Central Idea of Essay in Xat

8/14/2019 Central Idea of Essay in Xat

1/5

CENTRAL IDEA OF ESSAY IN XAT

INTRODUCTION:

Essay writing has been integral part for XAT exams since last so many years. This is atotally different aspect which comes across us in comparison to other similar MBAentrance tests. Generally there is 2 hrs. time to complete the XAT paper which consistsof sections like English, Quant and Reasoning. After this paper gets completed there is

small break for 10 minutes after which second part of essay writing is being conducted.Essay writing in XAT consists of 20 minutes time and there is no word limit as such forthe same but Generally 350-450 words will suffice provided the content is good andwell managed to justify its topic.

TYPES OF ESSAYS ASKED IN XAT:

There are basically two broad categories of essays which are asked in XAT they areABSTRACT topics e.g.There is a no right way of doing a wrong thing. and the othertype is KNOWLEDGE BASED topics e.g. India has one of the largest pools of talentedmanpower, but few innovations and patented products.

In case of abstract topics the logical power and creative thinking of the candidate istested while in case of knowledge-based topics one requires indepth knowledge aboutthe topics and had to back his argument with reasonable data and quotes. Thisrequires indepth reading on variety of topics and understanding of the subject matter. Iwould suggest regular reading ofbusiness magazines and business dailies forpreparing such topics. Also reading magazines like TIME, INDIA TODAY etc. andlistening BBC NEWS will benefit a lot to the candidate not only for the essay writing butalso for GD-PI preparation.

WHY ESSAY WRITING IN XAT:

As such XLRI selects a candidate for shortlisting for PI on the basis of scores of writtenexams only and essay has no role to play for getting a call from XLRI, but it isdefinately given importance to shortlist a candidate in the interview. Basically essay isused to know the logical power and depth of understanding of candidate about hissurrounding world. The interviewer can ask questions based on the essay and it is alsoused to measure how well a candidate can convince his/her point. So one must makesure that he/she refers the key points of the essay before facing the interview.

Another suggestion is that be as simple and crisp in your points as possible and neverprovide wrong data, facts or quotes on the basis of your intuition. One should also

make sure that the starting part and conclusion part should be most effective as itcreates very good impression. The body of essay should cover all important points andexplain them in a reasonable length. Here are some previous year essay topics for yourfurther practice

What is looked for?

Subject knowledgeClarity of thoughtFlow of ideasExamplesFacts

Correct usage of grammarCorrect usage of wordsA neat hand-writing

How should you write?

Always write in paragraphs
http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/


2/5

Its not a natural but learned skillDifferent paragraphs express different ideas that contribute to the main ideaA paragraph should ideally contain :

(i)Topic Sentence: it is the 1st sentence expressing the main idea of the paragraph- Say what you are going to

say

(ii)Supporting Sentences: they expand the main idea expressed in the topic sentence- Say it

(iii)Concluding Sentence: rounding off what has been said or a logical conclusion of the idea in the topic

sentence- Say it again!!!

How should you write?

Follow a flow of paragraphsAlways let the first paragraph be an introduction to the subject matterExpansion/ support/ refutation of the idea must follow in subsequent paragraphsThe last paragraph must have a conclusion of the main ideaThere could be two forms of writing- Deductive and InductiveYou should have good knowledge of the topic to write aboutRead the directions carefullyRecognize action words- discuss, evaluate, argue, comment etc.Focus on the issue rather than peripheries

Choose words with precise meanings; avoid ambiguityDo not use JargonDo not use SlangDo not use ClichDo not use AbbreviationsDo not use Quotations without acknowledgmentsMake tentative statements; avoid definitive statements- it leaves a scope for further discussion

How to prepare?

Regular reading of:-(i)Newspaper editorials

(ii)News papers

(iii)News websites(iv)Non-fiction

Discussions with friends and familyInformational thinking

Topic - More than one billion Indians: A gigantic problem or a sea of opportunities.

Looking at the pressures on the environment, on resources, looking at the aggressive one child policy of China, it mayseem that a large population can only cause more problems. While true to a considerable extent, it is not necessarilyso.

A large population will cause problems for the environment. There will be, at the very least, too many mouths to feed.

For a country like India, where most of the population is unskilled, where the public education system and the publichealth care system is in a terrible state, where most of the population lives in fairly unhygienic conditions, a largepopulation does and will bring many challenges.

However, given the right policy initiatives and the right direction, these billion plus Indians could be very useful. To startwith, overhauling the public schools and public health care must be the first priority. Recent government initiatives likethe Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan have had limited success but more needs to be done. The proposed universal healthinsurance scheme, if implemented properly, could be a boon for the common, lower middle class Indian who cannotafford even decent healthcare. Other initiatives like increased private participation in education, more vocationalcourses, more ITIs, higher education related reforms would also be required. That said, it is important to also control thegrowing population as an ever increasing population will do more harm than good.

Thus, a billion, skilled, well educated, healthy Indians can help India sustain its high growth trajectory, generate wealth

for people at the very bottom and raise the standard of living of all in general.

XAT PREVIOUS YEARS ESSAY TOPICS


3/5

XAT essay 1996There is no right way of doing a wrong thing.

XAT essay 1997By the third or fourth week of the term, business school had succeeded in afflictingme with a variation of the Stockholm syndrome, named after the incident in which ahostage in a Stockholm bank robbery fell in love with one of her captors.

XAT essay 1998Max Weber, a German Sociologist, defined state as an entity that has a monopoly overlegal violence. India proves that the converse is also true; if criminals cannot bepunished by the law, its effect they become the state.

XAT essay 1999That is what a Television really is; it is another eye so you can see anywhere; anotherpart of your heart so you can feel and care about things you never felt and cared aboutbefore; another ear to hear strange music the first and only International language.

XAT essay 2000

Ships in harbor are safe; but that is not what they are built for.

XAT essay 2001Economic Growth without distributive justice can only lead to violence

XAT essay 2002Indian Economy in the Post WTO Era.

XAT essay 2003To give real service, one needs to add something that cannot be bought or measured,like sincerity and integrity.

XAT essay 2004Asked at the age of 83, as to which of his project would he choose as his master piece,Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect answered, The next one

XAT essay 2005More than one billion Indians: A gigantic problem or a sea of opportunities.

XAT essay 2006India has one of the largest pools of talented manpower, but few innovations andpatented products.

XAT essay 2007Economic Growth without environmental damage - a mirage or a reality

XAT essay 2008Gender imbalance will lead to Third world war.

XAT essay 2009

"The Inherent vice of Capitalism is unequal sharing of blessings and the inherent virtue ofSocialism is equal sharing of misery"An interesting topic, which required some awareness of the two political and economic systems. Some points

worth exploring in this essay were:

1) The historical development of Capitalism as a major force shaping the modern world.

2) The rise of Socialism as a countering force as visualized by Karl Marx and other thinkers.
http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/http://mashrani.blog.co.in/2008/12/06/essay-writing-in-xat-2009/


4/5

3) Major Socialist movements such as the Russian Revolution.

4) How Capitalism came to be viewed as a credo and how the world got bi-polarized into the Capitalist and

Socialist blocks.

5) Lessons from the 20th century- how Socialism and Communism failed to stem theeconomic collapse of Russia. Ironically enough, the virtue of equal sharing of misery failedto sustain Socialist governments.

6) The enduring appeal of Capitalism even though the vice of unequal distribution of wealth persists- example of

how erstwhile Socialist regimes like China are embracing market Capitalism today.

XAT 2010: Essay Writing Tips

Five Steps to writing Essays

1. Understand;

2. Think!! Come up with a central thought.;

3. Plan;4. Write and

5. Check.

Keep these five steps and LEER approach in mind. Read well for next 15 days. Start going through some

quotations.

LEER approach,

L = Lead statement making a point relevant to key words in the topic.

E = Evidence and Examples.

E = Explanation, Elaboration and discussion of the evidence.R= Relevance of these to the overall argument, therefore a more analytical discussion.

ESSAY WRITING TIPS FOR XAT

The prestigious XAT (Xavier's Admission Test) for admission to colleges like XLRI, XIM B, GIM, etc. apart from other areas also testsyou on essay writing. Twenty minutes is stipulated at the end of the 2 hour test period to write a page- long essay. The essay topic

for XAT 2008 was "The consequence of gender imbalance- The Third World War" and XAT 2009 was "The Inherent vice ofCapitalism is unequal sharing of blessings and the inherent virtue of Socialism is equal sharing of misery"

To get an understanding of how to best tackle this section, let us first understand why it is a part of the test in the first place. A goodmanager needs to have good writing skills. He needs to be able to present his ideas in a crisp, logical and coherent manner. An

essay written by an applicant reveals this facet of his aptitude. They are not on the lookout for a Shakespeare but somebody who canexpress his thoughts well in a written form and who is well read and hence well informed about the prevailing socio-political andeconomic scenario and how it affects businesses and hence business managers. Also how free the applicant is from prejudice andbiases and how well he understands the point and is able to negotiate issues with integrity and sensitivity.

Topics over the years have ranged from imaginative (XAT 2000: Ships are safer in the harbour but they are not meant for the same)to factual (XAT 2002: Indian Economy in the Post WTO Era). When I wrote XAT in 2004, the topic was: Asked at the age of 83, as towhich of his projects would he choose as his masterpiece, Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous architect answered, "The next one".

Immediately the mind started working as to how the hallmark of a truly brilliant mind is the ever moving target that is perfection. Amind that swiftly corrects itself and is always in the pursuit of excellence. Geniuses are rarely satisfied by their attempts and aftereach effort try to better the previous one. I brought in Ayn Rand's 'The Fountainhead' as well since the backdrop was architecture.After spending around 5- 7 minutes organizing my ideas and jotting down the flow, I carefully started to write keeping in mindparagraphs and a logical thought flow. I avoided cancellations and at the end of around 18 minutes went through what had beenwritten. Time runs out very quickly in these kinds of tests.

So, to tackle this section well, first and foremost prepare well. Read magazines like Outlook, India Today, Editorials of newspapers,books, etc. Then try to have opinions based on certain perspectives which you can back up through logic or facts. The moment youread the 'topic' start thinking about the main 'point' and all that you know linked to that. Try to build a point of view and back it with


5/5

perspectives. Jot down the flow. Once you are satisfied, write the essay down quickly. After finishing, do not forget to go throughwhat you have written and make the necessary corrections. I wish you good luck for XAT 2010.

Documents

Central Idea of Essay in Xat