MULTIPLE USAGE: Understanding Unfamiliar Usage of Simple Words

MULTIPLE USAGE: Understanding Unfamiliar Usage of Simple Words
1. mundane: adj. core sense 1: (often disapproving) lacking interest or excitement; dull: his mundane humdrum existence
core sense 2: of this earthly world rather than a heavenly or spiritual one: Jung’s own sacrifice of mundane goals was the abandonment of his academic career
2. flourish: verb core sense: (no obj.) grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way; develop rapidly or successfully: wild plants flourish on the banks of the lake; the organisation has continued to flourish
noun core sense: a bold and extravagant gesture or action, made especially to attract attention; with a flourish, she ushered them inside
3. manifest: adj. clear or obvious to the eye or mind: her manifest charm and proven ability
verb (with obj.) core sense: show a quality or feeling by one’s acts or appearance: she manifested signs of severe depression
sub sense: be evidence of; prove: bad industrial relations are often manifested in strikes
4. incense: noun [U] a gum, spice, or other substance that is burned for the sweet smell it produces: the aromatic smell of burning incense wafted from the temple
verb [with obj.] make very angry : locals are incensed by the suggestion of an SEZ adjoining their villages

CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD: Understanding Contextual Usage

CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD: Understanding Contextual Usage
1. relentless, remorseless, ruthless, pitiless
These words all apply to people or processes that are not affected by anyone’s wishes or entreaties. They differ chiefly in the extent to which they emphasize continuing activity or the attitude with which it is carried out.
• A relentless action or process cannot be stopped (the relentless march of rainforest destruction) and is unvaryingly intense or severe (the ships are subjected to relentless air attack). When applied to a person, it means ‘inflexible or uncompromising’ but does not necessarily imply a lack of pity or humanity (a patient but relentless taskmaster).
• Remorseless is used of a process that will not be stopped or deflected however great the suffering or distress it causes (the company continued the remorseless retrenchment drive). When used of a person, the word marks them out as having no regret or guilt about the distress they have caused (a remorseless killer).
• A ruthless person has no pity or compassion for others (ruthless terrorists murdered a child yesterday) and is usually determined to continue regardless (Mayawati is an astute and ruthless political operator).
• Whereas a ruthless person is without pity for anyone in pursuit of some goal, the emphasis of pitiless, a rarer word, is on a more intrinsic absence of pity itself (his cold pitiless voice).
2. sarcastic, caustic, sardonic, ironic
3. flourish, thrive, prosper
4. lazy, idle, indolent
5. brusque, abrupt, curt, terse
6. assuage, alleviate, allay

RC passage tone

Possible tone Meaning of the word
Acerbic Harsh/ severe; bitter
Aggressive Forceful; tending towards unprovoked offensiveness
Angry/indignant
Apathetic Emotionless; not interested/ concerned; indifferent; unresponsive
Apologetic Expressing remorse, regret, sorrow for having failed, injured, insulted or wronged another
Belligerent Aggressively hostile; bellicose
Biased Favouring one thing/person/group over another for personal reasons.
Caustic Biting; acerbic
Commiserating Feeling/ expressing sorrow for; empathizing with; pity
Condescending Patronizing; showing/implying patronising descent from dignity/ superiority
Contemptuous Expressing contempt/ disdain
Cynical displaying a belief that people are always self-seeking and never altruistic in their actions
Derisive Unkind and displaying contempt
Disparaging Speak slightingly; depreciating; belittling
Dogmatic Asserting opinions in an arrogant manner; imperious; dictatorial


Emotional Easily affected by feelings actuated by experiencing love, hate, fear and the like
Ethical Dealing with principles of morality; honest; righteous
Euphemistic Substitution of mild, indirect or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh or blunt
Grandiose More complicated/ elaborated than necessary; pompous
Humanistic Evincing keen interest in human affairs, nature, welfare, values
Humourous Funny and amusing
Introspective Consider one's own internal state of feelings
Incendiary Causing strong feelings
Laudatory Praising; extolling; applauding
Motivating Impelling; inciting
Obsequious Fawning; showing servile complaisance; flattering; deferent
Pedestrian Lacking vitality, imagination, distinction
Populist Egalitarian; pertaining to the characteristics of common people/ working class
Provocative Inciting; stimulating; irritating; vexing
Romantic Fanciful; impractical; unrealistic; extravagant; exaggerated
Sarcastic Harsh, bitter derision; taunting; sneering; cutting remarks
Satirical Ironical; taunting; human folly held up to scorn/ derision/ ridicule
Speculative Theoretical rather than practical; thoughtful; reflective; hypothetical
Technical Using terminology or treating subject matter in a manner peculiar to a particular field, as a writer or a book
Vitriolic Full of anger and hatred
Vituperative Cruel and angry criticism

Preparing for CAT

CAT season is around the corner and preparations are going into overdrive. Here are a few things to keep in mind while preparing.

Have a clear strategy before your Mock CATs -
Fine tune your strategy and use it on the day of the exam. Most wars are won not on the power of the ammunition and armor a country possesses but on the power of its think tank. The same is true when it comes to CAT. Before you take any CAT comprehensive test put down on paper the strategy that you want to adopt for that test. Typically, students spend about 30 minutes in the verbal section, 40 minutes in the DI section and 50 minutes in the Quant section. This split could vary from individual to individual. Having set this limit, shave off 5 minutes from each of the sections and keep those 5 minute blocks as reserve.
Keep track of your time -
Having set time limits for each of the sections that appear in CAT, you need to ensure that your progress is keeping pace in the set time limit. Attempting 85 to 90 questions in CAT and getting over 65 as net score is a definite recipe to get calls from couple or more of the IIMs. With 120 minutes at your disposal, the arithmetic essentially translates to about 7 to 8 questions every 10 minutes. Therefore, divide your 2 hours mentally into 12 slots of 10 minutes and at the end of each 10 minutes do a status check. In reality, you should be doing better in the first half of the time allotted to each section in terms of the number of questions attempted (over 10 questions every 10 minutes) than the second half. The reason for this assumption is that you are expected to attempt the easier questions that consume less time in the first half than in the second half. If you find yourself slipping in any one slot, you need to buck up in the next couple of ones to maintain your average. If you are in the habit of using a stop watch, make sure that you start it as soon as you get the signal from the invigilator to start the test. There have been instances of students getting tensed on account of not starting their stop watches.

Striking a right balance - Accuracy vs Speed -
The usual dilemma that one faces while preparing for CAT is the trade off between accuracy and speed. There is no need to trade off one for the other. In fact these two are not mutually exclusive events. Accuracy is important. But that doesn’t mean that you should not hesitate to approximate whenever needed and proceed. One important thing to keep in mind as you proceed with each step of solving a question, is to take a quick glance at the answer choices. This way, in many instances, you will find that you do not have to go to the last step and find the answer. Even if it is only one or two steps saved for each problem, that will give you enough time to crack another 3 or 4 more problems in CAT. That is a huge difference when it comes to getting calls from the IIMs.
Skipping tough questions is the key to success -
Do not get unduly concerned if you seem to skipping questions. In the first attempt only answer those questions that are really really easy (that will take around a minute or less to answer). Though this is generally true across all three sections, it gains greater importance in the quant section. As you go through each question if you encounter a question that you do not know or happens to be difficult, put an X mark next to it, skip it and forget it. If you find a question that you know, but will take 2 or more minutes, put an A next to it, skip it and proceed. Attempt in the 1st round only those that will take about a minute. After exhausting all these easy questions, if you still have time, come back for the questions that you have marked as A. This way, your selection of questions follows the rule of attempting the easiest ones first and then the tougher ones. Putting X and A marks next to the question eliminates the necessity to re select questions when you revisit the section. On an average, students who crack CAT need to get about 50% or lesser of the number of questions in the quant and DI section as their net score. That essentially translates to skipping every other question, provided you can maintain very high levels of accuracy. So, go ahead and skip questions that are difficult. It will be more detrimental to get stuck in a question and spending a lot of time on it than skipping a question that is easy by mistake.

Choosing the Right B-School.

There reaches a point in the lives of students and professionals when a post graduate degree in management becomes not an add on but a necessity to move further up the ladder. In this age where packaging a product is as important as the quality, if you have decided to do an MBA then the next step is to decide which business schools to apply.

This aspect of an MBA is the most daunting task as the number of colleges offering MBA’s is measured in the thousands. They vary widely in cost, in reputation and in entry requirements. Your choice of business school is such a key decision regarding your future that it is important that you be very thorough in your approach while making the selection.

What one must be ideally looking at is the finer aspects of any college MBA. Facilities provided by the college like faculty, libraries, alumni, assistance if any with placements etc.

• Faculty

Even amongst equally reputable schools, teaching quality can differ drastically. Some business schools have strict expectations for faculty members, facilitating continued training and monitoring performance, but other programs are more concerned with an instructor's research and writing credentials.

• Classroom setting

It is important for each student to determine their learning needs early on. While you might more easily grasp information in a traditional collegiate-style setting, others need real-world simulation in a competitive setting. Choosing the wrong kind of classroom setting can have a hugely negative impact on your MBA success. You should also check their emphasis on research and practical hands on experience that it can offer.

• Location

The location of a school can affect not only your overall enjoyment of the program--with social life outside the classroom playing a big role for some students--but also your access to networks and career opportunities. It is not uncommon for business school graduates to remain within the area where they earned their degree, so choose a location that will bring you long-term satisfaction. Business schools in cities with large business will be able to provide better opportunities than a place that is just a university town.

• Reputation

In general, it is understood that the better the program you attend, the more options that will be open to you after graduation. For some this means a more satisfying career and for others it means a bigger paycheck. Whatever your expectations, the reputation of a program can aid the decision-making process tremendously, especially when the choice comes down to two very similar programs. Don’t follow rankings of institutions that magazines or news portals provide explicitly. Other markers such as scope for achieving what you have set out to do and satisfaction of former students must be taken into account.

• Areas of specialization

In this age of super specializations you should choose you school based on your area of specialization. Some schools are best for certain fields and some are not. You must select the right specialization in your MBA program in order for your MBA degree to carry the most value that can help in your career move. By knowing the options of MBA program's specialization, you will have better chances to select the best MBA program that best fit into your career goal.


Other important factors like your budget must be factored in. Some MBA schools charge more than the others based on their programmes. But financial aid opportunities exist that can make the most expensive programmes affordable. You should also interact with the university and ask questions like the business experience of the faculty, the average experience of the students, companies that recruit from the school, what have been the most recent changes in the programme etc. You should also talk to alumni and students to get a real feel of the college and the programme. You also need to choose between regular or part time program. Several full time MBA programs are also available as part time programs. One has to be very sure of the time you can comfortably spend for your MBA program.

Shortlisting a school is a very important task. Go over your choices and shortlist any three good schools. . Entry to the best schools is highly competitive and so you need an alternative if you should be turned down by your first choice school. It helps to start the admission process early. Do not apply to too many schools. Completing the application form and preparing for the interview can be very time consuming. It is better to prepare thoroughly for a few schools than to prepare less thoroughly for a large number of schools.

Finally what an MBA is going to give you at the end of the day is that it will help you combine the skills from your graduate degree and your management education. It will also cross train you so that you have a well rounded understanding of many facets of business. It provides you expertise to survive today’s business environment and prepares a person for the transient nature of today’s business world.

MBA- Maximum Benefits Avenue...

There's suddenly a clamour in the education circles about graduates getting themselves armed with the latest in educational ammunition- MBA. It's become like a little magic word that can make sure you get access to the elite circles of business positions.

The standard benefits of an MBA that everyone knows about is that there are just so many more takers for your resume the moment it has an MBA degree to boast of! And then there are the other benefits too.

There's the question of the pay packet. With an MBA, your employers are more likely to take you a little more seriously. That means a considerable fattening of the salary and more chances to get promoted. The pay rise, they say, can go as high up as 56% more than what you were earning before you got that golden degree. And with a few years of experience after graduation, your boss is obliged to pay you more to keep you on the workforce.

Another thing that an MBA offers you is knowledge that it would take years to gather during actual office work. This puts you in a position of power when it comes to time giving you better chances of being promoted. There's also the question of wanting to consider a switch in careers. An MBA keeps your options open. It makes sure that you build enough of a network during your learning process to not have to feel too stuck to your present job. The MBA allows you more of a success rate if that career change leads you right to the "start my own business" dream! Studies have shown that there's 50% less chance of failure in small entrepreneurs' businesses when they have the backing of an MBA. Why? Because it's at a B-school that you learn about achievable business plans and about acquiring venture capital. There's nothing like tried and tested knowledge.

Then there is the need of employers the world over to make sure that their managerial staff is as good as it gets! This means that if your employers think you're worth it, then you may just get a degree sponsored for you with all tuition fees payed! So you see, nothing comes from nothing and that means there must be something good!

Entrance Exams For MBA In India

Want an MBA degree? Confused by the deluge of options with regard to management schools and entrance exams. If yes. Then read on for MBA related information.

There are a large number of management entrance exams in the country. Some of these exams are used by multiple institutes as a part of their respective admission processes. The prominent among such exams are

CAT - Entrance test for 7 IIMs and more than 100 management schools
XAT - The entrance test for XLRI and more than 50 management schools
JMET - The entrance test for the Schools of Management at the IITs and IISc
SNAP - The entrance test for SIBM, SCMHRD and other Symbiosis group institutes
MAT - Accepted by more than 100 management schools
ATMA - Accepted by more than 100 management schools

There are a few management institutes conducting their own entrance exams. Some of the reputed among them are FMS, IIFT, IRMA, NMIMS, etc.
In addition, there are Common Entrance Tests (CETs) conducted by some states for the MBA courses offered by all the universities in their respective states

The dates for some of the entrance exams in 2009 announced till now

CAT 16TH NOV

IIFT 23RD NOV

IRMA 9TH NOV

BISAT 21st DEC

SNAP 21ST DEC