Monday 19 October 2015

CAT VA ANALYSIS


CAT 2008 ANALYSIS
                                                                                                                        

Q1 SC

A. In 1849, a poor Bavarian imigrant named Levi Strauss
B. landed in San Francisco, California,
C. at the invitation of his brother-in-law David Stern
D. owner of dry goods business.
E. This dry goods business would later became known as Levi Strauss & Company.
(1) B only (2) B and C (3) A and B (4) A only (5) A, B and D

Source  - Best Practice Cases in Branding – Lessons from the World’s Strongest Brands   KEVIN LANE KELLER - Pearson Education

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=Izmn_6a6SE0C&pg=PA197&lpg=PA197&dq=In+1849,+a+poor+Bavarian+immigrant+named+Levi+Strauss+landed+in+San+Francisco,+California,&source=bl&ots=H3R2BGCS7D&sig=Q1JqArP91jbZRofCE6NmC8B0SFM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDcQ6AEwBGoVChMIoMbX2I65yAIVC1eOCh0zTgvT#v=onepage&q=In%201849%2C%20a%20poor%20Bavarian%20immigrant%20named%20Levi%20Strauss%20landed%20in%20San%20Francisco%2C%20California%2C&f=false


OA 1 -1

Sentence A is incorrect as the spelling of ‘imigrant’ is
not correct , should be ‘immigrant’.   (SPELLING ERRORS )


Sentence C is incorrect. We require a comma between
‘brother-in-law’ and ‘David Stern’.   ( PUNCTUATION – APPOSITION )

Sentence D is incorrect because of a missing article and should be ‘
the owner of a dry goods ….’. ( ARTICLE )

Sentence E is incorrect and should be ‘….. would later be known as…..’.  ( TENSE ERRORS )


IMPROVEMENT TIPS
SPELLING

1 First - don't despair! Some of the world's cleverest people have struggled with English spelling - you are not alone! Try out these ideas and you should soon see an improvement.
2. When you are practising spellings, use as many senses as you can:
  • Look closely at a word, try to remember what it LOOKS like
  • Think about the SOUND of a word -
    that will often give you clues about the spelling
  • To learn a word, WRITE it or TYPE it - or both
In this way, you are using three senses to learn a word: sight, hearing and movement .
Playing word games with sympathetic friends will help your spelling. There are many games that involve making words from a random selection of letters, for example:  Scrabble, Boggle, Word Spin.


Read a lot - not just books but everything around you e.g. food packets, newspapers, catalogues, billboards, road signs etc.

This will fix the look of many common spelling patterns in your memory - which will help you to spot if one of your spellings doesn't 'look right'.

Further Reading  - http://www.spellzone.com/unit02/page1.cfm


ARTICLES

There are only three articles: the, a and an. They are very small words which cause very large problems if used incorrectly. dinner = the evening meal
a dinner = an evening meal held for some kind of event
the dinner = a specific evening meal which was held for some kind of event

An article is a word used to modify a noun, which is a person, place, object or idea. Technically, an article is an adjective, which is any word that modifies a noun. Usually adjectives modify nouns through description, but articles are used instead to point out or refer to nouns. There are two different types of articles that we use in writing and conversation to point out or refer to a noun or group of nouns: definite and indefinite articles.
Definite Article
Let's begin by looking at the definite article. This article is the word the, and it refers directly to a specific noun or groups of nouns. For example:
  • the freckles on my face
  • the alligator in the pond
  • the breakfast burrito on my plate
Each noun or group of nouns being referred to (freckles, alligator and breakfast burrito) is direct and specific.
Indefinite Articles
Indefinite articles are the words a and an. Each of these articles is used to refer to a noun, but the noun being referred to is not a specific person, place, object or idea. It can be any noun from a group of nouns. For example:
  • a Mercedes from the car lot
  • an event in history
In each case, the noun is not specific. The Mercedes could be any Mercedes car available for purchase, and the event could be any event in the history of the world.
Article Usage with Examples
Properly using a definite article is fairly straightforward, but it can be tricky when you are trying to figure out which indefinite article to use. The article choice depends on the sound at the beginning of the noun that is being modified. There is a quick and easy way to remember this.
If the noun that comes after the article begins with a vowel sound, the appropriate indefinite article to use is an. A vowel sound is a sound that is created by any vowel in the English language: a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y (if it makes an e or i sound). For example:
  • an advertisement on the radio (this noun begins with a vowel )
  • Incorrect: It is raining for two days.
  • Correct: It has been raining for two days.
  • Incorrect: The baby is sleeping for three hours now.
  • Correct: The baby has been sleeping for three hours now.
Here the error lies in using the present continuous instead of the present perfect continuous. We use the present perfect continuous tense to talk about an action which started in the past, has gone on till the present and is still continuing.
  • Incorrect: I have seen him yesterday.
  • Correct: I saw him yesterday.
  • Incorrect: He has returned from London last week.
  • Correct: He returned from London last week.
Here the error lies in using the present perfect tense instead of the simple past tense. The present perfect is a present tense. It can’t be used with adverbs of past time.
  • Incorrect: See that you will not do any damage.
  • Correct: See that you do not do any damage.
It is wrong to use the future tense in the subordinate clause when the verb in the main clause is in the imperative mood.
  • Incorrect:  I will call you when the dinner will be ready.
  • Correct: I will call you when the dinner is ready.
  • Incorrect: He will help if you will ask him.
  • Correct: He will help if you ask him.
When the verb in the main clause is in the future tense, the verb in the subordinate clause should be in the present and not in the future.

Verb Shift and Tense Errors

You need to learn three ideas to keep your tenses straight. The first is that you should be consistent in your use of tenses. Don't switch from one tense to another without reason. That holds true both within single sentences and between sentences. The second idea is that when writing about two events in a sentence, you must make sure that the sequence of events is clear. If one action happened before the other, you must adjust the tenses of each action's verb. The third is that true statements are always expressed in the present tense. This holds true for scientific truths - "Mt. Everest is the world's tallest peak." - as well as literary truths - "Cassius is jealous of Caesar." In English essays this last rule is frequently forgotten. Remember: Odysseus is always waiting on Kalypso's island, and Huck is always floating down the Mississippi.

I. Keeping Tenses Consistent

Sometimes the shift error happens within a single sentence:
Fred told me that he found out that Ethel helps at her father's store, but I think that Fred knows that since they started going together.
But more common is the unnecessary shift between sentences of a paragraph:
Jane was ostracized by the rest of the team members. They believe that her behavior was an embarrassment to the entire team.
The shift from past to present is confusing - especially since the team must have come to some judgement before ostracizing Jane.

II. Coordinating Past Actions

If one of two past actions happened before the other, make that clear by casting the earlier action in the past perfect tense:
The students realized the fruit was spoiled after they had purchased twelve crates of grapes. If they had inspected the grapes at all, they would have seen the grapes' condition. Having struggled to get the grapes home, they were frustrated with their efforts. Now, they are embarrassed to have made so foolish an error.
In every sentence of the above (dorky) little story, there are two actions: the purchasing and the realization. Because the whole point is that the purchasing takes place before the students' realization, each sentence carefully adjusts the verbs to make that action that took place during their purchase in a tense further in the past than their realization.

III. Keeping Universal Truths in the Present Tense

A universal truth is always true. That's part of its being universal. We express this by casting such statements in the present tense: "The earth's gravity hold us on the planet's surface." To put such a statement into the past sets us adrift among the heavenly bodies. The same rule applies when writing about literature. Huck is always floating down the Mississippi, and Ahab is always chasing the white whale. Of course, there will be times when writing about the sequence of events in a book that you will have to use a tense other than the present, but keep your base tense the present tense: "It turns out to be true that Gatsby had been an officer during the war."
FURTHER READING : http://examples.yourdictionary.com/bad-grammar-examples.html

Commas with Appositives


The definition of an appositive is a word or word group that defines or further identifies the noun or noun phrase preceding it.
Rule: When an appositive is essential to the meaning of the noun it belongs to, don’t use commas. When the noun preceding the appositive provides sufficient identification on its own, use commas around the appositive.
Example: Jorge Torres, our senator, was born in California.
Explanation: Our senator is an appositive of the proper noun Jorge Torres. Our senator is surrounded by commas because Jorge Torres is a precise identifier.
Example: Our pediatrician, André Wilson, was born in California.
Explanation: Our pediatrician is still a relatively precise identifier so André Wilson is not considered essential.

Example: CEO Julie Minsky will be our featured speaker.
Explanation: Julie Minsky is necessary to help identify CEO, so no commas are used.
Example: Julie Minsky, CEO, will be our featured speaker.
Explanation: Julie Minsky is a precise identifier so the appositive is surrounded by commas.
Example: The girl who received a scholarship is my sister.
Explanation: The girl by itself is not sufficient information.
Example: My sister, who received a scholarship, will attend Harvard.
Explanation: My sister is a relatively precise identifier.
Example: My friend Harvey is an animal lover.
Explanation: My friend is not a precise identifier because one may have numerous friends.

Example: Harvey, my friend, loves animals.
Explanation: Harvey is a precise identifier.
Pop Quiz
Add commas if needed.
1. Ella my little sister will escort you to your seat.
2. My little sister Ella will escort you to your seat. Hint: You have two younger sisters.

Pop Quiz Answers:
1. Ella, my little sister, will escort you to your seat.
2. My little sister Ella will escort you to your seat. CORRECT. No commas if you have two (or more) younger sisters.
Further Reading  - http://www.dailywritingtips.com/5-common-errors-in-punctuating-appositives/

Q 2
A. In response to the allegations and condemnation pouring in,
B. Nike implemented comprehensive changes in their labour policy.
C. Perhaps. sensing the rising tide of global labour concerns,
D. from the public would become a prominent media issue,
E. Nike sought to be a industry leader in employee relations.
(1) D and E (2) D only (3) A and E (4) A and D (5) B, C and E

Q2 – OA – 4

EXPLANATION

Sentence B should be’….its labour policy’ because
the subject is Nike and we can’t substitute it with the
plural pronoun ‘their’.  ( PRONOUN ERROR)

Sentence C should be ‘Perhaps
sensing that the rising tide…’ as without ‘that’ the
sentence structure is incomplete. ( THAT –USAGE )

Sentence E should be ‘ ….an industry..’ as the word industry begins with
a vowel so the appropriate article is ‘an’.(ARTICLES )


NOTES ON PRONOUN ERROR , USAGE OF THAT , ARTICLES …………
 (TO ACCESS A SIMILAR  ANALYSIS – OF CAT VA 1999 – 2008 )
RC – TOPIC ANALYSIS  - RELEVANT BLOGS AND BOOKS  - TOUGH WORDS –TYPES OF QUESTIONS  - TONES
FILL IN THE BLANK - STRATEGY
CRITICAL REASONING - APPROACH
SUMMARY WRITING ESSENTIALS

Message Tanveer Ahmed  on  - https://www.facebook.com/writetotanveer/096749 24341

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