Reading Comprehension Tips – Writing Styles Of Passages In Cat Exam

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Writing styles, as the name implies, are the ways in which a writer chooses to express himself/herself through a piece of writing. But what exactly would RC's writing style be? Just as each of us has a distinct fashion sense, so do CAT RCs differ in the way they are written with the help of best online teachers for CAT preparation. And, just as you dress differently for different occasions and places, a passage is written with its purpose, audience, and context in mind. But why is it important to identify the writing style of a passage?

The author's writing style is intended to convey some ideas and opinions. You will know what types of questions to expect and how to correctly answer them with a specific approach to each passage written in a specific style. Understanding various writing styles is essential for developing a better understanding of RC passages. This will undoubtedly save you time and help you score well in the most important section of the CAT Verbal Ability section. But, how do you think the different writing styles differ? It is affected by factors such as structure, word choice, expression, and linguistic ...
... complexity. In general, RC passages present information in one of the six writing styles listed below:

* Narrative
* Descriptive
* Factual/Expository/Informative
* Argumentative/Persuasive
* Analytical
* Abstract

Let's look at how you can identify each writing style and plan your RC strategy accordingly.

Narrative style
To begin, the narrative style of writing is one of the easiest to recognize because these passages are written in the form of a story. Through such passages, the author intends to narrate some events or personal experiences. In other words, if you are a bibliophile, these passages appear to be the most interesting to read! The majority of novels, anecdotes, autobiographies, histories, and other works are written in a narrative style. As you may be aware, some of the most popular films are based on best-selling narrative novels. So, to get a sense of the narrative style of writing, start by reading plot summaries of your favorite movies. After all, in order to connect with the plot, you must imagine the scenes and settings and understand the characters. All you'd have to do is:

Attempt to identify the main ideas conveyed at the beginning, middle, and end.

Attempt to extract the underlying message that the author wishes to convey through the story while reading the passage.

Also, the author's tone will help you understand the emotions he or she is experiencing while narrating the story. These passages can be used to ask both direct and indirect questions.

Descriptive style
The descriptive writing style is the next type. Descriptive passages, as the name suggests by the teachers for MBA Exam, intend to describe a place, person, thing, or event in great detail. Such passages typically contain a plethora of adjectives, adverbs, and metaphors in order to paint a mental picture of the subject in the reader's mind. If you go to a popular tourist destination, how will you describe its beauty? You would need to use a descriptive style here. The majority of tourist guides, journals, magazines, and poetry are descriptive in nature. Just remember a few things when working on descriptive RC passages:

Before reading such passages, it is a good idea to go over the questions. This will save you time and allow you to quickly identify the required answers because the majority of the questions posed by these passages are direct.

Do not be distracted by the passage's figurative language. Instead, concentrate on understanding the context and answering the vocabulary-based questions accordingly.

Factual style
Another type of writing is factual writing. The goal of factual writing is to provide information to the reader in a logical and objective manner, as well as some facts and figures. If you are not in the habit of reading newspapers, such passages are unlikely to pique your interest. Factual information is presented in news stories, instruction manuals, research papers, and reports. If you enjoy cooking, you are aware that even recipe books are written in a factual manner. Start reading news reports to help you master such passages, which will eventually help you in later stages as well. While reading factual material:

Facts and figures can be confusing, so concentrate on the main points and purpose of the passage. It is also recommended that you read through the questions before reading the passage. You'll be able to make mental notes of the important information needed to answer the questions this way.
The majority of the questions are direct and require you to identify key points. g. key characteristics of a scientific report/research

Argumentative/persuasive style
An argumentative/persuasive writing style is a common type of writing. The author writes in an argumentative style in order to persuade the reader of certain beliefs and opinions about a subject. In other words, such passages use examples, justifications, and facts to back up a position on a given topic. You've probably seen advertisements that try to persuade you to buy certain products or services. The majority of advertisements, reviews, and complaint letters are written in a persuasive manner. To begin understanding such passages, read newspaper editorials that support a particular point of view on current policies or events. You can ace such RC passages by doing the following:
Understand the author's point of view on the subject at hand. You will also be able to understand the implicit information and correctly answer 'the author agrees/disagrees' questions.

This writing style frequently employs continuity words such as 'in the same way, likewise, additionally,' These serve as indicators of the examples used by the author to support his/her position.
The passage's tone and organization also aid in answering indirect or inferential questions.

Analytical style of writing
An analytical writing style is a variation of the above-mentioned writing style. In contrast to the argumentative form, the analytical writing style presents arguments and examples for examining the topic from all sides. The distinction between the two is how a group discussion differs from a debate. How would you present the pros and cons of a particular product or decision if you were asked? This is where analytical writing comes into play. You will be required to present arguments both for and against the subject. Even movie reviews are typically written in an analytical style. Some newspaper editorials, technical reports, and magazine articles present the subject in an analytical manner. For example, in newspapers, any contentious court case is typically presented in an analytical format. A good strategy for such RC passages would be to identify the passage's central theme and the ideas that develop around it.

Contrast words such as however, nonetheless, despite, and but are frequently used in these passages to present arguments and counterarguments on the given topic.

Concentrate on the important points and ignore minor details. Inferential questions about such passages are likely to be posed to you. So, while reading the passage, try to form an opinion.
A good way to master such passages is to read about current events and discuss them with your friends in order to analyze them from various perspectives.

Abstract style
The final type of writing is known as abstract style. As the name implies, the abstract style of writing is used in passages dealing with abstract topics such as philosophy. An intriguing example of this would be the fantasy books that we all enjoyed as children. Such passages do not explicitly state all of the information. In general, abstract writing encompasses non-material concepts that can be represented symbolically. Why not begin by reading about some philosophical topics that are of interest to you? An effective way to handle such passages would be:
Look for the tone and structure of the passage to determine the author's message.

Such passages may appear complicated and necessitate a second reading to grasp their essence and meaning.

Finally, you should devote some time to reading from a variety of sources such as newspapers, magazines, journals, and so on. To put it another way, try to cultivate the habit of diverse reading in order to improve your comprehension skills and become familiar with a variety of writing styles.

If you are new to RCs, take notes on the important points as you read the passage. Begin by solving 2-3 RCs per day and identifying your writing style for each. As your practice grows, you will be able to make mental bookmarks of the passage's main ideas. Additionally, practicing RCs from previous year CAT papers and mock tests will improve your exam accuracy and speed.