CAT 2025 Lesson : Grammar Rules - Appropriate sentence construction

The statement has a part missing. Choose the best one from the options given below the statement to make up the missing part.
[CAT 2004]

Archaeologists believe that the pieces of red-ware pottery excavated recently near Bhavnagar and ______________________________________ shed light on a hitherto dark 600-year period in the Harappan history of Gujarat.

(1) estimated with a reasonable certainty as being about 3400 years old,
(2) are estimated reasonably certain to be about 3400 years old
(3) estimated at about 3400 years old with reasonable certainty,
(4) estimated with reasonable certainty to be about 3400 years old,

Solution

Let us consider the options. Option (1) uses a incorrectly. As certainty is not countable, it does not require an article before it. The correct usage is estimated with reasonable certainty.

Option (2) is also incorrect. The correct usage is estimated with reasonable certainty. The phrase is also not connected appropriately to the rest of the sentence.

Option (3) uses at incorrectly, instead of estimated to be about.

Option (4) is grammatically correct. Therefore, it is the correct choice.

Answer: (4) estimated with reasonable certainty to be about 3400 years old,

In the question given below, four different ways of writing a sentence are indicated. Choose the best way of writing the sentence.
[CAT 2002]

(1) The distinctive feature of tariffs and export subsidies is that they create difference of prices at which goods are traded on the world market and their price within a local market.
(2) The distinctive feature of tariffs and export subsidies is that they create a difference of prices at which goods are traded with the world market and their prices in the local market.
(3) The distinctive feature of tariffs and export subsidies is that they create a difference between prices at which goods are traded on the world market and their prices within a local market.
(4) The distinctive feature of tariffs and export subsidies that they create a difference across prices at which goods are traded with the world market and their prices within a local market.

Solution

Let us consider the options. Option (1) is incorrect, as a is missing before difference of prices.

Option (2) is also incorrect, as the statement incorrect uses with the world market instead of on.

Option (4) is incorrect as it mentions a difference across prices instead of of prices or between prices.

Option (3) is grammatically correct, and therefore, is the correct choice.

Answer: (3) The distinctive feature of tariffs and export subsidies is that they create a difference between prices at which goods are traded on the world market and their prices within a local market.

The statement has a part missing. Choose the best one from the options given below the statement to make up the missing part.

The first way to look at past civilisations is ______________________________. This can be difficult, because there is no strict definition of civilisation, nor an overarching database of their births and deaths.

(1) to compare their development
(2) to consider their chronology
(3) to contrast their weaponry
(4) to compare their longevity

Solution

We have to consider some characteristic of past civilisations. The second sentence helps us understand that this characteristic is related to births and deaths. This helps us infer that we are probably looking at the population or the time the civilisation lasted.

All the options are grammatically correct, so we need to use logic to infer the correct choice.

When we are considering civilisations, we can look at how advanced they were, how long they lasted or how they communicated with other civilisations (e.g. trade, invasion). Let us look for a suitable option.

We cannot assess how developed a civilisation was, based on the number of births and deaths alone. Therefore, we can eliminate option (1).

Chronology of a civilisation does not make logical sense. We can compare the timeline of different civilisations, but we cannot compare them chronologically. Therefore, we can eliminate option (2). A record of births and deaths will not help us much to infer the weapons used by the people. We should depend on remnants of weapons, paintings and perhaps actual skeletons (in case of deaths caused by weapons). Therefore, we can eliminate this option.

Comparing longevity is logically suitable, as looking at births and deaths can help us estimate how long a civilisation lasted. Therefore, option (4) is the correct choice.

Answer: (4) to compare their longevity

In the question given below, four different ways of writing a sentence are indicated. Choose the best way of writing the sentence.

(1) The oldest evidence of life on Earth is around 3.5 billion years old; beyond that point, the microbial fossil record becomes warped beyond recognition by eons of intense geological processes.
(2) The oldest evidence of life on Earth is around 3.5 billion years old; beyond that point, the microbial fossil record become warped beyond recognition by eons of intense geological processes.
(3) The oldest evidence of life on Earth is around 3.5 billion years old; since that point, the microbial fossil record becomes warped beyond recognition by eons of intense geological processes.
(4) The oldest evidence of life in the Earth is around 3.5 billion years; before that point, the microbial fossil record becomes warped beyond recognition by eons of intense geological processes.

Solution

In this sentence, we learn that we have evidence of life up to 3.5 billion years back, and the fossil record before that is damaged. The phrase warped beyond recognition means too damaged to study or recognise. Option (1) is grammatically and logically correct.

Option (2) is grammatically incorrect – the noun phrase microbial fossil record is singular, and should be paired with the singular verb becomes, not become.

Option (3) is logically incorrect, as it uses since that point. The fossil record which is warped beyond recognition has to be before 3.5 billion years, not since then.

Option (4) is grammatically incorrect because of life in the Earth, as it should be life on Earth.

Therefore, option (1) is the correct choice.

Answer: (1) The oldest, noncontroversial evidence of life on Earth is around 3.5 billion years old; beyond that point, the microbial fossil record becomes warped beyond recognition by eons of intense geological processes

The statement has a part underlined. Choose the best one from the options given below the statement to make up the underlined part.

Why do hummingbirds hum? It took 2,000 microphones and a host of high-speed cameras to help researchers come up with an answer. Turns out, the hum in hummingbird comes from aerodynamic forces produced as the wings move, together with the speed and direction of the wing movements.

(1) to help researchers come up with an answer
(2) helping researchers to come up with an answer
(3) to help researchers came up with an answer
(4) to help researchers coming up for an answer

Solution

The underlined part given in the paragraph is grammatically correct, and no change is required. This is replicated in option (1), which is the correct choice.

Option (2) is incorrect, the correct usage is to help and not helping.
Option (3) is also incorrect, because of a tense error – the correct usage is come up, not came up.

Option (4) uses incorrect syntax, coming up for an answer, and can also be eliminated.

Answer: (1) to help researchers come up with an answer

The statement has a part underlined. Choose the best one from the options given below the statement to make up the underlined part.

(A) Today this is a remote, secluded, and a hard to reach spot. Named after a pass in an eroded rock wall mesa rising over the rolling plains and canyons, the name fits the location. It is a steep climb over loose rock to the top of the wall, but overlooking the country below. It is no wonder that several outlaws chose this spot for a hideout. With sweeping views, the pass was well situated to spot approaching lawmen (B) and the narrowness of the approach made it easy to defend.
Blank A
(1) Today this is a remote, secluded, and a hard to reach spot.
(2) Today this is a remote, secluded, and hard to reach.
(3) Today this is a remote, secluded and hard to reach spot.
(4) Today this is a remote, secluded and a hard to reach spot.

Blank B
(1) and the narrowness of the approach made it easy to defend.
(2) and the narrowness of the approach made for ease of defence.
(3) and the narrowness of the approach made it easy for defending.
(4) and the narrowness of the approach made it an easy defence.

Solution

Blank A
The underlined part has one mistake – there need not be an article (a) before hard to reach. This is correctly mentioned in options (2) and (3). Option (2) is also grammatically incorrect, as there is no noun after the adjective phrase hard to reach. The pronoun this needs a noun at the end of the sentence.

Therefore, option (3) is the correct choice.
Option (4) is incorrect, as it has the same erroneous article.

Therefore, option (3) is the correct choice.

Blank B
The underlined part is grammatically correct, and hence, option (1) is the correct choice.

Option (2) is not written as clearly as option (1), and can be eliminated.
Option (3) is also incorrect, because it uses easy for defending (the correct usage would have been easy for defence).
Option (4) does not make logical sense, and can be eliminated.

Thus, option (1) is the correct choice.

Answer: A – (3) Today this is a remote, secluded and hard to reach spot.
B – (1) and the narrowness of the approach made it easy to defend.