Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
The VARC section (34 questions) tests whether you can extract an author's point, follow paragraph logic, and apply standard grammar. RC passages carry the largest share; grammar and vocabulary questions are quick scoring if the rules are precise.
Core rules
- RC main idea: the correct option covers the whole passage, not one vivid detail. Inference must be forced by the text, not merely plausible.
- Tone: distinguish descriptive, analytical, critical, and neutral. Extreme words such as “all”, “never”, and “proves” usually signal a wrong option.
- Para jumbles: find the opening sentence, often a general statement with no pronoun reference, then follow pronoun and connector links (“this”, “however”, “therefore”).
- Subject–verb agreement: the verb agrees with the subject, not the nearest noun. In “Each of the students has…”, “each” is singular.
- Modifiers: a participial phrase must describe the noun immediately after the comma.
- Vocabulary in context: replace the word with each option in the original sentence; only one should preserve the meaning.
Worked example
“Each of the proposals have been reviewed, but neither of them address the funding gap.” Two errors: “Each … have” should be “has” because “each” is singular; “neither … address” should be “addresses” because “neither” is singular. Corrected: “Each of the proposals has been reviewed, but neither of them addresses the funding gap.”
Traps
Choosing an RC option because it is true in the real world but absent from the passage. Ignoring “EXCEPT” and “NOT” in the question stem. In grammar, being misled by a plural noun next to the verb. In para jumbles, forcing a dramatic sentence first when a neutral topic sentence fits better.