AUTHORS PURPOSE

Like the questions based on implication/inference, questions regarding the

authors purpose also require you to read between the lines to get the focus

of the entire passage as well as some supplementary ideas of the passage. If

the questions pertain to the main purpose of the passage, they would not be

much different from the main idea questions. But more often they ask you to

explain the purpose of a particular example, quote, phrase etc. used by the

author to make a point.

Some questions of this type could be

(i) The author cites the example of in order to

(ii) The is intended to

(iii) The order provides the information related to primarily to

(iv) The author is primarily trying to

(v) What is the author trying to show through

The strategy to handle these questions should be similar to the strategy

for inference based questions.


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Literary Tones and Styles

1 Abstract theoretical without reference to specifics

2 Absurd contrary to logic, but sometimes artistically viable

3 Accusatory charging of wrong doing

4 Acerbic harsh/ severe; bitter

5 Affected assuming a false manner or attitude to impress others

6 Aggressive forceful; tending towards unprovoked offensiveness, angry/indignant

7 Ambiguous open to more than one interpretation/ doubtful or uncertain

8 Amused/Amusing agreeable, pleasing, entertaining, cause pleasure

9 Analytical inclined to examine things by studying their contents or parts

10 Anecdotal involving short narratives of interesting events

11 Apathetic emotionless; not interested/ concerned; indifferent; unresponsive

12 Apologetic expressing remorse, regret, sorrow for having failed, injured, insulted or wronged another

13 Apprehensive anxious, fearful, uneasy about the future14 Archaic in the style of an earlier period

15 Argumentative type of discourse in which one debates a topic in a logical way

16 Arrogant having of displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or importance

17 Atmosphere the pervasive mood or tone of a literary work.

18 Attitude the author's viewpoint regarding his subject matter. attitude can usually be detected in author

19 Audacious fearless, often recklessly daring, bold

20 Awe solemn wonder

21 Bantering good-humored, playful

22 Baroque a grand and exuberantly ornamental style

23 Belligerent aggressively hostile; bellicose

24 Biased favoring one thing/person/group over another for personal reasons.

25 Bizarre unusually strange or odd

26 Bland non-disturbing, unemotional, uninteresting

27 Bombastic pretentious and pompous

28 Breezy quick-paced, but sometimes superficial

29 Callous unfeeling; insensitive to feelings of others


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30 Candid unprejudiced, impartial, open & sincere

31 Caustic intense use of sarcasm; stinging; biting; acerbic

32 Childish immature (when applied to adults or writing)

33 Choleric hot-tempered, easily angered

34 Cinematic having the qualities of a motion picture35 Classical formal, enduring, and standard, adhering to certain traditional methods

36 Classification organization wherein the writer explains the relationships between terms or concepts

37 Colloquial characteristic or ordinary and informal conversation

38 Comic humorous, light, funny (there are many levels)

39 Commiserating feeling/ expressing sorrow for; empathizing with; pity

40 Condescending patronizing; showing/implying patronizing descent from dignity/ superiority

41 Confessional characterized by personal admissions of faults

42 Confused unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence

43 Connotation the range of further associations that a word or phrase suggests in addition to its straightforwa

44 Contemplative studying, thinking, reflecting on an issue

45 Contemptuous expressing contempt/ disdain ; showing or feeling that something is worthless or lacks respec

46 Contented satisfied with things the way they are.

47 Convention a device of style of subject matter so often used that it becomes a recognized means of expre

48 Conventional lacking spontaneity, originality and individuality

49 Convoluted very complicated or involved (as in the case of sentences with many qualifiers, phrases, and c

50 Critical finding fault

51 Cynical displaying a belief that people are always self-seeking and never altruistic in their actions

52 Decadent marked by a decay in morals, values, and artistic standards

53 Denotation the precise literal meaning of a word, without emotional associations or overtones.

54 Depressing sad, gloomy (without any of the redeeming qualities of true tragedy)

55 Derisive unkind and displaying contempt ; ridiculing, mocking

56 Detached separated, disconnected, aloof or impartial57 Detached disinterested, unbiased, emotionally disconnected

58 Dialect the version of a language spoken by people of a particular region or social group.

59 Dialogue the conversation of two or more people as represented in writing.

60 Diatribe violently bitter verbal attack


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61 Diction the choice of words used in a literary work

62 Didactic author attempts to educate or instruct the reader

63 Diffident reserved in manner; timid

64 Digression a portion of a written work that interrupts or pauses the development of the theme or plot.

65 Discursive moving pointlessly from one subject to another; rambling66 Disdainful scornful

67 Disparaging speak slightingly; depreciating; belittling

68 Dogmatic asserting opinions in an arrogant manner; imperious; dictatorial

69 Dramatic Irony a situation in which the audience knows more about the character's situation than the charact

70 Dreamlike having the characteristics of a dream

71 Earnest intense, a sincere state of mind

72 Earthy realistic, rustic coarse, unrefined, instinctive, animalize

73 Effeminate soft, delicate, unmanly

74 Elegiac expressing sorrow for that which is irrecoverably past

75 Elegiac expressing sorrow or lamentation

76 Emotional much given to strong feelings

77 Emotional easily affected by feelings actuated by experiencing love, hate, fear and the like

78 Epigraph the use of a quotation at the beginning or a work that hints at its theme.

79 Epistolary a novel written as a series of documents. the usual form is letters, although diary entries, newdocuments are sometimes used

80 Erudite learned, polished, scholarly

81 Ethical dealing with principles of morality; honest; righteous

82 Eulogistic involving formal praise in speech or writing, usually in honor of someone dead

83 Euphemistic substitution of mild, indirect or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh or blun

84 Evocative having the ability to call forth memories or other responses

85 Expository type of discourse in which one explains or describes

86 Expressionistic stressing the subjective and symbolic is art and literature

87 Facetious amusing, but light, unserious, frivolous88 Factual real, provides facts

89 Fanciful using the imagination

90 Farcical humorous but in a light way, comedy with high exaggeration

91 Fatalistic believing that everything that happens is destined and therefore out of the hands of the individ


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92 Flamboyant conspicuously bold or colorful

93 Flashback a way of presenting scenes or incidents that took place before the opening scene.

94 Flippant disrespectful levity or casualness, pert.

95 Forthright directly frank without hesitation

96 Gloomy darkness, sadness, rejection97 Grandiose more complicated/ elaborated than necessary; pompous

98 Haughty proud and vain to the point of arrogance

99 Horrific terrifying

100 Humanistic evincing keen interest in human affairs, nature, welfare, values

101 Humorous funny and amusing

102 Hyperbole a bold overstatement or extravagant exaggeration used either for serious or comic effect.

103 Idiomatic peculiar to or characteristic of a given language

104 Illustration organization wherein the topic sentence is stated and then followed by the details

105 Imagery language that evokes sensation as opposed to an abstract idea.

106 Impartial unprejudiced, not biased

107 Incendiary causing strong feelings

108 Indignant marked by anger; aroused by justice

109 Inference a conclusion the reader can draw based upon details presented by the author.

110 Insolent presumptuous and insulting in manner or speech, arrogant, disrespectful, rude, impertinent

111 Intimate very familiar

112 Introspective consider one's own internal state of feelings

113 Invective direct denunciation or name-calling.

114 Irate extremely angry, enraged

115 Irony in its broadest sense, the incongruity or diff between reality and appearance

116 Irreverent showing disrespect for things that are usually respected or revered

117 Jargon the special language of a profession or group

118 Jovial happy, jolly, full of good humor

119 Judgmental authoritative and often having critical opinions120 Juxtaposition the side by side comparison of two or more object

121 Laudatory praising; extolling; applauding

122 Local Color the use of the physical setting, dialect, customs, and attitudes in a region

123 Lugubrious mournful, dismal, gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree


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124 Lyrical expressing a poet's inner feelings; emotional; full of images; song-like

125 Malapropism the comic substitution of one word for another similar in sound but different in meaning

126 Malicious purposely hurtful

127 Matter Of Fact accepting of conditions; not fanciful or emotional

128 Metaphor a direct comparison that does not use "like" or "as."129 Metaphorical having the characteristics of melodrama in which emotions are plot are exaggerated and char

130 Mocking treating with contempt or ridicule

131 Mood the prevailing emotional attitude in a literary work

132 Morose gloomy, sullen, sourly, despondent

133 Motivating impelling; inciting

134 Mournful sorrowful, sadness, melancholy

135 Mundane ordinary or common, as in everyday matters ("his mind was filled with mundane matters")

136 Narrative Pace the speed at which an author tells a story

137 Naturalistic tending to present things in art and literature as they appear in nature or actuality

138 Nostalgic inclined to long for or dwell on things of the past; sentimental

139 Objective an unbiased view - able to leave personal judgments aside

140 Obsequious fawning; showing servile complaisance; flattering; deferent ; polite and obedient in order to ga

141 Ominous menacing, threatening

142 Optimistic hopeful, cheerful

143

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