CAT 2026 Para Summary and Odd Sentence Out: Techniques With Previous Year Questions

CAT 2026 Verbal Ability Topic-wise Weightage (Expected)

The CAT 2026 VARC topic-wise weightage below uses previous CAT papers to identify recurring question types and their share of the section. Reading Comprehension (RC) consistently carries the highest weightage, while Verbal Ability (VA) question distribution changes across years.

CAT VARC Previous Year Questions

Candidates can check out some of the CAT Para Summary or Odd One Out questions asked in earlier sessions:

CAT 2025 

1. Five jumbled sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence out and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.

1. The Bayeux tapestry was, therefore, an obvious way to tell people about the downfall of the English and the rise of the Normans.

2. So if we take expert in Anglo-Saxon culture Gale Owen-Crocker's idea that the tapestry was originally hung in a square with certain scenes facing each other, people would have stood in the centre.

3. Art historian Linda Neagley has argued that pre-Renaissance people interacted with art visually, kinaesthetically (sensory perception through bodily movement) and physically.

4. That would make it an 11th-century immersive space with scenes corresponding and echoing each other, drawing the viewer's attention, playing on their senses and understanding of the story they thought they knew.

5. The Bayeux tapestry would have been hung at eye level to enable this. 

2. Five jumbled sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence out and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.

1. Developments both technological and sociocultural have afforded us far greater freedom over death than we had in the past, and while we are still adapting ourselves to that freedom, we now appreciate the moral importance of this freedom.
2. But I believe that a type of freedom we can call freedom over death – that is, a freedom in which we shape the timing and circumstances of how we die – should be central to this conversation.
3. Legalising assisted dying is but a further step in realising this freedom over death.
4. Many people endorse, through their opinions or their choices, our freedom over death encompassing a right to medical assistance in hastening our deaths.
5. Freedom is a notoriously complex and contested philosophical notion, and I won't pretend to settle any of the big controversies it raises.

3. The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.

In the dynamic realm of creativity, artists often find themselves at the crossroads between drawing inspiration from diverse cultures and inadvertently crossing into the territory of cultural appropriation. Inspiration is the lifeblood of creativity, driving artists to create works that resonate across borders. The globalized nature of the modern world invites artists to draw from a vast array of cultural influences. When approached respectfully, inspiration becomes a bridge, fostering understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity. However, the line between inspiration and cultural appropriation can be thin and easily blurred. Cultural appropriation occurs when elements from a particular culture are borrowed without proper understanding, respect, or acknowledgment. This leads to the commodification of sacred symbols, the reinforcement of stereotypes, and the erasure of the cultural context from which these elements originated. It's essential to recognize that the impact of cultural appropriation extends beyond the realm of artistic expression, influencing societal perceptions and perpetuating power imbalances.

1. Artists in a globalised world must navigate between drawing inspiration from diverse cultures respectfully and cultural appropriation that involves borrowing without proper acknowledgement which has broader societal impacts including perpetuating power imbalances.

2. In today's world of creativity, artists have to decide between respectfully acknowledging works that are inspired by diverse cultures and appropriating elements without respect for their contexts.

3. In a globalised world, artists must draw from diverse cultural influences to create works that appeal to all, and this results in instances of both inspiration and cultural appropriation.

4. Artists must navigate the thin line between inspiration and cultural appropriation, where respectful inspiration fosters cultural understanding whereas appropriation involves borrowing without acknowledgement leading to commodification and reinforcement of stereotypes.

CAT 2024

1. Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.

1. Animals have an interest in fulfilling their basic needs, but also in avoiding suffering, and thus we ought to extend moral consideration.

2. Singer viewed himself as a utilitarian, and presents a direct moral theory concerning animal rights, in contrast to indirect positions, such as welfarist views.

3. He argued for extending moral consideration to animals because, similar to humans, animals have certain significant interests.

4. The event that publicly announced animal rights as a legitimate issue within contemporary philosophy was Peter Singer's Animal Liberation text in 1975.

5. As such, we ought to view their interests alongside and equal to human interests, which results in humans having direct moral duties towards animals.

2. Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.

1. Urbanites also have more and better options for getting around: Uber is ubiquitous; easy-to-rent dockless bicycles are spreading; battery-powered scooters will be next.

2. When more people use buses or trains the service usually improves because public-transport agencies run more buses and trains.

3. Worsening services on public transport, terrorist attacks in some urban metros and a rise in fares have been blamed for this trend.

4. It seems more likely that public transport is being squeezed structurally as people's need to travel is diminishing as a result of smartphones, video-conferencing, online shopping and so on.

5. There has been a puzzling decline in the use of urban public tra 

3. The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.

Cartographers design and create maps to communicate information about phenomena located somewhere on our planet. In the past, cartographers did not worry too much about who was going to read their maps. Although some simple "usability" research was done—like comparing whether circle or bar symbols worked best—cartographers knew how to make maps. This has changed now, however, due to all kinds of societal and technological developments. Today, map readers are more demanding—mostly because of the tools they use to read maps. Cartographers, who are also influenced by these trends, are now more interested in seeing if their products are efficient, effective, and appreciated.

1. New technological developments have prompted cartographers to experiment with their maps by applying these new innovations.

2. Modern mapmakers evaluate a map's effectiveness efficiency and satisfaction of the user through a series of experiments.

3. Today, cartographers also need to look into the usability of maps because of the new technological developments.

4. Maps are being used for a variety of reasons and therefore map readers have become more demanding.

CAT 2023

1. On the basis of the nature of the relationship between the items in each pair below, choose the odd pair out:

1. Postcolonial novels : Border-crossing

2. Postcolonial novels : Anti-colonial nationalism

3. Indian Ocean world : Slavery

4. Indian Ocean novels : Outward-looking

2. Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.

1. In English, there is no systematic rule for the naming of numbers; after ten, we have "eleven" and "twelve" and then the teens: "thirteen", "fourteen", "fifteen" and so on.

2. Even more confusingly, some English words invert the numbers they refer to: the word "fourteen" puts the four first, even though it appears last.

3. It can take children a while to learn all these words, and understand that "fourteen" is different from "forty".

4. For multiples of 10, English speakers switch to a different pattern: "twenty", "thirty", "forty" and so on.

5. If you didn't know the word for "eleven", you would be unable to just guess it – you might come up with something like "one-teen". 

Common CAT VA Tricks to Maximise Marks

Scoring well in CAT Verbal Ability requires good reading skills, logical thinking, and attention to sentence flow. These simple tricks can help you solve para summary, para jumbles, and odd sentence questions more accurately and avoid common mistakes in CAT 2026.

1. Identify the Main Idea in Para Summary Questions

Read the entire paragraph before looking at the answer options. Identify its main argument and understand what the author wants to convey. Eliminate options that focus on minor details, introduce new ideas, or change the meaning of the passage. 

Choose the option that captures the central idea without adding or removing important information. Practising CAT para summary questions can help you understand how to approach different types of paragraphs.

2. Find the Sentence That Breaks the Flow in Odd Sentence Questions

First, identify the common theme connecting the sentences. Check how each sentence supports or develops that theme through explanations, examples, or arguments. The odd sentence usually introduces an unrelated idea or moves away from the main topic. Do not select a sentence just because it uses different words. 

Check whether it fits logically with the other sentences. Practise CAT odd sentence questions to get better at spotting these differences.

3. Use Sentence Pairs to Solve Para Jumbles

Look for sentences that naturally connect through pronouns, transition words, or references to earlier ideas. Find the opening sentence that introduces the topic and identify sentences that explain or conclude the discussion. 

Arrange the remaining sentences according to how the ideas develop. Avoid arranging sentences based only on similar words. Solving CAT para jumble questions regularly can help you understand how paragraphs are organised.

4. Eliminate Incorrect Options Before Choosing an Answer

When two or more options seem correct, compare them carefully. In para summary questions, eliminate options that are too broad, too narrow, or different from the author's main argument. In odd sentence questions, check which sentence can be removed without affecting the flow of the remaining paragraph. 

For para jumbles, rule out arrangements that break clear sentence connections. Practising CAT VARC questions can help you become more confident in choosing the right answer.

5. Practise Regularly and Learn from Your Mistakes

Solve a few Verbal Ability questions every day and review your answers afterwards. When you get a question wrong, go back to the paragraph and understand why your answer was incorrect. You may have missed the main idea, misunderstood a sentence, or overlooked a connection between two sentences. 

Regular practice with CAT mock tests can help you improve your accuracy, manage your time, and identify the topics that need more attention.

Other Resources to Ace CAT 2026 Exam

Get the download links of the latest CAT 2026 ebooks from the table below: