Paragraph Jumble Without Options | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) - CAT PDF Download

Comparison of TITA and Non-TITA Parajumbles

Parajumbles in CAT come in two formats—TITA (Type in the Answer) and Non-TITA (MCQ with options). The difference between the two directly affects both strategy and time management:

• TITA Parajumbles: These are tougher because there are no options to guide you. You must identify the opening sentence, build logical links, and continue step by step until you arrive at a sequence. While easy questions can still be solved, difficult ones can quickly consume time. Many students lose track of how long they’ve spent, making TITA parajumbles a potential trap if they are not disciplined with timing.

• Non-TITA Parajumbles: Options act as hints and help in elimination. Even if you cannot form the entire sequence, you can still narrow it down by spotting pairs or logical links. This often makes Non-TITA questions faster and more scoring compared to TITA.

Note: Use Non-TITA parajumbles to secure quick marks, but approach TITA with caution—attempt them only if you can identify clear opening and connecting sentences within 60–90 seconds. Otherwise, move on.

How to Tackle CAT Parajumbles

The first and most important step in solving CAT verbal questions is to carefully read the instructions. Many students make errors simply by overlooking the directions. In parajumbles, the sentences must form a coherent paragraph. A paragraph is considered coherent only when:

• It is logically sound.
• It operates as a unified whole.
• It does not begin abruptly.
• It does not depend on any other sentence for its meaning.

If the correct answer does not meet any of these coherence criteria, it can be disputed as invalid. Here are some essential points to keep in mind while solving parajumble questions:

• Grasp the logical progression of sentences.
• Identify linking words that connect concepts.
• Maintain awareness of the context to ensure continuity.
• Regular practice is key to enhancing your skills.

The parajumbles must form a coherent paragraph

To create a coherent paragraph, it's essential to avoid abrupt beginnings. An abrupt start means the reader isn't introduced to certain ideas needed to fully understand the sentence. In other words, the first sentence contains ideas that need more context for clarity. Let’s look at the following examples to illustrate this point:

Examples of Coherence

• Paragraph 1: Zeus, along with Hera, is often credited with siring Ares, Hebe, and Hephaestus. Some accounts say that Hera produced these offspring alone. Others also include Eileithyia and Eris as their daughters. The famous conquests of Zeus among nymphs and the legendary mortal ancestors of Hellenic dynasties are well-known.
• Paragraph 2: According to Plato, a specific clan would gather on the mountain every nine years to make a sacrifice to Zeus. A small piece of human entrails would be mixed with the animal’s. Whoever consumed the human flesh was said to turn into a wolf and could only regain human form if they avoided eating human flesh again until the next nine-year cycle. Games associated with the Lykaia were removed in the fourth century, coinciding with the first urbanisation of Arcadia, Megalopolis, where the major temple was dedicated to Zeus.

The first paragraph is coherent; the ideas are clear and possess both structural and logical unity. The second paragraph lacks coherence because some ideas are introduced abruptly, without prior context.

"The" as a Definite Article

The definite article "the" is used to refer to a specific noun that has been mentioned earlier in the paragraph. For example: "On his way to Agra, Birbal met a king. The king, wearing a simple white gown, was travelling on foot."

Using "the" can improve the logical flow of sentences by making the reference more precise.

Usage of "the"

• When "the" is used, it indicates that the noun is specific and known to the reader.
• It helps to connect ideas by referring back to something that has already been mentioned, making the text clearer and easier to understand.

How Pronouns Link Sentences in Parajumble Questions

• Pronouns are common in all types of paragraphs and play a crucial role in connecting ideas. These pronouns refer back to nouns or noun phrases mentioned earlier in the text. It's essential for test takers to match the pronoun with the correct noun to maintain clarity.
• When looking at a set of sentences, such as A, B, and C, the pronouns in sentence C usually refer to nouns or noun phrases found in sentence B, as long as B contains these references. For example, consider the following scenario:
• Example: John, Mark, and Peter were invited for dinner. John brought his wife, and Peter brought his sister. Mark was busy with something and arrived a bit late. When he arrived, he came with his mother and was wearing a red shirt.
• In this case, the pronoun " he. in the last sentence refers to " Mark. because Mark is the noun mentioned in the sentence just before the one with the pronoun.
• To sum up, pronouns need to be closely linked to the nouns or noun phrases they refer to. If the reference is too distant, it can lead to confusion and misinterpretation.

Comparison: Generic Vs. Specific Ideas in a Parajumble

When tackling a parajumble, the test taker must differentiate between generic and specific ideas. In the logical arrangement of ideas, a specific idea should follow a generic one.

• For instance: Generic Idea: "India is the most populous democracy in the world and the seventh largest country."
• Specific Idea: "It has 16 official languages, with each language having more than a thousand dialects."

In this example, "immense diversity" is a generic idea, while "16 official languages" is a specific detail. Generic ideas have a broader scope and greater impact compared to specific ones.

Understanding Diversity

• Generic Nature of Diversity: In the given example, "diversity" is a generic concept because it encompasses various aspects such as language, food, dress, and more.
• Cultural Diversity: Cultural diversity includes the diversity of languages, which in turn includes variations in dialects.
• Linguistic Diversity: Linguistic diversity refers to the differences in languages spoken, including the numerous dialects associated with each language.

Importance of Information or Ideas

When presenting information or ideas, those that are more important should generally be placed before those of lesser significance. However, this is not a strict rule.

Example

• Germany is one of the few countries that has won both the men’s and women’s World Cups, with a total of four World Cups: 1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014.
• They have also won three European Championships in 1972, 1980, and 1996.
• In addition, Germany has been runner-up three times in the European Championships and four times in the World Cup.
• They have also finished in third place four times.
• East Germany won an Olympic Gold in 1976.
• In football, winning the World Cup is considered a greater achievement than winning the European Championship or Olympic Gold. Therefore, the writer first mentions Germany’s four World Cup victories, followed by their other accomplishments.
• This logical order requires some general knowledge, which may not always be necessary in CAT Verbal.

Using Sentence Connectors in a Parajumble

• Sentence connectors are essential for linking ideas between sentences in a parajumble. These connectors can be in the form of conjunctions, adverbial conjunctions, or compound prepositions.
• Coordinating conjunctions are used to connect similar ideas within sentences. Examples of coordinating conjunctions include: and, but, for, nor, so, and yet.
• Subordinating conjunctions introduce dependent clauses and can include words like: though, although, when, while, because, if, as, and whenever.
• Adverbial conjunctions help in showing the relationship between two independent clauses and include words like: moreover, nevertheless, furthermore, accordingly, consequently, therefore, besides, however, thus, instead, in fact, hence, and similarly.
• Prepositional phrases can also serve as connectors and include phrases like: in addition to, to begin with, aside from, because of, and as far as.

Adverbs

• Adverbs are different from adverbial conjunctions. While adverbial conjunctions link sentences, adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and sometimes entire sentences. By altering words, phrases, or sentences, adverbs change the meaning of ideas that have been previously stated.
• Some common adverbs include: also, too, even, just, already, only, still, as, and others.
• For example, in a paragraph that begins with the sentence "She is unhappy too," the adverb too implies that a similar idea should come before this sentence. Without that preceding idea, the sentence appears somewhat illogical.

Units of ideas: After forming units with inseparable sentences, identify options containing these key pairs. Use elimination to arrive at the correct answers.

Chronology of events: Remembering the order of events is crucial, and time conjunctions and adverbs play a vital role in establishing this order. Time conjunctions such as before, after, as, when, while, and since help in understanding the sequence of events and the cause-and-effect relationships between them, aiding in the logical arrangement of sentences.

Example: Stanley Kubrick received numerous accolades for his film ‘Paths of Glory, which earned him several awards. However, it is worth noting that he did not win any major awards for this film. Following this success, he went on to direct Spartacus, an epic film about the Thracian gladiator Spartacus. The conjunction ‘after’ clearly illustrates the logical sequence of these two events, indicating the correct order of their occurrence.

Conclusion in a Parajumble Question

The closing lines of a paragraph are just as important as the opening lines. They play a crucial role in wrapping up the paragraph smoothly and effectively. Adverbial conjunctions such as hence, therefore, accordingly, consequently, and thus are vital in creating a strong conclusion.

Example

• In 1989, Sachin Tendulkar embarked on his Test career.
• He set records for the most Test matches played and became the highest run-scorer in both Test and One Day International (ODI) formats.
• In 1997, he was honoured with the Wisden Cricketer of the Year award.
• This leads us to conclude that he is one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the game.

Solved Examples

Instructions
The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) given below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequence of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer.
Q1: 1. The Saheli Programme, run by the US Cross-Cultural Solutions, is offering a three-week tour of India that involves a lot more than frenzied sightseeing.
2. Participants interested in women’s issues will learn about arranged marriages, dowry and infanticide.
3. Holiday packages include all sorts of topics, but female infanticide must be the first for tourism.
4. Interspersed with these talks and meetings are visits to cities like New Delhi and Agra, home to the Taj Mahal.
Ans: 1324
Sol: 1 should start the para as it introduces the Saheli Programme. It also states that an offer is being made by the programme. 3 further takes the idea forward and gives details about it. 2 and 4 form a pair, as 4 refers to some talks, the topic for which is mentioned in 2. Thus, the correct order is 1324.

Q2: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, and 4) given in this question, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper order for the sentences and key in this sequence of four numbers as your answer.
1. The eventual diagnosis was skin cancer, and after treatment, all seemed well.
2. The viola player didn’t know what it was; nor did her GP.
3. Then a routine scan showed it had come back and spread to her lungs.
4. It started with a lump on Cathy Perkins’ index finger.
Ans: 4213
Sol: Sentence 4 should be the opening sentence since it sets the scene and introduces the person suffering from cancer. Sentence 2 states that the viola player and her physician did not know what it was. ‘It’ refers to the lump on the finger. Sentence 1 should follow sentence 2 since it states what the eventual diagnosis was. The GP did not know what the lump was, and later it was identified to be skin cancer. Sentence 1 states that all seemed well after the treatment, implying it was not. Sentence 3 should be the last sentence since it states that the cancer had spread to her lungs. Sentences 4213 form a coherent paragraph and hence, 4213 is the right answer.

Q3: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, and 4) given in this question, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper order for the sentences and key in this sequence of four numbers as your answer.
(1) The woodland’s canopy receives most of the sunlight that falls on the trees.
(2) Swifts do not confine themselves to woodlands, but hunt wherever there are insects in the air.
(3) With their streamlined bodies, swifts are agile flyers, ideally adapted to twisting and turning through the air as they chase flying insects – the creatures that form their staple diet.
(4) Hundreds of thousands of insects fly in the sunshine up above the canopy, some falling prey to swifts and swallows
Ans: 1432
Sol: 1 should be the opening sentence since it sets the context. Sentence 1 states that the woodland’s canopy receives most of the sunshine that falls on the trees. Sentence 4 continues sentence 1 by stating that thousands of insects fly above the canopy in the sunlight. The insects fall prey to the swifts and swallows. We have to decide whether the order of the remaining 2 sentences is 32 or 23. Sentence 3 states that swifts are agile flyers, adapted to chasing flying insects. Sentence 3 states that flying insects form the staple diet of the swifts. Sentence 2 states that swifts do not confine themselves to woodlands and hunt wherever they can find insects. Therefore, sentence 3 should precede sentence 2 (We cannot introduce that insects form the staple diet after stating that swifts hunt wherever they can find flying insects). Sentences 1432 form a coherent paragraph.
Therefore, 1432 is the correct answer.

Q4: The four sentences (labelled 1,2,3,4) given in this question, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a number. Decide on the proper sequence of order of the sentences and key in this sequence of four numbers as your answer:
1. In the era of the smart world, however, ‘Universal Basic Income’ is an ineffective instrument which cannot address the potential breakdown of the social contract when large swathes of the population would effectively be unemployed.
2. In the era of the Industrial Revolution, the abolition of child labour, the poor laws and the growth of trade unions helped families cope with the pressures of mechanised work.
3. Growing inequality could be matched by a creeping authoritarianism that is bolstered by technology that is increasingly able to peer into the deepest vestiges of our lives.
4. New institutions emerge which recognise ways in which workers could contribute to and benefit by economic growth when, rather than if, their jobs are automated.
Ans: 4213
Sol: 4 should be the opening sentence since it states that new institutions recognise ways in which workers can contribute to the economy. The other 3 sentences provide examples and elaborate on the same, and hence, sentence 4, which introduces the topic of discussion, should be the opening sentence.
2 talks about the period of the Industrial Revolution. 1 talks about the smart world. Chronologically, 1 should follow 2. Moreover, 2 talks about an example that conforms to the point mentioned in sentence 4. On the other hand, 1 talks about an inadequacy. Therefore, 2 should have preceded 1. 3 should be the last sentence of the paragraph.
Sentences 4213 form a coherent paragraph and hence, 4213 is the correct answer.

Q5: The four sentences (labelled 1,2,3,4) given in this question, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a number. Decide on the proper sequence of order of the sentences and key in this sequence of four numbers as your answer:
1. They would rather do virtuous side projects assiduously as long as these would not compel them into doing their day jobs more honourably or reduce the profit margins.
2. They would fund a million of the buzzwordy programs rather than fundamentally question the rules of their game or alter their own behavior to reduce the harm of the existing distorted, inefficient and unfair rules.
3. Like the dieter who would rather do anything to lose weight than actually eat less, the business elite would save the world through social-impact-investing and philanthro-capitalism.
4. Doing the right thing — and moving away from their win-win mentality — would involve real sacrifice; instead, it’s easier to focus on their pet projects and initiatives.
Ans: 3241
Sol: After reading all the sentences, we know that the paragraph is about the businessmen who, instead of tackling the root causes, focus on superficial solutions. Statement 3 is the opening sentence as it introduces the topic by comparing businessmen with a dieter who is ready to do everything except eat less. Statement 2 mentions the examples of some of the specious solutions mentioned in statement 3. Statement 4 provides the reason why businessmen are hesitant to execute the genuine solutions which will bring real change. Statement 4 mentions the alternative taken by businessmen. The word ‘rather’ in statement 1 connects it with statement 4. Thus, the correct order is 3 – 2 – 4 – 1. Hence, 3241 is the correct answer.

Q6: 1. To the uninitiated listener, atonal music can sound like chaotic, random noise.
2. Atonality is a condition of music in which the constructs of the music do not ‘live’ within the confines of a particular key signature, scale, or mode.
3. After you realize the amount of knowledge, skill, and technical expertise required to compose or perform it, your tune may change, so to speak.
4. However, atonality is one of the most important movements in 20th century music.
Ans: 2143
Sol: After reading all the sentences, it can be inferred that though atonal music can sometimes sound random and chaotic, there is a lot of knowledge and skill that is required to perform atonal music.
Sentence 2 talks about what atonal music is. Hence, this sentence must be the first sentence of the paragraph. Sentence 1 talks about the misconceptions of atonal music that the uninitiated make. This sentence must be the second sentence of the passage. 
Sentence 4 now clears the misconception about atonality and states that it is one of the most important movements in music. Sentence 3 gives the reason why atonality in music is so difficult to attain and says that the untrained listener would change their mind when they understand the amount of knowledge and skill required to produce atonality. Therefore, sentences 4 and 3 form a block.
Therefore, the correct sequence of sentences is 2-1-4-3.

Q7: 1. Living things—animals and plants—typically exhibit correlational structure. 
2. Adaptive behaviour depends on cognitive economy, treating objects as equivalent. 
3. The information we receive from our senses, from the world, typically has structure and order, and is not arbitrary. 
4. To categorise an object means to consider it equivalent to other things in that category, and different—along some salient dimension—from things that are not.
Ans: 2431
Sol: After reading all the sentences, it can be inferred that the passage talks about how comparisons are made between objects in different aspects, and how such comparisons are important facets of cognitive ability and consequently our adaptive behaviour. Sentence 2 introduces how adaptive behaviour depends on cognitive economy. Hence, it is the first sentence of the paragraph. Sentence 4 elaborates on how different objects are compared. This sentence logically follows sentence 2. Sentence 3 shows how such comparisons have structure and order, and how they are not arbitrary. Hence, sentence 3 follows sentence 4. Sentence 1 completes the passage in a way that elucidates how animals and plants are equivalent to each other by exhibiting correlational structure. The correct sequence is 2-4-3-1.