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 20: Labor is restive (A)/tractable (B) today.

It is apprehensive about what the future augers (A)/bodes (B) for itself.

But it’s not as if labor militancy (A)/supremacy (B) has gone up in recent years.

To (A)/On (B) the contrary, man-days lost due to strikes and lock-outs came down from 23.7 million in 2001 to 13 million in 2012 before rising to 19 million in 2013.

1. AAAB
2. BBAB
3. BABA
4. ABAB

Explanatory Answer

Method of solving this CAT Question from Word Usage:

Sentence 1- Restive means restless, whereas tractable means yielding. Restive fits better as the next sentence talks of labor being apprehensive about the future.

Sentence 2- Auger is a tool resembling a corkscrew; augur means to bode or foretell. Clearly, only ‘bodes’ fits this sentence.

Sentence 3- As the lines above talk of labor being restive and apprehensive, it is clear that ‘supremacy’ does not fit this sentence. It only makes sense to say that despite fears, labor militancy has not gone up.

Sentence 4- ‘On the contrary’ is the right usage here.

Hence, the answer is ABAB

Choice D is the correct answer.