Ever struggled with jargon in VARC? Ever wondered how you can use ChatGPT cleverly for VARC in CAT? Here is a very cunning hack I used to help you students!
I uploaded all the CAT papers from 2017 to 2024(21 Question Papers) and asked ChatGPT to analyse and create a list of top 40 words which are jargon which has featured repeatedly in CAT. Now ChatGPT can be pretty stupid but by repeated clever prompting I extracted the below 41 Highest Frequency Words which have appeared in CAT multiple times! Every CAT aspirant needs to know these words!
Memorise these words dear AGites.
41 CAT VARC Jargon Words — Fully Explained
NATURAL SCIENCES
Definition: A measure of disorder or randomness in a system, commonly used in thermodynamics.
Simple Explanation: How disorganised or chaotic something is.
Contextual Example: A melting ice cube increases the system's entropy.
Indian Example: The chaos in a Delhi traffic jam is like social entropy!
Definition: Observable physical characteristics of an organism, shaped by genes and environment.
Simple Explanation: What you look like based on your genes.
Contextual Example: Eye colour and height are phenotypes.
Indian Example: Fair skin or curly hair seen in families are inherited phenotypes.
Definition: Variants of a chemical element with the same number of protons but different neutrons.
Simple Explanation: Same element, different weight.
Contextual Example: Carbon-14 is an isotope used in dating fossils.
Indian Example: India uses Uranium-235 isotope in nuclear power plants.
Definition: A change in DNA sequence, which can affect traits or functions.
Simple Explanation: A sudden gene change.
Contextual Example: Mutations can cause diseases or give survival advantages.
Indian Example: COVID variants like Delta were results of viral mutations.
Definition: A nerve cell that transmits signals in the brain and body.
Simple Explanation: Brain messenger cell.
Contextual Example: Neurons communicate through electric signals.
Indian Example: Studying hard strengthens neural connections during CAT prep.
Definition: The junction between two neurons where information is transmitted.
Simple Explanation: The gap where brain messages jump.
Contextual Example: Synapses are critical for memory formation.
Indian Example: Recalling shlokas uses fast synapse activity.
Definition: The complete set of genes or genetic material in an organism.
Simple Explanation: Your full genetic blueprint.
Contextual Example: The human genome project mapped all human genes.
Indian Example: Scientists are mapping the Indian genome to study health risks.
Definition: The branch of physics dealing with heat, work, and energy.
Simple Explanation: The study of heat and energy flow.
Contextual Example: Thermodynamics explains how engines work.
Indian Example: AC efficiency in summer depends on thermodynamic laws.
Definition: The variety of life in an ecosystem or planet.
Simple Explanation: Different kinds of plants and animals.
Contextual Example: High biodiversity keeps ecosystems resilient.
Indian Example: The Western Ghats are rich in biodiversity.
HUMANITIES
Definition: A branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being.
Simple Explanation: Study of what exists.
Contextual Example: Ontology asks whether time is real or imagined.
Indian Example: The Upanishads are full of ontological questions about the self.
Definition: The study of knowledge, its sources, and justification.
Simple Explanation: How we know what we know.
Contextual Example: Epistemology distinguishes belief from truth.
Indian Example: “Shabda pramana” in Indian philosophy is an epistemological concept.
Definition: The theory and method of interpretation, especially of texts.
Simple Explanation: Reading between the lines.
Contextual Example: Hermeneutics is used to interpret religious texts.
Indian Example: Interpreting the Bhagavad Gita involves hermeneutics.
Definition: A story or image with symbolic meaning beneath the surface.
Simple Explanation: A story with a hidden message.
Contextual Example: Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegory of communism.
Indian Example: The Panchatantra uses animal stories as moral allegories.
Definition: The influence of personal feelings and opinions in perception.
Simple Explanation: How your feelings colour your thoughts.
Contextual Example: Art is interpreted with subjectivity.
Indian Example: News channels often display subjectivity in reporting.
Definition: Judging without bias or emotions.
Simple Explanation: Seeing things as they are, not as you feel.
Contextual Example: Scientific research requires objectivity.
Indian Example: Judges must maintain objectivity in court cases.
Definition: Formal discussion on a topic through language.
Simple Explanation: Serious talk or debate on ideas.
Contextual Example: Academic discourse shapes scholarly knowledge.
Indian Example: Political discourse around reservation policies is intense.
Definition: A critical approach that questions traditional assumptions in text.
Simple Explanation: Pulling apart ideas to see what’s really being said.
Contextual Example: Feminist critics deconstruct fairy tales.
Indian Example: Deconstructing Ramayana reveals multiple social perspectives.
Definition: Concerned with beauty and artistic expression.
Simple Explanation: What looks or feels beautiful.
Contextual Example: Minimalist design has high aesthetic value.
Indian Example: A Rajasthani jharokha has strong aesthetic appeal.
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Definition: An economic system based on private ownership and profit-making.
Simple Explanation: Businesses run for profit.
Contextual Example: Capitalism rewards innovation and efficiency.
Indian Example: Startups like Flipkart thrive in India’s capitalist economy.
Definition: Control by one country over another, often exploiting resources.
Simple Explanation: One country ruling another.
Contextual Example: Colonialism changed trade patterns worldwide.
Indian Example: British colonialism altered India’s economy and education.
Definition: Dominance of one group over others, especially culturally or ideologically.
Simple Explanation: When one group quietly controls the rest.
Contextual Example: Media hegemony influences public opinion.
Indian Example: Hindi dominance in Bollywood is linguistic hegemony.
Definition: Unearned advantages held by certain groups.
Simple Explanation: Benefits some get without asking for them.
Contextual Example: White privilege exists in Western societies.
Indian Example: Urban privilege in India ensures better access to schools and hospitals.
Definition: Policy model favoring free-market capitalism and reduced state intervention.
Simple Explanation: Let the market do everything.
Contextual Example: Privatization is a hallmark of neoliberalism.
Indian Example: Selling Air India is part of neoliberal reforms.
Definition: Absence of government or authority, often leading to disorder.
Simple Explanation: A state where no one is in charge.
Contextual Example: Hobbes argued that anarchy leads to a war of all against all.
Indian Example: The Emergency was imposed to prevent political anarchy in the 1970s.
Definition: Political positions based on the interests of social groups with which people identify.
Simple Explanation: Politics based on who you are — caste, religion, gender, etc
Contextual Example: Feminism is a form of identity politic
.
Indian Example: Caste-based reservations are rooted in identity politics.
Definition: A condition of estrangement from self or society, often discussed in Marxist thought.
Simple Explanation: Feeling disconnected from work, people, or society.
Contextual Example: Factory workers feel alienated when they don't own what they produce.
Indian Example: Many urban migrants in Delhi feel alienated from their villages and culture.
Definition: An ethical theory that judges actions based on outcomes — the greatest good for the greatest number.
Simple Explanation: Do what helps the most people.
Contextual Example: Utilitarianism supports public vaccination to prevent disease spread.
Indian Example: Rationing during COVID lockdowns was a utilitarian choice.
Definition: Supreme authority or power of a state to govern itself.
Simple Explanation: A nation’s right to make its own decisions.
Contextual Example: Sovereignty means the UN cannot interfere in national laws.
Indian Example: Article 370 once gave special sovereignty to Jammu & Kashmir.
Definition: A philosophical concept where people give up some freedoms for security and order.
Simple Explanation: An imaginary deal between people and government.
Contextual Example: Hobbes believed people submit to a ruler to escape chaos.
Indian Example: The Constitution of India is our social contract.
Definition: Relating to mental processes like thinking, memory, problem-solving.
Simple Explanation: Anything the brain does to understand and decide.
Contextual Example: Cognitive skills are essential for reasoning and reading comprehension.
Indian Example: Solving Sudoku or puzzles builds cognitive sharpness for CAT.
Definition: The dispersion of people from their original homeland.
Simple Explanation: People living far away from their roots.
Contextual Example: The Jewish diaspora maintained culture despite being scattered.
Indian Example: The Indian diaspora in the US influences policy and economy.
Definition: The ability of individuals or groups to act independently and make their own choices.
Simple Explanation: Power to choose and act.
Contextual Example: Feminist theory often explores women’s agency.
Indian Example: Women asserting agency in rural India by choosing education over early marriage.
CROSS-DISCIPLINARY / THEORETICAL JARGON
Definition: A framework or pattern of thinking widely accepted in a field.
Simple Explanation: A dominant way of seeing things.
Contextual Example: The shift from Newtonian physics to quantum physics was a paradigm shift.
Indian Example: From rote-learning to experiential education is a paradigm change in Indian schools.
Definition: The depiction or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way.
Simple Explanation: How someone or something is shown.
Contextual Example: Media shapes public opinion through representation.
Indian Example: Dalits were often misrepresented in 90s Bollywood films.
Definition: A system where multiple groups, beliefs, or opinions coexist respectfully.
Simple Explanation: Living with differences peacefully.
Contextual Example: Religious pluralism allows freedom of belief.
Indian Example: India celebrates pluralism with Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and Christian festivals.
Definition: The study of signs and symbols and their use in communication.
Simple Explanation: How meaning is made from signs.
Contextual Example: Semiotics analyses how brand logos create identity.
Indian Example: The lotus symbol in Indian politics carries deep semiotic value.
Definition: A method of analysis that looks at the underlying systems that shape meaning or society.
Simple Explanation: Studying the invisible structures behind what we see.
Contextual Example: Structuralists study how language shapes meaning.
Indian Example: Analysing Indian joint families through structuralism shows role hierarchies.
Definition: A movement sceptical of grand narratives, emphasizing fragmentation, irony, and diversity.
Simple Explanation: Questioning all big ideas or ‘truths’.
Contextual Example: Postmodern texts often have multiple meanings and endings.
Indian Example: The film Ship of Theseus is postmodern in style and storytelling.
Definition: The ability or right to make one’s own decisions.
Simple Explanation: Freedom to decide for yourself.
Contextual Example: Student autonomy encourages creativity in classrooms.
Indian Example: Indian states have autonomy in handling law and order.
Definition: A body of works considered authoritative or classic in a field.
Simple Explanation: The must-reads or standard ideas.
Contextual Example: Shakespeare is part of the English literary canon.
Indian Example: Kalidasa’s plays are part of the classical Sanskrit canon.
Definition: A system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory.
Simple Explanation: A big idea that guides people’s beliefs.
Contextual Example: Marxism is a powerful political ideology.
Indian Example: Gandhian ideology focused on non-violence and rural development.
Knowing these 41 terms will boost your comprehension instantly — not just for CAT, but for life. Don’t mug them. Absorb them. Use them. Spot them in editorials, Aeon essays, or even films.
This is vocabulary with a worldview. So dear AGites ensure you memorize these top 41 words!
