Tricks to Solve Paragraph Completion Questions
Tricks to Solve Paragraph Completion Questions
Paragraph
completion is same as fillers or sentence fillers. To be precise, Paragraph
completion is just an extended form of fillers. Hence, the technique to solve also
is not much different. Here, the only difference is that the option has to fit
in the paragraph as the sentence. Initiating statement, a connecting statement,
or a concluding statement.
Initiating statement – You
have to figure out the starting statement. This should be an introducing
statement.
Connecting statement – These
statements should work like connectors. They conjoin the introducing statement
and concluding statement.
Concluding
statement – There is ample scope to confuse you. Thus, every option is relevant
to the theme of the paragraph. Any option that agrees with (by supporting,
contradicting or explaining) any other sentence, then the last one, of the
paragraph, should be placed just next to that sentence. Since you have to find
the last sentence, you should select only that option which extends the idea
given in the last sentence of the paragraph.
Let’s
take a look at these individual elements in detail, and you shall find this
section a cakewalk for sure. Para Completion questions can help you to boost
your sectional and overall test score.
FIVE important Tips and Tricks to solve New
Pattern Paragraph Completion Questions:
1. Purview of the Passage –
Quickly but carefully read the passage and figure out the scope, theme, tone
and logical flow of the passage. Try to figure out what the paragraph is all
about and what are its limits. So anything that falls outside the purview of
the passage cannot be a part of the passage and should be eliminated in the
first go.
Read the
following lines carefully, and decide what the scope of the passage is?
In my
own constituency, in April, which is a hot month, we had hailstorms of the size
of a tennis ball, which destroyed the entire what crop in the Tarai. We had
snow in places where snow had never been. We had snow late, we had flowering
late and we lost a large number of crops due to flooding. This is going to
increase year after year.
Here the
scope of the passage would be the changing weather conditions within a
particular area, however, it cannot be generalized.
2. Gist of the Passage
Put
Yourself into the shoes of the author and think like the author of the passage.
Read the paragraph carefully and focus on the hints and keywords and try to
figure out the essence of the passage. Try to rephrase the passage in your mind
in simpler words, and ask yourself what the author is trying to convey. Hold on
with the idea and eliminate the irrelevant choices.
Read the following lines and guess the theme of
the passage:
We must
forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We
must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again
and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with
soul force.
Here,
the last line makes the theme clear; the author wants the people to uphold
their sense of righteousness and integrity even in the midst of bitter
struggle.
3. Tone of the Passage
Tone
represents the predominant emotion or mood of the author towards the topic.
This can be done by paying attention to the adjectives used in the passage.
Passages are normally the author’s reaction to some issue. Understanding the
tone of the passage can help you to narrow down to the right choice.
Broadly,
the tone can be classified as subjective or objective in nature. An objective
tone is sued when the author does not choose any side and remains a neutral and
detached observer. Whereas a subjective tone reflects the emotion displayed by
the author. Some of the common tones used by author can be Laudatory, Caustic,
Dogmatic, Humorous, Sarcastic understand the tone of the passage.
Read the
following example passage and identify the tone of the passage:
AMERICAN
students are enrolling in college in record numbers, but they’re also dropping
out in droves. Barely half of those who start four-year colleges, and only a
third of community college students, graduate. That’s one of the worst records
among developed nations, and it’s a substantial drain on the economy. The
American Institutes for Research estimates the cost of those dropouts, measured
in lost earnings and taxes, at $4.5 billion. Incalculable are the lost
opportunities for social mobility and the stillborn professional careers.
Clearly,
the passage bears a negative tone. The author uses expressions like ‘dropping
in droves’, ‘drain on the economy’ and finally ‘incalculable are the lost opportunities’,
which clearly shows that the author displays a strong sense of disapproval for
the flip side of the American education system.
4. Direction of the Passage
Read the
passage gingerly, keeping an eye on the transitions and events and the logical
connection behind them. If you mess up, you may make a blunder. So, focus on
key ideas and transition phrases used in the passage. One must be able to
identify the thread of thought running through the paragraph. The flow of ideas
in the passage should be maintained. Never pick an option which breaks or
suddenly changes the flow to some other direction.
Remember,
the last thought or idea in the paragraph has to be taken forward. Therefore,
continuity is an important thing to be kept in mind in the process of arriving
at the right.
5. Elimination of irrelevant the Choices
It is
important to master the art of eliminating the irrelevant choices. Any option
that is out of the purview of the argument or contradictory to the theme should
be straightaway eliminated. Find out and eliminate the options which talk about
things that are not mentioned in the paragraph. The correct option will be the
one which relates itself to the core information mentioned in the paragraph. Be
cautious and alert the choices that rephrase and repeat the topic. And avoid
extreme choices.
Read the following lines and try to eliminate
irrelevant choices:
Mma
Ramotswe had a detective agency in Africa, at the foot of kgale Hill. These
were its assets: a tiny white van, two desks, two chairs, a telephone, and an
old typewriter. Then, there was a teapot, in which. Mma Ramotswe - the only
lady private detective in Botswana – brewed redbus tea. And three mugs – one
for herself, one for her secretary, and one for the client. What else does a
detective agency really need? Detective agencies rely on human intuition and
intelligence, both of which Mma Ramotswe had in abundance.
1. But
there was also the view, which again would appear on inventory.
2. No
inventory would ever include those, of course.
3. She
had an intelligent secretary too.
4. She
was a good detective and a good woman.
5. What
she lacked in possessions was more than made up by a natural shrewdness.
Solution:
Needless to say, the passage revolves around Mma
Ramotswe and the minimal assets of her little detective agency. The first
choice is off the mark as it takes the topic away from the main character, Mma
Ramotswe or her possessions. The third choice fails to sum up the theme of the
passage and digresses from it. The fourth one also fails to connect the
possessions of her agency and her unique abilities. The second last sentence
asks a question, and the last sentence tries to justify the case in a positive
light, so the last choice does not fit. It’s only the first choice, which
suitably wraps up the discussion raised by the question in the second-last line
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