CAT Questions | CAT Word Usage Questions

The question is from CAT Word Usage. Word Usage for Verbal Ability for CAT. Word Usage questions that appear in the verbal section of CAT look for the correct usage of words in a sentence. Have a look at this question from Word Usage. Solve CAT Questions from Word Usage to get more practice and 2IIMs CAT questions bank provides you with CAT questions that can help you gear for CAT Exam .

Question 11: Since (A)/When (B) Narcissus fell in love with a reflection, a few lines later in Ovid’s poem, he did not recognize himself.

Indeed (A)/Instead (B), he recoiled in horror as soon as it dawned on him that it was his own face that he had been admiring in a pool.

So truly (A)/ Still (B), Narcissus was enraptured not by a “selfie�, but by what he took to be a non-selfie.

As (A)/Though (B) he was certainly guilty of pride, the poor boy, notorious for alleged self-absorption, may have been unfairly judged for the past 2,000 years.

1. BAAB
2. ABAB
3. AABA
4. BBBA

Explanatory Answer

Method of solving this CAT Question from Word Usage:

Sentence 1- Since (A)/When (B) Narcissus fell in love with a reflection, a few lines later in Ovid’s poem, he did not recognize himself.

The correct word choice here is “when�. Narcissus fell in love with a reflection, and according to what follows in Ovid’s poem, he did not recognize himself in the reflection.

Sentence 2- Indeed (A)/Instead (B), he recoiled in horror as soon as it dawned on him that it was his own face that he had been admiring in a pool.

“Indeed�, as in “in fact� or “in reality� is a better word choice than “instead� in this sentence.

Sentence 3- So truly (A)/Still (B), Narcissus was enraptured not by a “selfie�, but by what he took to be a non-selfie.

The correct word choice is “so truly�. The word still, in the sense of however or nevertheless does not make sense, as the import of the sentence is that Narcissus was enraptured not by his own reflection but by something else.

Sentence 4- As (A)/Though (B) he was certainly guilty of pride, the poor boy, notorious for alleged self-absorption, may have been unfairly judged for the past 2,000 years.

The correct word choice here is “though�. Though Narcissus was guilty of pride, he may have been unfairly judged to have been self-absorbed. That Narcissus was guilty of pride is not clear from the given statements. However, we definitely rule out “as� as a possibility. It does not make sense to say that because he was proud, he was unfairly judged to have been self-absorbed.

Hence, the answer is BAAB

Choice A is the correct answer.