The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a highly competitive examination to get into the prestigious management institutes in India. It comprises 3 sections - Verbal Ability Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Ability(QA).
Of all the other sections, the VARC section is the most predictable and the most scoring. CAT Reading Comprehension Questions hold paramount importance in this section and test the candidate's reading ability with an analysis of written material. The RC passages in CAT previous year papers have been derived from a variety of sources, reflecting diverse topics and writing styles. CAT RC Passages with Solutions shall help in understanding better how to prepare for the RC section of the CAT.
To prepare for the CAT exam, practicing with CAT Previous Year RC Passages PDF is highly recommended. These PDFs give insights into past exam patterns and questions, helping improve reading speed, comprehension, and test-taking strategy. Downloading the PDFs provides valuable practice material and aids in identifying recurring themes and question types for a focused preparation approach. We have provided the link to download the CAT RC Passages PDF below, Enhancing access to essential resources to improve exam performance.
RC passages in CAT can broadly be categorized into the following themes:
Social and Economic Issues: Discussion on poverty, inequality, globalization, and economic policies.
Science and Technology: Articles on scientific discoveries, technological developments, and their impact on society.
Philosophy and Psychology: Passages that deal with philosophical ideas, human behavior, and psychological theories.
History and Culture: Narrations of historical events, cultural practices, and their importance.
Environment and Ecology: Texts related to environmental problems, conservation efforts, and ecological studies.
It has often been seen that popular topics of the year often end up as CAT Reading Comprehension.
Newspapers and Magazines
Newspapers and magazines are one of the primary sources of RC passages. They carry a variety of articles related to news events, editorials that embody diverse opinions, and in-depth analyses of various social issues. Sources of note include:
Academic Journals
Academic journals are another source of more scholarly and research-oriented passages. Passages often comprise intricate arguments with detailed supporting evidence which are tougher but very helpful in honing analytical skills. These sources are certainly no stranger to anyone and include the following sources:
Books and Essays
Excerpts from books and essays can make for a very enriching and diverse read. They can range across fiction and non-fiction, or even span from biography to philosophical treatise. The most common ones are:
Online Articles and Blogs
The internet contains a good number of articles and blogs on every imaginable topic. These sources are increasingly used for RC passages because of their relevance and accessibility. Some prominent sources include: Aeon Essays and The Guardian, The Economist etc.
To enhance your preparation, you can Download CAT Previous Year RC Passages PDF to get familiar with the types of questions and improve your comprehension skills.
Slot | RC | Direct Sources | Source |
1 | Wolf | The Economist | Magazine |
Change in Work Culture | Jared Diamond | Online Article | |
Indian Ocean | The Conversations | Online News Article | |
Human Behaviour | Public Books | ||
2 | Fast Fashion and Pollution | Prospect Magazine | Magazine |
Translated Netflix in Europe | The Economist | Magazine | |
Falling of Liberalism | The Economist | Magazine | |
Historical Facts and Interpretations | What is History | Book | |
3 | Global Warming and Colonialism | The Wire Science | Magazine |
Romantic Aesthetics | Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy | Academic Journal | |
Archaeology Paradox | The Los Angeles Times | Newspaper Magazine | |
Rationality | The Washington Post | Newspaper Magazine |
Slot | RC | Direct Sources | Source | Difficulty |
1 | Stoicism | Aeon Essays | Article | Easy |
Critical Theory | Encyclopedia of Emotions | Book | Easy | |
Undead | Encyclopedia of the Undead | Book | Easy | |
Copies of Copies | University of Witwatersrand, South Africa | Journal | Medium | |
2 | Octopuses | Scientific American | Article | Easy |
Engineering Problems | Encyclopedia of the Undead | Book | Medium | |
Music | Million Years of Music | Book | Medium | |
Social Institutions | SAGE Handbook of Philosophy of Social Sciences | Book | Medium | |
3 | Sociology of Crime | Wall Street Journal | Article | Easy |
Logic of Bios | 'The Penguin History of Early India' | Book | Medium | |
Orientalism | Out of Control | Book | Medium | |
Automation | i-Researchnet | Journal | Medium |
Slot | RC | Direct Sources | Source | Difficulty |
1 | Cuttlefish | Smithsonian | Article | Easy |
Dystopia | Aeon Essays | Article | Easy | |
China Tea | Financial Times | Article | Medium | |
Maya | Oystopia | Book | Medium | |
2 | Truth | The New York Times | Article | Easy |
Nationalism | Nepali Timess | Article | Medium | |
Multilingualism | Empire & Nation | Book | Medium | |
Problem of Knowledge | Scandalous Knowledge | Book | Difficult | |
3 | Growth of Unconscious | New Scientist | Article | Easy |
Nano Robots | New Scientist | Article | Easy | |
Languagae | The New York Times | Article | Medium | |
Measuring Time | JSTOR | Journal | Difficult |
Slot | RC | Direct Sources | Source | Difficulty |
1 | Anarchism | The Atlantic | Online Article | East |
Textiles as Money | Anarchism | Book | Easy | |
Writing | On Writing | Book | Medium | |
Elephant Seal Dialects | Cambridge University Press | Journal | Difficuly | |
2 | Divestment | The Spectator | Article | Easy |
Visual Culture | The Sacred Gaze | Book | Medium | |
Aggression | Blackwell encyclopedia of Sociology | Journal | Medium | |
Piracy | MIT Press Direct | Journal | Medium | |
3 | Human Geography | The Guardian | Article | Easy |
Political Philosophy | The New York Times | Article | Medium | |
Human Contact | Encyclopedia of Human Geography | Book | Medium | |
Economic Crisis | Humankind: A Hopeful History | Book | Difficult |
Usually for students, it is the VARC section for students that is very troublesome. The problem with VARC is that all options, at most times, seem correct. Because of this, you cannot be 100% sure if your section has gone well or not.
To approach the RC passages, one should keep the following strategies in mind:
Practicing regularly is the only thing that can help you score better in this section. Unfortunately, learning a language is a tougher skill than QA. To aid the process. you can regularly practice RC skills with:
Mastering the RC section in CAT desires not only continuous practice but also a strategy in place. If you have a good grasp of common sources for RC passages and develop effective reading and analytical skills, then you can easily perform way above your current level. Use the resources mentioned herein, implement these suggested strategies in your preparation, and you will feel confident enough to top the RC section and secure a high percentile in CAT.
There are several good sources of RCs to improve reading comprehension such as newspaper like The Hindu, The Economic Times, magazines like Aeon, Smithsonian etc.
There is no set source for RCs but after analysing several past year RC sources, The Economist is one of the most popular source where CAT picks its RCs from.
CAT Exam is known for its diverse RCs in VARC Section. If we talk about the most common scenario then, out of 4 RCs usually, one is philosophical, one is scientific, one from psychology and one usually from history. The is no set rule about the genre of RC in the Exam, but these are the most common type of RCs
If you want to improve scores in RC then you should try to do active reading to comprehend better. You can also focus on improving your reading speed by reading diverse articles online.