G Strategy: ROLE → PREDICT → READ → FIT → TEST
Step 1: Read the extra sentence carefully Ask yourself three questions:
- What is the main idea of this sentence?
- Is it introducing something, giving a reason, giving a result, giving an example, or contrasting something?
- Does it contain any special words? (e.g., “this”, “these”, “however”, “therefore”, “in response”, “and”, “but”, names, numbers, etc.)
Step 2: Read the full paragraph slowly Do not look at the blanks yet. Just understand the overall story of the paragraph.
Step 3: Look at the sentences before and after each blank For every blank, ask:
- Does the extra sentence connect smoothly with the sentence before the blank?
- Does it connect smoothly with the sentence after the blank?
Step 4: Check the flow The paragraph should move like this: Idea 1 → Idea 2 → Idea 3 → Idea 4
If you put the sentence in the wrong place, the flow will break.
Step 5: Eliminate wrong options Usually 2–3 options are clearly wrong. Remove them first. Then choose between the remaining ones carefully.
The given sentence is missing in the paragraph below. Decide where it best fits among the options 1, 2, 3, or 4 indicated in the paragraph.
Paragraph Completion in CAT 2025
Mexican Traditional Techniques Para Completion CAT 2025 Slot 1
Sentence: “Everything is old-world, traditional techniques from Mexico,” Ava emphasizes.
Paragraph: The sisters embrace the ways their great-grandfather built and repaired instruments. ____(1) ____. When crafting a Mexican guitarrón used in mariachi music, they use tacote wood for the top of the instrument. Once the wood is cut, they carve the neck and heel from a single block using tools like hand saws, chisels and sandpaper rather than modern power tools — and believe that this traditional method improves the tone of the instrument. ____(2) ____. Their store has a three-year waitlist for instruments that take months to create. ____(3) ____. The family’s artisanship has attracted stars like Los Lobos, who own custom guitars made by all three generations of the Delgado family. ____(4) ____. For the sisters, involvement in the family business started at an early age. They each built their first instruments at age 9.
1. Option 3
2. Option 2
3. Option 4
4. Option 1
Answer
Correct Option: 4
Rationale:
The inserted sentence, “Everything is old-world, traditional techniques from Mexico,” serves as a broad, generalizing statement that defines the specific methods used by the sisters.
Position 1 is the most logical fit because it follows the introduction of the “ways their great-grandfather built and repaired instruments” and immediately precedes the specific details of those ways (using tacote wood, carving by hand, avoiding power tools). The flow of the paragraph moves from the general legacy (grandfather’s ways) to the definition of that legacy (the inserted sentence) to the specific evidence of that legacy (the manufacturing process).
Wrong Options:
Option 2 (Position 2) is incorrect because placing the sentence here would make it a repetitive summary after the specific details have already been given, disrupting the flow into the next topic (the waitlist).
Option 1 (Position 3) and Option 3 (Position 4) are incorrect because these sections of the paragraph discuss the business aspects (waitlist, celebrity clients) and personal history (childhood), not the technical manufacturing methods described in the inserted sentence.
Difficulty: Easy
Silver in London Para Completion CAT 2025 Slot 1 Verbal
Sentence: Historically, silver has been, and still is, an important element in the business of ‘show’ visible in private houses, churches, government and diplomacy.
Paragraph: ____(1) ____. Timothy Schroder put it succinctly in suggesting that electric light and eating in the kitchen eroded this need. As he explained to the author, ‘Silver, when illuminated by flickering candlelight, comes alive and almost dances before the eyes, but when lit by electric light it becomes flat and dead.’ ____(2) ____. Domestic and economic changes may have worked against the market, but the London silver trade remained buoyant, thanks to the competition of collectors seeking grand display silver at the top end, and the buyers of ‘collectables’, like spoons and wine labels and ‘novelties’, at the bottom. ____(3) ____. Another factor that came into play was the systematic collection building of certain American museums over the period. Boston, Huntington Art Gallery and Williamsburg, among others, were largely supplied by London dealers. ____(4) ____.
1. Option 3
2. Option 1
3. Option 4
4. Option 2
Answer
Correct Option: 3
Rationale:
The paragraph discusses the resilience of the London silver market by listing factors that kept it buoyant despite changing domestic habits. Position 3 acts as an elaborative bridge between the first market factor (collectors and buyers) and the next factor (American museums).
The preceding text states the market was buoyant due to collectors seeking grand display silver. The missing sentence, which defines silver’s traditional role in the “business of ‘show’” (in houses, churches, etc.), elaborates on why this grand silver is sought, providing historical context for its high status. This elaboration is placed before the introduction of the next distinct factor: Another factor that came into play was the systematic collection building of certain American museums.
While placing the sentence at Option 1 is structurally justified for establishing the ‘need’ mentioned later, the intended answer places the sentence at Position 3 to function as a contextual link within the list of market drivers.
Difficulty: Hard
Psycology Paragraph Completion CAT 2025 Slot 2 Actual Question: Hard
Sentence: While taste is related to judgment, with thinkers at the time often writing, for example, about “judgments of taste” or using the two terms interchangeably, taste retains a vital link to pleasure, embodiment, and personal specificity that is too often elided in post-Kantian ideas about judgment—a link that Arendt herself was working to restore.
Paragraph: ____(1) ____. Denneny focused on taste rather than judgment in order to highlight what he believed was a crucial but neglected historical change. ____(2) ____. Over the course of the seventeenth century and early eighteenth century, across Western Europe, the word taste took on a new extension of meaning, no longer referring specifically to gustatory sensation and the delights of the palate but becoming, for a time, one of the central categories for aesthetic—and ethical—thinking. ____(3) ____. Tracing the history of taste in Spanish, French, and British aesthetic theory, as Denneny did, also provides a means to recover the compelling and relevant writing of a set of thinkers who have been largely neglected by professional philosophy. ____(4) ____.
1. Option 3
2. Option 2
3. Option 1
4. Option 4
Answer
Correct Option: 1 (Option 3)
Rationale: The missing sentence contains the phrase “thinkers at the time,” which indicates a reference to a specific historical period mentioned immediately before. The sentence preceding blank 3 discusses “the course of the seventeenth century and early eighteenth century,” providing the necessary temporal antecedent for “at the time.” Thematically, the missing sentence elaborates on the specific nature of “taste” during that period—specifically its link to pleasure and embodiment—which clarifies why it was considered a central category for aesthetic and ethical thinking, as mentioned in the sentence ending at blank 3. Placing the sentence here provides a logical bridge to the following sentence, which discusses the value of recovering the “thinkers” who held these specific views.
Why other options wrong:
Option 2 (referring to blank 2) is incorrect because the historical time period (17th/18th century) is introduced in the sentence following this blank, so “at the time” would have no referent.
Option 3 (referring to blank 1) is incorrect for the same reason; the paragraph has just begun, and no time period has been established.
Option 4 (referring to blank 4) is incorrect because placing the sentence at the very end disrupts the flow. The sentence ending at blank 3 introduces the historical context, and it is most logical to immediately define the characteristics of thought during that time (the content of the missing sentence) before concluding with the sentence about recovering those specific neglected thinkers.
Difficulty: Moderate
Dhaka Muslin Paragraph Completion CAT 2025 Slot 2 Actual Question: Medium
Sentence: While taste is related to judgment, with thinkers at the time often writing, for example, about “judgments of taste” or using the two terms interchangeably, taste retains a vital link to pleasure, embodiment, and personal specificity that is too often elided in post-Kantian ideas about judgment—a link that Arendt herself was working to restore.
Paragraph: ____(1) ____. Denneny focused on taste rather than judgment in order to highlight what he believed was a crucial but neglected historical change. ____(2) ____. Over the course of the seventeenth century and early eighteenth century, across Western Europe, the word taste took on a new extension of meaning, no longer referring specifically to gustatory sensation and the delights of the palate but becoming, for a time, one of the central categories for aesthetic—and ethical—thinking. ____(3) ____. Tracing the history of taste in Spanish, French, and British aesthetic theory, as Denneny did, also provides a means to recover the compelling and relevant writing of a set of thinkers who have been largely neglected by professional philosophy. ____(4) ____.
1. Option 3
2. Option 2
3. Option 1
4. Option 4
Answer
Correct Option: 1 (Option 3)
Rationale: The missing sentence contains the phrase “thinkers at the time,” which indicates a reference to a specific historical period mentioned immediately before. The sentence preceding blank 3 discusses “the course of the seventeenth century and early eighteenth century,” providing the necessary temporal antecedent for “at the time.” Thematically, the missing sentence elaborates on the specific nature of “taste” during that period—specifically its link to pleasure and embodiment—which clarifies why it was considered a central category for aesthetic and ethical thinking, as mentioned in the sentence ending at blank 3. Placing the sentence here provides a logical bridge to the following sentence, which discusses the value of recovering the “thinkers” who held these specific views.
Why other options wrong:
Option 2 (referring to blank 2) is incorrect because the historical time period (17th/18th century) is introduced in the sentence following this blank, so “at the time” would have no referent.
Option 3 (referring to blank 1) is incorrect for the same reason; the paragraph has just begun, and no time period has been established.
Option 4 (referring to blank 4) is incorrect because placing the sentence at the very end disrupts the flow. The sentence ending at blank 3 introduces the historical context, and it is most logical to immediately define the characteristics of thought during that time (the content of the missing sentence) before concluding with the sentence about recovering those specific neglected thinkers.
Difficulty: Moderate
Productivity Paragraph Completion CAT 2025 Slot 3 Actual Question: Medium
Sentence: Productivity gains, once expected to feed through to broader living standards, now primarily serve to enhance returns to wealth.
Paragraph: Economists now argue that inequality is no longer a by-product of growth but a condition of it. ____ (1) ____. Unlike wages, wealth reflects not just income but also access to assets, favourable institutional conditions – such as low interest rates – and public policies like low taxes and housing shortages. ____ (2) ____. In other words, wealth depends on political choices in ways that income currently does not. It’s not just the inequality itself that is the issue but the erosion of mechanisms that once constrained it. ____ (3) ____. Wealth and income inequality are linked, but where wages have stagnated and collective bargaining has weakened, capital income – derived from profits, rents and interest – has been boosted by design. ____ (4) ____.
1. Option 2
2. Option 3
3. Option 4
4. Option 1
Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: Option 4
Explanation: The opening line says inequality is now a condition of growth. The given sentence explains the mechanism behind this claim by showing how productivity gains benefit wealth rather than wages. The following sentence then naturally defines wealth, so the insertion fits best at position 1.
Why other options wrong: Other positions delay the explanation of productivity gains until after wealth has already been discussed, breaking the cause-then-definition flow of the paragraph.
Chromosome Paragraph Completion CAT 2025 Slot 3 Actual Question: Medium
The given sentence is missing in the paragraph below. Decide where it best fits among the options 1, 2, 3, or 4 indicated in the paragraph. Moderate
Sentence: In each of the affected males, the genetic defect was located to the X chromosome in the region of p11-12.
Paragraph: The first suggested evidence of a human genetic mutation associated with aggressive behaviour came from a study in 1993. _____(1)____. Genetic and metabolic studies were conducted on a large Dutch family in which several of the males has a syndrome of borderline mental retardation and abnormal behaviour. _____(2)____. The undesirable behaviour included impulsive aggression, arson and exhibitionism. _____(3)____. A point mutation was identified in the eighth exon of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) structural gene which changes glutamine to a termination codon. _____(4)____.
1. Option 4
2. Option 3
3. Option 2
4. Option 1
Answer & Explanation
Correct Option: Option 3
Rationale: The sentence identifying the location of the genetic defect on the X chromosome fits after the general description of the family and the observed behaviours, but before the most specific detail identifying the exact point mutation. This creates a logical progression from observation to broad genetic location to precise molecular cause.
Why other options wrong: Placement at the beginning precedes the introduction of the study subjects, while placement at the end repeats information after the most specific finding is already stated.
Difficulty: Medium
Paragraph Completion in CAT 2024
Paragraph Completion CAT 2024 Slot 1
Sentence: “The brain isn’t organized the way you might set up your home office or bathroom medicine cabinet.”
Paragraph:
___(1)___. You can’t just put things anywhere you want to. The evolved architecture of the brain is haphazard and disjointed, and incorporates multiple systems, each of which has a mind of its own. ___(2)___. Evolution doesn’t design things and it doesn’t build systems—it settles on systems that, historically, conveyed a survival benefit. There is no overarching, grand planner engineering the systems so that they work harmoniously together. ___(3)___. The brain is more like a big, old house with piecemeal renovations done on every floor, and less like new construction. ___(4)___.
Options:
- 1) Option 1
- 2) Option 4
- 3) Option 3
- 4) Option 2
Detailed Solution:
Given Sentence: “The brain isn’t organized the way you might set up your home office or bathroom medicine cabinet.”
This sentence sets the stage for discussing the brain’s lack of neat organization and structured design. It introduces the idea of comparing the brain’s organization to something familiar, leading into the subsequent explanation of its complexity and evolutionary design.
Evaluation of Options:
- Option 1: Placing this sentence at the beginning works well as it serves as an introduction. It establishes the theme of the paragraph, setting up the idea that the brain is not neatly organized.
- Option 2: This follows the statement about the brain’s architecture being haphazard and disjointed. Placing it here seems redundant because the sentence about the brain’s multiple systems already expands on this idea.
- Option 3: This follows a discussion of evolution’s role in shaping the brain’s systems. While it’s related, the metaphor about home organization doesn’t align directly with the evolution focus.
- Option 4: This is at the end of the paragraph, where the focus shifts to comparing the brain to a big, old house. The given sentence doesn’t provide a concluding tone or align with this metaphor.
Conclusion: Option 1 is the best placement as it introduces the theme effectively.
Sentence: “Understanding central Asia’s role helps developments make more sense not only across Asia but in Europe, the Americas and Africa.”
Paragraph:
The nations of the Silk Roads are sometimes called ‘developing countries’, but they are actually some of the world’s most highly developed countries, the very crossroads of civilization, in advanced states of disrepair. ___(1)___. These countries lie at the centre of global affairs: they have since the beginning of history. Running across the spine of Asia, they form a web of connections fanning out in every direction, routes along which pilgrims and warriors, nomads and merchants have travelled, goods and produce have been bought and sold, and ideas exchanged, adapted and refined. ___(2)___. They have carried not only prosperity, but also death and violence, disease and disaster. ___(3)___. The Silk Roads are the world’s central nervous system, connecting otherwise far-flung peoples and places…. ___(4)___.
Options:
- 1) Option 1
- 2) Option 2
- 3) Option 3
- 4) Option 4
The given sentence best fits after the mention of the Silk Roads nations being at “the crossroads of civilization, in advanced states of disrepair” (Option 1).
The sentence introduces the broader significance of understanding Central Asia’s role, which leads naturally into the subsequent statement that these nations lie at the center of global affairs. It effectively bridges the ideas of their historical importance and their influence across continents.
Sentence: “Comprehending a wide range of emotions, Renaissance music nevertheless portrayed all emotions in a balanced and moderate fashion.”
Paragraph:
A volume of translated Italian madrigals were published in London during the year of 1588. This sudden public interest facilitated a surge of English Madrigal writing as well as a spurt of other secular music writing and publication. ___(1)___. This music boom lasted for thirty years and was as much a golden age of music as British literature was with Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I. ___(2)___. The rebirth in both literature and music originated in Italy and migrated to England; the English madrigal became more humorous and lighter in England as compared to Italy. Renaissance music was mostly polyphonic in texture. ___(3)___. Extreme use of and contrasts in dynamics, rhythm, and tone colour do not occur. ___(4)___.
Options:
- 1) Option 1
- 2) Option 2
- 3) Option 3
- 4) Option 4
The given sentence best fits after the mention of Renaissance music being “mostly polyphonic in texture” (Option 3).
This placement allows for a smooth transition from the technical characteristics of Renaissance music (polyphony) to its emotional portrayal. It also sets up the subsequent discussion on the absence of extreme contrasts in dynamics, rhythm, and tone colour.
Paragraph Completion CAT 2024 Slot 2
Sentence: “Yet each day the flock produced eggs with calcareous shells though they apparently had not ingested any calcium from land which was entirely lacking in limestone.”
Paragraph:
Early in this century a young Breton schoolboy who preparing himself for a scientific career began to notice a strange fact about hens in his father’s poultry yard. ___(1) ___. As they scratched the soil they constantly seemed to be pecking at specks of mica, a siliceous material dotting the ground. ___(2)___. No one could explain to Louis Kervran why the chickens selected the mica, or why each time a bird was killed for the family cooking pot no trace of the mica could be found in its gizzard. ___(3) ___. It took Kervran many years to establish that the chickens were transmuting one element into another. ___(4)___.
Options:
- 1) Option 1
- 2) Option 4
- 3) Option 2
- 4) Option 3
Analysis:
The given sentence describes a puzzling observation about the hens’ ability to produce calcium-rich eggs despite the lack of calcium sources. It logically follows the description of the hens’ behavior and the mystery about mica consumption but precedes the explanation about element transmutation.
Placement Evaluation:
- Option 1: Placing the sentence at the very beginning disrupts the narrative setup.
- Option 2: After describing the hens pecking at mica, this placement is possible but less logical than Option 3.
- Option 3: This placement is ideal as it bridges the mystery of mica consumption with the observation about calcium-rich eggs.
- Option 4: Placing the sentence after the explanation of transmutation would make it redundant.
Conclusion: Option 3 is the best placement as it builds on the hens’ behavior and mystery.
Sentence: “[T]he Europeans did not invent globalization.”
Paragraph:
The first phase of globalization occurred long before the introduction of either steam or electric power…Chinese consumers at all social levels consumed vast quantities of spices, fragrant woods and unusual plants. The peoples of Southeast Asia who lived in forests gave up their traditional livelihoods and completely reoriented their economies to supply Chinese consumers….___(1)___. These exchanges of the year 1000 opened some of the routes through which goods and peoples continued to travel after Columbus traversed the mid-Atlantic. ___(2)___. Yet the world of 1000 differed from that of 1492 in important ways….the travellers who encountered one another in the year 1000 were much closer technologically. ___(3)___. They changed and augmented what was already there since 1000. ___(4)___. If globalization hadn’t yet begun, Europeans wouldn’t have been able to penetrate the markets in so many places as quickly as they did after 1492.
Options:
- 1) Option 2
- 2) Option 3
- 3) Option 4
- 4) Option 1
Analysis:
The sentence emphasizes that globalization predated European influence. It fits best as a summary following the discussion of routes and exchanges before Columbus and aligns with the paragraph’s conclusion about Europe building on existing systems.
Placement Evaluation:
- Option 1: Interrupts the discussion of Southeast Asian economies.
- Option 2: Doesn’t directly connect to the continuation of routes.
- Option 3: Focuses on technological differences, making this placement less logical.
- Option 4: Summarizes the paragraph and connects the historical points effectively.
Conclusion: Option 4 is the best placement as it ties the paragraph’s ideas together.
Sentence: “Science has officially crowned us superior to our early-rising brethren.”
Paragraph:
My fellow night owls, grab a strong cup of coffee and gather around: I have great news. ___(1)___. For a long time, our kind has been unfairly maligned. Stereotyped as lazy and undisciplined. Told we ought to be morning larks. Advised to go to bed early so we can wake before 5am and run a marathon before breakfast like all high-flyers seem to do. Now, however, we are having the last laugh. ___(2)___. It may be a tad more complicated than that. A study published last week, which you may have already seen while scrolling at 1am, suggests that staying up late could be good for brain power. ___(3)___. Is this study a thinly veiled PR exercise conducted by a caffeine-pill company? Nope, it’s legit. ___(4)___. Research led by academics at Imperial College London studied data on more than 26,000 people and found that “self-declared ‘night owls’ generally tend to have higher cognitive scores”.
Options:
- 1) Option 2
- 2) Option 3
- 3) Option 4
- 4) Option 1
Analysis:
The sentence marks a triumphant
Paragraph Completion CAT 2024 Slot 3
Sentence: “This reality is putting stress on employees who have to pay for transport, desk lunches, more childcare, clothing and that after-work socialisation – costs they haven’t incurred for nearly two years.”
Paragraph:
___(1)___. Prices are rising at their fastest rate in 40 years, consequently, return-to-office-related costs have shot up – think petrol and food, for instance. ___(2)___. Yet wages haven’t kept up with inflation – even despite the salary growth many workers have enjoyed during a favourable pandemic labour market. ___(3)___. This is especially jarring for workers who were able to save during remote work, when these expenditures weren’t a factor. ___(4)___. In April 2022, Umus, a London university lecturer, told BBC Worklife that they were spending nearly a quarter of what they made every day on return-to-work costs.
Options:
- 1) Option 4
- 2) Option 2
- 3) Option 3
- 4) Option 1
Analysis:
The sentence discusses the financial stress caused by the return-to-office-related costs and adds examples (transport, desk lunches, childcare, etc.) to illustrate the burden. It fits as a follow-up to the mention of rising costs like petrol and food.
Placement Evaluation:
- Option 1: Starting the paragraph with this sentence lacks the context provided by the mention of rising prices and return-to-office costs.
- Option 2: This placement is ideal as it expands on the point about rising costs introduced in the previous sentence. It provides specific examples and maintains the logical flow.
- Option 3: This comes after discussing wages not keeping up with inflation. Adding the sentence here disrupts the flow, as the topic has shifted to wages.
- Option 4: This is near the conclusion with a specific example. Adding the sentence here would feel redundant and disconnected.
Conclusion: Option 2 is the best placement for the sentence.
Sentence: “Many have had to leave their homes behind, with more than 1.3 million people being displaced due to the drought.”
Paragraph:
Somalia has been dealing with an enormous humanitarian catastrophe, driven by the longest and most severe drought the country has experienced in at least 40 years. ___(1)___. Five consecutive rainy seasons have failed, causing more than 8 million people – almost half of the country’s population – to experience acute food insecurity. ___(2)___. More than 43,000 people are believed to have lost their lives, with half of the lives lost likely being children under five. The damage the drought has caused is far-reaching. ___(3)___. Farmers have lost all their agricultural income, while pastoralists have lost more than 3 million livestock, impoverishing entire communities, and leaving them on the brink of famine. ___(4)___. Some, like the pastoralists, may never be able to go back as their livelihoods have been irreversibly wiped out.
Options:
- 1) Option 1
- 2) Option 4
- 3) Option 2
- 4) Option 3
Analysis:
The given sentence highlights the displacement of people due to the drought. It fits early in the paragraph where the broader humanitarian catastrophe is introduced, leading to the detailed impacts discussed later.
Placement Evaluation:
- Option 1: Placing the sentence here works well because it elaborates on the humanitarian catastrophe mentioned in the opening sentence.
- Option 2: Placing the sentence here disrupts the sequence as displacement is a broader issue and should precede specific impacts like food insecurity.
- Option 3: Introducing displacement here interrupts the paragraph’s focus on loss of lives.
- Option 4: Adding the sentence here feels disconnected, as it doesn’t align with the final point about irreparable damage to livelihoods.
Conclusion: Option 1 is the best placement.
Sentence: “Taken outside the village of Trang Bang on June 8, 1972, the picture captured the trauma and indiscriminate violence of a conflict that claimed, by some estimates, a million or more civilian lives.”
Paragraph:
The horrifying photograph of children fleeing a deadly napalm attack has become a defining image not only of the Vietnam War but the 20th century. ___(1)___. Dark smoke billowing behind them, the young subjects’ faces are painted with a mixture of terror, pain and confusion. ___(2)___. Soldiers from the South Vietnamese army’s 25th Division follow helplessly behind. ___(3)___. The picture was officially titled “The Terror of War,” but the photo is better known by the nickname given to naked 9-year-old at its centre “Napalm Girl”. ___(4)___.
Options:
- 1) Option 3
- 2) Option 4
- 3) Option 1
- 4) Option 2
Analysis:
This sentence provides crucial contextual information about the photograph’s origins and historical significance. It logically follows the introduction of the photograph and expands on
