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AT: Does 'reasoning' puzzle you?

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CAT: Does 'reasoning' puzzle you?r Shelly Verma | August 30, 2005 

What is reasoning?

easoning is something that requires you to use your intellectualaculty to draw conclusions. While solving problems on reasoning,ou try to reach conclusions by connecting various thoughts.

AT is the first hurdle you need to cross to get admission in most of

dia's top educational institutions. Broadly, CAT aims to assess yourptitude -- Quantitative, Verbal and Logical.

q 

Worried about Verbal Ability?

One of the ways it does thisthrough the reasoning section.The problem you could face inthis section is the fact that manyof the questions you are asked toanswer may not have been partof your school syllabus.

Have you tried solving Suduko (amathematical puzzle being

arried in the national dailies, the current craze all over the world),one crosswords, trick questions or puzzles? If not, then start now.

CAT, the reasoning section may be separate or clubbed with either

e Quantitative Reasoning or Data Interpretation sections. In the pastwo years, there have been 12 questions (two marks each) in 2004nd 24 questions (one mark each) in the 2003 retest (the CAT paperak in 2003 led to a new test).

he number of questions and marks allotted fluctuate within 20 to 30

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AT: Does 'reasoning' puzzle you?

arks range.

omponents of Verbal Ability 

his section tests your verbal, numerical and visio-spatial skillsquestions related to figures and cubes). There are questions on:

q  Analytical Reasoning: Puzzles, coding-decoding, mathematicalreasoning

q  Logical Reasoning: Argument analysis

ariety of questions 

he range of questions is wide and varies with each test. The paperetters try to change the nature of this section quite often. To makeure you are adequately prepared, here are some question patternsou should be familiar with:

Data arrangements or puzzles

hese are based on comparison, sequential order, seating/ placingrrangements and classifications.

hese are clue-based questions and involve an analysis of givenformation (conditions). You will then be required to condense it in auitable pattern (with the help of diagrams or tables) and answer theuestions asked.

ll this requires sharp observation and presence of mind. Remember,onditionality questions in CAT seem fairly complex but actually havee simplest solutions once you put them in a pattern using

bbreviations or matrix tables.

or example, six lecturers Pankaj, Qadir, Ratnam, Shiva, Tanmaynd Udit are sitting around a circular table facing the center. S iseated between U and Q. P is second to the left of S and second to

e right of T.

uestions: Who is facing Pankaj? Who among them is facing Shiva?

olution: Make a diagram, and use abbreviations instead of names,at is P,Q,R, S, T ,U. Make an arrangement according to givenformation. The problem can now have the following solutions.

Either Udit or Qadir are facing Pankaj Ratnam is facing Shiva

ip: Remember it is only stated that S is between U and Q. Whether

is to the left or right of S is not given. So there are two possible

agrams. Read carefully and then draw accordingly.

q 

The ABC of CAT

A series

hese are based on choosing an odd numeral, fitting in a missingumeral/ alphabet or completing the series.

group of numbers or letters are given and you have to derive aolution. Let's look at an example:

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AT: Does 'reasoning' puzzle you?

uestion: MHB, NIC, OJD, PKE, ?

olution: QLF

ow did we reach this answer?

ook at the above question. The first letters in each of the fourxamples are M-N-O-P

HBIC

JD

KE

he second letters are H-I-J-K

HB

IC

JD

KE

he third set of letter are B-C-D-E

HB 

IC 

JD 

KE

ontinuing in this pattern, it is clear the fourth set of letters would beLF.

ip: While preparing, do not waste time practising. Just read the

uestion and try and decipher the pattern.

here is no standard format in the series, so practice sessions will not

elp. Just updtate yourself on new patterns.

. Coding-decoding

code is a method of sending a secret message between two partiesat cannot be deciphered by a third party. Questions may be based

n codes on English alphabets or numbers assigned to differenttters.

ou may be required to find a word by analysing the given code. Thisthe process of decoding or forming the code for a new word. Let'sok at an example.

q 

Get admission in a top B-school

uestion 1: If EULGH is the code for BLADE, what is the code forRICKET?

olution: FULFNHW

Each letter of the word is three steps ahead of the correspondingtter of the code; for example, the code for B is E (the third letter after) so the code for C will be F (the third letter after C)).

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AT: Does 'reasoning' puzzle you?

uestion 2: If EARTH is coded as 41590 and PALE as 2134, what ise code for PEARL?

olution: 24153

codes for letters are: P=2, E=4, A=1, R=5 and L=3)

uestion: In a certain language, 'put tir fin' means 'delicious juicyuit'; 'tie dip sig' means 'beautiful white lily', and 'sig lon fin' means 'lilynd fruit'. What is the code for 'and'?

olution: 'lon'

Common code from first and third statement for 'fin' is 'fruit'. Fromecond and third statement, 'sig' is 'lily'. So 'lon' means 'and' in thirdatement.

v. Decision Making/ Data Analysis

hese questions relate to filling vacancies, promotions, admissions tostitutes based on necessary qualification required by an applicant toe selected. You have to make decisions based on the applicants'ualification and potential.

Mathematical Operations 

this section, simple mathematical commands -- plus, minus,ultiplication and division, greater than, less than, equal to, not equal

o -- are represented by symbols different from the usual ones.

ou are required to substitute these with the real symbols and solve

e questions accordingly.

. Direction Sense Tests

hese are based on directions (N, S, E, W).

or example, Ram goes north then turns left, goes 4 kilometres, then

rns right and goes 3 kilometres... and so on.

ventually you are required to find either the final direction or distanceavelled. The main purpose of this exercise is to assess your ability

o trace and follow directions correctly.

i. Syllogism

he term means 'to draw inference' or 'deduction'. There are somemportant terms like proposition, subject and predicate which you

ust understand before you attempt this section.

hese questions can be solved by using Euler's circles, Venniagrams or the Analytical method [A-type; I-type; O-type or E-typeentences].

here are various theories to solve syllogisms which are available in

arious 'reasoning' books.

ii. Statement-Assumptions and Statement-Arguments

statement is followed by either an assumption or an argument. Youave to assess the validity of these assumptions.

arguments, you have to see if they are weak, superfluous, or

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AT: Does 'reasoning' puzzle you?

upport the given statement strongly.

x. Figures/ Visual Reasoning

ote: This section is usually not included in CAT, but you never know

o be prepared.

this section, a series of figures are shown; you may be required tond the missing one, the odd one or what would logically follow.

gain here, just go through the figures and solutions.

uestions could be based on blood relations, cubes, input-output,nary systems, courses of action, cause and effect, mathematicalgic, analogies, situation reaction tests, conclusions from statementsnd passages, verification of the truth in the statements made, andore.

ext: How to 'practice' on your own

ON'T MISS!

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Do you need coaching for CAT?

r Shelly Verma is on the faculty of Economics at the Universityf Delhi. She has designed and authored comprehensive onlinerogrammes along with supporting books for GRE and GMAT forS companies. She is affiliated with various training institutions

or Verbal and Logical Reasoning, Group discussions, PDP andso does career counselling.

now how to ace CAT? Write in and let us know. Don't forget to

dd your name, age, the name of your management institution,he year in which you passed out and where you work now.

Share your comments 

What do you think about the story? 

Read what others have to say: Number of User Comments: 2 

Sub: 'Reasoning' puzzles - CAT tips 

While it is nice to find puzzles on the internet, your CAT analytical

practise/training questions have mistakes, just like some of the

'reasoning' tests that ... 

Posted by ksey 

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AT: Does 'reasoning' puzzle you?

 

Sub: Wrong code in question?!? 

Question 1: If EULGH is the code for BLADE, what is the code for

CRICKET? Solution: FULFNHW As much as your solution works for

CRICKET, ... 

Posted by Arthur 

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