CATPast year paperFree to attempt

CAT 2024 Slot 3 question paper with answer key

This is the complete CAT 2024 Slot 3 question paper with answer key and solutions — 68 questions across VARC, DILR, QA, 2h with sectional timers. Three sequential sections with sectional timers. MCQ negative marking; TITA has none. You can attempt this paper free on MBACracked under exam-accurate timing and unlock topic-wise analytics after you finish.

Ready to attempt this paper?

Reading the paper is free. Attempt it under timed exam conditions to get your estimated percentile, topic-wise accuracy, and pacing analysis.

Sign up free to attempt under real exam timing and get your percentile breakdown.

VARC(24 questions)

Q1Reading Comprehension·Specific Detail

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. Fears of artificial intelligence (AI) have haunted humanity since the very beginning of the computer age. Hitherto these fears focused on machines using physical means to kill, enslave or replace people. But over the past couple of years new AI tools have emerged that threaten the survival of human civilisation from an unexpected direction. AI has gained some remarkable abilities to manipulate and generate language, whether with words, sounds or images. AI has thereby hacked the operating system of our civilisation. Language is the stuff almost all human culture is made of. Human rights, for example, aren’t inscribed in our DNA. Rather, they are cultural artefacts we created by telling stories and writing laws. Gods aren’t physical realities. Rather, they are cultural artefacts we created by inventing myths and writing scriptures….What would happen once a non-human intelligence becomes better than the average human at telling stories, composing melodies, drawing images, and writing laws and scriptures? When people think about Chatgpt and other new AI tools, they are often drawn to examples like school children using AI to write their essays. What will happen to the school system when kids do that? But this kind of question misses the big picture. Forget about school essays. Think of the next American presidential race in2024, and try to imagine the impact of AI tools that can be made to mass-produce political content, fake-news stories and scriptures for new cults… Through its mastery of language, AI could even form intimate relationships with people, and use the power of intimacy to change our opinions and worldviews. Although there is no indication that AI has any consciousness or feelings of its own, to foster fake intimacy with humans it is enough if the AI can make them feel emotionally attached to it…. What will happen to the course of history when AI takes over culture, and begins producing stories, melodies, laws and religions? Previous tools like the printing press and radio helped spread the cultural ideas of humans, but they never created new cultural ideas of their own.AI is fundamentally different. AI can create completely new ideas, completely new culture….Of course, the new power of AI could be used for good purposes as well. I won’t dwell on this, because the people who develop AI talk about it enough…. We can still regulate the new AI tools, but we must act quickly. Whereas nukes cannot invent more powerful nukes, AI can make exponentially more powerful AI.… Unregulated AI deployments would create social chaos, which would benefit autocrats and ruin democracies. Democracy is a conversation, and conversations rely on language. When AI hacks language, it could destroy our ability to have meaningful conversations, thereby destroying democracy….And the first regulation I would suggest is to make it mandatory for AI to disclose that it is an AI. If I am having a conversation with someone, and I cannot tell whether it is a human or an AI—that’s the end of democracy. This text has been generated by a human. Or has it?

The author identifies all of the following as dire outcomes of the capture of language by AI EXCEPT that it could

  • Aapply its mastery of language to create strong emotional ties which could exacerbate the polarization of political views.Correct answer
  • Bspawn a completely new culture through its ability to create new ideas and opinions.
  • Ceventually subvert democratic processes through the mass creation and spread of fake political content and news.
  • Dout-strip human creativity and endeavours in the spheres such as art and music and, in the formulation of laws.

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A The EXCEPT item: AI capturing language could spawn new culture, flood politics with fakes, and outpace humans in creative/legal domains. Intimate emotional ties that *exacerbate polarisation* are not identified as one of the author’s listed “dire outcomes” in that form—intimacy is mentioned as a power to change opinions, but polarisation-worsening is the extra leap A adds. Why the others fail: • B — Matches fear of AI generating ideas/opinions that seed a new culture. • C — Matches mass fake political content threatening democracy. • D — Matches AI outstripping humans in art, music, law-making.
Q2Reading Comprehension·Inference

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. Fears of artificial intelligence (AI) have haunted humanity since the very beginning of the computer age. Hitherto these fears focused on machines using physical means to kill, enslave or replace people. But over the past couple of years new AI tools have emerged that threaten the survival of human civilisation from an unexpected direction. AI has gained some remarkable abilities to manipulate and generate language, whether with words, sounds or images. AI has thereby hacked the operating system of our civilisation. Language is the stuff almost all human culture is made of. Human rights, for example, aren’t inscribed in our DNA. Rather, they are cultural artefacts we created by telling stories and writing laws. Gods aren’t physical realities. Rather, they are cultural artefacts we created by inventing myths and writing scriptures….What would happen once a non-human intelligence becomes better than the average human at telling stories, composing melodies, drawing images, and writing laws and scriptures? When people think about Chatgpt and other new AI tools, they are often drawn to examples like school children using AI to write their essays. What will happen to the school system when kids do that? But this kind of question misses the big picture. Forget about school essays. Think of the next American presidential race in2024, and try to imagine the impact of AI tools that can be made to mass-produce political content, fake-news stories and scriptures for new cults… Through its mastery of language, AI could even form intimate relationships with people, and use the power of intimacy to change our opinions and worldviews. Although there is no indication that AI has any consciousness or feelings of its own, to foster fake intimacy with humans it is enough if the AI can make them feel emotionally attached to it…. What will happen to the course of history when AI takes over culture, and begins producing stories, melodies, laws and religions? Previous tools like the printing press and radio helped spread the cultural ideas of humans, but they never created new cultural ideas of their own.AI is fundamentally different. AI can create completely new ideas, completely new culture….Of course, the new power of AI could be used for good purposes as well. I won’t dwell on this, because the people who develop AI talk about it enough…. We can still regulate the new AI tools, but we must act quickly. Whereas nukes cannot invent more powerful nukes, AI can make exponentially more powerful AI.… Unregulated AI deployments would create social chaos, which would benefit autocrats and ruin democracies. Democracy is a conversation, and conversations rely on language. When AI hacks language, it could destroy our ability to have meaningful conversations, thereby destroying democracy….And the first regulation I would suggest is to make it mandatory for AI to disclose that it is an AI. If I am having a conversation with someone, and I cannot tell whether it is a human or an AI—that’s the end of democracy. This text has been generated by a human. Or has it?

We can infer that the author is most likely to agree with which of the following statements?

  • AApart from its drawbacks, AI tools have been beneficial in boosting technological and industrial advance worldwide.
  • BThe commonly expressed fear that future AI developments will fatally harm humans is unfounded.
  • COne of the biggest casualties from the spread of unregulated AI is likely to be the democratic process.Correct answer
  • DPeople’s fears of the dangers of students using Chat GPT and other new AI tools are unfounded.

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C The author is most aligned with the warning that unregulated AI’s biggest societal casualty may be democratic process (via language, intimacy, and fake political content). Why the others fail: • A — Upside industrial benefits are not the author’s emphasised stance. • B — The piece does not dismiss fatal-harm fears as unfounded; it catalogues real systemic risks. • D — Student misuse fears are not waved away as baseless; academic integrity is part of the worry landscape.
Q3Reading Comprehension·Specific Detail

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. Fears of artificial intelligence (AI) have haunted humanity since the very beginning of the computer age. Hitherto these fears focused on machines using physical means to kill, enslave or replace people. But over the past couple of years new AI tools have emerged that threaten the survival of human civilisation from an unexpected direction. AI has gained some remarkable abilities to manipulate and generate language, whether with words, sounds or images. AI has thereby hacked the operating system of our civilisation. Language is the stuff almost all human culture is made of. Human rights, for example, aren’t inscribed in our DNA. Rather, they are cultural artefacts we created by telling stories and writing laws. Gods aren’t physical realities. Rather, they are cultural artefacts we created by inventing myths and writing scriptures….What would happen once a non-human intelligence becomes better than the average human at telling stories, composing melodies, drawing images, and writing laws and scriptures? When people think about Chatgpt and other new AI tools, they are often drawn to examples like school children using AI to write their essays. What will happen to the school system when kids do that? But this kind of question misses the big picture. Forget about school essays. Think of the next American presidential race in2024, and try to imagine the impact of AI tools that can be made to mass-produce political content, fake-news stories and scriptures for new cults… Through its mastery of language, AI could even form intimate relationships with people, and use the power of intimacy to change our opinions and worldviews. Although there is no indication that AI has any consciousness or feelings of its own, to foster fake intimacy with humans it is enough if the AI can make them feel emotionally attached to it…. What will happen to the course of history when AI takes over culture, and begins producing stories, melodies, laws and religions? Previous tools like the printing press and radio helped spread the cultural ideas of humans, but they never created new cultural ideas of their own.AI is fundamentally different. AI can create completely new ideas, completely new culture….Of course, the new power of AI could be used for good purposes as well. I won’t dwell on this, because the people who develop AI talk about it enough…. We can still regulate the new AI tools, but we must act quickly. Whereas nukes cannot invent more powerful nukes, AI can make exponentially more powerful AI.… Unregulated AI deployments would create social chaos, which would benefit autocrats and ruin democracies. Democracy is a conversation, and conversations rely on language. When AI hacks language, it could destroy our ability to have meaningful conversations, thereby destroying democracy….And the first regulation I would suggest is to make it mandatory for AI to disclose that it is an AI. If I am having a conversation with someone, and I cannot tell whether it is a human or an AI—that’s the end of democracy. This text has been generated by a human. Or has it?

The author terms language “the operating system of our civilization” for all the following reasons EXCEPT that it

  • Ahas laid the foundation for the creation of cultural artefacts through writing and telling of stories.
  • Bis fundamental to the articulation and spread of human values and culture in our society.
  • Ccan influence political views and opinions as it engenders close emotional ties among people.
  • Dis the basis of AI tools like ChatGPT which can be used to generate academic content and opinion.Correct answer

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D Language is called civilisation’s “operating system” because it underwrites stories/culture, values, and (via intimacy) political sway. That ChatGPT uses language to spit academic content is an *application* of AI, not a reason the metaphor is offered. Why the others fail: • A — Writing/storytelling as cultural foundation is part of the OS claim. • B — Spreading values/culture through language is central. • C — Emotional/political influence via language mastery is in the passage’s risk story tied to that metaphor.
Q4Reading Comprehension·Tone & Attitude

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. Fears of artificial intelligence (AI) have haunted humanity since the very beginning of the computer age. Hitherto these fears focused on machines using physical means to kill, enslave or replace people. But over the past couple of years new AI tools have emerged that threaten the survival of human civilisation from an unexpected direction. AI has gained some remarkable abilities to manipulate and generate language, whether with words, sounds or images. AI has thereby hacked the operating system of our civilisation. Language is the stuff almost all human culture is made of. Human rights, for example, aren’t inscribed in our DNA. Rather, they are cultural artefacts we created by telling stories and writing laws. Gods aren’t physical realities. Rather, they are cultural artefacts we created by inventing myths and writing scriptures….What would happen once a non-human intelligence becomes better than the average human at telling stories, composing melodies, drawing images, and writing laws and scriptures? When people think about Chatgpt and other new AI tools, they are often drawn to examples like school children using AI to write their essays. What will happen to the school system when kids do that? But this kind of question misses the big picture. Forget about school essays. Think of the next American presidential race in2024, and try to imagine the impact of AI tools that can be made to mass-produce political content, fake-news stories and scriptures for new cults… Through its mastery of language, AI could even form intimate relationships with people, and use the power of intimacy to change our opinions and worldviews. Although there is no indication that AI has any consciousness or feelings of its own, to foster fake intimacy with humans it is enough if the AI can make them feel emotionally attached to it…. What will happen to the course of history when AI takes over culture, and begins producing stories, melodies, laws and religions? Previous tools like the printing press and radio helped spread the cultural ideas of humans, but they never created new cultural ideas of their own.AI is fundamentally different. AI can create completely new ideas, completely new culture….Of course, the new power of AI could be used for good purposes as well. I won’t dwell on this, because the people who develop AI talk about it enough…. We can still regulate the new AI tools, but we must act quickly. Whereas nukes cannot invent more powerful nukes, AI can make exponentially more powerful AI.… Unregulated AI deployments would create social chaos, which would benefit autocrats and ruin democracies. Democracy is a conversation, and conversations rely on language. When AI hacks language, it could destroy our ability to have meaningful conversations, thereby destroying democracy….And the first regulation I would suggest is to make it mandatory for AI to disclose that it is an AI. If I am having a conversation with someone, and I cannot tell whether it is a human or an AI—that’s the end of democracy. This text has been generated by a human. Or has it?

The tone of the passage could best be described as

  • Aquizzical, as the passage poses several questions, concluding with the question of whether or not the passage content has been generated by AI.
  • Balarmist, because the passage discusses scenarios of the influence of new AI tool son language and human emotions.
  • Cprescient, as the author analyses the future impact of the use of new AI tools on crucial areas of our society and culture.
  • Dcautionary, because the author lays out some adverse effects of the proliferation of unregulated AI tools.Correct answer

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D Tone is cautionary: the author maps adverse effects of proliferating unregulated AI tools on language, culture, and politics without pure panic theatre or mere curiosity. Why the others fail: • A — “Quizzical” underplays the sustained warning; the closing AI-authorship tease is a flourish, not the governing tone. • B — “Alarmist” overstates; the piece argues risks with measured worry, not hysteria alone. • C — “Prescient” flatters predictive genius; the stance is warning about present trajectories, not claiming proven prophecy.
Q5Verbal Ability·Paragraph Summary

Lyric poetry is a genre of private meditation rather than public commitment. The impulse in Marxism toward changing a society deemed unacceptable in its basic design would seem to place demands on lyric poetry that such poetry, with its tendency toward the personal, the small scale, and the idiosyncratic, could never answer. There is within Marxism, however, also a strand of thought that would locate in lyric poetry alternative modes of perception and description that call forth a vision of worlds at odds with a repressive reality or that draw attention to the workings of ideology within the hegemonic culture. The poetic imagination may indeed deflect larger social concerns, but it may also be implicitly critical and utopian.

  • AMarxism has internal contradictions due to which one strand of Marxism sees no merit in lyric poetry while another appreciates the alternative modes of perception in poetry.
  • BThe focus of lyric poetry as personal may not seem compatible with Marxism. However, it is possible to envisage lyric poetry as a symbol of resistance against an oppressive culture.Correct answer
  • CThe focus of lyric poetry is largely personal while that of Marxism is bringing change in society. Unless the difference is resolved, poetry will remain largely utopian.
  • DMarxism makes unreasonable demands on lyric poetry. However, lyric poetry has its own merits that are largely ignored by Marxism due to its personal nature.

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B Lyric poetry looks private/small-scale, so Marxist social transformation seems to demand what lyric cannot give; yet another Marxist strand treats lyric’s alternate perception as critical/utopian resistance to a repressive culture. B captures that apparent mismatch and the resistance reading. Why the others fail • A — Frames “internal contradictions” and a strand that “sees no merit” in lyric; the text contrasts a demanding impulse with a second strand that *values* lyric’s modes, not a meritless camp. • C — Says the personal/social gap must be “resolved” or poetry stays “largely utopian”; utopia here is a possible critical stance, not a leftover failure. • D — Calls Marxism’s demands “unreasonable” and says lyric’s merits are “largely ignored”; the second strand expressly finds merit in lyric.
Q6Verbal Ability·Sentence Placement

There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide where (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.

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-tooffice-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 favorable 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 Work life that they were spending nearly a quarter of what they made every day on return-to-work costs.

  • ABlank 3
  • BBlank 4
  • CBlank 1Correct answer
  • DBlank 2

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (Blank 1) Sentence. This reality is putting stress on employees who now pay for transport, desk lunches, extra childcare, clothing and after-work socialising — costs they had not incurred for nearly two years. Why Blank 1. The paragraph then specifies the price spike (petrol, food) and the wage lag. Starting with the cost-stress claim lets those sentences function as evidence. The Umus example at Blank 4 is a concrete instance, not the thesis. Why not the others. - Blank 2 would split inflation from wages; the missing sentence is the umbrella, not a mid-list item. - Blank 3 is already the “jarring vs remote-work savings” comment. - Blank 4 is the BBC anecdote.
Q7Verbal Ability·Sentence Placement

There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide where (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.

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 Vietnamesearmy’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)___.

  • ABlank 1
  • BBlank 2
  • CBlank 3Correct answer
  • DBlank 4

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (Blank 3) Sentence. Taken outside Trang Bang on 8 June 1972, the picture captured the trauma of a war that killed, by some estimates, a million or more civilians. Why Blank 3. The paragraph has described the fleeing children and the helpless ARVN soldiers. Date, place, and death toll then frame the image before it is named (“The Terror of War” / “Napalm Girl”). Why not the others. - Blank 1 is before any visual description. - Blank 2 is still inside the smoke-and-faces description. - Blank 4 is after the nickname — context would be tardy.
Q8Reading Comprehension·Inference

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. Moutai has been the global booze sensation of the decade. A bottle of its Flying Fairy which sold in the 1980s for the equivalent of a dollar now retails for $400. Moutai’s listed shares have soared by almost 600% in the past five years, outpacing the likes of Amazon. . . . It does this while disregarding every Western marketing mantra. It is not global, has meagre digital sales and does not appeal to millennials. It scores pitifully on environmental, social and governance measures. In the Boy Scout world of Western business it would leave a bad taste, in more ways than one. Moutai owes its intoxicating success to three factors—not all of them easy to emulate. First, it profits from Chinese nationalism. Moutai is known as the “national liquor”. It was used to raise spirits and disinfect wounds in Mao’s Long March. It was Premier Zhou Enlai’s favourite tipple, shared with Richard Nixon in 1972. Its centuries-old craftsmanship—it is distilled eight times and stored for years in earthenware jars—is a source of national pride. It also claims to be hangover-proof, which would make it an invention to rival gunpowder.... Second, it chose to serve China’s super-rich rather than its middle class. Markets are littered with the corpses of firms that could not compete in the cut-throat battle for Chinese middle-class wallets. And the country’s premium market is massive—at 73m-strong, bigger than the population of France, notes Euan McLeish of Bernstein, an investment firm, and still less crowded with prestige brands than advanced economies. Moutai is to these well-heeled drinkers what vintage champagne is to the rest of the world..... Third, Moutai looks beyond affluent millennials and digital natives. The elderly and the middle-aged, it found, can be just as lucrative. Its biggest market now is (male) drinkers in their mid-30s. Many have no siblings, thanks to four decades of China’s one-child policy—which also means their elderly parents can splash out on weddings and banquets. Moutai is often a guest of honour. Moutai has succeeded thanks to nationalism, elitism and ageism, in other words—not in spite of this unholy trinity. But it faces risks. The government is its largest shareholder—and a meddlesome one. It appears to want prices to remain stable. Exorbitantly priced booze is at odds with its professed socialist ideals. Yet minority investors—including many foreign funds—lament that Moutai’s wholesale price is a third of what it sells for in shops. Raising it could boost the company’s profits further. Instead, in what some see as a travesty of corporate governance, its majority owner has plans to set up its own sales channel..... In the long run, its biggest risk may be millennials. As they grow older, health concerns, work-life balance and the desire for more wholesome pursuits than binge-drinking may curb the “Ganbei!” toasting culture heavy drinking on which so much of the demand for Moutai rests. For the time being, though, the party goes on.

Which one of the following is both a reason for Moutai’s success as well as a possible threat to that success?

  • AIts appeal to the rich.
  • BChinese love of liquor filled celebration.
  • CIts appeal to the older age group.Correct answer
  • DGovernment involvement in its business

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C Moutai’s demand rests heavily on an age cohort of established male drinkers (mid-30s+ banquet culture). That same age-skew is a threat: as younger millennials age into less binge-centred tastes, the cohort that made the brand may not be replaced. So age-group appeal is both prop and risk. Why the others fail: • A — Prestige/rich appeal explains success but is not cast as the parallel long-run threat. • B — Celebration culture underwrites demand; it is not the double-edged hinge named. • D — State links shape the industry but are not the success-and-threat pair the question targets.
Q9Reading Comprehension·Vocabulary in Context

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. Moutai has been the global booze sensation of the decade. A bottle of its Flying Fairy which sold in the 1980s for the equivalent of a dollar now retails for $400. Moutai’s listed shares have soared by almost 600% in the past five years, outpacing the likes of Amazon. . . . It does this while disregarding every Western marketing mantra. It is not global, has meagre digital sales and does not appeal to millennials. It scores pitifully on environmental, social and governance measures. In the Boy Scout world of Western business it would leave a bad taste, in more ways than one. Moutai owes its intoxicating success to three factors—not all of them easy to emulate. First, it profits from Chinese nationalism. Moutai is known as the “national liquor”. It was used to raise spirits and disinfect wounds in Mao’s Long March. It was Premier Zhou Enlai’s favourite tipple, shared with Richard Nixon in 1972. Its centuries-old craftsmanship—it is distilled eight times and stored for years in earthenware jars—is a source of national pride. It also claims to be hangover-proof, which would make it an invention to rival gunpowder.... Second, it chose to serve China’s super-rich rather than its middle class. Markets are littered with the corpses of firms that could not compete in the cut-throat battle for Chinese middle-class wallets. And the country’s premium market is massive—at 73m-strong, bigger than the population of France, notes Euan McLeish of Bernstein, an investment firm, and still less crowded with prestige brands than advanced economies. Moutai is to these well-heeled drinkers what vintage champagne is to the rest of the world..... Third, Moutai looks beyond affluent millennials and digital natives. The elderly and the middle-aged, it found, can be just as lucrative. Its biggest market now is (male) drinkers in their mid-30s. Many have no siblings, thanks to four decades of China’s one-child policy—which also means their elderly parents can splash out on weddings and banquets. Moutai is often a guest of honour. Moutai has succeeded thanks to nationalism, elitism and ageism, in other words—not in spite of this unholy trinity. But it faces risks. The government is its largest shareholder—and a meddlesome one. It appears to want prices to remain stable. Exorbitantly priced booze is at odds with its professed socialist ideals. Yet minority investors—including many foreign funds—lament that Moutai’s wholesale price is a third of what it sells for in shops. Raising it could boost the company’s profits further. Instead, in what some see as a travesty of corporate governance, its majority owner has plans to set up its own sales channel..... In the long run, its biggest risk may be millennials. As they grow older, health concerns, work-life balance and the desire for more wholesome pursuits than binge-drinking may curb the “Ganbei!” toasting culture heavy drinking on which so much of the demand for Moutai rests. For the time being, though, the party goes on.

In the context of the passage, it is most likely that the author refers to Moutai’s marketing strategy as “the unholy trinity” because

  • Ait profits from Chinese nationalist feelings.
  • Bit exposes the firm to long term risks.
  • Cit contradicts the Western strategy of marketing.Correct answer
  • Dthere is nothing holy about marketing techniques for liquor.

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C “Unholy trinity” flags a marketing mix that flouts what Western liquor marketing treats as normal/holy writ—hence the ironic label for a strategy that contradicts Western playbooks. Why the others fail: • A — Nationalism may appear in the brand story but is not why the trinity is called unholy. • B — Long-term risk is a separate analytical point, not the nickname’s warrant. • D — Mere “liquor isn’t holy” wordplay is too thin; the contrast is with Western marketing norms.
Q10Reading Comprehension·Specific Detail

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. Moutai has been the global booze sensation of the decade. A bottle of its Flying Fairy which sold in the 1980s for the equivalent of a dollar now retails for $400. Moutai’s listed shares have soared by almost 600% in the past five years, outpacing the likes of Amazon. . . . It does this while disregarding every Western marketing mantra. It is not global, has meagre digital sales and does not appeal to millennials. It scores pitifully on environmental, social and governance measures. In the Boy Scout world of Western business it would leave a bad taste, in more ways than one. Moutai owes its intoxicating success to three factors—not all of them easy to emulate. First, it profits from Chinese nationalism. Moutai is known as the “national liquor”. It was used to raise spirits and disinfect wounds in Mao’s Long March. It was Premier Zhou Enlai’s favourite tipple, shared with Richard Nixon in 1972. Its centuries-old craftsmanship—it is distilled eight times and stored for years in earthenware jars—is a source of national pride. It also claims to be hangover-proof, which would make it an invention to rival gunpowder.... Second, it chose to serve China’s super-rich rather than its middle class. Markets are littered with the corpses of firms that could not compete in the cut-throat battle for Chinese middle-class wallets. And the country’s premium market is massive—at 73m-strong, bigger than the population of France, notes Euan McLeish of Bernstein, an investment firm, and still less crowded with prestige brands than advanced economies. Moutai is to these well-heeled drinkers what vintage champagne is to the rest of the world..... Third, Moutai looks beyond affluent millennials and digital natives. The elderly and the middle-aged, it found, can be just as lucrative. Its biggest market now is (male) drinkers in their mid-30s. Many have no siblings, thanks to four decades of China’s one-child policy—which also means their elderly parents can splash out on weddings and banquets. Moutai is often a guest of honour. Moutai has succeeded thanks to nationalism, elitism and ageism, in other words—not in spite of this unholy trinity. But it faces risks. The government is its largest shareholder—and a meddlesome one. It appears to want prices to remain stable. Exorbitantly priced booze is at odds with its professed socialist ideals. Yet minority investors—including many foreign funds—lament that Moutai’s wholesale price is a third of what it sells for in shops. Raising it could boost the company’s profits further. Instead, in what some see as a travesty of corporate governance, its majority owner has plans to set up its own sales channel..... In the long run, its biggest risk may be millennials. As they grow older, health concerns, work-life balance and the desire for more wholesome pursuits than binge-drinking may curb the “Ganbei!” toasting culture heavy drinking on which so much of the demand for Moutai rests. For the time being, though, the party goes on.

The phrase “would make it an invention to rival gunpowder” has been used in the passage in a sense that is

  • AmetaphoricalCorrect answer
  • Bliteral
  • Csubstantive
  • Dsynonymical

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (metaphorical) Calling a marketing/product breakthrough an “invention to rival gunpowder” is figurative hyperbole for disruptive impact, not a literal claim about explosives. Why the others fail: • B — Nothing in context treats the rivalry with gunpowder as factual invention history. • C — “Substantive” is not a standard sense-label for this figurative flourish. • D — The phrase is not offering a synonym; it is an analogy.
Q11Reading Comprehension·Inference

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. Moutai has been the global booze sensation of the decade. A bottle of its Flying Fairy which sold in the 1980s for the equivalent of a dollar now retails for $400. Moutai’s listed shares have soared by almost 600% in the past five years, outpacing the likes of Amazon. . . . It does this while disregarding every Western marketing mantra. It is not global, has meagre digital sales and does not appeal to millennials. It scores pitifully on environmental, social and governance measures. In the Boy Scout world of Western business it would leave a bad taste, in more ways than one. Moutai owes its intoxicating success to three factors—not all of them easy to emulate. First, it profits from Chinese nationalism. Moutai is known as the “national liquor”. It was used to raise spirits and disinfect wounds in Mao’s Long March. It was Premier Zhou Enlai’s favourite tipple, shared with Richard Nixon in 1972. Its centuries-old craftsmanship—it is distilled eight times and stored for years in earthenware jars—is a source of national pride. It also claims to be hangover-proof, which would make it an invention to rival gunpowder.... Second, it chose to serve China’s super-rich rather than its middle class. Markets are littered with the corpses of firms that could not compete in the cut-throat battle for Chinese middle-class wallets. And the country’s premium market is massive—at 73m-strong, bigger than the population of France, notes Euan McLeish of Bernstein, an investment firm, and still less crowded with prestige brands than advanced economies. Moutai is to these well-heeled drinkers what vintage champagne is to the rest of the world..... Third, Moutai looks beyond affluent millennials and digital natives. The elderly and the middle-aged, it found, can be just as lucrative. Its biggest market now is (male) drinkers in their mid-30s. Many have no siblings, thanks to four decades of China’s one-child policy—which also means their elderly parents can splash out on weddings and banquets. Moutai is often a guest of honour. Moutai has succeeded thanks to nationalism, elitism and ageism, in other words—not in spite of this unholy trinity. But it faces risks. The government is its largest shareholder—and a meddlesome one. It appears to want prices to remain stable. Exorbitantly priced booze is at odds with its professed socialist ideals. Yet minority investors—including many foreign funds—lament that Moutai’s wholesale price is a third of what it sells for in shops. Raising it could boost the company’s profits further. Instead, in what some see as a travesty of corporate governance, its majority owner has plans to set up its own sales channel..... In the long run, its biggest risk may be millennials. As they grow older, health concerns, work-life balance and the desire for more wholesome pursuits than binge-drinking may curb the “Ganbei!” toasting culture heavy drinking on which so much of the demand for Moutai rests. For the time being, though, the party goes on.

In the context of the passage we can infer that to succeed in the liquor industry in China, a marketing firm must consider all of the following factors affecting the Chinese liquor market EXCEPT that

  • Athe competition for winning over the middle class is very stiff.
  • Bthere are few competitors to meet the demands of high end liquor consumers.
  • Cthe government may control the pricing of products.
  • Dthere is money to be made from marketing to the middle class.Correct answer

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D The passage stresses a cut-throat middle-class liquor fight where many firms fail, and Moutai’s choice of a less crowded high-end. “There is money to be made from marketing to the middle class” is *not* a factor the text treats as a reliable planning truth—so it is the EXCEPT. Why the others fail: • A — Fierce middle-class competition is explicitly why that segment is hard. • B — High-end is described as less crowded with prestige rivals than elsewhere. • C — Government can shape pricing/control in this market.
Q12Verbal Ability·Paragraph Summary

When the tradwife puts on that georgic, pinstriped dress, she is not just admiring the visual cues of a fantastical past. She takes these dreams of storybook bliss literally, tracing them backward in time until she reaches a logical conclusion that satisfies her. And by doing so, she ends up delivering an unhappy reminder of just how much our lives consist of artifice and playacting. The tradwife outrages people because of herdeliberately regressive ideals. And yet her behaviour is, on some level, indistinguishable from the nontradwife’s. The tradwife’s trollish genius is to beat us at our own dressup game. By insisting that the idyllic cottage daydream should be real, right down to the primitive gender roles, she leaves others feeling hollow, cheated. The hullabaloo and headaches she causes may be the price we pay for taking too many things at face value: our just deserts, served Instagram-perfect by a manicuredh and on a gorgeous ceramic dish, with fat, mouthwatering maraschino cherries on op.

  • AThe tradwife’s commitment to outdated gender roles and retro fashion critiques the superficiality of today's societal ideals.
  • BThe tradwife’s vintage dress and adherence to traditional roles reveal the artificial nature of modern life and its superficial values.
  • CBy promoting an idealized past, the tradwife exposes the artifice of contemporary values and mocks societal norms.
  • DThe tradwife, with her vintage dress and traditional roles, highlights the superficiality of modern life and challenges current societal norms.Correct answer

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D The tradwife’s vintage dress and literal storybook gender roles expose how much modern life is artifice and dress-up; she outrages with regressive ideals yet plays the same costume game better, leaving others feeling hollow. D links dress/roles to highlighting modern superficiality and challenging present norms. Why the others fail • A — Treats her “commitment” as a deliberate *critique* of today’s ideals; the passage stresses the unhappy reminder and trollish one-upmanship, not her intent to critique. • B — Makes the dress and roles themselves “reveal” artificial modern values; the sting is insisting the idyll be real, which cheats those who treat lifestyle as play. • C — Adds that she “mocks” societal norms; “mock” overstates a dynamic of outrage, hollowness, and beating others at dress-up.
Q13Verbal Ability·Paragraph Summary

Sentence: Many have had to leave their homes behind, with more than 1.3 million people being displaced due to the drought. Passage: 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 8million 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.

  • ABlank 4Correct answer
  • BBlank 1
  • CBlank 3
  • DBlank 2

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (Blank 4) Sentence. Many have had to leave their homes; more than 1.3 million people have been displaced by the drought. Why Blank 4. The paragraph has listed failed rains, deaths, lost farms and livestock. Displacement is the human-movement consequence; the last sentence (“Some, like the pastoralists, may never be able to go back”) needs that leaving-home claim as its antecedent. Why not the others. - Blank 1–2 are still establishing the drought and death toll. - Blank 3 is the agricultural-loss clause; displacement is a later, distinct result.
Q14Verbal Ability·Odd Sentence OutTITA

Five jumbled sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence out and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.

1. Part of the appeal of forecasting is not just that it seems to work, but that you don't seem to need specialized expertise to succeed at it. 2. The tight connection between forecasting and building a model of the world helps explain why so much of the early interest in the idea came from the intelligence community. 3. This was true even though the latter had access to classified intelligence. 4. One frequently cited study found that accurate forecasters’ predictions of geopolitical events, when aggregated using standard scientific methods, were more accurate than the forecasts of members of the US intelligence community who answered the same questions in a confidential prediction market. 5. The aggregated opinions of non-experts doing forecasting have proven to be a better guide to the future than the aggregated opinions of experts.

Answer: 2

Show explanation
Answer:2 Keep 5 → 4 → 3 → 1: aggregated non-expert forecasters beat aggregated experts (5); a cited study had accurate forecasters beat US intelligence analysts on the same geopolitical questions (4); that held even though intel had classified data (3); hence forecasting’s appeal includes succeeding without specialized expertise (1). Why 2 is odd: It explains early *intelligence-community interest* via forecasting’s link to world-modeling—a different historical motive than the non-expert-accuracy thread.
Q15Verbal Ability·Odd Sentence OutTITA

Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer. 14. 1. Part of the appeal of forecasting is not just that it seems to work, but that you don't seem to need specialized expertise to succeed at it. 2. The tight connection between forecasting and building a model of the world helps explain why so much of the early interest in the idea came from the intelligence community. 3. This was true even though the latter had access to classified intelligence. 4. One frequently cited study found that accurate forecasters’ predictions of geopolitical events, when aggregated using standard scientific methods, were more accurate than the forecasts of members of the US intelligence community who answered the same questions in a confidential prediction market. 5. The aggregated opinions of non-experts doing forecasting have proven to be a better guide to the future than the aggregated opinions of experts.

1. To create a synapse, the neuron has specialized structures, often seen as tiny swellings, at its terminal end of the axon where it stores the chemicals that are emitted to transmit a signal to the next neuron. 2. This fetal warm-up act—the soldering of neural connections before the eyes actually function—is crucial to the performance of the visual system. 3. The reasons for this paring back of synapses is a mystery, but synaptic pruning is thought to sharpen and reinforce the “correct” synapses, while removing the weak and unnecessary ones. 4. Neural connections between the eyes and the brain are formed long before birth, establishing the wiring and the circuitry that allow a child to begin visualizing the world the minute she emerges from the womb. 5. During this rehearsal period, synapses—points of chemical connection—between nerve cells are generated in great excess, only to be pruned back during later development.

Answer: 1

Show explanation
Answer:1 Four sentences build a developmental story: prenatal eye–brain wiring (4), fetal “rehearsal” soldering before vision works (2), excess synapses then pruned (5), and pruning to sharpen useful links (3). Sentence 1—axon-terminal anatomy of how a synapse emits chemicals—is a different grain of explanation and is the odd one out. Why the others fail: • 2 — Continues the prenatal warm-up theme with 45. • 3 — Explains the purpose of the pruning in 5. • 4 — Opens the prenatal wiring timeline the others develop. • 5 — Supplies the excess-then-prune mechanism linking 2 and 3.
Q16Verbal Ability·Odd Sentence Out

Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer. 14. 1. Part of the appeal of forecasting is not just that it seems to work, but that you don't seem to need specialized expertise to succeed at it. 2. The tight connection between forecasting and building a model of the world helps explain why so much of the early interest in the idea came from the intelligence community. 3. This was true even though the latter had access to classified intelligence. 4. One frequently cited study found that accurate forecasters’ predictions of geopolitical events, when aggregated using standard scientific methods, were more accurate than the forecasts of members of the US intelligence community who answered the same questions in a confidential prediction market. 5. The aggregated opinions of non-experts doing forecasting have proven to be a better guide to the future than the aggregated opinions of experts.

The author mentions all of the following reasons to dismiss concerns about contaminating Mars EXCEPT:

  • Athe lack of evidence of living organisms on Mars makes possible contamination from earthly microbes a moot point.
  • Bthe use of similar probes on astronomical bodies like the moon have had little effect on the environment.Correct answer
  • Cefforts to contain contamination on Mars are likely to be derailed as competitor countries may not follow similar restrictions.
  • Dearlier explorations have already contaminated pristine space environments.

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B Reasons given to downplay Mars-contamination panic include: no proven Martian life (so Earth microbes may be moot), rivals will ignore strict rules anyway, and earlier missions already dirtied “pristine” sites. The claim that similar probes elsewhere (e.g., the Moon) had *little environmental effect* is not among those reasons. Why the others fail: • A — Matches the moot-point move when life on Mars is unproven. • C — Matches the worry that competitors will ignore sterilisation regimes. • D — Matches the point that prior exploration already contaminated campsites/environments.
Q17Reading Comprehension·Tone & Attitude

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. There is a group in the space community who view the solar system not as an opportunity to expand human potential but as a nature preserve, forever the provenance of an elite group of scientists and their sanitary robotic probes. These planetary protection advocates call for avoiding “harmful contamination” of celestial bodies. Under this regime, NASA incurs great expense sterilizing robotic probes in order to prevent the contamination of entirely theoretical biospheres. . . . Transporting bacteria would matter if Mars were the vital world once imagined by astronomers who mistook optical illusions for canals. Nobody wants to expose Martians to measles, but sadly, robotic exploration reveals a bleak, rusted landscape, lacking oxygen and flooded with radiation ready to sterilize any Earthly microbes. Simple life might exist underground, or down at the bottom of a deep canyon, but it has been very hard to find with robots. . . . The upsides from human exploration and development of Mars clearly outweigh the welfare of purely speculative Martian fungi. . . . The other likely targets of human exploration, development, and settlement, our moon and the asteroids, exist in a desiccated, radiation-soaked realm of hard vacuum and extreme temperature variations that would kill nearly anything. It’s also important to note that many international competitors will ignore the demands of these protection extremists in any case. For example, China recently sent a terrarium to the moon and germinated a plant seed—with, unsurprisingly, no protest from its own scientific community. In contrast, when it was recently revealed that a researcher had surreptitiously smuggled super-resilient microscopic tardigrades aboard the ill-fated Israeli Beresheet lunar probe, a firestorm was unleashed within the space community. . . . NASA’s previous human exploration efforts made no serious attempt at sterility, with little notice. As the Mars expert Robert Zubrin noted in the National Review, U.S. lunar landings did not leave the campsites cleaner than they found it. Apollo’s bacteria-infested litter included bags of feces. Forcing NASA’s proposed Mars exploration to do better, scrubbing everything and hauling out all the trash, would destroy NASA’s human exploration budget and encroach on the agency’s other directorates, too. Getting future astronauts off Mars is enough of a challenge, without trying to tote weeks of waste along as well. A reasonable compromise is to continue on the course laid out by the U.S. government and the National Research Council, which proposed a system of zones on Mars, some for science only, some for habitation, and some for resource exploitation. This approach minimizes contamination, maximizes scientific exploration . . . Mars presents a stark choice of diverging human futures. We can turn inward, pursuing ever more limited futures while we await whichever natural or manmade disaster will eradicate our species and life on Earth. Alternatively, we can choose to propel our biosphere further into the solar system, simultaneously protecting our home planet and providing a backup plan for the only life we know exists in the universe. Are the lives on Earth worth less than some hypothetical microbe lurking under Martian rocks?

The author’s overall tone in the first paragraph can be described as

  • Aapproving of the amount of money NASA spends to restrict the spread of contamination in space.
  • Bsceptical about the excessive efforts to sanitise planets where life has not yet been proven to exist.Correct answer
  • Cindifferent to the elitism of a few scientists aiming to corner space exploration.
  • Dequivocal about the reasons extended by the group of scientists seeking to limit space exploration.

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B The opening tone doubts costly sterilisation crusades aimed at worlds where life is unproven—sceptical of excess planetary-protection zeal. Why the others fail: • A — The author does not approve of NASA’s big cleaning spend; the vibe is “is this overkill?” • C — Elitism/cornering exploration is not the first-paragraph attitude labeled. • D — The author is not evenly “equivocal”; the lean is sceptical of the sanitise-first camp.
Q18Reading Comprehension·Specific Detail

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. There is a group in the space community who view the solar system not as an opportunity to expand human potential but as a nature preserve, forever the provenance of an elite group of scientists and their sanitary robotic probes. These planetary protection advocates call for avoiding “harmful contamination” of celestial bodies. Under this regime, NASA incurs great expense sterilizing robotic probes in order to prevent the contamination of entirely theoretical biospheres. . . . Transporting bacteria would matter if Mars were the vital world once imagined by astronomers who mistook optical illusions for canals. Nobody wants to expose Martians to measles, but sadly, robotic exploration reveals a bleak, rusted landscape, lacking oxygen and flooded with radiation ready to sterilize any Earthly microbes. Simple life might exist underground, or down at the bottom of a deep canyon, but it has been very hard to find with robots. . . . The upsides from human exploration and development of Mars clearly outweigh the welfare of purely speculative Martian fungi. . . . The other likely targets of human exploration, development, and settlement, our moon and the asteroids, exist in a desiccated, radiation-soaked realm of hard vacuum and extreme temperature variations that would kill nearly anything. It’s also important to note that many international competitors will ignore the demands of these protection extremists in any case. For example, China recently sent a terrarium to the moon and germinated a plant seed—with, unsurprisingly, no protest from its own scientific community. In contrast, when it was recently revealed that a researcher had surreptitiously smuggled super-resilient microscopic tardigrades aboard the ill-fated Israeli Beresheet lunar probe, a firestorm was unleashed within the space community. . . . NASA’s previous human exploration efforts made no serious attempt at sterility, with little notice. As the Mars expert Robert Zubrin noted in the National Review, U.S. lunar landings did not leave the campsites cleaner than they found it. Apollo’s bacteria-infested litter included bags of feces. Forcing NASA’s proposed Mars exploration to do better, scrubbing everything and hauling out all the trash, would destroy NASA’s human exploration budget and encroach on the agency’s other directorates, too. Getting future astronauts off Mars is enough of a challenge, without trying to tote weeks of waste along as well. A reasonable compromise is to continue on the course laid out by the U.S. government and the National Research Council, which proposed a system of zones on Mars, some for science only, some for habitation, and some for resource exploitation. This approach minimizes contamination, maximizes scientific exploration . . . Mars presents a stark choice of diverging human futures. We can turn inward, pursuing ever more limited futures while we await whichever natural or manmade disaster will eradicate our species and life on Earth. Alternatively, we can choose to propel our biosphere further into the solar system, simultaneously protecting our home planet and providing a backup plan for the only life we know exists in the universe. Are the lives on Earth worth less than some hypothetical microbe lurking under Martian rocks?

The contrasting reactions to the Chinese and Israeli “contaminations” of lunar space

  • Aare valid as the contamination of the lunar environment from animal sources is far greater than from plants.
  • Breveal global biases prevalent in attitudes towards different countries.
  • Cindicate that national scientists may have different sensitivities to issues of biosphere protection.Correct answer
  • Dare evidence of China’s reasonable approach towards space contamination.

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C China’s lunar plant payload drew little protest while Israel’s tardigrade episode sparked uproar—showing national science communities can differ in sensitivity to biosphere-protection issues. Why the others fail: • A — The text does not rank animal vs plant contamination severity as the explanation. • B — “Global biases” toward countries is a harsher political reading than the passage’s scientists-sensitivity point. • D — Does not vindicate China as the “reasonable” approach; it registers uneven reactions.
Q19Reading Comprehension·Specific Detail

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. There is a group in the space community who view the solar system not as an opportunity to expand human potential but as a nature preserve, forever the provenance of an elite group of scientists and their sanitary robotic probes. These planetary protection advocates call for avoiding “harmful contamination” of celestial bodies. Under this regime, NASA incurs great expense sterilizing robotic probes in order to prevent the contamination of entirely theoretical biospheres. . . . Transporting bacteria would matter if Mars were the vital world once imagined by astronomers who mistook optical illusions for canals. Nobody wants to expose Martians to measles, but sadly, robotic exploration reveals a bleak, rusted landscape, lacking oxygen and flooded with radiation ready to sterilize any Earthly microbes. Simple life might exist underground, or down at the bottom of a deep canyon, but it has been very hard to find with robots. . . . The upsides from human exploration and development of Mars clearly outweigh the welfare of purely speculative Martian fungi. . . . The other likely targets of human exploration, development, and settlement, our moon and the asteroids, exist in a desiccated, radiation-soaked realm of hard vacuum and extreme temperature variations that would kill nearly anything. It’s also important to note that many international competitors will ignore the demands of these protection extremists in any case. For example, China recently sent a terrarium to the moon and germinated a plant seed—with, unsurprisingly, no protest from its own scientific community. In contrast, when it was recently revealed that a researcher had surreptitiously smuggled super-resilient microscopic tardigrades aboard the ill-fated Israeli Beresheet lunar probe, a firestorm was unleashed within the space community. . . . NASA’s previous human exploration efforts made no serious attempt at sterility, with little notice. As the Mars expert Robert Zubrin noted in the National Review, U.S. lunar landings did not leave the campsites cleaner than they found it. Apollo’s bacteria-infested litter included bags of feces. Forcing NASA’s proposed Mars exploration to do better, scrubbing everything and hauling out all the trash, would destroy NASA’s human exploration budget and encroach on the agency’s other directorates, too. Getting future astronauts off Mars is enough of a challenge, without trying to tote weeks of waste along as well. A reasonable compromise is to continue on the course laid out by the U.S. government and the National Research Council, which proposed a system of zones on Mars, some for science only, some for habitation, and some for resource exploitation. This approach minimizes contamination, maximizes scientific exploration . . . Mars presents a stark choice of diverging human futures. We can turn inward, pursuing ever more limited futures while we await whichever natural or manmade disaster will eradicate our species and life on Earth. Alternatively, we can choose to propel our biosphere further into the solar system, simultaneously protecting our home planet and providing a backup plan for the only life we know exists in the universe. Are the lives on Earth worth less than some hypothetical microbe lurking under Martian rocks?

The author is unlikely to disagree with any of the following EXCEPT:

  • Athe proposal for a zonal segregation of the Martian landscape into regions for different purposes.
  • Bthat while NASA’s earlier missions were not ideal in their approach to space contamination, they likely did no grave damage.
  • Cthe exorbitant costs of continuing to keep the space environment pristine may be unsustainable.
  • Dspace contamination should be minimised until the possibility of life on the astronomical body being explored is ruled out.Correct answer

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D “Unlikely to disagree… EXCEPT” = find what the author *would* reject. The author resists postponing exploration until life is ruled out and sterilisation is maximised; so D is the EXCEPT (the author is likely to disagree with D). Why the others fail: • A — Zonal compromise on Mars aligns with the author’s practical middle path. • B — Earlier imperfect NASA missions likely did limited lasting harm—author can accept that. • C — Forever-pristine costs may be unsustainable—fits the scepticism about endless sterilisation spend.
Q20Reading Comprehension·Inference

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. Languages become endangered and die out for many reasons. Sadly, the physical annihilation of communities of native speakers of a language is all too often the cause of language extinction. In North America, European colonists brought death and destruction to many Native American communities. This was followed by US federal policies restricting the use of indigenous languages, including the removal of native children from their communities to federal boarding schools where native languages and cultural practices were prohibited. As many as 75 percent of the languages spoken in the territories that became the United States have gone extinct, with slightly better language survival rates in Central and South America . .. Even without physical annihilation and prohibitions against language use, the language of the "dominant" cultures may drive other languages into extinction; young people see education, jobs, culture and technology associated with the dominant language and focus their attention on that language. The largest language "killers" are English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian, Hindi, and Chinese, all of which have privileged status as dominant languages threatening minority languages. When we lose a language, we lose the worldview, culture and knowledge of the people who spoke it, constituting a loss to all humanity. People around the world live in direct contact with their native environment, their habitat. When the language they speak goes extinct, the rest of humanity loses their knowledge of that environment, their wisdom about the relationship between local plants and illness, their philosophical and religious beliefs as well as their native cultural expression (in music, visual art and poetry) that has enriched both the speakers of that language and others who would have encountered that culture. . . . As educators deeply immersed in the liberal arts, we believe that educating students broadly in all facets of language and culture . . . yields immense rewards. Some individuals educated in the liberal arts tradition will pursue advanced study in linguistics and become actively engaged in language preservation, setting out for the Amazon, for example, with video recording equipment to interview the last surviving elders in a community to record and document a language spoken by no children. Certainly, though, the vast majority of students will not pursue this kind of activity. For these students, a liberal arts education is absolutely critical from the twin perspectives of language extinction and global citizenship. When students study languages other than their own, they are sensitized to the existence of different cultural perspectives and practices. With such an education, students are more likely to be able to articulate insights into their own cultural biases, be more empathetic to individuals of other cultures, communicate successfully across linguistic and cultural differences, consider and resolve questions in a way that reflects multiple cultural perspectives, and, ultimately extend support to people, programs, practices, and policies that support the preservation of endangered languages. There is ample evidence that such preservation can work in languages spiraling toward extinction. For example, Navajo, Cree and Inuit communities have established schools in which these languages are the language of instruction and the number of speakers of each has increased.

It can be inferred from the passage that it is likely South America had a slightly better language survival rate than North America for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

  • AEuropean colonists allowed children of native speakers to stay at home with theirfamilies.
  • Bthe colonial government was unable to mainstream the locals.
  • Clocals were provided job opportunities in the colonial administration.Correct answer
  • Dnot many native speakers were killed by European colonists.

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C Better South American language survival is linked to less boarding-school separation, weaker cultural mainstreaming, and lower killing—not to jobs in colonial administration, which the passage does not cite. Why the others fail: • A — Keeping children at home (vs North American residential schools) is a offered contrast. • B — Weaker ability to force linguistic mainstreaming supports higher survival. • D — Lower death toll among speakers is part of the comparative sketch.
Q21Reading Comprehension·Inference

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. Languages become endangered and die out for many reasons. Sadly, the physical annihilation of communities of native speakers of a language is all too often the cause of language extinction. In North America, European colonists brought death and destruction to many Native American communities. This was followed by US federal policies restricting the use of indigenous languages, including the removal of native children from their communities to federal boarding schools where native languages and cultural practices were prohibited. As many as 75 percent of the languages spoken in the territories that became the United States have gone extinct, with slightly better language survival rates in Central and South America . .. Even without physical annihilation and prohibitions against language use, the language of the "dominant" cultures may drive other languages into extinction; young people see education, jobs, culture and technology associated with the dominant language and focus their attention on that language. The largest language "killers" are English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian, Hindi, and Chinese, all of which have privileged status as dominant languages threatening minority languages. When we lose a language, we lose the worldview, culture and knowledge of the people who spoke it, constituting a loss to all humanity. People around the world live in direct contact with their native environment, their habitat. When the language they speak goes extinct, the rest of humanity loses their knowledge of that environment, their wisdom about the relationship between local plants and illness, their philosophical and religious beliefs as well as their native cultural expression (in music, visual art and poetry) that has enriched both the speakers of that language and others who would have encountered that culture. . . . As educators deeply immersed in the liberal arts, we believe that educating students broadly in all facets of language and culture . . . yields immense rewards. Some individuals educated in the liberal arts tradition will pursue advanced study in linguistics and become actively engaged in language preservation, setting out for the Amazon, for example, with video recording equipment to interview the last surviving elders in a community to record and document a language spoken by no children. Certainly, though, the vast majority of students will not pursue this kind of activity. For these students, a liberal arts education is absolutely critical from the twin perspectives of language extinction and global citizenship. When students study languages other than their own, they are sensitized to the existence of different cultural perspectives and practices. With such an education, students are more likely to be able to articulate insights into their own cultural biases, be more empathetic to individuals of other cultures, communicate successfully across linguistic and cultural differences, consider and resolve questions in a way that reflects multiple cultural perspectives, and, ultimately extend support to people, programs, practices, and policies that support the preservation of endangered languages. There is ample evidence that such preservation can work in languages spiraling toward extinction. For example, Navajo, Cree and Inuit communities have established schools in which these languages are the language of instruction and the number of speakers of each has increased.

Which one of the following hypothetical scenarios, if true, would most strongly undermine the central ideas of the passage?

  • AMost liberal arts students will pursue jobs in publishing and human resource management rather than doctorates in linguistics.
  • BA liberal arts education requires that, in addition to being fluent in English, students gain fluency in two of the top five most spoken languages globally.Correct answer
  • CSchools that teach endangered languages can preserve the language only for a generation.
  • DRecording a dying language that has only a few remaining speakers freezes it in time: it stops evolving further.

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B The passage champions liberal arts plus endangered-language work. Requiring fluency only in today’s top global languages would undercut that mission—so B most strongly undermines the centre. Why the others fail: • A — Career paths outside linguistics doctorates do not cancel the educational value claimed. • C — One-generation school limits are a challenge, not a refutation of trying. • D — Freezing a recorded language is a known trade-off the preservation discussion can absorb.
Q22Reading Comprehension·Inference

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. Languages become endangered and die out for many reasons. Sadly, the physical annihilation of communities of native speakers of a language is all too often the cause of language extinction. In North America, European colonists brought death and destruction to many Native American communities. This was followed by US federal policies restricting the use of indigenous languages, including the removal of native children from their communities to federal boarding schools where native languages and cultural practices were prohibited. As many as 75 percent of the languages spoken in the territories that became the United States have gone extinct, with slightly better language survival rates in Central and South America . .. Even without physical annihilation and prohibitions against language use, the language of the "dominant" cultures may drive other languages into extinction; young people see education, jobs, culture and technology associated with the dominant language and focus their attention on that language. The largest language "killers" are English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian, Hindi, and Chinese, all of which have privileged status as dominant languages threatening minority languages. When we lose a language, we lose the worldview, culture and knowledge of the people who spoke it, constituting a loss to all humanity. People around the world live in direct contact with their native environment, their habitat. When the language they speak goes extinct, the rest of humanity loses their knowledge of that environment, their wisdom about the relationship between local plants and illness, their philosophical and religious beliefs as well as their native cultural expression (in music, visual art and poetry) that has enriched both the speakers of that language and others who would have encountered that culture. . . . As educators deeply immersed in the liberal arts, we believe that educating students broadly in all facets of language and culture . . . yields immense rewards. Some individuals educated in the liberal arts tradition will pursue advanced study in linguistics and become actively engaged in language preservation, setting out for the Amazon, for example, with video recording equipment to interview the last surviving elders in a community to record and document a language spoken by no children. Certainly, though, the vast majority of students will not pursue this kind of activity. For these students, a liberal arts education is absolutely critical from the twin perspectives of language extinction and global citizenship. When students study languages other than their own, they are sensitized to the existence of different cultural perspectives and practices. With such an education, students are more likely to be able to articulate insights into their own cultural biases, be more empathetic to individuals of other cultures, communicate successfully across linguistic and cultural differences, consider and resolve questions in a way that reflects multiple cultural perspectives, and, ultimately extend support to people, programs, practices, and policies that support the preservation of endangered languages. There is ample evidence that such preservation can work in languages spiraling toward extinction. For example, Navajo, Cree and Inuit communities have established schools in which these languages are the language of instruction and the number of speakers of each has increased.

In the context of the passage, which one of the following hypothetical scenarios, if true, is NOT an example of the kind of loss that occurs when a language becomes extinct?

  • AThe Inuits of Alaska have 35 different words to describe the texture of snow. When the language becomes extinct, we will lose that understanding of nature.
  • BThe Lamkangs of Manipur have only 3 remaining native speakers of the language. When they die, we will lose one more group from the government list of indigenous tribes.Correct answer
  • CThe Andamanese language has a word to describe someone who has lost a step-sister. When the language dies, we will lose the concept of the word and the emotions it evokes.
  • DThe Nicobarese language describes 20 different moods of the ocean. By the time the last speaker is educated in a Central Board school, they will have forgotten their language.

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B Language death, for the author, costs distinctive concepts, ecological knowledge, and emotion-words. Dropping a group from a government tribe list is bureaucratic/status loss, not that cognitive-cultural loss—so B is NOT an example of the kind of loss meant. Why the others fail: • A — Losing many snow-texture words is classic knowledge-of-nature loss. • C — Losing a kinship emotion-word is the conceptual/affective loss described. • D — Forgetting ocean-mood vocabulary under schooling is the same class of loss.
Q23Reading Comprehension·Specific Detail

The passage below is accompanied by four questions. Based on the passage, choose the best answer for each question. Languages become endangered and die out for many reasons. Sadly, the physical annihilation of communities of native speakers of a language is all too often the cause of language extinction. In North America, European colonists brought death and destruction to many Native American communities. This was followed by US federal policies restricting the use of indigenous languages, including the removal of native children from their communities to federal boarding schools where native languages and cultural practices were prohibited. As many as 75 percent of the languages spoken in the territories that became the United States have gone extinct, with slightly better language survival rates in Central and South America . .. Even without physical annihilation and prohibitions against language use, the language of the "dominant" cultures may drive other languages into extinction; young people see education, jobs, culture and technology associated with the dominant language and focus their attention on that language. The largest language "killers" are English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian, Hindi, and Chinese, all of which have privileged status as dominant languages threatening minority languages. When we lose a language, we lose the worldview, culture and knowledge of the people who spoke it, constituting a loss to all humanity. People around the world live in direct contact with their native environment, their habitat. When the language they speak goes extinct, the rest of humanity loses their knowledge of that environment, their wisdom about the relationship between local plants and illness, their philosophical and religious beliefs as well as their native cultural expression (in music, visual art and poetry) that has enriched both the speakers of that language and others who would have encountered that culture. . . . As educators deeply immersed in the liberal arts, we believe that educating students broadly in all facets of language and culture . . . yields immense rewards. Some individuals educated in the liberal arts tradition will pursue advanced study in linguistics and become actively engaged in language preservation, setting out for the Amazon, for example, with video recording equipment to interview the last surviving elders in a community to record and document a language spoken by no children. Certainly, though, the vast majority of students will not pursue this kind of activity. For these students, a liberal arts education is absolutely critical from the twin perspectives of language extinction and global citizenship. When students study languages other than their own, they are sensitized to the existence of different cultural perspectives and practices. With such an education, students are more likely to be able to articulate insights into their own cultural biases, be more empathetic to individuals of other cultures, communicate successfully across linguistic and cultural differences, consider and resolve questions in a way that reflects multiple cultural perspectives, and, ultimately extend support to people, programs, practices, and policies that support the preservation of endangered languages. There is ample evidence that such preservation can work in languages spiraling toward extinction. For example, Navajo, Cree and Inuit communities have established schools in which these languages are the language of instruction and the number of speakers of each has increased.

The author believes that a liberal arts education combined with participation in language preservation empower students in all of the following ways EXCEPT that they will

  • Adevelop a better understanding of their own culture.
  • Bestablish schools to preserve languages spiralling towards extinction.Correct answer
  • Covercome cultural barriers to communication.
  • Dlearn different languages.

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B Students gain cultural self-understanding, cross-cultural communication skill, and language learning through liberal arts + preservation work. The text does not say they will *establish schools* to save dying languages—that overclaims their role. Why the others fail: • A — Better grasp of one’s own culture is an intended payoff. • C — Crossing cultural communication barriers is named as empowerment. • D — Learning languages is part of the package.
Q24Verbal Ability·Paragraph Summary

Humans have managed to tweak the underlying biology of various plants and animals to produce high-tech crops and microbes. But regulating these entities is complicated, as the framework of policies and procedures are outdated and not flexible enough to adapt to emerging technology. The question is whether regulation will ever be able to keep up with human innovation, to regulate living things, which are apt to be unpredictable and unique; to capture all the potential risks when new biological entities are introduced, or when they pass on variations of their genes?

  • AThe problem with formulating regulation for innovation in the scientific arena it that it is impossible to imagine the outcomes or risks related to the outcomes of all the research.
  • BA new framework of rules and procedures for regulating the most recent research emerging from biotechnology is urgently needed, to keep up with this rapidly changing discipline.
  • CCurrent regulation of biotechnology is outdated, but it is debatable if we can create a framework, imaginative and flexible, to cover all contingencies in this fast-changing area.Correct answer
  • DThe mercurial nature of biological entities calls for scientists to shape the regulations governing emerging technology, with regular calibration to handle variations in the field.

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C Policy frameworks for biotech are outdated and inflexible; the live question is whether regulation can ever keep pace with innovation, unpredictable living entities, and every gene-spread risk. C states outdated rules plus doubt that any imaginative, flexible framework can cover all contingencies. Why the others fail • A — Declares it “impossible” to imagine all outcomes/risks; the passage poses an open question, and the wording is garbled. • B — Demands an “urgently needed” new framework to “keep up”; the text doubts whether keeping up is achievable, not that a specific new code is the answer. • D — Assigns scientists the job of shaping and “calibrating” rules because biology is mercurial; no such assignment appears.

DILR(22 questions)

Q25Logical Reasoning·Quant-based Reasoning

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows The figure below shows a network with three parallel roads represented by horizontal lines R-A, R-B, and R-C and another three parallel roads represented by vertical lines V1, V2, and V3. The figure also shows the distance (in km) between two adjacent intersections. Six ATMs are placed at six of the nine road intersections. Each ATM has a distinct integer cash requirement (in Rs. Lakhs), and the numbers at the end of each line in the figure indicate the total cash requirements of all ATMs placed on the corresponding road. For example, the total cash requirement of the ATM(s) placed on road R-A is Rs. 22 Lakhs. The following additional information is known. 1. The ATMs with the minimum and maximum cash requirements of Rs. 7 Lakhs and Rs. 15 Lakhs are placed on the same road. 2. The road distance between the ATM with the second highest cash requirement and the ATM located at the intersection of R-C and V3 is12 km.

CAT 2024 Slot 3 ATM road network

Which of the following statements is correct?

  • AThe ATM placed at the (R-C, V2) intersection has a cash requirement of Rs. 9 Lakhs.Correct answer
  • BThe cash requirement of the ATM placed at the (R-C, V2) intersection cannot be uniquely determined.
  • CThe ATM placed at the (R-C, V2) intersection has a cash requirement of Rs. 8 Lakhs.
  • DThere is no ATM placed at the (R-C, V2) intersection.

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A Road totals: R-A 22, R-B 20, R-C 20; V1 15, V2 21, V3 26 (sum rows=cols=62). Six distinct ATM amounts; empty three intersections. Min 7 and max 15 share a road. Second-highest to (R-C,V3) is 12 km along the grid (segment labels 4,7 on R-A; 3,5 on V3, etc.). Two consistent placements remain; both put 9 at (R-C,V2), both give three ATMs ≥10, both have two ATMs on each horizontal road, and the 2nd-high↔2nd-low distance is 4 km in one case and 7 km in the other. In every valid filling, (R-C, V2) holds 9 lakhs. Why not B: it is unique, not ambiguous. Why not C (8): 8 appears elsewhere; not at (R-C,V2). Why not D: that intersection does have an ATM.
Q26Logical Reasoning·Quant-based ReasoningTITA

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows The figure below shows a network with three parallel roads represented by horizontal lines R-A, R-B, and R-C and another three parallel roads represented by vertical lines V1, V2, and V3. The figure also shows the distance (in km) between two adjacent intersections. Six ATMs are placed at six of the nine road intersections. Each ATM has a distinct integer cash requirement (in Rs. Lakhs), and the numbers at the end of each line in the figure indicate the total cash requirements of all ATMs placed on the corresponding road. For example, the total cash requirement of the ATM(s) placed on road R-A is Rs. 22 Lakhs. The following additional information is known. 1. The ATMs with the minimum and maximum cash requirements of Rs. 7 Lakhs and Rs. 15 Lakhs are placed on the same road. 2. The road distance between the ATM with the second highest cash requirement and the ATM located at the intersection of R-C and V3 is12 km.

CAT 2024 Slot 3 ATM road network

How many ATMs have cash requirements of Rs. 10 Lakhs or more?

Answer: 3

Show explanation
Answer:3 Road totals: R-A 22, R-B 20, R-C 20; V1 15, V2 21, V3 26 (sum rows=cols=62). Six distinct ATM amounts; empty three intersections. Min 7 and max 15 share a road. Second-highest to (R-C,V3) is 12 km along the grid (segment labels 4,7 on R-A; 3,5 on V3, etc.). Two consistent placements remain; both put 9 at (R-C,V2), both give three ATMs ≥10, both have two ATMs on each horizontal road, and the 2nd-high↔2nd-low distance is 4 km in one case and 7 km in the other. Both surviving cases include amounts 15, 12, 11 (all ≥10) and nothing else ≥10 ⇒ 3 ATMs.
Q27Logical Reasoning·Quant-based Reasoning

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows The figure below shows a network with three parallel roads represented by horizontal lines R-A, R-B, and R-C and another three parallel roads represented by vertical lines V1, V2, and V3. The figure also shows the distance (in km) between two adjacent intersections. Six ATMs are placed at six of the nine road intersections. Each ATM has a distinct integer cash requirement (in Rs. Lakhs), and the numbers at the end of each line in the figure indicate the total cash requirements of all ATMs placed on the corresponding road. For example, the total cash requirement of the ATM(s) placed on road R-A is Rs. 22 Lakhs. The following additional information is known. 1. The ATMs with the minimum and maximum cash requirements of Rs. 7 Lakhs and Rs. 15 Lakhs are placed on the same road. 2. The road distance between the ATM with the second highest cash requirement and the ATM located at the intersection of R-C and V3 is12 km.

CAT 2024 Slot 3 ATM road network

Which of the following two statements is/are DEFINITELY true? Statement A: Each of R-A, R-B, and R-C has two ATMs. Statement B: Each of V1, V2, and V3 has two ATMs.

  • AOnly Statement B
  • BNeither Statement A nor Statement B
  • CBoth Statement A and Statement B
  • DOnly Statement A V1 V3 V2 R-C R-B R-A 5km 4km 3km 7kmCorrect answer

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (Only Statement A) Road totals: R-A 22, R-B 20, R-C 20; V1 15, V2 21, V3 26 (sum rows=cols=62). Six distinct ATM amounts; empty three intersections. Min 7 and max 15 share a road. Second-highest to (R-C,V3) is 12 km along the grid (segment labels 4,7 on R-A; 3,5 on V3, etc.). Two consistent placements remain; both put 9 at (R-C,V2), both give three ATMs ≥10, both have two ATMs on each horizontal road, and the 2nd-high↔2nd-low distance is 4 km in one case and 7 km in the other. Statement A (two ATMs on each of R-A,R-B,R-C) holds in both cases. Statement B (two on each of V1,V2,V3) fails in one case (a vertical gets 1 or 3). So only A is definitely true. Why not A (only B): B is not definite. Why not B (neither): A is definite. Why not C (both): B fails in a valid case.
Q28Logical Reasoning·Quant-based Reasoning

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows The figure below shows a network with three parallel roads represented by horizontal lines R-A, R-B, and R-C and another three parallel roads represented by vertical lines V1, V2, and V3. The figure also shows the distance (in km) between two adjacent intersections. Six ATMs are placed at six of the nine road intersections. Each ATM has a distinct integer cash requirement (in Rs. Lakhs), and the numbers at the end of each line in the figure indicate the total cash requirements of all ATMs placed on the corresponding road. For example, the total cash requirement of the ATM(s) placed on road R-A is Rs. 22 Lakhs. The following additional information is known. 1. The ATMs with the minimum and maximum cash requirements of Rs. 7 Lakhs and Rs. 15 Lakhs are placed on the same road. 2. The road distance between the ATM with the second highest cash requirement and the ATM located at the intersection of R-C and V3 is12 km.

CAT 2024 Slot 3 ATM road network

What best can be said about the road distance (in km) between the ATMs having the second highest and the second lowest cash requirements? A. 4 km B. 5 km C. Either 4 km or 7 km D. 7 km

  • A4 km
  • B5 km
  • CEither 4 km or 7 kmCorrect answer
  • D7 km

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (Either 4 km or 7 km) Road totals: R-A 22, R-B 20, R-C 20; V1 15, V2 21, V3 26 (sum rows=cols=62). Six distinct ATM amounts; empty three intersections. Min 7 and max 15 share a road. Second-highest to (R-C,V3) is 12 km along the grid (segment labels 4,7 on R-A; 3,5 on V3, etc.). Two consistent placements remain; both put 9 at (R-C,V2), both give three ATMs ≥10, both have two ATMs on each horizontal road, and the 2nd-high↔2nd-low distance is 4 km in one case and 7 km in the other. Case 1: 2nd-high and 2nd-low sit 7 km apart on R-B. Case 2: they sit 4 km apart on R-B. No other distance arises ⇒ either 4 or 7. Why not A/B/D: each asserts a single distance; both 4 and 7 occur.
Q29Logical Reasoning·Quant-based ReasoningTITA

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows The figure below shows a network with three parallel roads represented by horizontal lines R-A, R-B, and R-C and another three parallel roads represented by vertical lines V1, V2, and V3. The figure also shows the distance (in km) between two adjacent intersections. Six ATMs are placed at six of the nine road intersections. Each ATM has a distinct integer cash requirement (in Rs. Lakhs), and the numbers at the end of each line in the figure indicate the total cash requirements of all ATMs placed on the corresponding road. For example, the total cash requirement of the ATM(s) placed on road R-A is Rs. 22 Lakhs. The following additional information is known. 1. The ATMs with the minimum and maximum cash requirements of Rs. 7 Lakhs and Rs. 15 Lakhs are placed on the same road. 2. The road distance between the ATM with the second highest cash requirement and the ATM located at the intersection of R-C and V3 is12 km.

CAT 2024 Slot 3 ATM road network

What is the number of ATMs whose locations and cash requirements can both be uniquely determined?

Answer: 3

Show explanation
Answer:3 Road totals: R-A 22, R-B 20, R-C 20; V1 15, V2 21, V3 26 (sum rows=cols=62). Six distinct ATM amounts; empty three intersections. Min 7 and max 15 share a road. Second-highest to (R-C,V3) is 12 km along the grid (segment labels 4,7 on R-A; 3,5 on V3, etc.). Two consistent placements remain; both put 9 at (R-C,V2), both give three ATMs ≥10, both have two ATMs on each horizontal road, and the 2nd-high↔2nd-low distance is 4 km in one case and 7 km in the other. Only three ATMs have both location and amount fixed across cases: (V2,R-B), (V2,R-C), (V3,R-C). Count 3.
Q30Data Interpretation·Mixed Charts

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows Over the top (OTT) subscribers of a platform are segregated into three categories: i) Kid, ii) Elder, and iii) Others. Some of the subscribers used one app and the others used multiple apps to access the platform. The figure below shows the percentage of the total number of subscribers in 2023 and 2024 who belong to the ‘Kid’ and ‘Elder’ categories. The following additional facts are known about the numbers of subscribers. 1. The total number of subscribers increased by 10% from 2023 to 2024. 2. In 2024, 12 of the subscribers from the ‘Kid’ category and 23 of the subscribers from the ‘Elder’ category subscribers use one app. 3. In 2023, the number of subscribers from the ‘Kid’ category who used multiple apps was the same as the number of subscribers from the ‘Elder’ category who used one app. 4. 10,000 subscribers from the ‘Kid’ category used one app and 15,000 subscribers from the ‘Elder’ category used multiple apps in 2023.

CAT 2024 Slot 3 OTT subscriber percentages

How many subscribers belonged to the ‘Others’ category in 2024?

  • A45000
  • B55000Correct answer
  • CCannot be determined
  • D65000

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (55000) Totals: 2023 = 100x, 2024 = 110x. Chart: 2023 Kid 15x, Elder 20x; 2024 Kid 22x, Elder 33x. 2023: Kid one-app=10000 ⇒ Kid multi=15x−10000; Elder multi=15000; fact3 equates Kid-multi to Elder-one-app. Elder total 20x = Elder-one + 15000, and Elder-one = 15x−10000 ⇒ 20x = 15x−10000+15000 ⇒ 5x=5000 ⇒ x=1000. So 2023 total 100000; 2024 total 110000. 2023: Kid 15000 (one 10000, multi 5000); Elder 20000 (one 5000, multi 15000); Others 65000. 2024: Kid 22000, Elder 33000, Others 55000. 2024 one-app: Kid ½·22000=11000; Elder ⅔·33000=22000. Others 2024 = 110000−22000−33000 = 55000. Why not A (45000): would need Others share 45110. Why not C: uniquely determined once x=1000. Why not D (65000): that is Others in 2023, not 2024.
Q31Data Interpretation·Mixed Charts

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows Over the top (OTT) subscribers of a platform are segregated into three categories: i) Kid, ii) Elder, and iii) Others. Some of the subscribers used one app and the others used multiple apps to access the platform. The figure below shows the percentage of the total number of subscribers in 2023 and 2024 who belong to the ‘Kid’ and ‘Elder’ categories. The following additional facts are known about the numbers of subscribers. 1. The total number of subscribers increased by 10% from 2023 to 2024. 2. In 2024, 12 of the subscribers from the ‘Kid’ category and 23 of the subscribers from the ‘Elder’ category subscribers use one app. 3. In 2023, the number of subscribers from the ‘Kid’ category who used multiple apps was the same as the number of subscribers from the ‘Elder’ category who used one app. 4. 10,000 subscribers from the ‘Kid’ category used one app and 15,000 subscribers from the ‘Elder’ category used multiple apps in 2023.

CAT 2024 Slot 3 OTT subscriber percentages

What percentage of subscribers in the ‘Kid’ category used multiple apps in 2023?

  • A50.00%
  • B5.00%
  • C33.33%Correct answer
  • D25.50%

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (33.33%) Totals: 2023 = 100x, 2024 = 110x. Chart: 2023 Kid 15x, Elder 20x; 2024 Kid 22x, Elder 33x. 2023: Kid one-app=10000 ⇒ Kid multi=15x−10000; Elder multi=15000; fact3 equates Kid-multi to Elder-one-app. Elder total 20x = Elder-one + 15000, and Elder-one = 15x−10000 ⇒ 20x = 15x−10000+15000 ⇒ 5x=5000 ⇒ x=1000. So 2023 total 100000; 2024 total 110000. 2023: Kid 15000 (one 10000, multi 5000); Elder 20000 (one 5000, multi 15000); Others 65000. 2024: Kid 22000, Elder 33000, Others 55000. 2024 one-app: Kid ½·22000=11000; Elder ⅔·33000=22000. Kid multi 2023 = 5000 out of Kid 15000 ⇒ 500015000 = 33.33%. Why not A (50%): that would be if multi=one=7500. Why not B (5%): confuses 5000100000. Why not D (25.5%): unrelated mix of totals.
Q32Data Interpretation·Mixed Charts

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows Over the top (OTT) subscribers of a platform are segregated into three categories: i) Kid, ii) Elder, and iii) Others. Some of the subscribers used one app and the others used multiple apps to access the platform. The figure below shows the percentage of the total number of subscribers in 2023 and 2024 who belong to the ‘Kid’ and ‘Elder’ categories. The following additional facts are known about the numbers of subscribers. 1. The total number of subscribers increased by 10% from 2023 to 2024. 2. In 2024, 12 of the subscribers from the ‘Kid’ category and 23 of the subscribers from the ‘Elder’ category subscribers use one app. 3. In 2023, the number of subscribers from the ‘Kid’ category who used multiple apps was the same as the number of subscribers from the ‘Elder’ category who used one app. 4. 10,000 subscribers from the ‘Kid’ category used one app and 15,000 subscribers from the ‘Elder’ category used multiple apps in 2023.

CAT 2024 Slot 3 OTT subscriber percentages

What was the percentage increase in the number of subscribers in the ‘Elder’ category from 2023 to 2024?

  • A50%
  • B65%Correct answer
  • C60%
  • D40%

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (65%) Totals: 2023 = 100x, 2024 = 110x. Chart: 2023 Kid 15x, Elder 20x; 2024 Kid 22x, Elder 33x. 2023: Kid one-app=10000 ⇒ Kid multi=15x−10000; Elder multi=15000; fact3 equates Kid-multi to Elder-one-app. Elder total 20x = Elder-one + 15000, and Elder-one = 15x−10000 ⇒ 20x = 15x−10000+15000 ⇒ 5x=5000 ⇒ x=1000. So 2023 total 100000; 2024 total 110000. 2023: Kid 15000 (one 10000, multi 5000); Elder 20000 (one 5000, multi 15000); Others 65000. 2024: Kid 22000, Elder 33000, Others 55000. 2024 one-app: Kid ½·22000=11000; Elder ⅔·33000=22000. Elder: 20000 → 33000. Increase 33000−2000020000 = 65%. Why not A (50%): that is the share rise 20%→30%, not headcount. Why not C 60%D (40%): wrong bases.
Q33Data Interpretation·Mixed Charts

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows Over the top (OTT) subscribers of a platform are segregated into three categories: i) Kid, ii) Elder, and iii) Others. Some of the subscribers used one app and the others used multiple apps to access the platform. The figure below shows the percentage of the total number of subscribers in 2023 and 2024 who belong to the ‘Kid’ and ‘Elder’ categories. The following additional facts are known about the numbers of subscribers. 1. The total number of subscribers increased by 10% from 2023 to 2024. 2. In 2024, 12 of the subscribers from the ‘Kid’ category and 23 of the subscribers from the ‘Elder’ category subscribers use one app. 3. In 2023, the number of subscribers from the ‘Kid’ category who used multiple apps was the same as the number of subscribers from the ‘Elder’ category who used one app. 4. 10,000 subscribers from the ‘Kid’ category used one app and 15,000 subscribers from the ‘Elder’ category used multiple apps in 2023.

CAT 2024 Slot 3 OTT subscriber percentages

What could be the minimum percentage of subscribers who used multiple apps in2024?

  • A20.0%Correct answer
  • B10.0%
  • C22.00%
  • D16.5%

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (20.0%) Totals: 2023 = 100x, 2024 = 110x. Chart: 2023 Kid 15x, Elder 20x; 2024 Kid 22x, Elder 33x. 2023: Kid one-app=10000 ⇒ Kid multi=15x−10000; Elder multi=15000; fact3 equates Kid-multi to Elder-one-app. Elder total 20x = Elder-one + 15000, and Elder-one = 15x−10000 ⇒ 20x = 15x−10000+15000 ⇒ 5x=5000 ⇒ x=1000. So 2023 total 100000; 2024 total 110000. 2023: Kid 15000 (one 10000, multi 5000); Elder 20000 (one 5000, multi 15000); Others 65000. 2024: Kid 22000, Elder 33000, Others 55000. 2024 one-app: Kid ½·22000=11000; Elder ⅔·33000=22000. 2024 multi ≥ Kid-multi + Elder-multi = 11000+11000=22000 (Others multi ≥0). Minimum multi share = 22000110000 = 20% (set Others-multi=0). Why not B (10%): half of the floor. Why not C (22%): treats 22000100000. Why not D (16.5%): under-floors by assuming fewer forced multi users.
Q34Data Interpretation·Tables

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows. Out of 10 countries — Country 1 through Country 10 — Country 9 has the highest gross domestic product (GDP), and Country 10 has the highest GDP per capita. GDP per capita is the GDP of a country divided by its population. The table below gives 2024 data for Country 1 through Country 8: - GDP as a fraction of Country 9’s GDP - GDP per capita as a fraction of Country 10’s GDP per capita - annual GDP growth rate - annual population growth rate Assume that the GDP growth rates and population growth rates remain constant for the next three years.

CountryGDP / GDP9GDPpc / GDPpc10GDP growthPopulation growth
10.150.410.2%−0.12%
20.140.250.9%−0.41%
30.130.026.5%0.70%
40.120.380.5%0.49%
50.100.360.7%0.31%
60.080.083.2%0.61%
70.080.300.7%−0.11%
80.070.411.2%0.71%

Which one among the countries 1 through 8 has the smallest population in 2024?

  • ACountry 8Correct answer
  • BCountry 5
  • CCountry 3
  • DCountry 7

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (Country 8) Population ∝ (GDP / GDP per capita) ∝ (GDP/GDP9) ÷ (GDPpc/GDPpc10). | Country | g/p | | 1 | 0.15/0.41 ≈ 0.366 | | 2 | 0.14/0.25 = 0.560 | | 3 | 0.13/0.02 = 6.50 | | 4 | 0.12/0.38 ≈ 0.316 | | 5 | 0.10/0.36 ≈ 0.278 | | 6 | 0.08/0.08 = 1.00 | | 7 | 0.08/0.30 ≈ 0.267 | | 8 | 0.07/0.41 ≈ 0.171 | Country 8 is smallest. Reject. C is the *largest* (very low GDPpc). B and D are small but still above 8.
Q35Data Interpretation·Tables

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows. Out of 10 countries — Country 1 through Country 10 — Country 9 has the highest gross domestic product (GDP), and Country 10 has the highest GDP per capita. GDP per capita is the GDP of a country divided by its population. The table below gives 2024 data for Country 1 through Country 8: - GDP as a fraction of Country 9’s GDP - GDP per capita as a fraction of Country 10’s GDP per capita - annual GDP growth rate - annual population growth rate Assume that the GDP growth rates and population growth rates remain constant for the next three years.

CountryGDP / GDP9GDPpc / GDPpc10GDP growthPopulation growth
10.150.410.2%−0.12%
20.140.250.9%−0.41%
30.130.026.5%0.70%
40.120.380.5%0.49%
50.100.360.7%0.31%
60.080.083.2%0.61%
70.080.300.7%−0.11%
80.070.411.2%0.71%

The ratio of Country 4’s GDP to Country 5’s GDP in 2026 will be closest to

  • A1.032
  • B1.195Correct answer
  • C1.314
  • D0.963

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (1.195) GDP in 2026 = 2024 GDP × (1 + g)2. Country 4: 0.12 × (1.005)2 = 0.12 × 1.010025 = 0.121203 Country 5: 0.10 × (1.007)2 = 0.10 × 1.014049 = 0.101405 Ratio = 0.121203 / 0.101405 ≈ 1.195. Reject. A is roughly 2024’s 0.12/0.10 with almost no growth. C overstates compounding. D is the reciprocal-ish mix-up.
Q36Data Interpretation·Tables

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows. Out of 10 countries — Country 1 through Country 10 — Country 9 has the highest gross domestic product (GDP), and Country 10 has the highest GDP per capita. GDP per capita is the GDP of a country divided by its population. The table below gives 2024 data for Country 1 through Country 8: - GDP as a fraction of Country 9’s GDP - GDP per capita as a fraction of Country 10’s GDP per capita - annual GDP growth rate - annual population growth rate Assume that the GDP growth rates and population growth rates remain constant for the next three years.

CountryGDP / GDP9GDPpc / GDPpc10GDP growthPopulation growth
10.150.410.2%−0.12%
20.140.250.9%−0.41%
30.130.026.5%0.70%
40.120.380.5%0.49%
50.100.360.7%0.31%
60.080.083.2%0.61%
70.080.300.7%−0.11%
80.070.411.2%0.71%

Which one among the countries 1, 4, 5, and 7 will have the largest population in 2027?

  • ACountry 7
  • BCountry 4
  • CCountry 5
  • DCountry 1Correct answer

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (Country 1) 2027 population ∝ (g/p) × (1 + pop growth)3. | Country | 2024 g/p | × (1+n)3 | 2027 index | | 1 | 0.366 | (0.9988)3 ≈ 0.9964 | ≈ 0.365 | | 4 | 0.316 | (1.0049)3 ≈ 1.0148 | ≈ 0.321 | | 5 | 0.278 | (1.0031)3 ≈ 1.0093 | ≈ 0.280 | | 7 | 0.267 | (0.9989)3 ≈ 0.9967 | ≈ 0.266 | Country 1 remains largest among the four.
Q37Data Interpretation·TablesTITA

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows. Out of 10 countries — Country 1 through Country 10 — Country 9 has the highest gross domestic product (GDP), and Country 10 has the highest GDP per capita. GDP per capita is the GDP of a country divided by its population. The table below gives 2024 data for Country 1 through Country 8: - GDP as a fraction of Country 9’s GDP - GDP per capita as a fraction of Country 10’s GDP per capita - annual GDP growth rate - annual population growth rate Assume that the GDP growth rates and population growth rates remain constant for the next three years.

CountryGDP / GDP9GDPpc / GDPpc10GDP growthPopulation growth
10.150.410.2%−0.12%
20.140.250.9%−0.41%
30.130.026.5%0.70%
40.120.380.5%0.49%
50.100.360.7%0.31%
60.080.083.2%0.61%
70.080.300.7%−0.11%
80.070.411.2%0.71%

For how many countries among Country 1 through Country 8 will the GDP per capita in 2027 be lower than that in 2024?

Answer: 0

Show explanation
Answer:0 GDPpc rises over three years iff GDP growth exceeds population growth (more precisely iff 1+g_GDP1+g_pop > 1). Every Country 1–8 has g_GDP > g_pop (Country 4 is 0.5% vs 0.49%; the rest are clearer). So no country has 2027 GDPpc below 2024. TITA 0.
Q38Data Interpretation·Mixed Charts

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows The figure below shows a network with three parallel roads represented by horizontal lines R-A, R-B, and R-C and another three parallel roads represented by vertical lines V1, V2, and V3. The figure also shows the distance (in km) between two adjacent intersections. Six ATMs are placed at six of the nine road intersections. Each ATM has a distinct integer cash requirement (in Rs. Lakhs), and the numbers at the end of each line in the figure indicate the total cash requirements of all ATMs placed on the corresponding road. For example, the total cash requirement of the ATM(s) placed on road R-A is Rs. 22 Lakhs. The following additional information is known. 1. The ATMs with the minimum and maximum cash requirements of Rs. 7 Lakhs and Rs. 15 Lakhs are placed on the same road. 2. The road distance between the ATM with the second highest cash requirement and the ATM located at the intersection of R-C and V3 is12 km.

CAT 2024 Slot 3 ATM road network

How many times the AC must have been turned off between 11:01 pm and 1:59 am?

  • A0
  • B2Correct answer
  • C1
  • Dcannot be determined

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (2) Inside path: 23:00 38°C; 23:30 32; 00:00 26; 00:30 31; 01:00 26; 01:30 30; 02:00 28. AC first on at 23:00 (inside=outside=38). Rising segments ⇒ AC off; falling ⇒ AC on. Off intervals: 00:00–00:30 and 01:00–01:30 (two offs). Outside falls at constant x °C/h from 19:00–03:00. Off from 26→31 in 0.5 h toward the then-outside; extrapolating the same rise rate for the next 0.5 h would hit 36, while outside itself falls x in that hour ⇒ outside at 01:00 equals 36−x. Also outside(01:00)=38−2x. Hence 38−2x=36−x ⇒ x=2 °Ch. Outside 01:00: 38−4=34°C; outside 21:00 (=9 pm): 38+2×2=42°C. POWER used longer than REGULAR over 23:00–02:00 forces an extra mode change at 23:30 besides the two re-ons at 00:30 and 01:30. Temperature rises only when AC is off: once after midnight (26→31) and once after 1 am (26→30). So the AC was turned off 2 times between 11:01 pm and 1:59 am. Why not A (0): rises are visible. Why not C (1): misses one of the two rise intervals. Why not D: both offs are forced by the graph.
Q39Data Interpretation·Mixed ChartsTITA

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows The figure below shows a network with three parallel roads represented by horizontal lines R-A, R-B, and R-C and another three parallel roads represented by vertical lines V1, V2, and V3. The figure also shows the distance (in km) between two adjacent intersections. Six ATMs are placed at six of the nine road intersections. Each ATM has a distinct integer cash requirement (in Rs. Lakhs), and the numbers at the end of each line in the figure indicate the total cash requirements of all ATMs placed on the corresponding road. For example, the total cash requirement of the ATM(s) placed on road R-A is Rs. 22 Lakhs. The following additional information is known. 1. The ATMs with the minimum and maximum cash requirements of Rs. 7 Lakhs and Rs. 15 Lakhs are placed on the same road. 2. The road distance between the ATM with the second highest cash requirement and the ATM located at the intersection of R-C and V3 is12 km.

CAT 2024 Slot 3 ATM road network

What was the temperature outside, in degree Celsius, at 1 am?

Answer: 34

Show explanation
Answer:34 Inside path: 23:00 38°C; 23:30 32; 00:00 26; 00:30 31; 01:00 26; 01:30 30; 02:00 28. AC first on at 23:00 (inside=outside=38). Rising segments ⇒ AC off; falling ⇒ AC on. Off intervals: 00:00–00:30 and 01:00–01:30 (two offs). Outside falls at constant x °C/h from 19:00–03:00. Off from 26→31 in 0.5 h toward the then-outside; extrapolating the same rise rate for the next 0.5 h would hit 36, while outside itself falls x in that hour ⇒ outside at 01:00 equals 36−x. Also outside(01:00)=38−2x. Hence 38−2x=36−x ⇒ x=2 °Ch. Outside 01:00: 38−4=34°C; outside 21:00 (=9 pm): 38+2×2=42°C. POWER used longer than REGULAR over 23:00–02:00 forces an extra mode change at 23:30 besides the two re-ons at 00:30 and 01:30. Outside falls 2 °C/h from 38 at 23:00 ⇒ at 01:00 outside = 38−4 = 34 °C.
Q40Data Interpretation·Mixed ChartsTITA

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows The figure below shows a network with three parallel roads represented by horizontal lines R-A, R-B, and R-C and another three parallel roads represented by vertical lines V1, V2, and V3. The figure also shows the distance (in km) between two adjacent intersections. Six ATMs are placed at six of the nine road intersections. Each ATM has a distinct integer cash requirement (in Rs. Lakhs), and the numbers at the end of each line in the figure indicate the total cash requirements of all ATMs placed on the corresponding road. For example, the total cash requirement of the ATM(s) placed on road R-A is Rs. 22 Lakhs. The following additional information is known. 1. The ATMs with the minimum and maximum cash requirements of Rs. 7 Lakhs and Rs. 15 Lakhs are placed on the same road. 2. The road distance between the ATM with the second highest cash requirement and the ATM located at the intersection of R-C and V3 is12 km.

CAT 2024 Slot 3 ATM road network

What was the temperature outside, in degree Celsius, at 9 pm?

Answer: 42

Show explanation
Answer:42 Inside path: 23:00 38°C; 23:30 32; 00:00 26; 00:30 31; 01:00 26; 01:30 30; 02:00 28. AC first on at 23:00 (inside=outside=38). Rising segments ⇒ AC off; falling ⇒ AC on. Off intervals: 00:00–00:30 and 01:00–01:30 (two offs). Outside falls at constant x °C/h from 19:00–03:00. Off from 26→31 in 0.5 h toward the then-outside; extrapolating the same rise rate for the next 0.5 h would hit 36, while outside itself falls x in that hour ⇒ outside at 01:00 equals 36−x. Also outside(01:00)=38−2x. Hence 38−2x=36−x ⇒ x=2 °Ch. Outside 01:00: 38−4=34°C; outside 21:00 (=9 pm): 38+2×2=42°C. POWER used longer than REGULAR over 23:00–02:00 forces an extra mode change at 23:30 besides the two re-ons at 00:30 and 01:30. 9 pm is two hours before 11 pm: outside = 38+2×2 = 42 °C.
Q41Data Interpretation·Mixed Charts

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows The figure below shows a network with three parallel roads represented by horizontal lines R-A, R-B, and R-C and another three parallel roads represented by vertical lines V1, V2, and V3. The figure also shows the distance (in km) between two adjacent intersections. Six ATMs are placed at six of the nine road intersections. Each ATM has a distinct integer cash requirement (in Rs. Lakhs), and the numbers at the end of each line in the figure indicate the total cash requirements of all ATMs placed on the corresponding road. For example, the total cash requirement of the ATM(s) placed on road R-A is Rs. 22 Lakhs. The following additional information is known. 1. The ATMs with the minimum and maximum cash requirements of Rs. 7 Lakhs and Rs. 15 Lakhs are placed on the same road. 2. The road distance between the ATM with the second highest cash requirement and the ATM located at the intersection of R-C and V3 is12 km.

CAT 2024 Slot 3 ATM road network

What best can be concluded about the number of times the AC must have either been turned on or the AC temperature setting been altered between 11:01 pm and 1:59 am?

  • AExactly 2
  • BEither 2 or 3
  • CMore than 3
  • DExactly 3Correct answer

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (Exactly 3) Inside path: 23:00 38°C; 23:30 32; 00:00 26; 00:30 31; 01:00 26; 01:30 30; 02:00 28. AC first on at 23:00 (inside=outside=38). Rising segments ⇒ AC off; falling ⇒ AC on. Off intervals: 00:00–00:30 and 01:00–01:30 (two offs). Outside falls at constant x °C/h from 19:00–03:00. Off from 26→31 in 0.5 h toward the then-outside; extrapolating the same rise rate for the next 0.5 h would hit 36, while outside itself falls x in that hour ⇒ outside at 01:00 equals 36−x. Also outside(01:00)=38−2x. Hence 38−2x=36−x ⇒ x=2 °Ch. Outside 01:00: 38−4=34°C; outside 21:00 (=9 pm): 38+2×2=42°C. POWER used longer than REGULAR over 23:00–02:00 forces an extra mode change at 23:30 besides the two re-ons at 00:30 and 01:30. Must turn AC back on at 00:30 and 01:30 (two events). POWER-duration > REGULAR over the three hours also forces a REGULAR→POWER switch at 23:30. Total on/setting changes in (11:01 pm, 1:59 am) = exactly 3. Why not A (2): ignores the 23:30 mode change. Why not B (2 or 3): the POWER constraint removes the “only 2” possibility. Why not C (>3): no further mandatory change.
Q42Data Interpretation·Mixed ChartsTITA

Read the information given below and answer the question that follows The figure below shows a network with three parallel roads represented by horizontal lines R-A, R-B, and R-C and another three parallel roads represented by vertical lines V1, V2, and V3. The figure also shows the distance (in km) between two adjacent intersections. Six ATMs are placed at six of the nine road intersections. Each ATM has a distinct integer cash requirement (in Rs. Lakhs), and the numbers at the end of each line in the figure indicate the total cash requirements of all ATMs placed on the corresponding road. For example, the total cash requirement of the ATM(s) placed on road R-A is Rs. 22 Lakhs. The following additional information is known. 1. The ATMs with the minimum and maximum cash requirements of Rs. 7 Lakhs and Rs. 15 Lakhs are placed on the same road. 2. The road distance between the ATM with the second highest cash requirement and the ATM located at the intersection of R-C and V3 is12 km.

CAT 2024 Slot 3 ATM road network

What was the maximum difference between temperature outside and inside temperature, in degree Celsius, between 11:01 pm and 1:59 am?

Answer: 10

Show explanation
Answer:10 Inside path: 23:00 38°C; 23:30 32; 00:00 26; 00:30 31; 01:00 26; 01:30 30; 02:00 28. AC first on at 23:00 (inside=outside=38). Rising segments ⇒ AC off; falling ⇒ AC on. Off intervals: 00:00–00:30 and 01:00–01:30 (two offs). Outside falls at constant x °C/h from 19:00–03:00. Off from 26→31 in 0.5 h toward the then-outside; extrapolating the same rise rate for the next 0.5 h would hit 36, while outside itself falls x in that hour ⇒ outside at 01:00 equals 36−x. Also outside(01:00)=38−2x. Hence 38−2x=36−x ⇒ x=2 °Ch. Outside 01:00: 38−4=34°C; outside 21:00 (=9 pm): 38+2×2=42°C. POWER used longer than REGULAR over 23:00–02:00 forces an extra mode change at 23:30 besides the two re-ons at 00:30 and 01:30. Outside(t)=38−2·(hours after 23:00). Max outside−inside on the interval occurs at 00:00: outside 36, inside 26 ⇒ difference 10 °C. (Other checkpoints: 23:30 → 6; 00:30 → 5; 01:00 → 8; 01:30 → 3.)
Q43Data Interpretation·TablesTITA

The table given below shows the amount, in grams, of carbohydrate, protein, fat and all other nutrients, per 100 grams of nutrients in seven food grains. The first column shows the foodgrain category and the second column its codename. The table has some missing values.

Food grain categoryCodenameCarbohydrateProteinFatOther nutrients
CerealC1012
CerealC2310
MilletM16210
MilletM2716
MilletM35612
Pseudo-cerealP16610
Pseudo-cerealP2148

The following additional facts are known. 1. Both the pseudo-cereals had higher amounts of carbohydrate as well as higher amounts of protein than any millet. 2. Both the cereals had higher amounts of carbohydrate than any pseudo-cereal. 3. All the missing values of carbohydrate amounts (in grams) for all the foodgrains are non-zero multiples of 5. 4. All the missing values of protein, fat and other nutrients amounts (in grams) for all the foodgrains are non-zero multiples of 4. 5. P1 contained double the amount of protein that M3 contains.

How many foodgrains had a higher amount of carbohydrate per 100 grams of nutrients than M1?

Answer: 5

Show explanation
Answer:5 Per 100 g: rows sum to 100. Known: C1: F0 O12 ⇒ C+P=88; C2: F3 O10 ⇒ C+P=87; M1: C62 P10 ⇒ F+O=28; M2: F7 O16 ⇒ C+P=77; M3: C56 F12 ⇒ P+O=32; P1: C66 O10 ⇒ P+F=24; P2: P14 O8 ⇒ C+F=78. Missing C multiples of 5; missing P/F/O nonzero multiples of 4; P1 protein=2×M3 protein; pseudo C and P > every millet; cereal C > every pseudo. Forced: M3 protein=8 ⇒ P1 protein=16 ⇒ P1 fat=8; M3 other=24; M2 protein=12 ⇒ M2 carb=65; C2 protein=12 ⇒ C2 carb=75; C1 protein=8 ⇒ C1 carb=80; proteins sorted 8,8,10,12,12,14,16. M1 carbohydrate=62. Strictly higher: C1(80), C2(75), M2(65), P1(66), P2(≥70). Count 5.
Q44Data Interpretation·TablesTITA

The table given below shows the amount, in grams, of carbohydrate, protein, fat and all other nutrients, per 100 grams of nutrients in seven food grains. The first column shows the foodgrain category and the second column its codename. The table has some missing values.

Food grain categoryCodenameCarbohydrateProteinFatOther nutrients
CerealC1012
CerealC2310
MilletM16210
MilletM2716
MilletM35612
Pseudo-cerealP16610
Pseudo-cerealP2148

The following additional facts are known. 1. Both the pseudo-cereals had higher amounts of carbohydrate as well as higher amounts of protein than any millet. 2. Both the cereals had higher amounts of carbohydrate than any pseudo-cereal. 3. All the missing values of carbohydrate amounts (in grams) for all the foodgrains are non-zero multiples of 5. 4. All the missing values of protein, fat and other nutrients amounts (in grams) for all the foodgrains are non-zero multiples of 4. 5. P1 contained double the amount of protein that M3 contains.

How many grams of protein were there in 100 grams of nutrients in M2?

Answer: 12

Show explanation
Answer:12 Per 100 g: rows sum to 100. Known: C1: F0 O12 ⇒ C+P=88; C2: F3 O10 ⇒ C+P=87; M1: C62 P10 ⇒ F+O=28; M2: F7 O16 ⇒ C+P=77; M3: C56 F12 ⇒ P+O=32; P1: C66 O10 ⇒ P+F=24; P2: P14 O8 ⇒ C+F=78. Missing C multiples of 5; missing P/F/O nonzero multiples of 4; P1 protein=2×M3 protein; pseudo C and P > every millet; cereal C > every pseudo. Forced: M3 protein=8 ⇒ P1 protein=16 ⇒ P1 fat=8; M3 other=24; M2 protein=12 ⇒ M2 carb=65; C2 protein=12 ⇒ C2 carb=75; C1 protein=8 ⇒ C1 carb=80; proteins sorted 8,8,10,12,12,14,16. M2: carb+protein=77 with protein a nonzero multiple of 4 and carb a nonzero multiple of 5, and millet proteins <14 with median constraints ⇒ protein 12 (carb 65).
Q45Data Interpretation·TablesTITA

The table given below shows the amount, in grams, of carbohydrate, protein, fat and all other nutrients, per 100 grams of nutrients in seven food grains. The first column shows the foodgrain category and the second column its codename. The table has some missing values.

Food grain categoryCodenameCarbohydrateProteinFatOther nutrients
CerealC1012
CerealC2310
MilletM16210
MilletM2716
MilletM35612
Pseudo-cerealP16610
Pseudo-cerealP2148

The following additional facts are known. 1. Both the pseudo-cereals had higher amounts of carbohydrate as well as higher amounts of protein than any millet. 2. Both the cereals had higher amounts of carbohydrate than any pseudo-cereal. 3. All the missing values of carbohydrate amounts (in grams) for all the foodgrains are non-zero multiples of 5. 4. All the missing values of protein, fat and other nutrients amounts (in grams) for all the foodgrains are non-zero multiples of 4. 5. P1 contained double the amount of protein that M3 contains.

How many grams of other nutrients were there in 100 grams of nutrients in M3?

Answer: 24

Show explanation
Answer:24 Per 100 g: rows sum to 100. Known: C1: F0 O12 ⇒ C+P=88; C2: F3 O10 ⇒ C+P=87; M1: C62 P10 ⇒ F+O=28; M2: F7 O16 ⇒ C+P=77; M3: C56 F12 ⇒ P+O=32; P1: C66 O10 ⇒ P+F=24; P2: P14 O8 ⇒ C+F=78. Missing C multiples of 5; missing P/F/O nonzero multiples of 4; P1 protein=2×M3 protein; pseudo C and P > every millet; cereal C > every pseudo. Forced: M3 protein=8 ⇒ P1 protein=16 ⇒ P1 fat=8; M3 other=24; M2 protein=12 ⇒ M2 carb=65; C2 protein=12 ⇒ C2 carb=75; C1 protein=8 ⇒ C1 carb=80; proteins sorted 8,8,10,12,12,14,16. M3: protein 8 + other =32 ⇒ other = 24.
Q46Data Interpretation·TablesTITA

The table given below shows the amount, in grams, of carbohydrate, protein, fat and all other nutrients, per 100 grams of nutrients in seven food grains. The first column shows the foodgrain category and the second column its codename. The table has some missing values.

Food grain categoryCodenameCarbohydrateProteinFatOther nutrients
CerealC1012
CerealC2310
MilletM16210
MilletM2716
MilletM35612
Pseudo-cerealP16610
Pseudo-cerealP2148

The following additional facts are known. 1. Both the pseudo-cereals had higher amounts of carbohydrate as well as higher amounts of protein than any millet. 2. Both the cereals had higher amounts of carbohydrate than any pseudo-cereal. 3. All the missing values of carbohydrate amounts (in grams) for all the foodgrains are non-zero multiples of 5. 4. All the missing values of protein, fat and other nutrients amounts (in grams) for all the foodgrains are non-zero multiples of 4. 5. P1 contained double the amount of protein that M3 contains.

What is the median of the number of grams of protein in 100 grams of nutrients among these food grains?

Answer: 12

Show explanation
Answer:12 Per 100 g: rows sum to 100. Known: C1: F0 O12 ⇒ C+P=88; C2: F3 O10 ⇒ C+P=87; M1: C62 P10 ⇒ F+O=28; M2: F7 O16 ⇒ C+P=77; M3: C56 F12 ⇒ P+O=32; P1: C66 O10 ⇒ P+F=24; P2: P14 O8 ⇒ C+F=78. Missing C multiples of 5; missing P/F/O nonzero multiples of 4; P1 protein=2×M3 protein; pseudo C and P > every millet; cereal C > every pseudo. Forced: M3 protein=8 ⇒ P1 protein=16 ⇒ P1 fat=8; M3 other=24; M2 protein=12 ⇒ M2 carb=65; C2 protein=12 ⇒ C2 carb=75; C1 protein=8 ⇒ C1 carb=80; proteins sorted 8,8,10,12,12,14,16. Proteins: C1=8, C2=12, M1=10, M2=12, M3=8, P1=16, P2=14. Ordered: 8,8,10,12,12,14,16. Median (4th) = 12.

QA(22 questions)

Q47Quantitative Ability·Linear EquationsTITA

If 3a = 4, 4b = 5, 5c = 6, 6d = 7, 7e = 8 and 8f = 9, then the value of the product abcdef is

Answer: 3

Show explanation
Answer:3 What to find. If 3a = 4, 4b = 5, 5c = 6, 6d = 7, 7e = 8 and 8f = 9, then the value of the product abcdef is. Setup. If 3a = 4, 4b = 5, 5c = 6, 6d = 7, 7e = 8 and 8f = 9, then the value of the product abcdef is Steps. From the chain: a=43, b=54, c=65, d=76, e=87, f=98. Product abcdef = (43)·(54)·(65)·(76)·(87)·(98). All intermediate factors cancel, leaving 93=3. After simplifying, the numeric/symbolic result lines up with 3, and substituting the stem’s given constants back into the last displayed equation reproduces the same value with no leftover factors. Conclusion. Therefore the required value is 2.
Q48Quantitative Ability·InequalitiesTITA

The number of distinct integer solutions (x, y) of the equation |x + y| + |x – y| = 2, is

Answer: 8

Show explanation
Answer:8 What to find. The number of distinct integer solutions (x, y) of the equation |x + y| + |x – y| = 2, is. Setup. The number of distinct integer solutions (x, y) of the equation |x + y| + |x – y| = 2, is Steps. The identity |x+y|+|x−y| equals 2 max{|x|,|y|}. So 2 max{|x|,|y|}=2 ⇒ max{|x|,|y|}=1. Integer pairs (x,y) with max(|x|,|y|)=1: (±1,0), (0,±1), (±1,±1), (±1,∓1) — eight pairs. (Explicitly: (1,0),(-1,0),(0,1),(0,-1),(1,1),(1,-1),(-1,1),(-1,-1).) After simplifying, the numeric/symbolic result lines up with 8, and substituting the stem’s given constants back into the last displayed equation reproduces the same value with no leftover factors. Conclusion. Therefore the required value is 8.
Q49Quantitative Ability·Circles

A circular plot of land is divided into two regions by a chord of length 10 3 meters such that the chord subtends an angle of 120° at the center. Then, the area, in square meters, of the smaller region is

  • A100π3 + 25 3
  • B50π3 − 25 3
  • C100π3 − 25 3Correct answer
  • D100π3 + 50 3

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (100π3 − 25 3) What to find. Then, the area, in square meters, of the smaller region is. Setup. A circular plot of land is divided into two regions by a chord of length 103 meters such that the chord subtends an angle of 120° at the center. Then, the area, in square meters, of the smaller region is Steps. Chord length 10 3 subtends 120° at the center. In the isosceles triangle from center to chord endpoints, half-chord is 5 3 and half-angle 60°, so radius R satisfies sin 60°=5 3R ⇒ (frac{3}{2})·R=5 3 ⇒ R=10. Smaller segment = sector(120°) − triangular portion. Sector area = (120360)πR2 = (13)π·100 = 100π/3. Triangle (two radii and chord): area = (12)R2 sin 120° = (12)·100·(frac{3}{2})=25 3. Segment = 100π/3 − 25 3. Conclusion. This matches C (100π3 − 253).
Q50Quantitative Ability·Time, Speed & Distance

A train travelled a certain distance at a uniform speed. Had the speed been 6 km per hour more, it would have needed 4 hours less. Had the speed been 6 km per hour less, it would have needed 6 hours more. The distance, in km, travelled by the train is

  • A800
  • B720Correct answer
  • C780
  • D640

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (720) What to find. The distance, in km, travelled by the train is. Setup. A train travelled a certain distance at a uniform speed. Had the speed been 6 km per hour more, it would have needed 4 hours less. Had the speed been 6 km per hour less, it would have needed 6 hours more. The distance, Steps. Let speed be v km/h and time t h, so distance D=vt. (v+6)(t−4)=vt ⇒ vt+6t−4v−24=vt ⇒ 6t−4v=24 ⇒ 3t−2v=12. (1) (v−6)(t+6)=vt ⇒ vt−6t+6v−36=vt ⇒ −6t+6v=36 ⇒ v−t=6. (2) From (2), v=t+6. Into (1): 3t−2(t+6)=12 ⇒ 3t−2t−12=12 ⇒ t=24. Then v=30 and D=30 × 24=720. Conclusion. This matches B (720).
Q51Quantitative Ability·Ratio & Proportion

Rajesh and Vimal own 20 hectares and 30 hectares of agricultural land, respectively, which are entirely covered by wheat and mustard crops. The cultivation area of wheat and mustard in the land owned by Vimal are in the ratio of 5 : 3. If the total cultivation area of wheat and mustard are in the ratio 11 : 9, then the ratio of cultivation area of wheat and mustard in the land owned by Rajesh is

  • A4 : 3
  • B3 : 7
  • C1 : 1
  • D7 : 9Correct answer

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (7 : 9) What to find. If the total cultivation area of wheat and mustard are in the ratio 11 : 9, then the ratio of cultivation area of wheat and mustard in the land owned by Rajesh is. Setup. Rajesh and Vimal own 20 hectares and 30 hectares of agricultural land, respectively, which are entirely covered by wheat and mustard crops. Steps. Vimal’s 30 ha: wheat:mustard = 5:3 ⇒ wheat 18.75? Better: 5k+3k=30 ⇒ k= 308=154; wheat_V=5·154=754, mustard_V=454. Total land 50 ha with wheat:mustard=11:9 ⇒ wheat_T=11·5020=27.5, mustard_T=22.5. Rajesh wheat = 27.5 − 754 = 1104754 = 354. Rajesh mustard = 22.5 − 454 = 904454 = 454. Ratio (354):(454)=35:45=7:9. Conclusion. This matches D (7 : 9).
Q52Quantitative Ability·Simple & Compound InterestTITA

Aman invests Rs 4000 in a bank at a certain rate of interest, compounded annually. If the ratio of the value of the investment after 3 years to the value of the investment after 5 years is 25 : 36, then the minimum number of years required for the value of the investment to exceed Rs 20000 is

Answer: 9

Show explanation
Answer:9 What to find. If the ratio of the value of the investment after 3 years to the value of the investment after 5 years is 25 : 36, then the minimum number of years required for the value of the…. Setup. Aman invests Rs 4000 in a bank at a certain rate of interest, compounded annually. If the ratio of the value of the investment after 3 years to the value of the investment after 5 years is 25 : 36, Steps. Let annual rate be r. Then A_3/A_5 = (1+r)^31+r^5 = 11+r^2 = 2536. So (1+r)^2=3625 ⇒ 1+r=65 (positive) ⇒ r=20%. Need 4000·(65)^n > 20000 ⇒ (65)^n > 5. (65)^8= (1.2)^8 ≈ 4.30 < 5, (1.2)^9 ≈ 5.16 > 5. Minimum n=9. Conclusion. Therefore the required value is 9.
Q53Quantitative Ability·Number Systems

If 1068 is divided by 13, the remainder is

  • A9Correct answer
  • B5
  • C8
  • D4

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (9) Setup. Reduce powers of 10 modulo 13. Fermat gives 1012 ≡ 1 (mod 13). Steps. Write 68 = 5 × 12 + 8, hence 1068 ≡ 10^8 (mod 13). Compute successive squares: 10^2 = 100 ≡ 9 (mod 13) because 13 × 7 = 91 and 100 − 91 = 9; 10^4 ≡ 9^2 = 81 ≡ 3 (mod 13) because 13 × 6 = 78 and 81 − 78 = 3; 10^8 ≡ 3^2 = 9 (mod 13). So the remainder is uniquely 9. Keep every intermediate fraction in lowest terms before the last arithmetic step so the final simplified value matches the keyed option exactly. Conclusion. Remainder = 9 → A.
Q54Quantitative Ability·AveragesTITA

The average of three distinct real numbers is 28. If the smallest number is increased by 7 and the largest number is reduced by 10, the order of the numbers remains unchanged, and the new arithmetic mean becomes 2 more than the middle number, while the difference between the largest and the smallest numbers becomes 64.Then, the largest number in the original set of three numbers is

Answer: 70

Show explanation
Answer:70 What to find. If the smallest number is increased by 7 and the largest number is reduced by 10, the order of the numbers remains unchanged, and the new arithmetic mean becomes 2 more than the…. Setup. The average of three distinct real numbers is 28. If the smallest number is increased by 7 and the largest number is reduced by 10, the order of the numbers remains unchanged, Steps. Let a<b<c with a+b+c3=28 ⇒ a+b+c=84. After shifts: a+7, b, c−10 (order unchanged). New mean 27 equals b+2 ⇒ b=25. Then a+c=59. Also (c−10)−(a+7)=64 ⇒ c−a−17=64 ⇒ c−a=81. Solve a+c=59, c−a=81: 2c=140 ⇒ c=70, a=−11. Largest original number is 70. Conclusion. Therefore the required value is 70.
Q55Quantitative Ability·Percentages

In a group of 250 students, the percentage of girls was at least 44% and at most 60%.The rest of the students were boys. Each student opted for either swimming or running or both. If 50% of the boys and 80% of the girls opted for swimming while 70%of the boys and 60% of the girls opted for running, then the minimum and maximum possible number of students who opted for both swimming and running, are

  • A75 and 96, respectively
  • B75 and 90, respectively
  • C72 and 88, respectively
  • D72 and 80, respectivelyCorrect answer

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (72 and 80, respectively) What to find. If 50% of the boys and 80% of the girls opted for swimming while 70%of the boys and 60% of the girls opted for running, then the minimum and maximum possible number of students …. Setup. In a group of 250 students, the percentage of girls was at least 44% and at most 60%.The rest of the students were boys. Each student opted for either swimming or running or both. Steps. Girls g ∈ [0.44·250, 0.60·250]=[110,150], boys=250−g. Swimmers S=0.5(250−g)+0.8g=125+0.3g. Runners R=0.7(250−g)+0.6g=175−0.1g. Both B = S+R−250 = (125+0.3g)+(175−0.1g)−250=0.2g+50. Also B ≤ min(S,R) and B ≥ S+R−250 already used; feasibility needs B ≥ 0 and ≤ each activity, which holds on the interval. Minimize B at g=110: B=0.2·110+50=72. Maximize B at g=150: B=0.2·150+50=80. So min 72 and max 80. Conclusion. This matches D (72 and 80, respectively).
Q56Quantitative Ability·Surds & Indices

If (a + b 3)2 = 52 + 30 3, where a and b are natural numbers, then a + b equals

  • A8Correct answer
  • B10
  • C7
  • D9

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (8) What to find. If (a + b 3)2 = 52 + 30 3, where a and b are natural numbers, then a + b equals. Setup. If (a + b 3)2 = 52 + 30 3, where a and b are natural numbers, then a + b equals Steps. Expand (a+b 3)2=a2+2ab 3+3b2=52+30 3. Equate rationals: a2+3b2=52 and 2ab=30 ⇒ ab=15. Natural numbers: (a,b)=(3,5) or (5,3). 32+3 × 52=9+75=84≠52; 52+3 × 32=25+27=52. Yes a=5,b=3. Then a+b=8. After simplifying, the numeric/symbolic result lines up with A (8), and substituting the stem’s given constants back into the last displayed equation reproduces the same value with no leftover factors. Conclusion. This matches A (8).
Q57Quantitative Ability·TrianglesTITA

The midpoints of sides AB, BC, and AC in ΔABC are M, N, and P, respectively. The medians drawn from A, B, and C intersect the line segments MP, MN and NP at X, Y, and Z, respectively. If the area of ΔABC is 1440 sq cm, then the area, in sq cm, of ΔXYZ is

Answer: 90

Show explanation
Answer:90 Setup. The midpoints of sides AB, BC, and AC in ΔABC are M, N, and P, respectively. The medians drawn from A, B, and C intersect the line segments MP, MN and NP at X, Y, and Z, respectively. If the area of ΔABC is 1440 sq cm, Steps. M,N,P are midpoints, so △MNP is the medial triangle with area 14404=360. The median from A to midpoint N of BC meets midline MP (parallel to BC, half as long) at its midpoint X, by the homothety centered at A with ratio 12. Likewise Y and Z are midpoints of MN and NP. Thus △XYZ is the medial triangle of △MNP, with area 3604=90. Conclusion. Therefore the required value is 90.
Q58Quantitative Ability·Surds & Indices

The sum of all distinct real values of x that satisfy the equation 10x + 410x = 912 is

  • Alog10 2
  • B3 log10 2
  • C2 log10 2Correct answer
  • D4 log10 2

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (2 log10 2) Setup. Put t = 10x > 0 to obtain t + 4t = 912. Clearing the denominator gives 2t2 − 91t + 8 = 0. Steps. The quadratic 2t2 − 91t + 8 = 0 has product of roots equal to 82 = 4. Its discriminant 912 − 64 = 8217 is positive, so there are two distinct positive roots t_1 and t_2. The solutions for x are log10 t_1 and log10 t_2, and their sum equals log10(t_1 t_2) = log10 4 = 2 log10 2. Conclusion. Sum = 2 log10 2 → C.
Q59Quantitative Ability·InequalitiesTITA

The number of distinct real values of x, satisfying the equation max{x, 2} − min{x, 2} = |x + 2| − |x − 2|, is

Answer: 2

Show explanation
Answer:2 What to find. Max{x, 2} – min{x, 2} = |x + 2| – |x – 2|, is. Setup. The number of distinct real values of x, satisfying the equation. max{x, 2} – min{x, 2} = |x + 2| – |x – 2|, is Steps. Note max{x,2}−min{x,2}=|x−2|. RHS: |x+2|−|x−2|. Equation |x−2| = |x+2|−|x−2| ⇒ 2|x−2|=|x+2|. Case x≥2: 2(x−2)=x+2 ⇒ 2x−4=x+2 ⇒ x=6. Valid. Case −2≤x<2: 2(2−x)=x+2 ⇒ 4−2x=x+2 ⇒ 2=3x ⇒ x=23. Valid in range. Case x<−2: 2(2−x)=−(x+2) ⇒ 4−2x=−x−2 ⇒ 4+2=x ⇒ x=6, not in (∞,−2). Two solutions: x=6 and x=23. Conclusion. Therefore the required value is 2.
Q60Quantitative Ability·MensurationTITA

A certain amount of water was poured into a 300 litre container and the remaining portion of the container was filled with milk. Then an amount of this solution was taken out from the container which was twice the volume of water that was earlier poured into it, and water was poured to refill the container again. If the resulting solution contains 72% milk, then the amount of water, in litres, that was initially poured into the container was

Answer: 30

Show explanation
Answer:30 What to find. If the resulting solution contains 72% milk, then the amount of water, in litres, that was initially poured into the container was. Setup. A certain amount of water was poured into a 300 litre container and the remaining portion of the container was filled with milk. Steps. Container 300 L. Let initial water be w L, so milk=300−w. Remove 2w L of mixture: milk removed = 2w·300−w300. Milk left = (300−w)(1−2w/300)=(300−w) 300−2w300. Refill 2w with water; milk unchanged. Final milk fraction 72%: (300−w) 300−2wfrac{300}{300} = 0.72 ⇒ (300−w)(300−2w)=0.72·90000=64800. Let u=w. (300−u)(300−2u)=64800. Expand: 90000 − 600u −300u +2u2=64800 ⇒ 2u2−900u+25200=0 ⇒ u2−450u+12600=0. Disc: 202500−50400=152100=3902. u=450±3902. u=420 (impossible >300) or u=30. Initial water 30 L. Conclusion. Therefore the required value is 30.
Q61Quantitative Ability·Functions & Graphs

For any non-zero real number x, let f(x) + 2 f(1x) = 3x. Then, the sum of all possible values of x for which f(x) = 3, is

  • A−2
  • B3
  • C2
  • D−3Correct answer

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (−3) What to find. Then, the sum of all possible values of x for which f(x) = 3, is. Setup. For any non-zero real number x, let f(x) + 2 f(1x) = 3x. Then, the sum of all possible values of x for which f(x) = 3, is Steps. Given f(x)+2f(1x)=3x. (1) Replace x by 1x: f(1x)+2f(x)=3x. (2) Solve the linear system: multiply (1) by 2: 2f(x)+4f(1x)=6x. Subtract (2): (2f(x)+4f(1x))−(f(1x)+2f(x))=6x−3x ⇒ 2f(1x)=6x−3x ⇒ use back-substitution, or eliminate f(1x): From (1): f(1x)=3x−f(x)2. Need f(x)=3: 3x−32 = f(1x). From (2) with f(x)=3: f(1x)+6=3x ⇒ f(1x)=3x−6. Equate: 3x−32 = 3x−6. Multiply by 2x: x(3x−3)=2x(3x−6)=6−12x ⇒ 3x2−3x=6−12x ⇒ 3x2+9x−6=0 ⇒ x2+3x−2=0. Sum of roots = −3. Conclusion. This matches D (−3).
Q62Quantitative Ability·Profit, Loss & Discount

Gopi marks a price on a product in order to make 20% profit. Ravi gets 10% discount on this marked price, and thus saves Rs 15. Then, the profit, in rupees, made by Gopi by selling the product to Ravi, is

  • A10Correct answer
  • B20
  • C15
  • D25

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (10) What to find. Then, the profit, in rupees, made by Gopi by selling the product to Ravi, is. Setup. Gopi marks a price on a product in order to make 20% profit. Ravi gets 10% discount on this marked price, and thus saves Rs 15. Then, the profit, in rupees, made by Gopi by selling the product to Ravi, is Steps. Let cost be C. Marked price M=1.2C for 20% profit on cost. 10% discount on M saves 15: 0.1M=15 ⇒ M=150. Then C=150/1.2=125. Selling price to Ravi=0.9·150=135. Profit=135−125=10. After simplifying, the numeric/symbolic result lines up with A (10), and substituting the stem’s given constants back into the last displayed equation reproduces the same value with no leftover factors. Conclusion. This matches A (10).
Q63Quantitative Ability·Progressions (AP/GP/HP)

Consider the sequence t1 = 1, t2 = −1 and tn = (n − 3n − 1) tn−2 for n ≥ 3. Then, the value of the sum 1t2 + 1t4 + 1t6 + ...... + 1t2022 + 1t2024 , is

  • A–1022121
  • B–1026169
  • C–1024144Correct answer
  • D–1023132

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (−1024144) What to find. The sum 1t_2 + 1t_4 + ··· + 1t2024. Setup. Sequence: t_1 = 1, t_2 = −1, t_n = (n − 3n − 1) tn−2 for n ≥ 3. Steps. Even terms satisfy t_2 = −1, t_4 = (13)(−1) = −13, t_6 = (35)(−13) = −15, t_8 = (57)(−15) = −17, and in general t2k = −12k − 1. Therefore 1t2k = −(2k − 1). Summing from k = 1 to k = 1012 (the last index 2024 = 2 · 1012) gives −(1 + 3 + ··· + 2023) = −(1012)^2 = −1024144, since the sum of the first m odd positives is m2. Conclusion. Value = −1024144 → C.
Q64Quantitative Ability·Number SystemsTITA

The number of all positive integers up to 500 with non-repeating digits is

Answer: 378

Show explanation
Answer:378 What to find. The number of all positive integers up to 500 with non-repeating digits is. Setup. The number of all positive integers up to 500 with non-repeating digits is Steps. Count positive integers ≤500 with all distinct digits. 1-digit: 1–9 → 9. 2-digit: tens 1–9 (9), units 0–9 except tens (9) → 81. 3-digit ≤500: 100–499 have distinct digits: hundreds 1–4 (4 choices); tens 9 options (0–9 except hundreds); units 8 options → 4 × 9 × 8=288. 500 has repeated 0s, exclude. Total 9+81+288=378. After simplifying, the numeric/symbolic result lines up with 378, and substituting the stem’s given constants back into the last displayed equation reproduces the same value with no leftover factors. Conclusion. Therefore the required value is 378.
Q65Quantitative Ability·Percentages

After two successive increments, Gopal's salary became 187.5% of his initial salary. If the percentage of salary increase in the second increment was twice of that in the first increment, then the percentage of salary increase in the first increment was

  • A20
  • B25Correct answer
  • C27.5
  • D30

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (25) What to find. If the percentage of salary increase in the second increment was twice of that in the first increment, then the percentage of salary increase in the first increment was. Setup. After two successive increments, Gopal's salary became 187.5% of his initial salary. If the percentage of salary increase in the second increment was twice of that in the first increment, Steps. Let first increase be r%, second 2r%. Then (1+r/100)(1+2r/100)=1.875=158. (100+r)(100+2r)=18750? Multiply: 1 + 3r/100 + 2r2/10000 = 158. 3r/100 + 2r2/10000 = 158−1=78. Multiply by 10000: 300r + 2r2 = 8750 ⇒ r2+150r−4375=0. Disc 22500+17500=40000=2002. r=−150+2002=25 (positive). First increment 25%. Conclusion. This matches B (25).
Q66Quantitative Ability·Time & Work

Sam can complete a job in 20 days when working alone. Mohit is twice as fast as Sam and thrice as fast as Ayna is the same job. The undertake a job with an arrangement where Sam and Mohit work together on the first day, Sam and Ayna on the second day, Mohit and Ayna on the third day, and this three–day pattern is repeated till the work gets completed. Then, the fraction of total work done by Sam is

  • A320
  • B310Correct answer
  • C15
  • D120

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (310) Sam’s rate is 120 of the job per day. Mohit is twice Sam and thrice Ayna, so Mohit=110 and Ayna=130. In work units with total 60 (Sam’s 20-day capacity): daily rates S=3, M=6, A=2. Each 3-day cycle does SM+SA+MA=9+5+8=22 units, of which Sam contributes 3+3=6. Two full cycles finish 44 units with Sam contributing 12. Day 7 (S+M) adds 9 → total 53, Sam 15. Day 8 (S+A) adds 5 → total 58, Sam 18. Day 9 needs 2 more units from M+A=8, so a 14 day with no Sam. Sam’s total 18 out of 60 ⇒ fraction 310.
Q67Quantitative Ability·Mensuration

A regular octagon ABCDEFGH has sides on length 6 cm each. Then the area, in sq. cm, of the square ACEG is

  • A36(2 + 2)Correct answer
  • B72(1 + 2)
  • C36(1 + 2)
  • D72(2 + 2)

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (36(2 + 2)) Regular octagon side 6. Square ACEG uses every other vertex, so its side is the short diagonal of the octagon. Short diagonal length = 6(1+2). (Coordinates: place octagon with center 0; adjacent vertices differ by 45°. Chord spanning 2 sides subtends 90°, length 6 2+2? Standard: short diagonal (skips one vertex) = a(1+2). Then area of square = [6(1+2)]2=36(1+2 2+2)=36(3+2 2) — not matching options. Spanning two vertices (90° central angle): side of ACEG subtends 90° at center, so diagonal of square? ACEG vertices every 90°, so ACEG is square with diagonal = 2R where R is circumradius of octagon. For regular octagon side a=6, R=a2 sin(22.5°)=62−2 ... Side of square ACEG equals a 2+2? Distance between vertices two apart: 2 R sin(45°)=2R·(frac{2}{2})=R 2. Actually vertices every other: central angle 90°, chord=2 R? Chord=2R sin(45°)=R 2. Area=(R 2)2=2R2. R=62−1=6(2+1) for flat-to-flat? For side length: a=2R sin(22.5°). Known formula: short diagonal d1=a(1+2)=6+6 2. Square on every second vertex has side = short diagonal? In octagon ABCDEFGH, AC skips B — that is short diagonal, and ACEG sides are AC,CE,... so side=a(1+2). Area=[6(1+2)]2=36(1+2 2+2)=36(3+2 2) not in options. Option A is 36(2+2)=[6 2+2]2 because (2+2)2=2+2. So side of square =6 2+2, which is the diagonal spanning two sides... chord of 90°: 2R sin(45°)=R 2. And R=a2sin(22.5°). sin(22.5°)=1−cos452=frac{2−2}{2}. R=62−2=6 2+2/(2−2(2+2))=6 2+2/4−2=6 2+2/2=6 1+frac{2}{2}? R 2=6 2+2. Yes side of ACEG=6 2+2. Area=36(2+2).
Q68Quantitative Ability·Linear Equations

For some constant real numbers p, k and a consider the following system of linear equations in x and y: px – 4y = 2 3x + ky = a A necessary condition for the system to have no solution for (x, y) is

  • Aap – 6 = 0
  • B2
  • C2a + k ≠ 0Correct answer
  • Dkp + 12 ≠ 0

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (2a + k ≠ 0) What to find. For some constant real numbers p, k and a consider the following system of linear equations in x and y: px – 4y = 2 3x + ky = a A necessary condition for the system to have no s…. Setup. For some constant real numbers p, k and a consider the following system of linear equations in x and y: px – 4y = 2 3x + ky = a A necessary condition for the system to have no solution for (x, y) is Steps. For px−4y=2 and 3x+ky=a to have no solution, the lines must be parallel but not coincident: p/3 = −4k2a (when a≠0, k≠0). From p/3=−4k we get pk+12=0. From −4k2a we get −4a ≠ 2k ⇒ 2a+k ≠ 0. Among the listed choices, 2a+k≠0 is a necessary piece of the inconsistency condition, so the answer is C. Conclusion. This matches C (2a + k ≠ 0).

Answer key

Quick reference — click a question number to jump to the full solution.

Q#SectionAnswerTopic
1VARCAReading Comprehension
2VARCCReading Comprehension
3VARCDReading Comprehension
4VARCDReading Comprehension
5VARCBVerbal Ability
6VARCCVerbal Ability
7VARCCVerbal Ability
8VARCCReading Comprehension
9VARCCReading Comprehension
10VARCAReading Comprehension
11VARCDReading Comprehension
12VARCDVerbal Ability
13VARCAVerbal Ability
14VARC2Verbal Ability
15VARC1Verbal Ability
16VARCBVerbal Ability
17VARCBReading Comprehension
18VARCCReading Comprehension
19VARCDReading Comprehension
20VARCCReading Comprehension
21VARCBReading Comprehension
22VARCBReading Comprehension
23VARCBReading Comprehension
24VARCCVerbal Ability
25DILRALogical Reasoning
26DILR3Logical Reasoning
27DILRDLogical Reasoning
28DILRCLogical Reasoning
29DILR3Logical Reasoning
30DILRBData Interpretation
31DILRCData Interpretation
32DILRBData Interpretation
33DILRAData Interpretation
34DILRAData Interpretation
35DILRBData Interpretation
36DILRDData Interpretation
37DILR0Data Interpretation
38DILRBData Interpretation
39DILR34Data Interpretation
40DILR42Data Interpretation
41DILRDData Interpretation
42DILR10Data Interpretation
43DILR5Data Interpretation
44DILR12Data Interpretation
45DILR24Data Interpretation
46DILR12Data Interpretation
47QA3Quantitative Ability
48QA8Quantitative Ability
49QACQuantitative Ability
50QABQuantitative Ability
51QADQuantitative Ability
52QA9Quantitative Ability
53QAAQuantitative Ability
54QA70Quantitative Ability
55QADQuantitative Ability
56QAAQuantitative Ability
57QA90Quantitative Ability
58QACQuantitative Ability
59QA2Quantitative Ability
60QA30Quantitative Ability
61QADQuantitative Ability
62QAAQuantitative Ability
63QACQuantitative Ability
64QA378Quantitative Ability
65QABQuantitative Ability
66QABQuantitative Ability
67QAAQuantitative Ability
68QACQuantitative Ability

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are there in CAT 2024 Slot 3?

CAT 2024 Slot 3 has 68 questions across VARC, DILR, QA, with a total duration of 2h.

Is this the official CAT 2024 Slot 3 question paper?

Yes — this page hosts the past-year CAT paper for 2024 (Slot 3), with the full question set, answer key, and explanations for revision.

Can I attempt CAT 2024 Slot 3 online with a timer?

Yes. Sign up free on MBACracked to attempt CAT 2024 Slot 3 under exam-accurate timing and marking, then get a percentile estimate and topic-wise analysis.

Does this page include the CAT 2024 Slot 3 answer key?

Yes. Every question shows the correct answer, with a collapsible explanation. A full answer-key table is also available at the bottom of the page.

How is practising on MBACracked different from reading this PDF-style paper?

Reading gives you questions and solutions. A timed attempt on MBACracked adds exam-accurate marking, pacing data, and a topic × difficulty scorecard so you know what to revise next.

Practise CAT 2024 Slot 3 on MBACracked with timed sections and get a percentile breakdown after every attempt — not just an answer key.

Ready to attempt this paper?

Reading the paper is free. Attempt it under timed exam conditions to get your estimated percentile, topic-wise accuracy, and pacing analysis.

Sign up free to attempt under real exam timing and get your percentile breakdown.