Paragraph Completion Techniques- Tips and Strategies

by Dagny Taggart - Monday, 10 November 2008, 06:00 PM

I think I have prolonged this article for quite some time now but it’s never too late than never.
Although I admit that it is not a very well researched or well thought article but I think it will do
the needful in case you get such questions in this CAT as well. With time I’ll work and rework on
this article till I am happy myself with what I have written.

Talking from my personal experience I have always thought that paragraph completion is a game
of well read people. It is no rocket science but someone who doesn’t read, would never be able to
crack paragraph completion atleast. In one phrase if you ask me how to crack a paragraph
completion question, I’d say ‘Maintain The Continuity’. That is all it takes and hence proves my
point that you have to be well read to understand the flow of the passage. Most of the time the
crux of the passage will lie in the first line itself, and the rest of the passage will move with the
same flow. The flow can be maintained wither by maintaining the parallel structure or through
contrast. Let's look a some examples from previous year CAT papers.

Maintaining continuity through maintaining a parallel structure:

1. I am sometimes attacked for imposing 'rules'. Nothing could be further from the truth. I hate
rules. All I do is report on how consumers react to different stimuli. I may say to a copywriter,
"Research shows that commercials with celebrities are below average in persuading people to buy
products. Are you sure you want
to use a celebrity?" Call that a rule? Or I may say to an art director, "Research suggests that if you
set the copy in black type on a white background, more people will read it than if you set it in
white type on a black background." (CAT 2006)

1. Guidance based on applied research can hardly qualify as 'rules'.

2. Thus, all my so called 'rules' are rooted in applied research.

3. A suggestion perhap s, but scarcely a rule.

4. Such principles are unavoidable if one wants to be systematic about consumer behaviour.

5. Fundamentally it is about consumer behaviour - not about celebrities or type settings.

The paragraph starts with the author mentioning that he does not impose ‘rules’. To validate his
assertion he gives two examples, X and Y. And then see the structure-

Example X followed by “Call that a rule?”

Example Y followed by….

What will you choose except option 3? You need a sentence which would point to example Y,
implying that Y is not a rule.

2. We can usefully think of theoretical models as maps, which help us navigate unfamiliar
territory. The
most accurate map that it is possible to construct would be of no practical use whatsoever, for it
would be an
exact replica, on exactly the same scale, of the place where we were. Good maps pull out the
most important
features and throw away a huge amount of much less valuable information. Of course, maps can
be bad as
well as good - witness the attempts by medieval Europe to produce a map of the world. In the
same way, a
bad theory, no matter how impressive it may seem in principle, does little or nothing to help us
understand a
problem. (CAT 2006)

1. But good theories, just like good maps, are invaluable, even if they are simplified.

2. But good theories, just like good maps, will never represent unfamiliar concepts in detail.

3. But good theories, just like good maps, need to balance detail and feasibility of
representation.

4. But good theories, just like good maps, are accurate only at a certain level of abstraction.

5. But good theories, just like good maps, are useful in the hands of a user who knows their
limitations.

If you understand the structure of the last sentence you would invariable get this right. Let me put
in a simple form: X, even if it’s impressive, is Bad. However Y is good…

If I continue the structure of the last sentence, the complete thing would be:

X, even if it’s impressive, is Bad. However Y, even if it’s not impressive, is good.

What can you choose except option 1?

Maintaining continuity through contrast:

3. The audiences for crosswords and sudoku, understandably, overlap greatly, but there are
differences, too. A crossword attracts a more literary person, while sudoku appeals to a keenly
logical mind. Some crossword enthusiasts turn up their noses at sudoku because they feel it lacks
depth. A good crossword requires vocabulary, knowledge, mental flexibility and sometimes even
a sense of humor to complete. It touches numerous areas of life and provides an "Aha!" or two
along the way. _______________________ (CAT 2005)

1. Sudoku, on the other hand, is just a logical exercise, each one similar to the last.

2. Sudoku, incidentally, is growing faster in popularity than crosswords, even among the literati.

3. Sudoku, on the other hand, can be attempted and enjoyed even by children.

4. Sudoku, however, is not exciting in any sense of the term.

This paragraph is starts with mentioning a contrast… (…but there are differences…). The first
contrast comes as “A crossword attracts a more literary person, while sudoku appeals to a keenly
logical mind.” The second contrast starts with “A good crossword requires X, Y and Z…” The
second contrast is to be completed. If you keep in mind the first contrast you can complete the
second contrast with option 1.

4. In the evolving world order, the comparative advantage of the United States lies in its military
force.
Diplomacy and international law have always been regarded as annoying encumbrances, unless
they can be
used to advantage against an enemy. Every active player in world affairs professes to seek only
peace and to
prefer negotiation to violence and coercion. (CAT 2006)

1. However, diplomacy has often been used as a mask by nations which intended to use force.

2. However, when the veil is lifted, we commonly see that diplomacy is understood as a
disguise for the rule of force.

3. However, history has shown that many of these nations do not practice what they profess.

4. However, history tells us that peace is professed by those who intend to use violence.

5. However, when unmasked, such nations reveal a penchant for the use force.

If you see the contrast happening between diplomacy and use of force you will end up at option 1
and 2. Option 2 has to be chosen because it is providing an intended contrast to “Each player
professes to seek..” by the words “when the veil is lifted..”. If you go by the implied meaning of
“someone is professing to have or do something…” you automatically get a notion that
something is hidden behind. And the words “veil is lifted…” bring out the notion in words by
telling you that the hidden thing is unmasked.

The best way to practise these questions is to pick up questions from previous year CAT papers
and write down every reason fro picking up or eliminating the option. Good Luck! This article
would have not been possible without TG’s help so my heartfelt thanks go to him.

2008 and Eternity Copyright Total Gadha and Dagny Taggart