What type of Reading Comprehension passages are there in XAT?

In XAT, Reading Comprehension passages are usually taken from Philosophy, Psychology, History, Art, research articles. Sometime, the XAT RC section also has poems. These areas are chosen to test the candidates, who are largely Science, Commerce and Engineering graduates, on their ability to come out of their comfort zone and adapt to unfamiliar situations. Out of 26 questions, about 14-16 questions are based on RC passages or a poem. Candidates must target solving about 10 questions accurately to score well. XAT has negative marking so do not mark an option as your answer if you are not 100 percent sure of it.

How many RC questions does CAT have?

The CAT VARC section is dominated by RC questions. Out of 24 questions about 14-16 are based on Reading Comprehension passages and the rest of them are based on parajumbles, para completion, etc. CAT has about 12-16 RC question. Since, it is not mandatory to solve all the questions, candidates can maximize their scores by leaving out the questions related to the passage they find the toughest. There is negative marking in CAT so candidates must ensure that they mark only the correct options or do not mark any option at all.

What is the best preparation strategy for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension?

To prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, stick to the traditional path of concepts first and practice later. Study English grammar and Verbal Ability first to understand the concept. Then practice a number of sample questions of different kinds to gain confidence, speed and accuracy. For RC passages, develop the habit of reading from early stages. Read books from all walks of life. Practicing sample Reading Comprehension passages and questions in a crucial part of VARC preparation. This will help you understand the types of questions and RC passages asked in various entrance exams. As an aspirant, you will be appearing for more than one entrance exam, thus you need to have the practice of different types of RC passages.

How early should I start reading novels for Reading Comprehension?

To develop reading habit, one should start reading books and newspapers every day for at least one hour daily from at least six to eight months before the exam. Ideally, you should start reading books from a year before the entrance exam you are planning to appear for. We say so because, reading depends a lot on one’s interest. You need to first build interest in reading. Candidate who have to habit or interest in reading may not find it too difficult to read 100 pages every day, but those who have no interest in reading will have to develop it. So, start reading early on and read a variety of books. Start will books having easy language, once you develop interest and speed, move to books with tough English.

Is the CAT syllabus difficult?

Yes CAT syllabus is difficult to crack if you do not have enough time. There are three subjects in CAT- VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude. Most of candidates find RC passages tough to crack. In Quants, Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry pose significant challenge during preparation. In DILR, Reasoning questions often turnout to be tricky and confusion.

What are the important topics of CAT syllabus from which maximum questions are asked?

CAT lays a lot of emphasis on analytical skills so the questions are asked mostly from those topics which require deep learning and practice. The three sections of CAT question paper are designed in such a way that candidates have to use their ability of minute observation and fast calculation. Shared below are the section wise main topics from which questions are asked in CAT. Verbal Ability: Parajumbles, Parasummary, Sentence Completion and Inferences Reading Comprehension: Questions based on passages, Para meaning, Order of sentences Data Interpretation: Tables, Graphs, Pie Charts, Venn Diagram, Data Sufficiency Logical Reasoning: Blood Relation, Seating Arrangement, Syllogism, Coding-Decoding, Sets and Caselets, Family Tree, Assumptions Quantitative Aptitude: Geometry, Algebra Number System Modern Math, Arithmetic, Mensuration The difficulty level of CAT questions is usually moderate to high. Only a few questions are easy and quick to solve. To crack the CAT exam, one needs to pay attention to the abovementioned topics.

Is CMAT syllabus the same as that of CAT?

Yes, syllabus of CMAT and CAT are same and include: 1. Quantitative Techniques and Data Interpretation: Mensuration Number System Algebra Time-Speed-Distance, Allegation and Mixtures, Geometry, Graph, Quadratic and Linear Equations, etc. 2. Logical Reasoning: Analytical Reasoning, Linear Arrangements, Number Series, Matrix Arrangements, Blood Relationship Tests, etc. 3. Language Comprehension: Reading Comprehension, Verbal Ability, Vocabulary, Grammar, English Usage Errors, Para jumbles, etc. However, CMAT has two extra sections - General Knowledge and Innovation and Entrepreneurship, topics of which are mentioned below: 4. General Awareness: Economy, Business, World, Politics, Sports, Culture, Society, Arts, Awards, Inventions 5. Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Questions related to innovation, entrepreneurship and start up business, models of entrepreneurship, Emerging Trends in Social Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Society, Rural Entrepreneurship, etc.

What is the syllabus of General English section of SNAP?

The SNAP General English syllabus is similar to that of other MBA entrance exams. It includes passages, Syllogisms, Analogies, Grammar, Antonym-Synonym, One Word Substitution, Similar Sounding Words, Parajumbles and Fill in the Blanks. This is the shortest section of SNAP having only 15 questions. Most of the questions are usually based on English grammar. For the past 2 years, no Reading Comprehension passage is seen in the exam. However, candidates still need to practice Reading Comprehension passages as it has not been completely scrapped. Preparation for the exam as per the SNAP syllabus requires not much time to prepare if your English is strong. But if it is not, then you must start studying English much earlier as developing hold on a language requires time.

In how many months can I prepare for XAT?

Ideally, XAT preparation takes six to nine months, but if candidates have prepared for CAT too, XAT preparation can be done in lesser time as one will have to only work on Decision Making and General Knowledge topics. Those who are weak in English Comprehension must start reading practice early on. The ideal time to start XAT preparation is May, so you can cover the whole syllabus by October and dedicate two months to mock test practice. If you start studying for XAT late, by July or so, make sure you complete the syllabus by October only. Remember that XAT syllabus is tough, so you’ll need to study at least 6-8 hours daily from start until the end. Give ample time to yourself to complete the XAT syllabus.

What are the important topics of MAT exam?

Questions in MAT are asked from verbal ability, reading comprehension, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, arrangement, coding decoding, graphs and tables, family tree, blood relation, clocks and calendars, time, speed and distance, statements, etc.

What is the latest CMAT exam pattern?

Latest CMAT exam pattern is given below: Question paper carries 100 MCQs Each section has 20 question Exam duration is 180 minutes Each question carries 4 marks There is no negative marking

Is the question paper of MAT IBT different from MAT CBT or PBT?

No, the question paper of MAT IBT is not different from MAT CBT or PBT. The test pattern, time duration, question type and marking scheme are the same for all three modes. Candidates can choose to appear for any exam mode with the worry of doing exam specific preparation. The only difference between MAT IBT and MAT CBT or PBT is that MAT IBT is a remote proctored exam and can be taken from any location unlike MAT CBT or PBT which are held at designated exam centres. The MAT question paper of every session however is different. All the 200 questions of each question paper is unique. The difficulty level is the same- easy to moderate but since the questions are different from each other candidates can feel slight difference in the difficulty level. The questions for every session are chosen randomly so in one session the paper can be overall easy while in another session the exam can be slightly difficult.

What are the topics on which I should read books for RC preparation?

Candidates must read books on economy, philosophy, science, astronomy, psychology, sociology, history, geography, psychoanalysis, economics, astronomy, art & culture, literature, fiction novels, auto-biographies and biographies. Most of the passages that appear in any MBA entrance exam are based on these topics. The RC passages length may vary but most of the times the language is tough with foreign words and expressions or a good amount of data. It is also recommended to candidates to read research papers, survey reports, etc. to have the practice of understanding and relating data in a quick read. Always refer to dictionary for word meanings while reading books.

Which type of questions does VARC section of an entrance exam comprise?

The VARC section of any MBA entrance exam or a competitive exam typically comprises MCQs based on Grammatical concepts like tenses, articles, noun/pronoun, conjunctions, subject-verb agreement; Verbal Ability questions on word meaning, one-word substitution, fill in the blanks, parajumbles, para completion, antonyms/synonyms, etc. Apart from these, every VARC section has reading comprehension passages of 300 to 900 words. Candidates have to answer questions based on these passages. In MBA entrances exams, you will find RC passages dominating CAT, XAT, IIFT, NMAT, GMAT, whereas there will be less of them MAT, CMAT, ATMA. In SNAP there is no RC passages anymore.

Which are the best books for VARC preparation?

Best books for VARC preparation are Word Power Made Easy by Normal Lewis and High School English Grammar by Wren & Martin. Apart from these two books, students must refer to practice books such as, How To Prepare For Verbal Ability And Reading Comprehension For CAT by Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay, The Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability for the CAT and Other MBA Entrance Examinations by Sujit Kumar and The Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning for the CAT by Nishit K Sinha. These books are recommended for all the MBA entrance exams as well as other competitive exams.

Why is it necessary to practice sample questions of VARC preparation?

It is necessary to practice sample questions for preparation of Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension because all the MBA entrance exams are speed based test and there is just about minute allotted to each question. By practicing sample questions, you will get the practice of reading 600 plus words passages quickly, develop speed and accuracy in solving question and learn the skill to choose which question to answer and which one to skip to avoid negative marking. Practicing sample questions will also give you prior experience of different types of Reading Comprehension questions of different exams. Remember that same preparation formula cannot be applied to all entrance exams.

Is it true that someone who is weak in English, cannot score well in Verbal Ability?

No, it is not true that someone who is weak in English can’t score well in Verbal Ability. If one works hard and prepares well for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, they can score well in the section. One only needs to have the drive and discipline. They will require to start preparation for this subject earlier than those who have a good command over the language. Start reading books and novels. Keep a dictionary and mark the difficult words. Make notes of common idioms and phrases. Revise word meaning and concepts of Grammar every alternate day. Practice questions and mock tests.

Phrases Modifiers: Questions with Answers for MBA Preparation; Download PDFs

Updated on May 22, 2026 17:30 IST

By Vipra Shrivastava, Senior Manager - Content

A modifier is a word or phrase, which communicates the information in a sentence better. It provides key detail about a subject that clarifies or enhance the meaning of a sentence. These phrases contain adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, etc. to make the meaning of sentence more specific.

Phrases Modifier often appear in the English section of MBA entrance exams as part of VA or grammar sub topic. If you are preparing for MBA or a competitive exam, here's all that you need to know to understand Phrases Modifier.

Table of contents

What are Phrases Modifiers?
Types of Modifiers
Examples of Phrases Modifiers
Phrases Modifiers Exercises with Answers
VARC practice questions with answers PDF

What are Phrases Modifiers?

A phrases modifier can be defined as a word/phrase/clause which modifies other words in a sentence. The modifier is an adjective or an adverb. While adjectives modify the nouns, adverbs modify the verbs, the adjectives or the other adverbs.

Merriam Webster defines Modifiers as “a word (as an adjective or adverb) used with another word to limit its meaning”.

For Example, in the phrase “very tall building” the words “very” and “tall” are modifiers.

Types of Modifiers

Phrases Modifiers are broadly bracketed into two types – Pre-modifiers and Post-modifiers. Take a look below to understand the two for correct usage.

Pre-modifiers

Words, which modify nouns or verbs that follow them in the sentence are called pre-modifiers. Most of the pre-modifiers are adjectives and used before a noun such as articles, determiners, demonstratives, proper adjectives, descriptive adjectives, compound adjectives, participles, etc.

Conjunctive adverbs, sentence adverbs and other adverbs are used as modifiers before verbs, adjectives and other adverbs.

Examples:

Normally,^(adverb)the^(article) green^(descriptive ^adjective) cabbage is used in sandwiches.
Give me that^{(demonstrative)}blue^{(descriptive adjective)} painted^{(past participle)} shining^{(present participle)}.
Apparently,^(adverb)that^{(demonstrative)} computer has a lot of^{(determiners)} technical^(adjective).

Post-modifiers

Words that follow verbs in a sentence are called post-modifiers. Mostly, adverbs of manner, adverbs of time and adverbs of place/direction are placed after the verbs they modify.

Pre-modifiers that modify the nouns include, appositives, prepositional phrases (adjectives/adverbs), infinitives (adverbs/adjectives), dependent clause, etc.

Sally Morgan, a ballet dancer,^(appositive)has been selected in the team^(adverb).
Bruno, our dog, ^(appositive)wants us to pat^{(infinitive - adjective)}him all the day^{(adverb of time)}.
Tommy, the captain of National soccer team,^(appositive)plays exceptionally^{(adverb of manner)}.

Also Read: Tenses and Grammar Rules

Examples of Phrases Modifiers

In the table below, we have mentioned more types and examples of phrases modifiers along with explanation. Understand the rules of Phrases modifiers to use them in correctly in your spoken and written English.

Type of Modifier	Example of Modifier	Explanation
Articles	A bird, the car	While in “a bird”, “a” refers to just any bird, in “the car”, “the” refers to particular engine
Possessive Nouns	Heena’s dance studio	“Heena’s” is the noun in possessive case. It acts an adjective that modifies the noun “dance studio”
Pronoun	We who were tired	We is the pronoun, who were tired is the modifier
Possessive Pronouns	Our home, his shop	“our” & “his” are possessive pronouns that refer to “home” and “shop” respectively
Adjectives	A yellow bike, a faded jeans	“yellow” is the adjective that modifies information about bike and “faded” is the adjective that modifies information about jeans
Prepositional Phrases	The tyre of the car	“of the car” start with “of” so it is a prepositional phrase. It gives information about the car
Relative Pronoun Clause	The dog which has three legs	Although “which as three legs” is a clause, when combined together with “dog”, it becomes noun phrase
Verb-ing Modifiers	The kite flying in the sky	“flying” is a verb-ing modifier giving information about the noun “the kite”
Verb-ed Modifiers	The basket kept under the table	“kept” is the verb-ed modifier giving information about the noun “the basket”

Phrases Modifiers Exercises with Answers

If you've understood the concepts of Phrases Modifiers, here is a quick test for you. Identify Phrases Modifiers in the following sentences:

Q 1: Racing against the time, I completed my exam paper.

Q 2: While at grocery store, my mother instructed me how to make coffee.

Q 3: The cat sitting under the table was feeling cold.

Q 4: The house whose roof is green is owned by Mr Briggs.

Q 5: The bouquet was made up of pink flowers.

Q 6: David’s bicycle broke down in the middle for the street.

Q 7: Rene’s design studio was closed for a few days for renovation.

Q 8: Our home was burgled about two months ago.

Q 9: Timmy, a professional football player, is exceptionally talented.

Q 10: The man with blue jacket left the room in a hurry.

Q 11: We saw the lock open when we were entering the house.

Q 12: Call the girl with blue umbrella.

Q 13: We met him when he was buying grocery.

Q 14: The filmmaker made severalmovies.

Q 15: David has traveled to many countries.

Q 16: The batsman was batting excellent.

Q 17: The old lady was speaking softly to the child.

Q 18: The little girl was writing notes quickly.

Q 19: The movie was gripping.

Q 20: Emma was relieved after knowing the truth.

Q 21: We were waiting in front of a red brick building.

Q 22: The dog was so exhausted after playing in the park.

Q 23: Sheila would like to have black coffee.

Q 24: Vicky got injured while cycling.

Q 25: I kept walking with injured toe.

Q 26: Nina sleeps in the night with lights on.

Q 27: Please lock the door after everybody has left.

Q 28: France who was the defending champion lost to Argentina in FIFA 2022.

Q 29: The brown ccoat with red bow was sold out within hours.

Q 30: Summer drinks that have mint are so refreshing.

Q 31: We need to clean the house after the party.

Q 32: Dana who suffered leg injury will be playing tonight.

Q 33: The red car with no number plate was apprehended at the crossing.

Q 34: Laptop with a webcam is required for online interview.

Answers:

Q 1: Racing against the time Q 2: While at grocery store Q 3: Sitting Q 4: Whose roof is green Q 5: Pink Q 6: David’s bicycle Q 7: Rene’s design studio Q 8: Our home Q 9: A professional football player Q 10: With blue jacket Q 11: When we were entering the house Q 12: With blue umbrella Q 13: When he was buying grocery Q 14: Several Q 15: Many Q 16: Excellent. Q 17: Softly Q 18: Quickly Q 19: Gripping Q 20: After knowing the truth Q 21: Red brick Q 22: Bo Q 23: Black Q 24: While cycling Q 25: with Q 26: with Q 27: after Q 28: who was Q 29: with red bow Q 30: that have mint Q31: after Q 32: who suffered Q33: with no number plate Q 34: with a webcam

Also Read: MBA Preparation 20256 Tips to Prepare for MBA Entrance Exams

Download Free VARC Question Bank for Practice

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VARC practice questions with answers PDF

Get here free PDFs of VARC practice questions with answers:

CAT Easy Test Set 1	CAT Easy Test Set 1 Solutions
CAT Medium Test Set 1	CAT Medium Test Set 1 Solutions
CAT Difficult Test Set 1	CAT Difficult Test Set 1 Solutions

CAT Easy Test Set 2	CAT Easy Test Set 2 Solutions
CAT Medium Test Set 2	CAT Medium Test Set 2 Solutions
CAT Difficult Test Set 2	CAT Difficult Test Set 2 Solutions

CAT Easy Test Set 3	CAT Easy Test Set 3 Solutions
CAT Medium Test Set 3	CAT Medium Test Set 3 Solutions
CAT Difficult Test Set 3	CAT Difficult Test Set 3 Solutions

CAT Easy Test Set 4	CAT Easy Test Set 4 Solutions
CAT Medium Test Set 4	CAT Medium Test Set 4 Solutions
CAT Difficult Test Set 4	CAT Difficult Test Set 4 Solutions

CAT Easy Test Set 5	CAT Easy Test Set 5 Solutions
CAT Medium Test Set 5	CAT Medium Test Set 5 Solutions
CAT Difficult Test Set 5	CAT Difficult Test Set 5 Solutions

CAT Easy Test Set 6	CAT Easy Test Set 6 Solutions
CAT Medium Test Set 6	CAT Medium Test Set 6 Solutions
CAT Difficult Test Set 6	CAT Difficult Test Set 6 Solutions