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CAT VARC

CAT reading comprehension practice

Reading comprehension is the biggest block of CAT VARC, with passages of 400 to 600 words and four to six questions each. Accuracy matters more than speed here: a wrong answer costs a mark, and most mistakes come from answers that are plausible but go beyond the passage. Try the passage below in about four minutes, then compare your reasoning with the explanations.

Key ideas

  • Read for the structure first: what is the main claim, and where does the author turn (but, however, yet).
  • Answer inference questions from the text, not from your own opinion. If you cannot point to a line, the option is probably wrong.
  • Eliminate options that are too extreme (always, never, only) unless the passage says so.
  • For main idea questions, the right option covers the whole passage, not one paragraph.
  • Do not spend more than 7 minutes on a passage you find dense. Move on and return if time remains.

Common traps

  • Choosing an option that is true in general but not stated in the passage.
  • Missing a qualifier such as most, some or may.
  • Reading all the options before forming your own view of the answer.

Sample passage: The Sound of the City

Cities have never been quiet, but the character of their noise has changed. A century ago the loudest sounds were hooves, iron wheels and factory whistles; today they are engines, air conditioners and aircraft. Studies in several countries link long exposure to traffic noise with disturbed sleep and higher stress, and the effects are largest for people who live on the busiest roads and who can least afford to move.

The usual response has been to build barriers and set limits, but these treat noise as a nuisance to be hidden. A different approach starts with planning. Placing homes behind buildings that are tolerant of noise, such as shops and offices, or routing heavy vehicles away from residential streets can cut exposure at far lower cost than insulating every window. The arrival of electric vehicles will help at low speeds, although at higher speeds most of the noise comes from tyres on the road, not the engine.

Quiet, in this view, is not the absence of sound but a resource that planners can allocate. The difficulty is that its benefits are spread thinly across many people, while the costs of providing it fall on a few, such as the owners of land that cannot be built on. Policies that ignore this imbalance are likely to be resisted.

Practice questions with solutions

Try each question first, then open the solution.

  1. The main point of the passage is that:

    • A noise is better managed by planning how the city is laid out than by hiding it after the fact, and its costs and benefits are unevenly shared.
    • B noise has become worse in cities over the last century.
    • C electric vehicles will solve the problem of urban noise.
    • D barriers and insulation are the most effective response to noise.
    Show answer and solution

    Answer: A. noise is better managed by planning how the city is laid out than by hiding it after the fact, and its costs and benefits are unevenly shared.

    The second and third paragraphs argue for planning and note the imbalance of costs and benefits. The other options are partial or contradicted.

  2. According to the passage, who suffers most from traffic noise?

    • A People who live on the busiest roads and cannot afford to move.
    • B Everyone equally.
    • C People who work in factories.
    • D People who live near airports only.
    Show answer and solution

    Answer: A. People who live on the busiest roads and cannot afford to move.

    The first paragraph says the effects are largest for those on the busiest roads who can least afford to move.

  3. The author's view of electric vehicles is that they:

    • A will make cities completely quiet.
    • B make no difference to noise.
    • C are noisier than engines at low speeds.
    • D will reduce noise at low speeds but not remove it at higher speeds.
    Show answer and solution

    Answer: D. will reduce noise at low speeds but not remove it at higher speeds.

    The second paragraph says they help at low speeds but tyre noise dominates at higher speeds.

  4. The author suggests that policies on quiet are likely to be resisted because:

    • A people do not value quiet.
    • B planners do not understand noise.
    • C quiet is impossible to measure.
    • D the costs fall on a few while the benefits are spread thinly across many.
    Show answer and solution

    Answer: D. the costs fall on a few while the benefits are spread thinly across many.

    The last paragraph states this imbalance.

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