How to approach parajumble questions in CAT?

Business & Management
#1

The parajumble questions in most of the MBA entrance examinations generally come in two main ways:

  1. Type In the Answer (without options)
  2. With options

It is generally observed that the pattern where options are available takes less time to answer as well as the probability of getting it correct is also high, given that the options can easily be eliminated once the flow of the direction of the paragraph is understood.

On the other hand, in the TITA questions, you need to have a deeper understanding of the passage and its direction flow, and it takes time to reach the most appropriate available answer.

The main idea behind getting a parajumble question lies in being able to form a coherent paragraph that makes total sense, can be produced as an independent passage, and has a very particular start and end, with no abruption. If any of these mentioned characteristics are absent in the paragraph, then there is a possibility of a mistake.

#2

Follow the general to a specific rule, which entails moving from an opening sentence to a sentence that provides information. Look for a statement that introduces a topic, a person, or an idea. This is going to be the first sentence.

You might also try to locate the final sentence, which is usually a finishing statement. It will not introduce a new concept but rather sum up what has been said in the previous lines.

Making obligatory pairs is the next approach that is quite useful in solving para jumbles.

Mandatory pairs are sentences that must be used together. The identification of these connected pairs of sentences is the key to solving para-jumble questions.

Keep an eye out for these to identify mandatory pairs.

  1. Reference of pronouns to nouns: In the next statement, pronouns can be used to replace nouns or subjects stated in the previous statement. You should observe more to find these pairings.

  2. Subject matching: a pair is formed by two statements with the same subject.

  3. Time sequences: if a group of statements contains references to time-based events, make sure to keep them in a past-present-future or vice-versa order.