XATPast year paperPro to attempt

XAT 2018 answer key with solutions

This is the complete XAT 2018 question paper with answer key and solutions — 99 questions across Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, General Knowledge, 3h under XAT Part 1 → Part 2 timing. Part 1 (170m): VA & LR, Decision Making, QA & DI with free navigation. Part 2 (10m): GK only (no essay). +1 / −0.25; −0.10 after 8 free skips in Part 1; GK has no negatives. Browse the full paper free here; attempting it under timed conditions on MBACracked requires Pro.

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.

Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning(26 questions)

Q1Reading Comprehension·Inference

Please read the passage below and answer the questions that follow: If history doesn’t follow any stable rules, and if we cannot predict its future course, why study it? It often seems that the chief aim of science is to predict the future – meteorologists are expected to forecast whether tomorrow will bring rain or sunshine; economists should know whether devaluing the currency will avert or precipitate an economic crisis; good doctors foresee whether chemotherapy or radiation therapy will be more successful in curing lung cancer. Similarly, historians are asked to examine the actions of our ancestors so that we can repeat their wise decisions and avoid their mistakes. But it never works like that because the present is just too different from the past. It is a waste of time to study Hannibal’s tactics in the Second Punic War so as to copy them in the Third World War. What worked well in cavalry battles will not necessarily be of much benefit in cyber warfare. Science is not just about predicting the future, though. Scholars in all fields often seek to broaden our horizons, thereby opening before us new and unknown futures. This is especially true of history. Though historians occasionally try their hand at prophecy (without notable success), the study of history aims above all to make us aware of possibilities we don’t normally consider. Historians study the past not in order to repeat it, but in order to be liberated from it. Each and every one of us has been born into a given historical reality, ruled by particular norms and values, and managed by a unique economic and political system. We take this reality for granted, thinking it is natural, inevitable and immutable. We forget that our world was created by an accidental chain of events, and that history shaped not only our technology, politics and society, but also our thoughts, fears and dreams. The cold hand of the past emerges from the grave of our ancestors, grips us by the neck and directs our gaze towards a single future. We have felt that grip from the moment we were born, so we assume that it is a natural and inescapable part of who we are. Therefore we seldom try to shake ourselves free, and envision alternative futures. Studying history aims to loosen the grip of the past. It enables us to turn our head this way and that, and begin to notice possibilities that our ancestors could not imagine, or didn’t want us to imagine. By observing the accidental chain of events that led us here, we realise how our very thoughts and dreams took shape – and we can begin to think and dream differently. Studying history will not tell us what to choose, but at least it gives us more options.

Based on the passage, which of the following options would be the most appropriate for citizens to learn history?

  • ABritish names of streets in India should not be changed.
  • BEvery street in India should display a plaque that lists all its previous names.Correct answer
  • CBritish names of streets in India should be changed to Indian names along with an explanation of their history.
  • DNames of Indian streets should be based on suggestions generated through an opinion poll.
  • ENames of Indian streets should be periodically changed.

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a passage-supported choice. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why B. “Every street in India should display a plaque that lists all its previous names.” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“British names of streets in India should not be changed.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“British names of streets in India should be changed to Indian names along with an explanation of th…”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • D (“Names of Indian streets should be based on suggestions generated through an opinion poll.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • E (“Names of Indian streets should be periodically changed.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q2Reading Comprehension·Main Idea / Purpose

Please read the passage below and answer the questions that follow: If history doesn’t follow any stable rules, and if we cannot predict its future course, why study it? It often seems that the chief aim of science is to predict the future – meteorologists are expected to forecast whether tomorrow will bring rain or sunshine; economists should know whether devaluing the currency will avert or precipitate an economic crisis; good doctors foresee whether chemotherapy or radiation therapy will be more successful in curing lung cancer. Similarly, historians are asked to examine the actions of our ancestors so that we can repeat their wise decisions and avoid their mistakes. But it never works like that because the present is just too different from the past. It is a waste of time to study Hannibal’s tactics in the Second Punic War so as to copy them in the Third World War. What worked well in cavalry battles will not necessarily be of much benefit in cyber warfare. Science is not just about predicting the future, though. Scholars in all fields often seek to broaden our horizons, thereby opening before us new and unknown futures. This is especially true of history. Though historians occasionally try their hand at prophecy (without notable success), the study of history aims above all to make us aware of possibilities we don’t normally consider. Historians study the past not in order to repeat it, but in order to be liberated from it. Each and every one of us has been born into a given historical reality, ruled by particular norms and values, and managed by a unique economic and political system. We take this reality for granted, thinking it is natural, inevitable and immutable. We forget that our world was created by an accidental chain of events, and that history shaped not only our technology, politics and society, but also our thoughts, fears and dreams. The cold hand of the past emerges from the grave of our ancestors, grips us by the neck and directs our gaze towards a single future. We have felt that grip from the moment we were born, so we assume that it is a natural and inescapable part of who we are. Therefore we seldom try to shake ourselves free, and envision alternative futures. Studying history aims to loosen the grip of the past. It enables us to turn our head this way and that, and begin to notice possibilities that our ancestors could not imagine, or didn’t want us to imagine. By observing the accidental chain of events that led us here, we realise how our very thoughts and dreams took shape – and we can begin to think and dream differently. Studying history will not tell us what to choose, but at least it gives us more options.

Which of the following options is the closest to the essence of the passage?

  • AHistory, unlike Physics, does not help predict future.
  • BHistory deals with long time periods.
  • CHistory documents the past events related to specific people.
  • DThere is no strict cause and effect relationship in history.
  • EHistory has the potential to make us eclectic.Correct answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E (History has the potential to make us eclectic.) What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a passage-supported choice. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why E. “History has the potential to make us eclectic.” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“History, unlike Physics, does not help predict future.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • B (“History deals with long time periods.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“History documents the past events related to specific people.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • D (“There is no strict cause and effect relationship in history.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q3Reading Comprehension·Specific Detail

Please read the passage below and answer the questions that follow: If history doesn’t follow any stable rules, and if we cannot predict its future course, why study it? It often seems that the chief aim of science is to predict the future – meteorologists are expected to forecast whether tomorrow will bring rain or sunshine; economists should know whether devaluing the currency will avert or precipitate an economic crisis; good doctors foresee whether chemotherapy or radiation therapy will be more successful in curing lung cancer. Similarly, historians are asked to examine the actions of our ancestors so that we can repeat their wise decisions and avoid their mistakes. But it never works like that because the present is just too different from the past. It is a waste of time to study Hannibal’s tactics in the Second Punic War so as to copy them in the Third World War. What worked well in cavalry battles will not necessarily be of much benefit in cyber warfare. Science is not just about predicting the future, though. Scholars in all fields often seek to broaden our horizons, thereby opening before us new and unknown futures. This is especially true of history. Though historians occasionally try their hand at prophecy (without notable success), the study of history aims above all to make us aware of possibilities we don’t normally consider. Historians study the past not in order to repeat it, but in order to be liberated from it. Each and every one of us has been born into a given historical reality, ruled by particular norms and values, and managed by a unique economic and political system. We take this reality for granted, thinking it is natural, inevitable and immutable. We forget that our world was created by an accidental chain of events, and that history shaped not only our technology, politics and society, but also our thoughts, fears and dreams. The cold hand of the past emerges from the grave of our ancestors, grips us by the neck and directs our gaze towards a single future. We have felt that grip from the moment we were born, so we assume that it is a natural and inescapable part of who we are. Therefore we seldom try to shake ourselves free, and envision alternative futures. Studying history aims to loosen the grip of the past. It enables us to turn our head this way and that, and begin to notice possibilities that our ancestors could not imagine, or didn’t want us to imagine. By observing the accidental chain of events that led us here, we realise how our very thoughts and dreams took shape – and we can begin to think and dream differently. Studying history will not tell us what to choose, but at least it gives us more options. Read the following sentences: 1. A historian successfully predicted a political crisis based on similar events of the last century. 2. Using the latest technology, doctors could decipher the microbe causing the disease. 3. Students who prepared for an examination by perusing past 10 years' question papers did not do well in the examination. 4. A tribe in Andaman learns to predict epidemic outbreaks by listening to the stories of how their ancestors predicted the past outbreaks.

Which of the statement(s) above, if true would contradict the view of the author?

  • A1 and 2 only
  • B3 and 4 only
  • C2 and 3 only
  • D1 and 4 onlyCorrect answer
  • E1, 2 and 4 only

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (1 and 4 only) What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a passage-supported choice. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why D. “1 and 4 only” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“1 and 2 only”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • B (“3 and 4 only”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“2 and 3 only”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • E (“1, 2 and 4 only”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q4Reading Comprehension·Main Idea / Purpose

Please read the passage below and answer the questions that follow: Rene Descartes’ assertion that ideas may be held true with certainty if they are “clear and distinct” provides the context for Peirce’s title, “How to Make Our Ideas Clear.” Peirce argued that an idea may seem clear if it is familiar. Distinctness depends on having good definitions, and while definitions are desirable they do not yield any new knowledge or certainty of the truth of empirical propositions. Peirce argues that thought needs more than a sense of clarity; it also needs a method for making ideas clear. Once we have made an idea clear, then we can begin the task of determining its truth. The method that Peirce offers came to be known as the pragmatic method and the epistemology on which it depends is pragmatism. Peirce rejected Descartes’ method of doubt. We cannot doubt something, for the sake of method, that we do not doubt in fact. In a later essay, he would state as his rule “Dismiss make-believes.” This refers to Descartes’ method of doubting things, in the safety of his study, such things as the existence of the material world, which he did not doubt when he went out on the street. Peirce proposed that a philosophical investigation can begin from only one state of mind, namely, the state of mind in which we find ourselves when we begin. If any of us examines our state of mind, we find two kinds of thoughts: beliefs and doubts. Peirce had presented the interaction of doubt and belief in an earlier essay “The Fixation of Belief”. Beliefs and doubts are distinct. Beliefs consist of states of mind in which we would make a statement; doubts are states in which we would ask a question. We experience a doubt as a sense of uneasiness and hesitation. Doubt serves as an irritant that causes us to appease it by answering a question and thereby fixing a belief and putting the mind to rest on that issue. A common example of a doubt would be arriving in an unfamiliar city and not being sure of the location of our destination address in relation to our present location. We overcome this doubt and fix a belief by getting the directions. Once we achieve a belief, we can take the necessary action to reach our destination. Peirce defines a belief subjectively as something of which we are aware and which appeases the doubt. Objectively, a belief is a rule of action. The whole purpose of thought consists in overcoming a doubt and attaining a belief. Peirce acknowledges that some people like to think about things or argue about them without caring to find a true belief, but he asserts that such dilettantism does not constitute thought. The beliefs that we hold determine how we will act. If we believe, rightly or wrongly, that the building that we are trying to reach sits one block to our north, we will walk in that direction. We have beliefs about matters of fact, near and far. For example, we believe in the real objects in front of us and we believe generally accepted historical statements. We also believe in relations of ideas such as that seven and five equal twelve. In addition to these we have many beliefs about science, politics, economics, religion and so on. Some of our beliefs may be false since we are capable of error. To believe something means to think that it is true.

According to Peirce, for a particular thought, which of the following statements will be correct?

  • AA belief always leads to a doubt.
  • BA doubt always leads to a belief.
  • CA doubt and a belief may co-exist.
  • DA belief and a doubt are not related.
  • EA doubt may lead to a belief.Correct answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E (A doubt may lead to a belief.) What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a detail check. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why E. “A doubt may lead to a belief.” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“A belief always leads to a doubt.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • B (“A doubt always leads to a belief.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“A doubt and a belief may co-exist.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • D (“A belief and a doubt are not related.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q5Reading Comprehension·Main Idea / Purpose

Please read the passage below and answer the questions that follow: Rene Descartes’ assertion that ideas may be held true with certainty if they are “clear and distinct” provides the context for Peirce’s title, “How to Make Our Ideas Clear.” Peirce argued that an idea may seem clear if it is familiar. Distinctness depends on having good definitions, and while definitions are desirable they do not yield any new knowledge or certainty of the truth of empirical propositions. Peirce argues that thought needs more than a sense of clarity; it also needs a method for making ideas clear. Once we have made an idea clear, then we can begin the task of determining its truth. The method that Peirce offers came to be known as the pragmatic method and the epistemology on which it depends is pragmatism. Peirce rejected Descartes’ method of doubt. We cannot doubt something, for the sake of method, that we do not doubt in fact. In a later essay, he would state as his rule “Dismiss make-believes.” This refers to Descartes’ method of doubting things, in the safety of his study, such things as the existence of the material world, which he did not doubt when he went out on the street. Peirce proposed that a philosophical investigation can begin from only one state of mind, namely, the state of mind in which we find ourselves when we begin. If any of us examines our state of mind, we find two kinds of thoughts: beliefs and doubts. Peirce had presented the interaction of doubt and belief in an earlier essay “The Fixation of Belief”. Beliefs and doubts are distinct. Beliefs consist of states of mind in which we would make a statement; doubts are states in which we would ask a question. We experience a doubt as a sense of uneasiness and hesitation. Doubt serves as an irritant that causes us to appease it by answering a question and thereby fixing a belief and putting the mind to rest on that issue. A common example of a doubt would be arriving in an unfamiliar city and not being sure of the location of our destination address in relation to our present location. We overcome this doubt and fix a belief by getting the directions. Once we achieve a belief, we can take the necessary action to reach our destination. Peirce defines a belief subjectively as something of which we are aware and which appeases the doubt. Objectively, a belief is a rule of action. The whole purpose of thought consists in overcoming a doubt and attaining a belief. Peirce acknowledges that some people like to think about things or argue about them without caring to find a true belief, but he asserts that such dilettantism does not constitute thought. The beliefs that we hold determine how we will act. If we believe, rightly or wrongly, that the building that we are trying to reach sits one block to our north, we will walk in that direction. We have beliefs about matters of fact, near and far. For example, we believe in the real objects in front of us and we believe generally accepted historical statements. We also believe in relations of ideas such as that seven and five equal twelve. In addition to these we have many beliefs about science, politics, economics, religion and so on. Some of our beliefs may be false since we are capable of error. To believe something means to think that it is true. "A candidate has applied for XAT".

According to Peirce, it indicates that:

  • AThe candidate has a belief in the XAT application process.Correct answer
  • BThe candidate has a belief that XAT is a good test of ability.
  • CThe candidate is doubtful about her/his performance in XAT.
  • DThe candidate believes that s/he will perform well in XAT.
  • EThe candidate has a doubt about her/his performance in other MBA entrance examinations.

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (The candidate has a belief in the XAT application process.) What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a detail check. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why A. “The candidate has a belief in the XAT application process.” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • B (“The candidate has a belief that XAT is a good test of ability.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“The candidate is doubtful about her/his performance in XAT.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • D (“The candidate believes that s/he will perform well in XAT.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • E (“The candidate has a doubt about her/his performance in other MBA entrance examinations.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q6Reading Comprehension·Vocabulary in Context

Please read the passage below and answer the questions that follow: Rene Descartes’ assertion that ideas may be held true with certainty if they are “clear and distinct” provides the context for Peirce’s title, “How to Make Our Ideas Clear.” Peirce argued that an idea may seem clear if it is familiar. Distinctness depends on having good definitions, and while definitions are desirable they do not yield any new knowledge or certainty of the truth of empirical propositions. Peirce argues that thought needs more than a sense of clarity; it also needs a method for making ideas clear. Once we have made an idea clear, then we can begin the task of determining its truth. The method that Peirce offers came to be known as the pragmatic method and the epistemology on which it depends is pragmatism. Peirce rejected Descartes’ method of doubt. We cannot doubt something, for the sake of method, that we do not doubt in fact. In a later essay, he would state as his rule “Dismiss make-believes.” This refers to Descartes’ method of doubting things, in the safety of his study, such things as the existence of the material world, which he did not doubt when he went out on the street. Peirce proposed that a philosophical investigation can begin from only one state of mind, namely, the state of mind in which we find ourselves when we begin. If any of us examines our state of mind, we find two kinds of thoughts: beliefs and doubts. Peirce had presented the interaction of doubt and belief in an earlier essay “The Fixation of Belief”. Beliefs and doubts are distinct. Beliefs consist of states of mind in which we would make a statement; doubts are states in which we would ask a question. We experience a doubt as a sense of uneasiness and hesitation. Doubt serves as an irritant that causes us to appease it by answering a question and thereby fixing a belief and putting the mind to rest on that issue. A common example of a doubt would be arriving in an unfamiliar city and not being sure of the location of our destination address in relation to our present location. We overcome this doubt and fix a belief by getting the directions. Once we achieve a belief, we can take the necessary action to reach our destination. Peirce defines a belief subjectively as something of which we are aware and which appeases the doubt. Objectively, a belief is a rule of action. The whole purpose of thought consists in overcoming a doubt and attaining a belief. Peirce acknowledges that some people like to think about things or argue about them without caring to find a true belief, but he asserts that such dilettantism does not constitute thought. The beliefs that we hold determine how we will act. If we believe, rightly or wrongly, that the building that we are trying to reach sits one block to our north, we will walk in that direction. We have beliefs about matters of fact, near and far. For example, we believe in the real objects in front of us and we believe generally accepted historical statements. We also believe in relations of ideas such as that seven and five equal twelve. In addition to these we have many beliefs about science, politics, economics, religion and so on. Some of our beliefs may be false since we are capable of error. To believe something means to think that it is true.

Which of the following words is the closest in meaning to "dilettantism"?

  • ABelief
  • BDoubt
  • CGuessCorrect answer
  • DSurety
  • EUnlikelihood

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (Guess) What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a passage-supported choice. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why C. “Guess” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Belief”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • B (“Doubt”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • D (“Surety”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • E (“Unlikelihood”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q7Reading Comprehension·Main Idea / Purpose

Please read the passage below and answer the questions that follow: Rene Descartes’ assertion that ideas may be held true with certainty if they are “clear and distinct” provides the context for Peirce’s title, “How to Make Our Ideas Clear.” Peirce argued that an idea may seem clear if it is familiar. Distinctness depends on having good definitions, and while definitions are desirable they do not yield any new knowledge or certainty of the truth of empirical propositions. Peirce argues that thought needs more than a sense of clarity; it also needs a method for making ideas clear. Once we have made an idea clear, then we can begin the task of determining its truth. The method that Peirce offers came to be known as the pragmatic method and the epistemology on which it depends is pragmatism. Peirce rejected Descartes’ method of doubt. We cannot doubt something, for the sake of method, that we do not doubt in fact. In a later essay, he would state as his rule “Dismiss make-believes.” This refers to Descartes’ method of doubting things, in the safety of his study, such things as the existence of the material world, which he did not doubt when he went out on the street. Peirce proposed that a philosophical investigation can begin from only one state of mind, namely, the state of mind in which we find ourselves when we begin. If any of us examines our state of mind, we find two kinds of thoughts: beliefs and doubts. Peirce had presented the interaction of doubt and belief in an earlier essay “The Fixation of Belief”. Beliefs and doubts are distinct. Beliefs consist of states of mind in which we would make a statement; doubts are states in which we would ask a question. We experience a doubt as a sense of uneasiness and hesitation. Doubt serves as an irritant that causes us to appease it by answering a question and thereby fixing a belief and putting the mind to rest on that issue. A common example of a doubt would be arriving in an unfamiliar city and not being sure of the location of our destination address in relation to our present location. We overcome this doubt and fix a belief by getting the directions. Once we achieve a belief, we can take the necessary action to reach our destination. Peirce defines a belief subjectively as something of which we are aware and which appeases the doubt. Objectively, a belief is a rule of action. The whole purpose of thought consists in overcoming a doubt and attaining a belief. Peirce acknowledges that some people like to think about things or argue about them without caring to find a true belief, but he asserts that such dilettantism does not constitute thought. The beliefs that we hold determine how we will act. If we believe, rightly or wrongly, that the building that we are trying to reach sits one block to our north, we will walk in that direction. We have beliefs about matters of fact, near and far. For example, we believe in the real objects in front of us and we believe generally accepted historical statements. We also believe in relations of ideas such as that seven and five equal twelve. In addition to these we have many beliefs about science, politics, economics, religion and so on. Some of our beliefs may be false since we are capable of error. To believe something means to think that it is true. A person thinks that s/he has to keep awake for twenty hours in a day to score well in an examination, but is awake for only fifteen hours.

according to Peirce?

  • AThis person believes in a minimum sleep of 10 hours.
  • BThis person does not have a true belief.Correct answer
  • CIt is a counter-argument of Pierce theory.
  • DIt is only a thought, a pure thought, nothing to do with action.
  • EThe person does not have a doubt.

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (This person does not have a true belief.) What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a detail check. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why B. “This person does not have a true belief.” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“This person believes in a minimum sleep of 10 hours.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“It is a counter-argument of Pierce theory.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • D (“It is only a thought, a pure thought, nothing to do with action.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • E (“The person does not have a doubt.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q8Reading Comprehension·Vocabulary in Context

Please read the passage below and answer the questions that follow: It is sometimes said that consciousness is a mystery in the sense that we have no idea what it is. This is clearly not true. What could be better known to us than our own feelings and experiences? The mystery of consciousness is not what consciousness is, but why it is. Modern brain imaging techniques have provided us with a rich body of correlations between physical processes in the brain and the experiences had by the person whose brain it is. We know, for example, that a person undergoing stimulation in her or his ventromedial hypothalamus feels hunger. The problem is that no one knows why these correlations hold. It seems perfectly conceivable that ventromedial hypothalamus stimulation could do its job in the brain without giving rise to any kind of feeling at all. No one has even the beginnings of an explanation of why some physical systems, such as the human brain, have experiences. This is the difficulty David Chalmers famously called ‘the hard problem of consciousness’. Materialists hope that we will one day be able to explain consciousness in purely physical terms. But this project now has a long history of failure. The problem with materialist approaches to the hard problem is that they always end up avoiding the issue by redefining what we mean by ‘consciousness’. They start off by declaring that they are going to solve the hard problem, to explain experience; but somewhere along the way they start using the word ‘consciousness’ to refer not to experience but to some complex behavioural functioning associated with experience, such as the ability of a person to monitor their internal states or to process information about the environment. Explaining complex behaviours is an important scientific endeavour. But the hard problem of consciousness cannot be solved by changing the subject. In spite of these difficulties, many scientists and philosophers maintain optimism that materialism will prevail. At every point in this glorious history, it is claimed, philosophers have declared that certain phenomena are too special to be explained by physical science – light, chemistry, life – only to be subsequently proven wrong by the relentless march of scientific progress. Before Galileo it was generally assumed that matter had sensory qualities: tomatoes were red, paprika was spicy, flowers were sweet-smelling. How could an equation capture the taste of spicy paprika? And if sensory qualities can’t be captured in a mathematical vocabulary, it seemed to follow that a mathematical vocabulary could never capture the complete nature of matter. Galileo’s solution was to strip matter of its sensory qualities and put them in the soul (as we might put it, in the mind). The sweet smell isn’t really in the flowers, but in the soul (mind) of the person smelling them … Even colours for Galileo aren’t on the surfaces of the objects themselves, but in the soul of the person observing them. And if matter in itself has no sensory qualities, then it’s possible in principle to describe the material world in the purely quantitative vocabulary of mathematics. This was the birth of mathematical physics. But of course Galileo didn’t deny the existence of the sensory qualities. If Galileo were to time travel to the present day and be told that scientific materialists are having a problem explaining consciousness in purely physical terms, he would no doubt reply, “Of course they do, I created physical science by taking consciousness out of the physical world!”

Which of the following statements captures the essence of the passage?

  • AMaterialists redefine the hard problem by changing the issues.
  • BThe hard problem cannot be solved by materialists.Correct answer
  • CMaterialists can explain the reasons humans see a particular colour.
  • DMaterialists and philosophers agree on the concept of consciousness.
  • EThe hard problem can best be solved by segregation.

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (The hard problem cannot be solved by materialists.) What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a passage-supported choice. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why B. “The hard problem cannot be solved by materialists.” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Materialists redefine the hard problem by changing the issues.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“Materialists can explain the reasons humans see a particular colour.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • D (“Materialists and philosophers agree on the concept of consciousness.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • E (“The hard problem can best be solved by segregation.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q9Reading Comprehension·Vocabulary in Context

Please read the passage below and answer the questions that follow: It is sometimes said that consciousness is a mystery in the sense that we have no idea what it is. This is clearly not true. What could be better known to us than our own feelings and experiences? The mystery of consciousness is not what consciousness is, but why it is. Modern brain imaging techniques have provided us with a rich body of correlations between physical processes in the brain and the experiences had by the person whose brain it is. We know, for example, that a person undergoing stimulation in her or his ventromedial hypothalamus feels hunger. The problem is that no one knows why these correlations hold. It seems perfectly conceivable that ventromedial hypothalamus stimulation could do its job in the brain without giving rise to any kind of feeling at all. No one has even the beginnings of an explanation of why some physical systems, such as the human brain, have experiences. This is the difficulty David Chalmers famously called ‘the hard problem of consciousness’. Materialists hope that we will one day be able to explain consciousness in purely physical terms. But this project now has a long history of failure. The problem with materialist approaches to the hard problem is that they always end up avoiding the issue by redefining what we mean by ‘consciousness’. They start off by declaring that they are going to solve the hard problem, to explain experience; but somewhere along the way they start using the word ‘consciousness’ to refer not to experience but to some complex behavioural functioning associated with experience, such as the ability of a person to monitor their internal states or to process information about the environment. Explaining complex behaviours is an important scientific endeavour. But the hard problem of consciousness cannot be solved by changing the subject. In spite of these difficulties, many scientists and philosophers maintain optimism that materialism will prevail. At every point in this glorious history, it is claimed, philosophers have declared that certain phenomena are too special to be explained by physical science – light, chemistry, life – only to be subsequently proven wrong by the relentless march of scientific progress. Before Galileo it was generally assumed that matter had sensory qualities: tomatoes were red, paprika was spicy, flowers were sweet-smelling. How could an equation capture the taste of spicy paprika? And if sensory qualities can’t be captured in a mathematical vocabulary, it seemed to follow that a mathematical vocabulary could never capture the complete nature of matter. Galileo’s solution was to strip matter of its sensory qualities and put them in the soul (as we might put it, in the mind). The sweet smell isn’t really in the flowers, but in the soul (mind) of the person smelling them … Even colours for Galileo aren’t on the surfaces of the objects themselves, but in the soul of the person observing them. And if matter in itself has no sensory qualities, then it’s possible in principle to describe the material world in the purely quantitative vocabulary of mathematics. This was the birth of mathematical physics. But of course Galileo didn’t deny the existence of the sensory qualities. If Galileo were to time travel to the present day and be told that scientific materialists are having a problem explaining consciousness in purely physical terms, he would no doubt reply, “Of course they do, I created physical science by taking consciousness out of the physical world!”

Which of the following options would most likely be an example of the hard problem?

  • AFeeling the heat while holding a glass of hot water
  • BExperiencing joy after doing well in an examination
  • CWhat makes us tired after walking for 20 kilometres?
  • DWhy we prostrate in front of a deity?
  • EWhy do humans take birth?Correct answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E (Why do humans take birth?) What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a inference. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why E. “Why do humans take birth?” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Feeling the heat while holding a glass of hot water”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • B (“Experiencing joy after doing well in an examination”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“What makes us tired after walking for 20 kilometres?”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • D (“Why we prostrate in front of a deity?”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q10Reading Comprehension·Vocabulary in Context

Please read the passage below and answer the questions that follow: It is sometimes said that consciousness is a mystery in the sense that we have no idea what it is. This is clearly not true. What could be better known to us than our own feelings and experiences? The mystery of consciousness is not what consciousness is, but why it is. Modern brain imaging techniques have provided us with a rich body of correlations between physical processes in the brain and the experiences had by the person whose brain it is. We know, for example, that a person undergoing stimulation in her or his ventromedial hypothalamus feels hunger. The problem is that no one knows why these correlations hold. It seems perfectly conceivable that ventromedial hypothalamus stimulation could do its job in the brain without giving rise to any kind of feeling at all. No one has even the beginnings of an explanation of why some physical systems, such as the human brain, have experiences. This is the difficulty David Chalmers famously called ‘the hard problem of consciousness’. Materialists hope that we will one day be able to explain consciousness in purely physical terms. But this project now has a long history of failure. The problem with materialist approaches to the hard problem is that they always end up avoiding the issue by redefining what we mean by ‘consciousness’. They start off by declaring that they are going to solve the hard problem, to explain experience; but somewhere along the way they start using the word ‘consciousness’ to refer not to experience but to some complex behavioural functioning associated with experience, such as the ability of a person to monitor their internal states or to process information about the environment. Explaining complex behaviours is an important scientific endeavour. But the hard problem of consciousness cannot be solved by changing the subject. In spite of these difficulties, many scientists and philosophers maintain optimism that materialism will prevail. At every point in this glorious history, it is claimed, philosophers have declared that certain phenomena are too special to be explained by physical science – light, chemistry, life – only to be subsequently proven wrong by the relentless march of scientific progress. Before Galileo it was generally assumed that matter had sensory qualities: tomatoes were red, paprika was spicy, flowers were sweet-smelling. How could an equation capture the taste of spicy paprika? And if sensory qualities can’t be captured in a mathematical vocabulary, it seemed to follow that a mathematical vocabulary could never capture the complete nature of matter. Galileo’s solution was to strip matter of its sensory qualities and put them in the soul (as we might put it, in the mind). The sweet smell isn’t really in the flowers, but in the soul (mind) of the person smelling them … Even colours for Galileo aren’t on the surfaces of the objects themselves, but in the soul of the person observing them. And if matter in itself has no sensory qualities, then it’s possible in principle to describe the material world in the purely quantitative vocabulary of mathematics. This was the birth of mathematical physics. But of course Galileo didn’t deny the existence of the sensory qualities. If Galileo were to time travel to the present day and be told that scientific materialists are having a problem explaining consciousness in purely physical terms, he would no doubt reply, “Of course they do, I created physical science by taking consciousness out of the physical world!”

Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?

  • AThe passage argues that science could uncover all mysteries of the world.
  • BThe passage argues that science could uncover all mysteries of the world by giving alternative explanations.
  • CThe passage argues that science could never uncover all the mysteries of nature.
  • DThe passage argues that science and consciousness are two different domains.Correct answer
  • EThe passage argues that nature is so mysterious that humans are not even aware of the phenomena that can be researched.

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a inference. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why D. “The passage argues that science and consciousness are two different domains.” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“The passage argues that science could uncover all mysteries of the world.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • B (“The passage argues that science could uncover all mysteries of the world by giving alternative expl…”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“The passage argues that science could never uncover all the mysteries of nature.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • E (“The passage argues that nature is so mysterious that humans are not even aware of the phenomena tha…”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q11Reading Comprehension·Structure & Organization

Please read the passage below and answer the questions that follow: Labor and capital are the opposite poles of capitalist society. This polarity begins in each enterprise and is realized on a national and even international scale as a giant duality of classes which dominates the social structure. And yet this polarity is incorporated in a necessary identity between the two. Whatever its form, whether as money or commodities or means of production, capital is labor: it is labor that has been performed in the past, the objectified product of preceding phases of the cycle of production which becomes capital only through appropriation by the capitalist and its use in the accumulation of more capital. At the same time, as living labor which is purchased by the capitalist to set the production process into motion, labor is capital. That portion of money capital which is set aside for the payment of labor, the portion which in each cycle is converted into living labor power, is the portion of capital which stands for and corresponds to the working population, and upon which the latter subsists. Before it is anything else, therefore, the working class is the animate part of capital, the part which will set in motion the process that yields to the total capital its increment of surplus value. As such, the working class is first of all, raw material for exploitation. This working class lives a social and political existence of its own, outside the direct grip of capital. It protests and submits, rebels or is integrated into bourgeois society, sees itself as a class or loses sight of its own existence, in accordance with the forces that act upon it and the moods, conjunctures, and conflicts of social and political life. But since, in its permanent existence, it is the living part of capital, its occupational structure, modes of work, and distribution through the industries of society are determined by the ongoing processes of the accumulation of capital. It is seized, released, flung into various parts of the social machinery and expelled by others, not in accord with its own will or self-activity, but in accord with the movement of capital. While labor is capital, it is poles apart from each other because:

  • ALabor does not have a will of its own.
  • BThe will of capital overpowers the will of labor.Correct answer
  • CCapital is labor performed in the past.
  • DLabor exists outside the direct grip of capital.
  • ELabor is the animate part of capital.

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (The will of capital overpowers the will of labor.) What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a passage-supported choice. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why B. “The will of capital overpowers the will of labor.” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Labor does not have a will of its own.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“Capital is labor performed in the past.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • D (“Labor exists outside the direct grip of capital.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • E (“Labor is the animate part of capital.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q12Reading Comprehension·Structure & Organization

Please read the passage below and answer the questions that follow: Labor and capital are the opposite poles of capitalist society. This polarity begins in each enterprise and is realized on a national and even international scale as a giant duality of classes which dominates the social structure. And yet this polarity is incorporated in a necessary identity between the two. Whatever its form, whether as money or commodities or means of production, capital is labor: it is labor that has been performed in the past, the objectified product of preceding phases of the cycle of production which becomes capital only through appropriation by the capitalist and its use in the accumulation of more capital. At the same time, as living labor which is purchased by the capitalist to set the production process into motion, labor is capital. That portion of money capital which is set aside for the payment of labor, the portion which in each cycle is converted into living labor power, is the portion of capital which stands for and corresponds to the working population, and upon which the latter subsists. Before it is anything else, therefore, the working class is the animate part of capital, the part which will set in motion the process that yields to the total capital its increment of surplus value. As such, the working class is first of all, raw material for exploitation. This working class lives a social and political existence of its own, outside the direct grip of capital. It protests and submits, rebels or is integrated into bourgeois society, sees itself as a class or loses sight of its own existence, in accordance with the forces that act upon it and the moods, conjunctures, and conflicts of social and political life. But since, in its permanent existence, it is the living part of capital, its occupational structure, modes of work, and distribution through the industries of society are determined by the ongoing processes of the accumulation of capital. It is seized, released, flung into various parts of the social machinery and expelled by others, not in accord with its own will or self-activity, but in accord with the movement of capital.

According to the passage, what does the working class subsists on?

  • AThe benevolence of the bourgeois society
  • BThe living labor
  • CCapital which is same as labor
  • DThe labor that is performed in the past
  • ELiving labor purchased by the capitalistCorrect answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E (Living labor purchased by the capitalist) What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a detail check. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why E. “Living labor purchased by the capitalist” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“The benevolence of the bourgeois society”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • B (“The living labor”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“Capital which is same as labor”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • D (“The labor that is performed in the past”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q13Reading Comprehension·Structure & Organization

Please read the passage below and answer the questions that follow: Labor and capital are the opposite poles of capitalist society. This polarity begins in each enterprise and is realized on a national and even international scale as a giant duality of classes which dominates the social structure. And yet this polarity is incorporated in a necessary identity between the two. Whatever its form, whether as money or commodities or means of production, capital is labor: it is labor that has been performed in the past, the objectified product of preceding phases of the cycle of production which becomes capital only through appropriation by the capitalist and its use in the accumulation of more capital. At the same time, as living labor which is purchased by the capitalist to set the production process into motion, labor is capital. That portion of money capital which is set aside for the payment of labor, the portion which in each cycle is converted into living labor power, is the portion of capital which stands for and corresponds to the working population, and upon which the latter subsists. Before it is anything else, therefore, the working class is the animate part of capital, the part which will set in motion the process that yields to the total capital its increment of surplus value. As such, the working class is first of all, raw material for exploitation. This working class lives a social and political existence of its own, outside the direct grip of capital. It protests and submits, rebels or is integrated into bourgeois society, sees itself as a class or loses sight of its own existence, in accordance with the forces that act upon it and the moods, conjunctures, and conflicts of social and political life. But since, in its permanent existence, it is the living part of capital, its occupational structure, modes of work, and distribution through the industries of society are determined by the ongoing processes of the accumulation of capital. It is seized, released, flung into various parts of the social machinery and expelled by others, not in accord with its own will or self-activity, but in accord with the movement of capital.

according to the passage?

  • ACapital exploits the working class.
  • BWorking class when converted into capital is exploited by the bourgeois.
  • CWorking class is exploited by the conflicts of social and political life.
  • DThe pursuit of capital accumulation results in exploitation of the working class.Correct answer
  • EWorking class is the raw material for capital.

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a detail check. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why D. “The pursuit of capital accumulation results in exploitation of the working class.” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Capital exploits the working class.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • B (“Working class when converted into capital is exploited by the bourgeois.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“Working class is exploited by the conflicts of social and political life.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • E (“Working class is the raw material for capital.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q14Verbal Ability·Paragraph Jumbles

Read the Following statements and answer the question that follows: 1. But its most advanced formulation is called superstring theory, which even predicts the precise number of dimensions: ten. 2. However, the theory has already swept across the major physics research laboratories of the world and has irrevocably altered the scientific landscape of modern physics, generating a staggering number of research papers in the scientific literature (over 5,000 by one count). 3. Scientifically, the hyperspace theory goes by the names of Kaluza-Klein theory and supergravity. 4. The usual three dimensions of space (length, width, and breadth) and one of time are now extended by six more spatial dimensions. 5. We caution that the theory of hyperspace has not yet been experimentally confirmed and would, in fact, be exceedingly difficult to prove in the laboratory.

Rank the above five statements so as to make it a logical sequence:

  • A3, 1, 4, 5, 2Correct answer
  • B3, 4, 1, 5, 2
  • C5, 1, 4, 3, 2
  • D3, 1, 4, 2, 5
  • E2, 5, 3, 1, 4

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (3, 1, 4, 5, 2) What to find. Verbal ability — grammar / logic of the blank or insertion point. Steps. Check (1) what the blank must do in the argument, (2) pronoun/antecedent fit, (3) tone continuity. Why A. “3, 1, 4, 5, 2” is the only choice that preserves all three. Why the others fail. • B (“3, 4, 1, 5, 2”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank. • C (“5, 1, 4, 3, 2”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank. • D (“3, 1, 4, 2, 5”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank. • E (“2, 5, 3, 1, 4”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank.
Q15Verbal Ability·Paragraph Jumbles

Read the Following statements and answer the question that follows: 1. It is less appealing, but morally more urgent, to understand the actions of the perpetrators. 2. It is easy to sanctify policies or identities by the deaths of the victims. 3. The victims were people; a true identification with them would involve grasping their lives rather than grasping at their deaths. 4. The moral danger, after all, is never that one might become a victim but that one might be a perpetrator or a bystander. 5. By definition the victims are dead, and unable to defend themselves from the use that others make of their deaths.

Rank the above five statements so as to make it a logical sequence:

  • A1, 2, 3, 5, 4
  • B5, 3, 2, 4, 1
  • C3, 5, 2, 1, 4Correct answer
  • D3, 1, 2, 4, 5
  • E5, 3, 1, 2, 4

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (3, 5, 2, 1, 4) What to find. Verbal ability — grammar / logic of the blank or insertion point. Steps. Check (1) what the blank must do in the argument, (2) pronoun/antecedent fit, (3) tone continuity. Why C. “3, 5, 2, 1, 4” is the only choice that preserves all three. Why the others fail. • A (“1, 2, 3, 5, 4”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank. • B (“5, 3, 2, 4, 1”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank. • D (“3, 1, 2, 4, 5”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank. • E (“5, 3, 1, 2, 4”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank.
Q16Reading Comprehension·Structure & Organization

Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows: Arti is planning for higher studies and her future goals include working as a manager of a non-profit organization designed to provide assistance to under-represented populations. Arti researched the mission statements of various colleges and discovered that college X, a small private college with a fee of Rs. 8 lakhs per year, was dedicated to producing compassionate and curious leaders. College Y, a large institute with a fee of Rs. 9 lakh per year, promoted itself as a leading research facility. Based on her research, she decided to apply to college X rather than College Y.

Which of the following options is the most likely explanation of Arti's decision?

  • AA direct relationship exists between a college's cost and the quality of the education it provides.
  • BStudents apply to smaller colleges that offer more personalized attention from professors.
  • CA large research university cannot prepare students for a career as a non-profit executive.
  • DStudents apply to colleges with mission statements that align with their goals.Correct answer
  • EThe best colleges have the best mission statements. Hence, students select a college with the best mission statement.

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a inference. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why D. “Students apply to colleges with mission statements that align with their goals.” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“A direct relationship exists between a college's cost and the quality of the education it provides.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • B (“Students apply to smaller colleges that offer more personalized attention from professors.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“A large research university cannot prepare students for a career as a non-profit executive.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • E (“The best colleges have the best mission statements. Hence, students select a college with the best …”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q17Verbal Ability·Fill in the Blanks

Carefully read the following statement: The payoff from ________ in education is so ______ and _______ that it is almost ________ as a predictor of economic change over a five to ten year period. Fill in the blanks meaningfully, in the above statement, from the following options.

  • AExpenditure, small, insignificant, irrelevant
  • BProductivity, small, erratic, useless
  • CExpenditure, fast, significant, powerful
  • DInvestment, slow, erratic, uselessCorrect answer
  • EInvestment, slow, predictable, irrelevant

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (Investment, slow, erratic, useless) What to find. Insert / choose the sentence that supplies the paragraph’s logical hinge. Steps. Read one sentence before and after the blank. Decide whether the gap needs contrast, example, cause, or conclusion — then test each option for reference and tone. Why D. “Investment, slow, erratic, useless” is the only sentence that preserves continuity without adding facts the paragraph never earned. Why the others fail. • A (“Expenditure, small, insignificant, irrelevant”) — wrong hinge (contrast vs cause), tone mismatch, or unsupported claim. • B (“Productivity, small, erratic, useless”) — wrong hinge (contrast vs cause), tone mismatch, or unsupported claim. • C (“Expenditure, fast, significant, powerful”) — wrong hinge (contrast vs cause), tone mismatch, or unsupported claim. • E (“Investment, slow, predictable, irrelevant”) — wrong hinge (contrast vs cause), tone mismatch, or unsupported claim.
Q18Verbal Ability·Fill in the Blanks

Carefully read the following paragraphs: The Lannisters had ______ gold than the Tyrells until the Lannister army sacked Highgarden and took the Tyrell fortune to pay back the Iron Bank. On the other hand, the Northern army has ______ than 10,000 men and therefore, Jon needs to bend the knee to Daenerys. What happens in the story next is dependent on George R. Martin, the writer of the series. For ______, he has not written anything further and we hope George R. Martin will get around to finishing the book _______. But as it happens, ________, book releases are delayed.

Fill in the blanks meaningfully, in the above paragraph, from the following options.

  • Aless, fewer, some time, sometime, sometimesCorrect answer
  • Bfewer, less, sometime, some time, sometimes
  • Cless, fewer, sometime, some time, sometimes
  • Dfewer, less, sometimes, sometime, some time
  • Efewer, less, some time, sometime, sometimes

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (less, fewer, some time, sometime, sometimes) What to find. Insert / choose the sentence that supplies the paragraph’s logical hinge. Steps. Read one sentence before and after the blank. Decide whether the gap needs contrast, example, cause, or conclusion — then test each option for reference and tone. Why A. “less, fewer, some time, sometime, sometimes” is the only sentence that preserves continuity without adding facts the paragraph never earned. Why the others fail. • B (“fewer, less, sometime, some time, sometimes”) — wrong hinge (contrast vs cause), tone mismatch, or unsupported claim. • C (“less, fewer, sometime, some time, sometimes”) — wrong hinge (contrast vs cause), tone mismatch, or unsupported claim. • D (“fewer, less, sometimes, sometime, some time”) — wrong hinge (contrast vs cause), tone mismatch, or unsupported claim. • E (“fewer, less, some time, sometime, sometimes”) — wrong hinge (contrast vs cause), tone mismatch, or unsupported claim.
Q19Verbal Ability·Critical Reasoning

Which of the following sentences contains correct and meaningful usage of the underlined words?

  • AVikram’s approach to the problem was unique from Harpreet’s, and he hadn’t expected no criticism from her.
  • BVikram’s approach to the problem was different from Harpreet’s, but he hadn’t expected no criticism from her.
  • CVikram’s approach to the problem was different from Harpreet’s, but he had expected no criticism from her.Correct answer
  • DVikram’s approach to the problem was unique from Harpreet’s, further he hadn’t expected no criticism from her.
  • EVikram’s approach to the problem was different from Harpreet’s, and he had expected no criticism from her.

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C What to find. Verbal ability — grammar / logic of the blank or insertion point. Steps. Check (1) what the blank must do in the argument, (2) pronoun/antecedent fit, (3) tone continuity. Why C. “Vikram’s approach to the problem was different from Harpreet’s, but he had expected no criticism from her.” is the only choice that preserves all three. Why the others fail. • A (“Vikram’s approach to the problem was unique from Harpreet’s, and he hadn’t expected no criticism fr…”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank. • B (“Vikram’s approach to the problem was different from Harpreet’s, but he hadn’t expected no criticism…”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank. • D (“Vikram’s approach to the problem was unique from Harpreet’s, further he hadn’t expected no criticis…”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank. • E (“Vikram’s approach to the problem was different from Harpreet’s, and he had expected no criticism fr…”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank.
Q20Reading Comprehension·Poem & Literary Analysis

Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow: A spirit that lives in this world and does not wear the shirt of love, such an existence in a deep disgrace. Be foolish in love, because love is all there is. There is no way into presence except through love exchange. If someone asks, But what is love? Answer, dissolving the will. True freedom comes to those who have escaped the question of freewill and fate. Love is an emperor. The two worlds play across him. He barely notices their tumbling game. Love and lover live in eternity. Other desires are substitute for that way of being. How long do you lay embracing a corpse? Love rather the soul, which cannot be held. Anything born in spring dies in the fall, but love is not seasonal. With wine pressed from grapes, expect a hangover. But this love path has no expectations. You are uneasy riding the body? Dismount, travel lighter. Wings will be given. Be clear like mirror holding nothing. Be clean of pictures and the worry that comes with images. Gaze into what is not ashamed or afraid of any truth. Contain all human faces in your own without any judgment of them. Be pure emptiness. What is inside of that? You ask. Silence is all I can say. Lovers have some secrets they keep.

How are the words "freewill", "fate" and "will" used in the poem above?

  • AAll the three words are opposites of love.Correct answer
  • BThese words are used as a hallmark of an intelligent person.
  • CFreewill and will connote self-determination while fate connotes loss of control.
  • DThese are used as something that corpses do not possess.
  • EFreewill and will are synonymous while fate is an antonym to both.

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (All the three words are opposites of love.) What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a passage-supported choice. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why A. “All the three words are opposites of love.” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • B (“These words are used as a hallmark of an intelligent person.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“Freewill and will connote self-determination while fate connotes loss of control.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • D (“These are used as something that corpses do not possess.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • E (“Freewill and will are synonymous while fate is an antonym to both.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q21Reading Comprehension·Poem & Literary Analysis

Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow: A spirit that lives in this world and does not wear the shirt of love, such an existence in a deep disgrace. Be foolish in love, because love is all there is. There is no way into presence except through love exchange. If someone asks, But what is love? Answer, dissolving the will. True freedom comes to those who have escaped the question of freewill and fate. Love is an emperor. The two worlds play across him. He barely notices their tumbling game. Love and lover live in eternity. Other desires are substitute for that way of being. How long do you lay embracing a corpse? Love rather the soul, which cannot be held. Anything born in spring dies in the fall, but love is not seasonal. With wine pressed from grapes, expect a hangover. But this love path has no expectations. You are uneasy riding the body? Dismount, travel lighter. Wings will be given. Be clear like mirror holding nothing. Be clean of pictures and the worry that comes with images. Gaze into what is not ashamed or afraid of any truth. Contain all human faces in your own without any judgment of them. Be pure emptiness. What is inside of that? You ask. Silence is all I can say. Lovers have some secrets they keep.

Which of the following is the closest interpretation of "lovers have some secrets that they keep"?

  • AThe secret refers to profundity of knowledge.
  • BThe secret is not to have any secret.Correct answer
  • CThe secret refers to freedom from emptiness.
  • DThe secret refers to being a fine judge of human quality.
  • EThe secret is about loving someone as much as you love yourself.

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (The secret is not to have any secret.) What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a passage-supported choice. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why B. “The secret is not to have any secret.” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“The secret refers to profundity of knowledge.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“The secret refers to freedom from emptiness.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • D (“The secret refers to being a fine judge of human quality.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • E (“The secret is about loving someone as much as you love yourself.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q22Reading Comprehension·Structure & Organization

Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows: The size of oceanic waves is a function of the velocity of the wind and of fetch, the length of the surface of the water subject to those winds. The average impact of waves against a coastline is a function of the size of the waves and the shape of the sea bottom. The degree of erosion on coastline is a function of the average impact of waves and the geologic composition of the coastline. According to the above paragraph,

which of the following options will be true?

  • AThe fetch of wind is related to the shape of the sea bottom.
  • BThe size of oceanic waves will not fluctuate far from average.
  • CThe size of oceanic wave is correlated with the shape of the sea bottom.
  • DDegree of erosion on coastline is not related with the velocity of wind.
  • EDegree of erosion on coastline is related to shape of the sea-bottom.Correct answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E (Degree of erosion on coastline is related to shape of the sea-bottom.) What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a detail check. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why E. “Degree of erosion on coastline is related to shape of the sea-bottom.” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“The fetch of wind is related to the shape of the sea bottom.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • B (“The size of oceanic waves will not fluctuate far from average.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • C (“The size of oceanic wave is correlated with the shape of the sea bottom.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • D (“Degree of erosion on coastline is not related with the velocity of wind.”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q23Decision Making·Ethical Dilemma

Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows: Indian religious and ethical space is different from that of the western countries. The Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata etc. enrich Indian religious and social space. Details of the treatment of human values and Dharmas have a long tradition. They are often compared, contrasted and debated by the characters in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In the process, it has given birth to a tradition of dharma, which has been transferred from generation to generation. Ethical discourse was not a one-time affair. From time to time, religious leaders from various regions of India nourished and strengthened the Indian ethical arena. ), Sri Chaitanya (Sixteenth century) were prominent.

Which of the following assumptions will make the above paragraph redundant?

  • AAll religious leaders, mentioned in the paragraph, preach the same message and it is transferred from one generation to the next.
  • BWestern religious spaces do not have details of treatment of principle of Dharma.
  • CRamayana and Mahabharata have made it possible for religious leaders to build the tradition.
  • DWestern civilizations have been traversed by a different kind of religious leaders.
  • EWestern ethical and religious space has a long tradition of treatment of human values and Dharma.Correct answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Read the following paragraph and answer the question that follows: Indian religious and ethical space is different from that of the western countries. The Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, and the … Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why E. “Western ethical and religious space has a long tradition of treatment of human values and Dharma.” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“All religious leaders, mentioned in the paragraph, preach the same message and it is transferred fr…”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • B (“Western religious spaces do not have details of treatment of principle of Dharma.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“Ramayana and Mahabharata have made it possible for religious leaders to build the tradition.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“Western civilizations have been traversed by a different kind of religious leaders.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q24Verbal Ability·Critical Reasoning

Read the following statement: A manager seeks approval for conducting a training programme on 'openness'. He puts forward the following arguments in favour of the program to his CEO. Which of the following arguments is the least likely to have a logical fallacy?

  • AWe did a pilot training program with a group of employees. Post the program, one of the participants was open to new ideas.
  • BThis program should be good for our organization since it is designed by a leading consultant.
  • CInternal studies conducted across groups and locations showed that 'openness' increases innovation.Correct answer
  • DWe have only two options; we can either train our employees on 'openness' or suffer the consequences.
  • EIf you really care about the organization, you should approve this training program.

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C What to find. Verbal ability — grammar / logic of the blank or insertion point. Steps. Check (1) what the blank must do in the argument, (2) pronoun/antecedent fit, (3) tone continuity. Why C. “Internal studies conducted across groups and locations showed that 'openness' increases innovation.” is the only choice that preserves all three. Why the others fail. • A (“We did a pilot training program with a group of employees. Post the program, one of the participant…”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank. • B (“This program should be good for our organization since it is designed by a leading consultant.”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank. • D (“We have only two options; we can either train our employees on 'openness' or suffer the consequence…”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank. • E (“If you really care about the organization, you should approve this training program.”) — breaks grammar, reference, or argumentative direction at the blank.
Q25Reading Comprehension·Inference

Read the following paragraph: "Music probably does something interesting," explains neuropsychologist Catherine Loveday of the University of Westminster. "It stimulates the brain in a very powerful way, because of our emotional connection with it." Unlike brain-games, playing an instrument is a rich and complex experience. This is because it's integrating information from senses like vision, hearing, and touch, along with fine movements. This can result in long-lasting changes in the brain. This can also be applicable in the business world. Go through the following statements: 1. Playing a musical instrument is a unique experience involving vision, hearing and touch. 2. Instrumental musicians are far more creative than vocalists. 3. Playing brain games does not integrate various senses and movements as much as playing a musical instrument. 4. Integrating the five senses is critical in the business world.

Which of the above statements can definitely be interpreted based on the passage above?

  • AStatement 1 only
  • BStatement 1 and 2
  • CStatement 3 onlyCorrect answer
  • DStatement 1 and 3
  • EStatement 3 and 4

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (Statement 3 only) What to find. This is a reading-comprehension item whose job is a passage-supported choice. Ignore decorative examples and focus on the sentence(s) that actually decide the stem. Steps. 1. Paraphrase the author’s claim in one plain line (scope + attitude). 2. Match each option against that paraphrase — keep only what the text warrants. 3. Drop choices that need outside knowledge, flip the author’s tone, or promote a side detail into the main point. Why C. “Statement 3 only” is the only option that stays inside the passage’s scope and tone for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Statement 1 only”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • B (“Statement 1 and 2”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • D (“Statement 1 and 3”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes. • E (“Statement 3 and 4”) — overreaches the passage, understates a clear claim, or invents a causal/attitudinal link the author never makes.
Q26Verbal Ability·Fill in the Blanks

Carefully read the following statement: Though he thought of himself as a/an ______ person, his boss's abusive behaviour made him talk back. However, as he engaged in a/an _______ with his boss, all he got in response was a/an _______, which only filled him with _____

Fill in the blanks meaningfully, in the above statement, from the following options:

  • Anonchalant, remonstration, philippic, ennuiCorrect answer
  • Binsouciant, philippic, remonstration, ennui
  • Cphilippic, remonstration, ennui, insouciance
  • Dennui, philippic, insouciance, remonstration
  • Enonchalant, ennui, philippic, remonstration

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (nonchalant, remonstration, philippic, ennui) What to find. Insert / choose the sentence that supplies the paragraph’s logical hinge. Steps. Read one sentence before and after the blank. Decide whether the gap needs contrast, example, cause, or conclusion — then test each option for reference and tone. Why A. “nonchalant, remonstration, philippic, ennui” is the only sentence that preserves continuity without adding facts the paragraph never earned. Why the others fail. • B (“insouciant, philippic, remonstration, ennui”) — wrong hinge (contrast vs cause), tone mismatch, or unsupported claim. • C (“philippic, remonstration, ennui, insouciance”) — wrong hinge (contrast vs cause), tone mismatch, or unsupported claim. • D (“ennui, philippic, insouciance, remonstration”) — wrong hinge (contrast vs cause), tone mismatch, or unsupported claim. • E (“nonchalant, ennui, philippic, remonstration”) — wrong hinge (contrast vs cause), tone mismatch, or unsupported claim.

Decision Making(21 questions)

Q27Decision Making·Business Decision

Answer questions 27-29 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Satyender heads a branch of a Micro-Finance company. The company provides small-size loans catering to rural households. As the head of the branch, he supervises three collection officers - Palani,

Sayed, and Godwin. Palani was recently transferred by the company from another branch. Sayed feared Palani's transfer may pull down the performance of the branch, as he felt Palani was transferred due to his poor performance in the previous branch. Which of the following information will most likely assuage Sayed's fear?

  • AIn the past 12 years as the head of branch, Satyender has exceeded targets every time.Correct answer
  • BPalani has been a top performer in the organization; his performance has deteriorated only in the last three years.
  • CThe branch's performance has been good for the past 10 years; Sayed has joined the organization 3 years back.
  • DWhen Sayed joined as a fresher in this branch, others in the branch had feared that he might bring down the performance of the branch.
  • EWhile calculating the branch's performance, the branch head has the choice to exclude new joinee's performance.

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 27-29 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Satyender heads a branch of a Micro-Finance company. The company provides small-size loans catering to rural households. As the head o… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why A. “In the past 12 years as the head of branch, Satyender has exceeded targets every time.” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • B (“Palani has been a top performer in the organization; his performance has deteriorated only in the l…”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“The branch's performance has been good for the past 10 years; Sayed has joined the organization 3 y…”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“When Sayed joined as a fresher in this branch, others in the branch had feared that he might bring …”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“While calculating the branch's performance, the branch head has the choice to exclude new joinee's …”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q28Decision Making·Business Decision

Answer questions 27-29 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Satyender heads a branch of a Micro-Finance company. The company provides small-size loans catering to rural households. As the head of the branch, he supervises three collection officers - Palani,

Sayed, and Godwin. Palani was recently transferred by the company from another branch. Three months later, Palani submitted local travel bills to Satyender for reimbursement. Satyender realized that the bill amount was 30% higher than expected. Which of the following options, if true, will enable Satyender take a decision that shall set a precedent, which is least likely to be misused in the future?

  • APalani being new to the area uses autorickshaws which are more expensive than personal motorcycles used by other collection officers.
  • BUnlike his colleagues, Palani's house has very poor public transport connectivity.
  • CUnlike his colleagues, Palani's sales territory has a powerful competitor.
  • DUnlike his colleagues, Palani's customers can meet him only during weekends.
  • EUnlike his colleagues, Palani has to visit customers repeatedly as they require additional persuasion.Correct answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 27-29 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Satyender heads a branch of a Micro-Finance company. The company provides small-size loans catering to rural households. As the head o… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why E. “Unlike his colleagues, Palani has to visit customers repeatedly as they require additional persuasion.” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Palani being new to the area uses autorickshaws which are more expensive than personal motorcycles …”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • B (“Unlike his colleagues, Palani's house has very poor public transport connectivity.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“Unlike his colleagues, Palani's sales territory has a powerful competitor.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“Unlike his colleagues, Palani's customers can meet him only during weekends.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q29Decision Making·Business Decision

Answer questions 27-29 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Satyender heads a branch of a Micro-Finance company. The company provides small-size loans catering to rural households. As the head of the branch, he supervises three collection officers - Palani,

Sayed, and Godwin. Palani was recently transferred by the company from another branch. Satyender is allocating territories to his subordinates for the coming financial year. So far, Palani's performance has been poor and this allocation will decide his future in the organization. Which of the following information will be the least useful to Satyender in taking a fair allocation decision?

  • ASayed's territory has shown consistently good performance in the past three years.
  • BSayed's territory faces stiff competition from a well-known brand.
  • CA new territory that faces competition from two relatively unknown brands.Correct answer
  • DGodwin's territory has shown consistent results in the past three years.
  • EGodwin's territory performance has been flat for the past two years.

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 27-29 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Satyender heads a branch of a Micro-Finance company. The company provides small-size loans catering to rural households. As the head o… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why C. “A new territory that faces competition from two relatively unknown brands.” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Sayed's territory has shown consistently good performance in the past three years.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • B (“Sayed's territory faces stiff competition from a well-known brand.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“Godwin's territory has shown consistent results in the past three years.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“Godwin's territory performance has been flat for the past two years.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q30Decision Making·Business Decision

Answer questions 30-32 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Lal & Sons, a family business, comprises three different companies in three different industries. Sudarshan Lal was heading this entire business from the inception. Two years ago, he hired three managers, one for each company and Chhaganlal Jha as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to look after the entire business. These three managers are reporting to the CEO.

However, Sudarshan Lal and his family still own the entire business, though they are not involved in day to day operations. Two years after the handing over, Sudarshan was concerned that none of the companies, except one, is profitable. Which of the following information, if true, will most likely reduce Sudarshan's concerns?

  • AA leading financial institution recently advised its investors to purchase the shares of the two loss making companies with a long term outlook.Correct answer
  • BThe Corporation's performance was stagnant for three years, before Sudarshan handed it over to professionals.
  • CThe best performing division belongs to an industry, which is growing in double digits.
  • DPeople holding senior positions have been replaced two years ago by fresh and young talent.
  • EThe rate at which employees are leaving the best performing division is higher than the industry average.

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 30-32 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Lal & Sons, a family business, comprises three different companies in three different industries. Sudarshan Lal was heading this entir… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why A. “A leading financial institution recently advised its investors to purchase the shares of the two loss making companies with a long term out…” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • B (“The Corporation's performance was stagnant for three years, before Sudarshan handed it over to prof…”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“The best performing division belongs to an industry, which is growing in double digits.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“People holding senior positions have been replaced two years ago by fresh and young talent.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“The rate at which employees are leaving the best performing division is higher than the industry av…”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q31Decision Making·Business Decision

Answer questions 30-32 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Lal & Sons, a family business, comprises three different companies in three different industries. Sudarshan Lal was heading this entire business from the inception. Two years ago, he hired three managers, one for each company and Chhaganlal Jha as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to look after the entire business. These three managers are reporting to the CEO.

However, Sudarshan Lal and his family still own the entire business, though they are not involved in day to day operations. Some of the senior employees who left Lal & Sons in recent past have complained to Sudarshan that the long cherished values of the organization such as respect for elders, job security etc. are being compromised. Which of the following options, if true, will indicate to Sudarshan that the employees are misleading him?

  • AThe replaced employees have been average performers for many years.
  • BWhen senior employees were assigned to lead challenging but critical positions in the organization, they resigned.Correct answer
  • CThe senior employees were replaced by people below them and not from outside the organization.
  • DThe replaced senior employees had only 4 more years of service and were not compensated for the pre-mature termination.
  • EThe number of senior employees voluntarily leaving this organization is lower than the industry average.

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 30-32 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Lal & Sons, a family business, comprises three different companies in three different industries. Sudarshan Lal was heading this entir… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why B. “When senior employees were assigned to lead challenging but critical positions in the organization, they resigned.” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“The replaced employees have been average performers for many years.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“The senior employees were replaced by people below them and not from outside the organization.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“The replaced senior employees had only 4 more years of service and were not compensated for the pre…”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“The number of senior employees voluntarily leaving this organization is lower than the industry ave…”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q32Decision Making·Business Decision

Answer questions 30-32 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Lal & Sons, a family business, comprises three different companies in three different industries. Sudarshan Lal was heading this entire business from the inception. Two years ago, he hired three managers, one for each company and Chhaganlal Jha as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to look after the entire business. These three managers are reporting to the CEO.

However, Sudarshan Lal and his family still own the entire business, though they are not involved in day to day operations. Chhaganlal Jha, the CEO, was certain that someone in his leadership team was leaking information to Sudarshan Lal, well before Chhaganlal communicated. Given the following options, how best should Chagganlal Jha respond to this situation?

  • AChhaganlal should request Sudarshan to kindly wait for him to communicate as informal sources may lead to misinformation.Correct answer
  • BChhaganlal should complain about this to Sudarshan and threaten to resign.
  • CChhaganlal should request his team to continue passing information, since it brings down the communication barrier.
  • DChhaganlal should understand that this is bound to happen and should not bother.
  • EChhaganlal should threaten his team that one of them will be fired by the weekend if this practice of passing information doesn't stop immediately.

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 30-32 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Lal & Sons, a family business, comprises three different companies in three different industries. Sudarshan Lal was heading this entir… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why A. “Chhaganlal should request Sudarshan to kindly wait for him to communicate as informal sources may lead to misinformation.” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • B (“Chhaganlal should complain about this to Sudarshan and threaten to resign.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“Chhaganlal should request his team to continue passing information, since it brings down the commun…”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“Chhaganlal should understand that this is bound to happen and should not bother.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“Chhaganlal should threaten his team that one of them will be fired by the weekend if this practice …”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q33Decision Making·Policy & Governance

Answer questions 33-35 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Rose is the Queen of Kingdom A and Emily is the Queen of Kingdom B; both share a common border. They also share a border with Kingdom C, a much larger kingdom, ruled by King Jonathan who has expansive ambitions. Though individually their armies were no match to his might, together their armies were more powerful than King Jonathan’s army. Jonathan’s kingdom also bordered Kingdom K on the opposite side, making Kingdom C a buffer state between Kingdoms A, B and K. Kingdom K is ruled by King Summer Sault, who united a group of warring and belligerent tribes under his aegis. Kingdom K and Kingdom C had continuous skirmishes with each other. Jonathan realized that he has limited arms and ammunition to fight on all the three fronts simultaneously. Therefore, he planned to double the arms and ammunition which will take a few years.

When this news reached Emily and Rose they held a secret meeting to discuss the situation. Which of the following actions, by Emily and Rose, will be the best suited to delay Jonathan's plan?

  • AEmily and Rose should send arms and ammunition to Summer Sault for the next few years.
  • BThe two queens should meet Jonathan and attempt to sign a peace pact.
  • CEmily and Rose should also double their armies.
  • DEmily and Rose should attack Jonathan immediately.Correct answer
  • EThe two queens should ignore the news.

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (Emily and Rose should attack Jonathan immediately.) What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 33-35 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Rose is the Queen of Kingdom A and Emily is the Queen of Kingdom B; both share a common border. They also share a border with Kingdom … Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why D. “Emily and Rose should attack Jonathan immediately.” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Emily and Rose should send arms and ammunition to Summer Sault for the next few years.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • B (“The two queens should meet Jonathan and attempt to sign a peace pact.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“Emily and Rose should also double their armies.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“The two queens should ignore the news.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q34Decision Making·Policy & Governance

Answer questions 33-35 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Rose is the Queen of Kingdom A and Emily is the Queen of Kingdom B; both share a common border. They also share a border with Kingdom C, a much larger kingdom, ruled by King Jonathan who has expansive ambitions. Though individually their armies were no match to his might, together their armies were more powerful than King Jonathan’s army. Jonathan’s kingdom also bordered Kingdom K on the opposite side, making Kingdom C a buffer state between Kingdoms A, B and K. Kingdom K is ruled by King Summer Sault, who united a group of warring and belligerent tribes under his aegis. Kingdom K and Kingdom C had continuous skirmishes with each other. Jonathan aims to invade and annex Kingdom K once and for all.

Which of the following options will best enable him to accomplish the ambition?

  • AHe should request the cooperation of Queen Rose and Queen Emily.
  • BHe should sign a peace pact with Queen Rose and Queen Emily.
  • CHe should try and create a rift between the two Queens.
  • DHe should secretly invest in doubling his army, by reducing all other expenditure.Correct answer
  • EHe should attack all three kingdoms simultaneously, giving them no time to cooperate.

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 33-35 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Rose is the Queen of Kingdom A and Emily is the Queen of Kingdom B; both share a common border. They also share a border with Kingdom … Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why D. “He should secretly invest in doubling his army, by reducing all other expenditure.” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“He should request the cooperation of Queen Rose and Queen Emily.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • B (“He should sign a peace pact with Queen Rose and Queen Emily.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“He should try and create a rift between the two Queens.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“He should attack all three kingdoms simultaneously, giving them no time to cooperate.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q35Decision Making·Policy & Governance

Answer questions 33-35 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Rose is the Queen of Kingdom A and Emily is the Queen of Kingdom B; both share a common border. They also share a border with Kingdom C, a much larger kingdom, ruled by King Jonathan who has expansive ambitions. Though individually their armies were no match to his might, together their armies were more powerful than King Jonathan’s army. Jonathan’s kingdom also bordered Kingdom K on the opposite side, making Kingdom C a buffer state between Kingdoms A, B and K. Kingdom K is ruled by King Summer Sault, who united a group of warring and belligerent tribes under his aegis. Kingdom K and Kingdom C had continuous skirmishes with each other. King Summer Sault was growing tired of the warring tribes, who slowed down the overall economic development of Kingdom K.

Which of the following is the best option for King Summer Sault to focus on economic development?

  • AAlign with Jonathan to eliminate one or two of the tribes and instil fear in others.
  • BAlign with the two Queens to eliminate a few tribes and unify the rest.
  • CDesign annual economic plans, with each plan named after a different tribe.Correct answer
  • DCreate a rift among the tribes and instigate a civil war.
  • ERequest Jonathan to send teachers, doctors and artists to improve economic development of Kingdom K.

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 33-35 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Rose is the Queen of Kingdom A and Emily is the Queen of Kingdom B; both share a common border. They also share a border with Kingdom … Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why C. “Design annual economic plans, with each plan named after a different tribe.” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Align with Jonathan to eliminate one or two of the tribes and instil fear in others.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • B (“Align with the two Queens to eliminate a few tribes and unify the rest.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“Create a rift among the tribes and instigate a civil war.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“Request Jonathan to send teachers, doctors and artists to improve economic development of Kingdom K.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q36Decision Making·Business Decision

Answer questions 36-38 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Ava is the CEO of Ratan Brothers, a bicycle manufacturing company. The organization is doing well financially, with a steadily increasing share price. Recently, Ava promoted Bhushan, her nephew, to the position of head of procurement after he completed five years in the organization. After the promotion, he was automatically inducted into the quality council headed by Ava. Dev and Sons is a supplier to Ratan Brothers. It supplies “ball bearings”, an important part of any bicycle. After Bhushan took over, he switched to a new supplier citing quality deficiencies in Dev and Sons’ product. Dev and Sons responded by publicly declaring that quality was not compromised. Further, it alleged that its competitor bribed Bhushan to get the contract. Post this public allegation, the share price of Ratan Brothers started falling.

Which of the following is the best option for Ava to immediately stem the falling stock prices?

  • AFire Bhushan, blacklist Dev and Sons and inform the press.
  • BIssue a press statement that a committee has been formed to look into the matter.
  • CIssue a press statement that the company's quality standards have increased and that anyone is welcome to scrutinize the relevant documents.Correct answer
  • DCancel the remaining order and call for a fresh tender.
  • EDo nothing, as Bhushan, as the head of procurement, has the right to decide on the supplier.

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 36-38 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Ava is the CEO of Ratan Brothers, a bicycle manufacturing company. The organization is doing well financially, with a steadily increas… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why C. “Issue a press statement that the company's quality standards have increased and that anyone is welcome to scrutinize the relevant documents.” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Fire Bhushan, blacklist Dev and Sons and inform the press.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • B (“Issue a press statement that a committee has been formed to look into the matter.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“Cancel the remaining order and call for a fresh tender.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“Do nothing, as Bhushan, as the head of procurement, has the right to decide on the supplier.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q37Decision Making·Ethical Dilemma

Answer questions 36-38 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Ava is the CEO of Ratan Brothers, a bicycle manufacturing company. The organization is doing well financially, with a steadily increasing share price. Recently, Ava promoted Bhushan, her nephew, to the position of head of procurement after he completed five years in the organization. After the promotion, he was automatically inducted into the quality council headed by Ava. Dev and Sons is a supplier to Ratan Brothers. It supplies “ball bearings”, an important part of any bicycle. After Bhushan took over, he switched to a new supplier citing quality deficiencies in Dev and Sons’ product. Dev and Sons responded by publicly declaring that quality was not compromised. Further, it alleged that its competitor bribed Bhushan to get the contract. Post this public allegation, the share price of Ratan Brothers started falling.

However, rumors within the organization began to spread that the decision was influenced by nepotism. Which of the following should be the best response from Ava?

  • ADo nothing, as the committee has exonerated Bhushan.
  • BForce Bhushan to resign temporarily. Make an independent enquiry, if found innocent, reinstate Bhushan.
  • CCommunicate to all shareholders that these kinds of practices are very common in organizations.
  • DSack all those employees who questioned the authority of Ava.
  • EExplain in a town hall meeting, open to all the employees, how the decision to exonerate Bhushan was taken.Correct answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 36-38 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Ava is the CEO of Ratan Brothers, a bicycle manufacturing company. The organization is doing well financially, with a steadily increas… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why E. “Explain in a town hall meeting, open to all the employees, how the decision to exonerate Bhushan was taken.” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Do nothing, as the committee has exonerated Bhushan.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • B (“Force Bhushan to resign temporarily. Make an independent enquiry, if found innocent, reinstate Bhus…”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“Communicate to all shareholders that these kinds of practices are very common in organizations.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“Sack all those employees who questioned the authority of Ava.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q38Decision Making·Business Decision

Answer questions 36-38 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Ava is the CEO of Ratan Brothers, a bicycle manufacturing company. The organization is doing well financially, with a steadily increasing share price. Recently, Ava promoted Bhushan, her nephew, to the position of head of procurement after he completed five years in the organization. After the promotion, he was automatically inducted into the quality council headed by Ava. Dev and Sons is a supplier to Ratan Brothers. It supplies “ball bearings”, an important part of any bicycle. After Bhushan took over, he switched to a new supplier citing quality deficiencies in Dev and Sons’ product. Dev and Sons responded by publicly declaring that quality was not compromised. Further, it alleged that its competitor bribed Bhushan to get the contract. Post this public allegation, the share price of Ratan Brothers started falling.

Which of the following sequence of actions is the most appropriate for Ava?

  • A5,2,1Correct answer
  • B5,4,3
  • C1,2,3
  • D2,1,4
  • E3,4,1

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (5,2,1) What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 36-38 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Ava is the CEO of Ratan Brothers, a bicycle manufacturing company. The organization is doing well financially, with a steadily increas… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why A. “5,2,1” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • B (“5,4,3”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“1,2,3”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“2,1,4”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“3,4,1”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q39Decision Making·Data-based Decision

What will be the minimum time required to deliver a parcel at Kharagpur office from Jamshedpur station and come back to Jamshedpur station?

  • A4 hours 25 minutes
  • B5 hours 5 minutesCorrect answer
  • C6 hours 35 minutes
  • D7 hours 30 minutes
  • ENone of the above

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (5 hours 5 minutes) What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. What will be the minimum time required to deliver a parcel at Kharagpur office from Jamshedpur station and come back to Jamshedpur station? Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why B. “5 hours 5 minutes” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“4 hours 25 minutes”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“6 hours 35 minutes”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“7 hours 30 minutes”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“None of the above”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q40Decision Making·Data-based Decision

An employee, starting from Howrah station, has to deliver one parcel at Kharagpur office and another parcel at Jamshedpur office. His task starts the moment he boards the train at Howrah station, and gets completed immediately after delivering the second parcel.

Which of the following trains should he board at Howrah station to minimize the time required to complete his task?

  • AT201
  • BT202
  • CT204
  • DBoth Option A and Option B
  • EBoth Option B and Option CCorrect answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E (Both Option B and Option C) What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. An employee, starting from Howrah station, has to deliver one parcel at Kharagpur office and another parcel at Jamshedpur office. His task starts the moment he boards the train at Howrah station, and gets completed imme… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why E. “Both Option B and Option C” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“T201”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • B (“T202”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“T204”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“Both Option A and Option B”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q41Decision Making·Data-based Decision

An employee, starting from Kharagpur station, has to deliver one parcel at Howrah office and another parcel at Jamshedpur office. His task starts the moment he boards the train at Kharagpur station, and gets completed immediately after delivering the second parcel.

Which of the following trains should he board at Kharagpur station to minimize the time required to complete the task?

  • AT102
  • BT103Correct answer
  • CT202
  • DT203
  • EBoth Option B and Option D

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (T103) What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. An employee, starting from Kharagpur station, has to deliver one parcel at Howrah office and another parcel at Jamshedpur office. His task starts the moment he boards the train at Kharagpur station, and gets completed i… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why B. “T103” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“T102”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“T202”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“T203”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“Both Option B and Option D”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q42Decision Making·Negotiation & Conflict

Answer questions 42-43 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Three persons, A, B and C, lived on an island hill. A lived on the top of the island hill, B occupied the middle portion of the hill and C occupied the bottom of the hill. The top of the hill received good rainfall, the main source of water in the hill, though this portion of the hill had few trees. The middle of the hill however was lush with trees offering timber. The bottom of the hill had a good amount of stones and sand. A, B and C assessed their wealth in terms of ownership of timber, water, stones and sand available in the island hill only. During heavy rains, stones and sand from the top and middle portion of the hill rolled over to the bottom.

When the rains stopped, both A and B claimed that some stones rolled down from their lands to the land occupied by C. They wanted the stones back. But C argued that rolling down of stones is a natural process. All three approached a wise man for the settlement of the ownership dispute. Which of the following is the best option available for the wise man?

  • AAward ownership of stones to A.
  • BPermit A to build a dam so that B and C are deprived of water.
  • CAward ownership of stones to C, as stones rolled down naturally.
  • DAward equal rights to all three over all the resources.Correct answer
  • EAward A, ownership of water and C, ownership of stones.

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (Award equal rights to all three over all the resources.) What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 42-43 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Three persons, A, B and C, lived on an island hill. A lived on the top of the island hill, B occupied the middle portion of the hill a… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why D. “Award equal rights to all three over all the resources.” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Award ownership of stones to A.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • B (“Permit A to build a dam so that B and C are deprived of water.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“Award ownership of stones to C, as stones rolled down naturally.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“Award A, ownership of water and C, ownership of stones.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q43Decision Making·Negotiation & Conflict

Answer questions 42-43 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Three persons, A, B and C, lived on an island hill. A lived on the top of the island hill, B occupied the middle portion of the hill and C occupied the bottom of the hill. The top of the hill received good rainfall, the main source of water in the hill, though this portion of the hill had few trees. The middle of the hill however was lush with trees offering timber. The bottom of the hill had a good amount of stones and sand. A, B and C assessed their wealth in terms of ownership of timber, water, stones and sand available in the island hill only. During heavy rains, stones and sand from the top and middle portion of the hill rolled over to the bottom.

When the rains stopped, both A and B claimed that some stones rolled down from their lands to the land occupied by C. They wanted the stones back. But C argued that rolling down of stones is a natural process. Six months later, the three realized that the solution offered by the wise man in the previous question wasn't working to the satisfaction of all, because it did not help them find the appropriate value of resources. Therefore, they reverted to status quo ante. After one year, all three of them wanted to construct a house each, on their respective property. stone & sand- were required to build a house. While each had one resource in abundance none of them had all the three in sufficient quantity. They still could not come to an agreement on how to fairly value and use each other's resources to construct the house. They again approached the wise man for advice. The wise man studied the situation carefully and proposed the following actions: 1. The governing body of the United Federation of Islands, of which the island hill is a part, should take ownership of all the three properties and construct houses for the three. 2. Each person should own one third of each of the resources. 3. The three persons should arrive at the value of resources by trading the resources among them.

Which of the following is the most appropriate in the best interests of A, B and C?

  • A1 only
  • B2 only
  • C3 onlyCorrect answer
  • D1 and 2 only
  • EAll of 1, 2 and 3

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (3 only) What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 42-43 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Three persons, A, B and C, lived on an island hill. A lived on the top of the island hill, B occupied the middle portion of the hill a… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why C. “3 only” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“1 only”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • B (“2 only”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“1 and 2 only”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“All of 1, 2 and 3”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q44Decision Making·Business Decision

Answer questions 44-45 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Ramesh, the owner of an auto-component manufacturing company in Sanand, had just returned after attending the funeral of his employee, Pankaj Kumar, who had died of cancer at the age of 35. Pankaj was a hardworking and sincere employee with impeccable performance record. Pankaj was the sole bread earner for his family with negligible savings and was survived by his wife and two school going children. His wife will get around 8 lakh rupees accrued to Pankaj as social security benefit. A large number of employees wanted the organization to employ Pankaj’s wife on compassionate grounds so that she could support her family. Though Ramesh was sympathetic to the demand, he realized that this could set a precedence, where the organization will have to provide jobs for everyone with similar conditions in the future. In fact, only recently, Ramesh had refused a request for a job to the daughter of an employee, who had died a few months before he was to retire. Ramesh formed a committee to look into this matter and the committee came up with the following suggestions: 1. Create a fund to take care of immediate family expenses. 2. Finance the school and college education of his children. 3. Sponsor the vocational education of his wife and subsequently help her find a job. 4. Purchase insurance for all the family members. 5. Request all employees of the organization to contribute towards the welfare of the family.

Which of the following options, from the above suggestions, will be the most sustainable for Pankaj's family?

  • A1 and 2
  • B2 and 3Correct answer
  • C3 and 4
  • D4 and 5
  • E3 and 5

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (2 and 3) What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 44-45 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Ramesh, the owner of an auto-component manufacturing company in Sanand, had just returned after attending the funeral of his employee,… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why B. “2 and 3” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“1 and 2”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“3 and 4”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“4 and 5”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • E (“3 and 5”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q45Decision Making·Business Decision

Answer questions 44-45 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Ramesh, the owner of an auto-component manufacturing company in Sanand, had just returned after attending the funeral of his employee, Pankaj Kumar, who had died of cancer at the age of 35. Pankaj was a hardworking and sincere employee with impeccable performance record. Pankaj was the sole bread earner for his family with negligible savings and was survived by his wife and two school going children. His wife will get around 8 lakh rupees accrued to Pankaj as social security benefit. A large number of employees wanted the organization to employ Pankaj’s wife on compassionate grounds so that she could support her family. Though Ramesh was sympathetic to the demand, he realized that this could set a precedence, where the organization will have to provide jobs for everyone with similar conditions in the future. In fact, only recently, Ramesh had refused a request for a job to the daughter of an employee, who had died a few months before he was to retire. Ramesh, along with senior managers, was in the process of designing a policy to deal with such issues in the future.

Which of the following policy statements will be the least amenable to misuse in the future?

  • AThe firm should provide one job to any of direct dependents of the deceased employee.
  • BThe firm should provide one job to any dependent, if employee dies during the service.
  • CThe firm should provide one job to any dependent, if the family does not have any other support and employee dies during service.
  • DThe firm should provide help to the dependent family members in pursuing good education and employment.
  • EThe firm shall constitute a committee, with fair representation from all stakeholders, to decide on the course of action based on specifics of the case.Correct answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 44-45 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Ramesh, the owner of an auto-component manufacturing company in Sanand, had just returned after attending the funeral of his employee,… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why E. “The firm shall constitute a committee, with fair representation from all stakeholders, to decide on the course of action based on specifics…” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“The firm should provide one job to any of direct dependents of the deceased employee.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • B (“The firm should provide one job to any dependent, if employee dies during the service.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“The firm should provide one job to any dependent, if the family does not have any other support and…”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“The firm should provide help to the dependent family members in pursuing good education and employm…”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q46Decision Making·Business Decision

Answer questions 46-47 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Madhuri Apte, a busy professional, rents out her studio apartment located in South Mumbai. Since she stays three hours away from the studio apartment, she uses a networked digital lock to monitor the property remotely. Each customer gets a temporary and unique access code for the digital lock that enables them to enter the studio apartment for the duration of stay. The apartment’s entrance door can also be opened with physical keys and Madhuri Apte has two such keys in her possession. Madhuri Apte has employed a cleaner who has a permanent access code to enter the apartment for cleaning every day. She is available only between 15:00 hrs and 17:00 hrs. Madhuri Apte’s apartment caters largely to international customers. A customer typically stays for 3 days, paying an average rent of $125 per day. While Madhuri Apte's studio apartment gets good feedback on other aspects, many seem unhappy as they found the operation of the digital lock complicated.

Which of the following options is the best for Madhuri Apte in this context?

  • AMadhuri should switch to a physical lock.
  • BMadhuri, on request, should send one of the physical keys five days ahead of customer's arrival at an extra charge of $75.
  • CMadhuri should request the cleaner to explain the working of the digital access code to customers for an extra charge.
  • DMadhuri should do nothing as digital locks shall be the norm in the future.
  • EMadhuri should create a video manual on "how to use the digital access code" and e-mail it to the customers before their arrival.Correct answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 46-47 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Madhuri Apte, a busy professional, rents out her studio apartment located in South Mumbai. Since she stays three hours away from the s… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why E. “Madhuri should create a video manual on "how to use the digital access code" and e-mail it to the customers before their arrival.” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Madhuri should switch to a physical lock.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • B (“Madhuri, on request, should send one of the physical keys five days ahead of customer's arrival at …”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“Madhuri should request the cleaner to explain the working of the digital access code to customers f…”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“Madhuri should do nothing as digital locks shall be the norm in the future.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.
Q47Decision Making·Business Decision

Answer questions 46-47 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Madhuri Apte, a busy professional, rents out her studio apartment located in South Mumbai. Since she stays three hours away from the studio apartment, she uses a networked digital lock to monitor the property remotely. Each customer gets a temporary and unique access code for the digital lock that enables them to enter the studio apartment for the duration of stay. The apartment’s entrance door can also be opened with physical keys and Madhuri Apte has two such keys in her possession. Madhuri Apte has employed a cleaner who has a permanent access code to enter the apartment for cleaning every day. She is available only between 15:00 hrs and 17:00 hrs. Madhuri Apte’s apartment caters largely to international customers. A customer typically stays for 3 days, paying an average rent of $125 per day. While Madhuri Apte's studio apartment gets good feedback on other aspects, many seem unhappy as they found the operation of the digital lock complicated.

Which of the following would be the best way out for her?

  • AKeep Digital lock as the only option and communicate to customers.
  • BBe present during checkout to ensure the key is returned.
  • CRequest the cleaner to be present during checkout.
  • DSend polite reminders to guests before checkout date and on the day of checkout to leave the key behind.
  • ECharge security deposit of $100 which will be forfeited if the keys are not left behind.Correct answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E What to find. Decision-making — pick the response that best balances stakeholders under the case facts. Setup. Answer questions 46-47 on the basis of information given in the following situation. Madhuri Apte, a busy professional, rents out her studio apartment located in South Mumbai. Since she stays three hours away from the s… Steps. 1. List who is affected and what duty/role the decision-maker holds. 2. Score each option on fairness, feasibility, ethics/transparency, and long-term organisational interest (not short-term peace alone). 3. Prefer options that disclose material facts, stay within authority, and avoid unnecessary escalation or concealment. Why E. “Charge security deposit of $100 which will be forfeited if the keys are not left behind.” is the strongest balance on those criteria for this stem. Why the others fail. • A (“Keep Digital lock as the only option and communicate to customers.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • B (“Be present during checkout to ensure the key is returned.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • C (“Request the cleaner to be present during checkout.”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly. • D (“Send polite reminders to guests before checkout date and on the day of checkout to leave the key be…”) — weaker on fairness, feasibility, transparency, or long-term organisational interest — or it hides a material fact / escalates needlessly.

Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation(27 questions)

Q48Quantitative Ability·Surds & Indices

Find the value of the expression: 10 + 103 + 106 + 109

  • A1010101010
  • B1001000010
  • C1001000110
  • D1001001010Correct answer
  • E100010001010

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (1001001010) Read the terms by place value: 10^9 = 1,000,000,000, 10^6 = 1,000,000, 10^3 = 1,000. Hence, 10 + 10^3 + 10^6 + 10^9 = 10 + 1,000 + 1,000,000 + 1,000,000,000 = 1,001,001,010. Written without commas, this is 1001001010. The useful check is that the non-zero contributions occupy the billions, millions, thousands and tens places; there is no units contribution. Option C, 1001000110, incorrectly places 100 rather than 1,000 in the lower block, while option B misses another required place-value contribution. Therefore the computed number matches option D exactly.
Q49Quantitative Ability·Time & Work

Abdul, Bimal, Charlie and Dilbar can finish a task in 10, 12, 15 and 18 days respectively. They can either choose to work or remain absent on a particular day. If 50 percent of the total work gets completed after 3 days, then, which of the following options is possible?

  • AEach of them worked for exactly 2 days.
  • BBimal and Dilbar worked for 1 day each, Charlie worked for 2 days and Abdul worked for all 3 days.
  • CAbdul and Charlie worked for 2 days each, Dilbar worked for 1 day and Bimal worked for all 3 days.
  • DAbdul and Dilbar worked for 2 days each, Charlie worked for 1 day and Bimal worked for all 3 days.
  • EAbdul and Charlie worked for 1 day each, Bimal worked for 2 days and Dilbar worked for all 3 days.Correct answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E (Abdul and Charlie worked for 1 day each, Bimal worked for 2 days and Dilbar worked for all 3 days.) Take the total work as 180 units. The daily outputs of Abdul, Bimal, Charlie and Dilbar are respectively 18, 15, 12 and 10 units. Half the task is therefore 90 units. For option E, completed work = 1(18) + 2(15) + 1(12) + 3(10) = 18 + 30 + 12 + 30 = 90 units. Thus exactly 50% is completed after three days. As a check, option A gives 2(18+15+12+10)=110 units, not 90. Option B gives 3(18)+1(15)+2(12)+1(10)=103 units. Hence those schedules cannot produce the stated completion, whereas option E does and is the keyed possibility.
Q50Quantitative Ability·Mensuration

If the diagonals of a rhombus of side 15 cm are in the ratio 3:4, find the area of the rhombus.

  • A54 sq. cm.
  • B108 sq. cm.
  • C144 sq. cm.
  • D200 sq. cm.
  • ENone of the aboveCorrect answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E (None of the above) In a rhombus, the diagonals bisect each other at right angles. Let the diagonals, in the ratio 3:4, be 6k and 8k. Their half-lengths are then 3k and 4k. A side of the rhombus is the hypotenuse of the right triangle formed by these half-diagonals: (3k)^2 + (4k)^2 = 15^2 ⇒ 25k^2 = 225 ⇒ k = 3. So the diagonals are 18 cm and 24 cm. Therefore, Area = 12 × 18 × 24 = 216 sq. cm. The largest listed numerical area is 200 sq. cm., so none of A–D equals 216. In particular, 108 is obtained by inserting an extra factor of 12; the standard diagonal formula already contains the required half. Hence option E is correct.
Q51Quantitative Ability·Profit, Loss & Discount

The price of a product is P. A shopkeeper raises its price by X% and then offers a discount of Y% on the raised price. The discounted price again becomes P. If Y is the difference between X and Y, then find X.

  • A20
  • B25
  • C50
  • D100Correct answer
  • ENone of the above

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (100) Let percentages be used as decimals: x = X/100 and y = Y/100. Returning to the original price means P(1+x)(1-y)=P ⇒ (1+x)(1-y)=1. The statement that Y equals the difference between X and Y gives X-Y=Y, so X=2Y, or x=2y. Substituting, (1+2y)(1-y)=1 ⇒ 1+y-2y^2=1 ⇒ y(1-2y)=0. Ignoring the trivial zero-markup case, y=12. Hence Y=50 and X=2Y=100. A quick verification: raising P by 100% makes it 2P, and a 50% discount brings it back to P. Also, 100-50=50=Y. Options 20, 25 and 50 do not satisfy both conditions simultaneously. Thus the key is D.
Q52Quantitative Ability·Mensuration

A mixture comprises water and liquids A and B. The volume of water is 13rd of the total mixture and the volume of liquids A and B are in the ratio 5:3. To remove the water, the mixture is passed through a porous medium which completely absorbs the water and partially absorbs liquid A. Altogether this porous medium absorbs 200 ml of the initial mixture. If the ratio of volume of liquids A and B in the residual concentrated mixture becomes 7:9 then find the volume of water absorbed by the porous medium.

  • A60 ml
  • B2003 ml
  • C80 ml
  • D100 ml
  • E120 mlCorrect answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E (120 ml) Let the initial mixture be T ml. Water is T/3. The remaining 2T/3 consists of A and B in the ratio 5:3, so A = 5T12, and B = T4. The medium removes all water and some A, but no B. In the residue A:B=7:9. Since B remains T/4, residual A is 79 × T4 = 7T36. Thus A absorbed = 5T12 - 7T36 = 2T9. Total absorbed is water plus absorbed A: T3+2T9=5T9=200 ⇒ T=360. Therefore water absorbed = T/3 = 120 ml. Option D would imply only 100 ml of water and is inconsistent with the 200 ml total absorption. Hence option E matches.
Q53Quantitative Ability·Probability

A coin of radius 3 cm is randomly dropped on a square floor full of square shaped tiles of side 10 cm each. What is the probability that the coin will land completely within a tile? In other words, the coin should not cross the edge of any tile.

  • A0.91
  • B0.5
  • C0.49
  • D0.36
  • E0.16Correct answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E (0.16) Track the centre of the coin rather than its entire circular area. Within any 10 cm × 10 cm tile, the coin stays completely inside only if its centre is at least 3 cm from every edge. Removing a 3 cm margin from both sides of each dimension leaves a safe square of side 10 - 2(3) = 4 cm. Safe area = 4^2 = 16 sq. cm., while the total possible area for the centre in one repeating tile is 10^2 = 100 sq. cm. Therefore, Probability = 16100 = 0.16. Option D, 0.36, would correspond to a safe side of 6 cm and effectively removes the radius only once, instead of from both opposite edges. Option C similarly does not represent the valid centre region. Hence option E is correct.
Q54Quantitative Ability·Mensuration

It takes 2 liters to paint the surface of a solid sphere. If this solid sphere is sliced into 4 identical pieces, how many liters will be required to paint all the surfaces of these 4 pieces.

  • A2.2 liters
  • B2.5 liters
  • C3.0 liters
  • D4.0 litersCorrect answer
  • ENone of the above

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (4.0 liters) Four identical pieces are obtained by two mutually perpendicular diametral cuts. The original outer spherical area is 4πr^2 and requires 2 litres of paint. The first diametral cut exposes two circular faces, adding 2πr^2. The second perpendicular cut passes through both halves and, across all four pieces, exposes another 2πr^2. Thus the total area to be painted becomes 4πr^2 + 2πr^2 + 2πr^2 = 8πr^2, which is twice the original surface area. Paint required is therefore 2 × 2 = 4 litres. Option C, 3 litres, accounts for only one pair of newly exposed diametral faces. Since every surface of all four pieces must be painted, both cuts contribute. Hence the required quantity is 4.0 litres, matching option D.
Q55Quantitative Ability·Time, Speed & Distance

Every day a person walks at a constant speed, V1 for 30 minutes. On a particular day, after walking for 10 minutes at V1, he rested for 5 minutes. He finished the remaining distance of his regular walk at a constant speed, V2, in another 30 minutes. On that day, find the ratio of V2 and his average speed (i.e., total distance covered /total time taken including resting time).

  • A1:1Correct answer
  • B1:2
  • C2:3
  • D2:1
  • ENone of the above

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (1:1) Let the regular speed be V1 metres per minute. The usual 30-minute distance is D = 30V1. On the special day, the person covers 10V1 before resting. The remaining distance is 20V1, covered in 30 minutes at V2. Hence 30V2 = 20V1 ⇒ V2 = 23V1. Total elapsed time includes walking and rest: 10 + 5 + 30 = 45 minutes. Thus the day's average speed is 30V145=23V1. Therefore V2 equals the average speed, giving V2 : average speed = 1:1. Option C, 2:3, compares V2 with V1 rather than with the average over the full 45 minutes. Including the five-minute rest is essential, and it makes option A the exact match.
Q56Quantitative Ability·Triangles

A boat, stationed at the North of a lighthouse, is making an angle of 30° with the top of the lighthouse. Simultaneously, another boat, stationed at the East of the same lighthouse, is making an angle of 45° with the top of the lighthouse. What will be the shortest distance between these two boats? The height of the lighthouse is 300 feet. Assume both the boats are of negligible dimensions.

  • A300 feet
  • B6003 feet
  • C300 3 feet
  • D600 feetCorrect answer
  • ENone of the above

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (600 feet) Let the lighthouse foot be O. The north boat and east boat lie on perpendicular horizontal directions from O. For the north boat, with angle of elevation 30°, tan 30° = 300ON ⇒ ON = 300 3 feet. For the east boat, with angle of elevation 45°, tan 45° = 300OE ⇒ OE = 300 feet. Since north and east are perpendicular, the direct distance NE is the hypotenuse: NE = (300 3^2 + 300^2) = 270000+90000 = 360000 = 600 feet. Option C, 300 3, is merely the north boat's distance from the lighthouse, not the distance between boats. Option A similarly gives only the east boat's distance. Hence option D is correct.
Q57Quantitative Ability·Quadratic Equations

Two different quadratic equations have a common root. Let the three unique roots of the two equations be A, B and C - all of them are positive integers. If (A + B + C) = 41 and the product of the roots of one of the equations is 35, which of the following options is definitely correct?

  • AThe common root is 29.
  • BThe smallest among the roots is 1.
  • COne of the roots is 5.Correct answer
  • DProduct of the roots of the other equation is 5.
  • EAll of the above are possible, but none are definitely correct.

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (One of the roots is 5.) The equation whose root product is 35 has positive integral roots. The possible unordered factor pairs are (1,35) or (5,7). There are three distinct roots in all, and their sum is 41. If the product pair is (1,35), the third root must be 41-1-35=5. If the pair is (5,7), the third root is 41-5-7=29. Thus, in every admissible case, 5 is among the three roots. However, the common root need not be 29: in the first case 29 does not even occur, so A is not definite. The smallest root is not always 1, because the (5,7,29) case is valid. The other equation's product also varies according to which root is common. Hence only option C is guaranteed.
Q58Quantitative Ability·Progressions (AP/GP/HP)

An antique store has a collection of eight clocks. At a particular moment, the displayed times on seven of the eight clocks were as follows: 1:55 pm, 2:03 pm, 2:11 pm, 2:24 pm, 2:45 pm, 3:19 pm and 4:14 pm. If the displayed times of all eight clocks form a mathematical series, then what was the displayed time on the remaining clock?

  • A1:53 pm
  • B1:58 pmCorrect answer
  • C2:18 pm
  • D3:08 pm
  • E5:08 pm

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (1:58 pm) Convert the displayed times to minutes after noon: 115, 123, 131, 144, 165, 199, 254. The later differences are 8, 13, 21, 34 and 55, consecutive Fibonacci numbers. To extend the same series backward, the preceding differences must be 3, 5 and 8. Starting from 115 minutes: 115 + 3 = 118, 118 + 5 = 123, 123 + 8 = 131. Thus the missing term is 118 minutes after noon, i.e. 1:58 pm. The complete difference pattern is 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55. Option C, 2:18 pm, would insert 138 between 131 and 144 and destroy the Fibonacci differences. Option A occurs before 1:55 but does not provide the required three-minute step. Therefore option B is the unique fit.
Q59Quantitative Ability·Ratio & Proportion

The number of boys in a school was 30 more than the number of girls. Subsequently, a few more girls joined the same school. Consequently, the ratio of boys and girls became 3:5. Find the minimum number of girls, who joined subsequently.

  • A31
  • B51
  • C52Correct answer
  • D55
  • ESolution not possible

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (52) Let the final numbers of boys and girls be 3k and 5k respectively. No boys joined, so the original number of boys was also 3k. Since boys originally exceeded girls by 30, original girls numbered 3k - 30. Therefore the number of girls who joined is 5k-(3k-30)=2k+30. The school initially had girls, so 3k-30>0 ⇒ k>10. The smallest integral value is k=11. Hence the minimum number joining is 2(11)+30=52. This produces original counts of 33 boys and 3 girls, followed by 52 new girls, giving 33:55=3:5. Option B, 51, cannot arise because 2k+30 is always even. A value of 50 would require zero girls initially and is not offered or consistent with the wording. Thus option C is correct.
Q60Quantitative Ability·Trigonometry

A girl travels along a straight line, from point A to B at a constant speed, V1 meters/sec for T seconds. Next, she travels from point B to C along a straight line, at a constant speed of V2 meters/sec for another T seconds. BC makes an angle 105° with AB. If CA makes an angle 30° with BC, how much time will she take to travel back from point C to A at a constant speed of V2 meters/sec, if she travels along a straight line from C to A?

  • A0.5(3 – 1)T
  • BT
  • C0.5(3 + 1)TCorrect answer
  • D3T
  • ENone of the above

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (0.5(3 + 1)T) In triangle ABC, AB=V1T and BC=V2T. The given angles are ∠ABC=105° and ∠BCA=30°, so ∠BAC = 180°-105°-30° = 45°. By the sine rule, CAsin 105°=BCsin 45° CABC=sin105°sin45°. Now sin105°=sin(60°+45°)=6+24 and sin45°=22. Therefore CABC=3+12. Since BC=V2T, CA=3+12V2T. Travelling CA at speed V2 takes CAV2=3+12T. Option D, 3T, does not follow from the triangle's angle ratio, while option B would require CA=BC. Hence option C matches.
Q61Quantitative Ability·Sets & Venn Diagrams

In the final semester, an engineering college offers three elective courses and one mandatory course. A student has to register for exactly three courses: two electives and the mandatory course. The registration in three of the four courses is: 45, 55 and 70. What will be the number of students in the elective with the lowest registration?

  • A35
  • B40
  • C42
  • D45
  • EEither B or DCorrect answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E (Either B or D) Every student takes the mandatory course and two electives. Let total students be N. Therefore mandatory registration is N and total elective registrations equal 2N. If 70 is the mandatory registration, N=70. The other known elective counts are 45 and 55, so the missing elective has 2(70)-45-55=40 registrations. The lowest elective count is then 40, option B. Taking 55 or 45 as mandatory gives a negative missing elective count, so those cases are impossible. Alternatively, the unreported fourth course may be mandatory. Then the three given numbers are all electives: 45+55+70=170=2N ⇒ N=85. The lowest elective registration is then 45, option D. Because both consistent assignments are possible, the answer cannot be uniquely B or D. It is “Either B or D,” so option E is correct.
Q62Quantitative Ability·Number Systems

X and Y are the digits at the unit's place of the numbers (408X) and (789Y) where X ≠ Y. However, the digits at the unit's place of the numbers (408X)63 and (789Y)85 are the same. What will be the possible value(s) of (X + Y)? Example: If M = 3 then the digit at unit's place of the number (2M) is 3 (as the number is 23) and the digit at unit's place of the number (2M)2 is 9 (as 232 is 529).

  • A9
  • B10Correct answer
  • C11
  • D12
  • ENone of the above

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (10) Only the units digits X and Y matter. For X^63, powers of digits 2, 3, 7 and 8 cycle every four, and 63≡3 (mod 4). Thus 2^63 ends in 8, 8^63 ends in 2, 3^63 ends in 7, 7^63 ends in 3. For Y^85, since 85≡1 (mod 4), every units-digit cycle returns the digit Y itself. Therefore equal final units digits with X≠Y are possible only for (X,Y)=(2,8),(8,2),(3,7),(7,3). Each pair gives X+Y=10. Digits 0,1,4,5,6 and 9 remain fixed under these odd powers, which would force X=Y and violate the condition. Hence neither 9 nor 11 can be obtained. The only possible sum is 10, matching option B.
Q63Quantitative Ability·Inequalities

If 2 ≤ |x – 1|×|y + 3| ≤ 5 and both x and y are negative integers, find the number of possible combinations of x and y.

  • A4
  • B5
  • C6
  • D8
  • E10Correct answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E (10) Set a=|x-1| and b=|y+3|. Since x is a negative integer, a=1-x can be 2,3,4,… . We require 2≤ab≤5. For a=2, b may be 1 or 2. The equation |y+3|=1 gives y=-2,-4, while |y+3|=2 gives y=-1,-5: four pairs. For a=3,4 or 5, only b=1 works. Each value of a fixes one x, and b=1 gives two y-values, -2 and -4. These contribute 3×2=6 more pairs. For a≥6, even the smallest positive b makes ab>5; b=0 gives product 0 and is also invalid. Total combinations =4+6=10. Option D misses two valid sign-symmetric y-values for one admissible magnitude. Therefore option E is correct.
Q64Quantitative Ability·Number Systems

David has an interesting habit of spending money. He spends exactly £X on the Xth day of a month. For example, he spends exactly £5 on the 5th of any month. On a few days in a year, David noticed that his cumulative spending during the last 'four consecutive days' can be expressed as 2N where N is a natural number.r What can be the possible value(s) of N?

  • A5
  • B6Correct answer
  • C7
  • D8
  • EN can have more than one value

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (6) Within one month, four consecutive dates beginning at k cost k+(k+1)+(k+2)+(k+3)=4k+6, which is 2 modulo 4. Hence it cannot be a power of 2 greater than 2. The required occurrence must cross a month boundary. At the end of a 31-day month, consider the possible four-day windows. Their expenditures are 29+30+31+1=91, 30+31+1+2=64=2^6, 31+1+2+3=37. Boundaries after 30-day months give 88, 62 and 36; February boundaries likewise do not produce a power of 2. Thus the only qualifying cumulative spend is £64, so N=6. Option D would require £256, impossible because even the largest four-date total is far smaller. Option E fails because the boundary check yields one exponent only. Hence option B matches.
Q65Quantitative Ability·Circles

A cone of radius 4 cm with a slant height of 12 cm was sliced horizontally, resulting into a smaller cone (upper portion) and a frustum (lower portion). If the ratio of the curved surface area of the upper smaller cone and the lower frustum is 1:2, what will be the slant height of the frustum?

  • A12 – 3
  • B12 – 2 3
  • C12 – 3 3
  • D12 – 4 3Correct answer
  • ENone of the above

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (12 – 4 3) Let the smaller cone's slant height be x. By similarity with the original cone, whose radius-to-slant-height ratio is 4:12=1:3, its radius is x/3. Small-cone curved area =π(x/3)x=πx^23. The frustum has slant height 12-x and radii 4 and x/3. Hence its curved area is π(4+x/3)(12-x) =π3(12+x)(12-x) =π3(144-x^2). Given the area ratio 1:2, x^2:(144-x^2)=1:2 ⇒ 2x^2=144-x^2 ⇒ x^2=48 ⇒ x=4 3. Therefore the frustum's slant height is 12-4 3 cm. Option C would correspond to x=3 3 and does not satisfy the 1:2 area ratio. Hence option D is correct.
Q66Quantitative Ability·Surds & Indices

Two circles with radius 2R and 2R intersect each other at points A and B. The centers of both the circles are on the same side of AB. O is the center of the bigger circle and ∠AOB is 60°. Find the area of the common region between two circles.

  • A(3 – π – 1)R2
  • B(3 – π)R2
  • C(13π/6 + 1 - 3)R2Correct answer
  • D(13π/6 + 3)R2
  • ENone of the above

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C ((13π/6 + 1 - 3)R2) In the larger circle, radius 2R and central angle 60° give chord AB=2(2R)sin30°=2R. In the smaller circle of radius 2R, 2R=2 2R sin(θ/2) ⇒ θ=90°. The minor segment of the large circle has area 60360π(2R)^2-frac12(2R)^2sin60° =(3-3)R^2. The smaller circle's minor segment is 90360π(2R)^2-frac12(2R)^2 =(π2-1)R^2. Because both centres lie on the same side of AB, the overlap equals the whole smaller circle minus its minor segment, plus the larger circle's minor segment. Thus area =2πR^2-(fracπ2-1)R^2+(3-3)R^2 =(13π6+1-3)R^2. Using two minor segments would describe centres on opposite sides. Hence C.
Q67Data Sufficiency·Quant DS

Questions 67 & 68 are followed by two statements each. These statements provide data that may help answer the respective questions. Read the questions and the statements and determine if the data provided by the statements is sufficient or insufficient, on their own or together, to answer the questions. Accordingly, choose the appropriate option given below the questions. A group of six friends noticed that the sum of their ages is the square of a prime number. What is the average age of the group? Statement I: All members are between 50 and 85 years of age. Statement II: The standard deviation of their ages is 4.6.

  • AStatement I alone is sufficient to answer.Correct answer
  • BStatement II alone is sufficient to answer.
  • CEither of the statement is sufficient to answer.
  • DBoth statements are required to answer.
  • EAdditional information is required.

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (Statement I alone is sufficient to answer.) We need the group's average, which is the total age divided by 6. The total is known to be p^2 for some prime p. Statement I alone: each of six ages lies between 50 and 85, so the total lies between 300 and 510. Therefore 300 < p < 510, so 17.3<p<22.6. The only prime in this interval is 19. Hence total age=19^2=361 and average=3616. Statement I is sufficient. Statement II alone: a standard deviation of 4.6 describes dispersion around the mean, not the mean itself. Different sets can have the same spread after all ages are shifted by a constant, while their sums—and potentially qualifying prime-square totals—change. Thus II alone does not determine the average. Since I alone suffices and II alone does not, the classic DS conclusion is option A.
Q68Data Sufficiency·Quant DS

Questions 67 & 68 are followed by two statements each. These statements provide data that may help answer the respective questions. Read the questions and the statements and determine if the data provided by the statements is sufficient or insufficient, on their own or together, to answer the questions. Accordingly, choose the appropriate option given below the questions. Harry and Sunny have randomly picked 5 cards each from a pack of 10 cards, numbered from 1 to 10. Who has randomly picked the card with number 2 written on it? Statement I: Sum of the numbers on the cards picked by Harry is 5 more than that of Sunny. Statement II: One has exactly four even numbered cards while the other has exactly four odd numbered cards.

  • AStatement I alone is sufficient to answer.
  • BStatement II alone is sufficient to answer.
  • CEither of the statement is sufficient to answer.
  • DBoth statements are required to answer.Correct answer
  • EAdditional information is required.

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (Both statements are required to answer.) Statement I alone: all cards total 55. If Harry's sum is 5 more, then Harry and Sunny sum to 30 and 25 respectively. Many five-card subsets sum to 30, some containing 2 and some not, so I is insufficient. Statement II alone: either player could be the one with four even cards; it does not identify who holds 2. Insufficient. Together, Harry's sum 30 is even. A hand with four odd cards and one even card has an even sum, while four evens and one odd has an odd sum. Thus Harry has four odds; Sunny has four evens and one odd. Sunny's four evens are all except some even e. Since all evens sum to 30, Sunny's sum gives 30-e+o=25 ⇒ e-o=5. The feasible pairs are (6,1),(8,3),(10,5), none excluding 2. Hence Sunny definitely holds 2. Both statements together are sufficient: option D.
Q69Data Interpretation·Tables

Six teams are playing in a hockey tournament where each team is playing against every other team exactly once. At an intermediate stage, the status is as follows:

TeamsMatches PlayedMatches WonMatches LostMatches DrawnGoals ScoredGoals Conceded
Team A220051
Team B210151
Team C210120
Team D200211
Team E202014
Team F202007

Notes: • The team that scores more goals than it concedes wins the match, while if both the teams score the same no. of goals, the match is declared drawn. • In a match played between Team X and Team Y, if team X scores 1 and concedes none, then the score line would read: Team X – Team Y (1-0).

Which of the following matches are yet to be played?

  • ATeam A – Team B and Team C – Team D
  • BTeam C – Team D and Team E – Team F
  • CTeam E – Team F and Team B – Team D
  • DTeam C – Team D and Team A – Team E
  • ETeam A – Team B and Team E – Team FCorrect answer

Answer: E

Show explanation
Answer:E (Team A – Team B and Team E – Team F) From the table, A won both games; only E and F recorded losses. Therefore A played E and F. D drew both games. Its aggregate 1 goal for and 1 against forces draws of 1-1 and 0-0, which fit B and C respectively. B's remaining result is a win. After its 1-1 draw with D, its totals force a 4-0 win over F. A must then have beaten F 3-0 to complete F's 0 scored and 7 conceded. Since A's total is 5-1, A beat E 2-1. Finally, C beat E 2-0 to complete both teams' aggregates. Played pairs are AE, AF, BD, BF, CD and CE. Thus AB and EF are both unplayed. Options containing CD, AE or BD fail because those fixtures are already forced by the totals. Hence option E matches.
Q70Data Interpretation·Tables

Six teams are playing in a hockey tournament where each team is playing against every other team exactly once. At an intermediate stage, the status is as follows:

TeamsMatches PlayedMatches WonMatches LostMatches DrawnGoals ScoredGoals Conceded
Team A220051
Team B210151
Team C210120
Team D200211
Team E202014
Team F202007

Notes: • The team that scores more goals than it concedes wins the match, while if both the teams score the same no. of goals, the match is declared drawn. • In a match played between Team X and Team Y, if team X scores 1 and concedes none, then the score line would read: Team X – Team Y (1-0).

Which of the following score line is a possible outcome in the tournament?

  • ATeam A – Team D (1-0)
  • BTeam A – Team E (2-1)Correct answer
  • CTeam B – Team D (1-0)
  • DTeam C – Team F (2-0)
  • ENone of the above

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (Team A – Team E (2-1)) Reconstruct the fixtures from the aggregate table. D's two draws, with total score 1-1, must be 1-1 against B and 0-0 against C. B therefore needs a 4-0 win to reach its aggregate 5 scored and 1 conceded; this win is over F. F has then conceded four goals to B. As F's two-match total is 0-7, A must beat F 3-0. A's aggregate across two wins is 5 scored and 1 conceded, so its other match must be a 2-1 win over E. Therefore A–E (2-1) is possible and indeed forced. A–D and B–D contradict D's established draws, while C–F cannot occur because C played D and E. The reconstructed score line consequently matches option B.
Q71Data Interpretation·Tables

Six teams are playing in a hockey tournament where each team is playing against every other team exactly once. At an intermediate stage, the status is as follows:

TeamsMatches PlayedMatches WonMatches LostMatches DrawnGoals ScoredGoals Conceded
Team A220051
Team B210151
Team C210120
Team D200211
Team E202014
Team F202007

Notes: • The team that scores more goals than it concedes wins the match, while if both the teams score the same no. of goals, the match is declared drawn. • In a match played between Team X and Team Y, if team X scores 1 and concedes none, then the score line would read: Team X – Team Y (1-0).

Which of the following score line is not a possible outcome in the tournament?

  • ATeam A – Team F (4-0)Correct answer
  • BTeam B – Team F (4-0)
  • CTeam C – Team D (0-0)
  • DTeam C – Team E (2-0)
  • EAll of the above options are possible

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (Team A – Team F (4-0)) The table forces D's two draws to be 1-1 with B and 0-0 with C. B then requires a 4-0 win to complete its totals of five goals scored and one conceded; that opponent is F. Since F's two losses total 0 goals scored and 7 conceded, its other loss must be 0-3 to A, not 0-4. Thus A–F (4-0) is impossible. The remaining aggregates are completed by A–E (2-1) and C–E (2-0). Accordingly, B–F (4-0), C–D (0-0), and C–E (2-0) are all compatible with—and forced by—the reconstructed schedule. Option E is therefore false because not every listed score line is possible. The single impossible outcome is Team A–Team F (4-0), so the key is option A.
Q72Data Interpretation·Tables

Six teams are playing in a hockey tournament where each team is playing against every other team exactly once. At an intermediate stage, the status is as follows:

TeamsMatches PlayedMatches WonMatches LostMatches DrawnGoals ScoredGoals Conceded
Team A220051
Team B210151
Team C210120
Team D200211
Team E202014
Team F202007

Notes: • The team that scores more goals than it concedes wins the match, while if both the teams score the same no. of goals, the match is declared drawn. • In a match played between Team X and Team Y, if team X scores 1 and concedes none, then the score line would read: Team X – Team Y (1-0).

Which of the following, shows the maximum year to year percentage growth in feedback?

  • AProfessor Artihmetic during 2013-2014
  • BProfessor Algebra during 2015-2016
  • CProfessor Calculus during 2012-2013Correct answer
  • DProfessor Calculus during 2014-2015
  • ENone of the above

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (Professor Calculus during 2012-2013) For each professor and each adjacent pair of years, percentage growth in feedback must be computed as new feedback-old feedbackold feedback ×100. This denominator matters: the largest rise in feedback points need not be the largest percentage rise. Reading the two Calculus values for 2012 and 2013 from the graph and applying this ratio gives the largest proportional increase among all year-to-year intervals shown. Hence the maximum occurs for Professor Calculus during 2012-2013. The Arithmetic 2013-2014 and Algebra 2015-2016 intervals do show increases, but their increases are smaller relative to their respective starting feedback values. The later Calculus interval, 2014-2015, also has a lower growth ratio than the 2012-2013 jump. Thus a consistent ratio comparison across the graph selects option C.
Q73Data Interpretation·Tables

Six teams are playing in a hockey tournament where each team is playing against every other team exactly once. At an intermediate stage, the status is as follows:

TeamsMatches PlayedMatches WonMatches LostMatches DrawnGoals ScoredGoals Conceded
Team A220051
Team B210151
Team C210120
Team D200211
Team E202014
Team F202007

Notes: • The team that scores more goals than it concedes wins the match, while if both the teams score the same no. of goals, the match is declared drawn. • In a match played between Team X and Team Y, if team X scores 1 and concedes none, then the score line would read: Team X – Team Y (1-0).

Count the number of instances in which "annual decreasing efforts in research" is accompanied with "annual increase in feedback"?

  • A5
  • B7
  • C9Correct answer
  • D11
  • ENone of the above

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (9) Treat every professor-year transition as one possible instance. For each adjacent pair of years, mark it only when both conditions hold simultaneously: 1. research-time percentage in the later year is lower; and 2. feedback in the later year is higher. A transition with falling research but unchanged or falling feedback is excluded; likewise, rising feedback without a fall in research effort is excluded. Scanning the two plotted series in parallel for all four professors and tallying only the double-qualified transitions gives 9 instances. This is a count of transitions, not professors or years. Option B, 7, results if two qualifying changes are overlooked when a line changes only slightly, while option D, 11, includes transitions satisfying just one condition. Applying the strict “decrease in research AND increase in feedback” test gives 9, exactly option C.
Q74Data Interpretation·Mixed Charts

The graphs below represent the performance of professors across years, measured on teaching time %, research time %, feedback (scale of 10), and number of publications. Assume cumulative time spent per year on research and teaching is the same for all professors, and each taught only one course of 90 classroom hours.

XAT 2018 research DI table

Research efficiency is the ratio of cumulative number of publication for a period of 3 years to the cumulative number of hours spent on research activity in those 3 years. Which of the following professors is the least efficient researcher for the period 2015 to 2017?

  • AProfessor ArtihmeticCorrect answer
  • BProfessor Algebra
  • CProfessor Geometry
  • DProfessor Calculus
  • ECannot be determined as research is expressed in percentage Subject Code Exam Date Q Id Questions

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (Professor Artihmetic) Because annual total time is common to all professors, research hours are proportional to the displayed research percentages. For 2015-2017, compare total publications divided by the sum of those percentages; the common time multiplier cancels. From the graph: Arithmetic: 870+50+60=8180; Algebra: 835+25+40=8100; Geometry: 875+25+20=8120; Calculus: 855+55+40=8150. All four published eight papers, so the professor with the largest research-time denominator has the lowest publications-per-research-hour ratio. Arithmetic's denominator, 180, is the largest; hence its efficiency is the least. Calculus is the closest distractor with denominator 150, but 8150 is still greater than 8180. The common 90-hour teaching scale does not alter the ordering. Therefore option A is correct.

General Knowledge(25 questions)

Q75General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK

Which of the following is not a Cryptocurrency?

  • ABitcoin
  • BLaxmicoin
  • CEtherium
  • DPaypalCorrect answer
  • ELitecoin

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (Paypal) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Which of the following is not a Cryptocurrency? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why D. “Paypal” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“Bitcoin”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • B (“Laxmicoin”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“Etherium”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Litecoin”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q76General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Awards & Personalities

Who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2017?

  • ARichard ThalerCorrect answer
  • BRaghuram Rajan
  • CJean Tirole
  • DBengt Holmstrom
  • EOliver Hart

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (Richard Thaler) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2017? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why A. “Richard Thaler” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • B (“Raghuram Rajan”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“Jean Tirole”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“Bengt Holmstrom”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Oliver Hart”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q77General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK

What is Showrooming?

  • AAn individual browses the sites of e-retailers for products and then ends up purchasing the product from some brick and mortar store.
  • BAn individual visiting a brick and mortar store to have a look and feel of the product and then ordering the same product through some e-retailers.Correct answer
  • CAn individual visiting a big box retailer to have a look and feel of the product and then purchasing the same product from nearby kirana (Mom and Pop) store.
  • DAn e-retailer using the kirana (Mom and Pop) stores to keep its stock of goods and meets the orders in the nearby localities.
  • ENone of the above

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. What is Showrooming? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why B. “An individual visiting a brick and mortar store to have a look and feel of the product and then ordering the same produ…” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“An individual browses the sites of e-retailers for products and then ends up purchasing the product…”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“An individual visiting a big box retailer to have a look and feel of the product and then purchasin…”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“An e-retailer using the kirana (Mom and Pop) stores to keep its stock of goods and meets the orders…”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“None of the above”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q78General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK

Which of these have not been included in Government of India Act, 1935?

  • ASeparation of Burma from India
  • BDetachment of Aden from India to establish it as a crown colony
  • CSplitting of Bihar and Orissa as two separate provinces
  • DSeparation of Khyber Pakhtunwala from IndiaCorrect answer
  • ESeparation of Sindh from Bombay presidency

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (Separation of Khyber Pakhtunwala from India) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Which of these have not been included in Government of India Act, 1935? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why D. “Separation of Khyber Pakhtunwala from India” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“Separation of Burma from India”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • B (“Detachment of Aden from India to establish it as a crown colony”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“Splitting of Bihar and Orissa as two separate provinces”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Separation of Sindh from Bombay presidency”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q79General Knowledge / Current Affairs·History & Polity

What is Article 35A of the Indian Constitution?

  • AAn article empowering Jammu and Kashmir state’s legislature to define permanent residentsCorrect answer
  • BAn article empowering Arunachal Pradesh state’s legislature to define permanent residents
  • CAn article providing autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir
  • DAn article providing autonomous status to Arunachal Pradesh
  • EAn article providing autonomous status to Manipur

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. What is Article 35A of the Indian Constitution? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why A. “An article empowering Jammu and Kashmir state’s legislature to define permanent residents” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • B (“An article empowering Arunachal Pradesh state’s legislature to define permanent residents”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“An article providing autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“An article providing autonomous status to Arunachal Pradesh”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“An article providing autonomous status to Manipur”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q80General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK

Which of the following is not a landlocked country?

  • AKenyaCorrect answer
  • BNiger
  • CSwaziland
  • DChad
  • EMali

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (Kenya) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Which of the following is not a landlocked country? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why A. “Kenya” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • B (“Niger”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“Swaziland”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“Chad”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Mali”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q81General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK

Which of the following options is the correct list of core industries as defined by IIP?

  • AShipping, Coal, Natural Gas, Pharmaceuticals
  • BCoal, Natural Gas, Crude Oil, FertilizersCorrect answer
  • CCoal, Steel, Cement, Information Technology
  • DRefinery, Fertilizers, Crude Oil, Telecommunication
  • ECoal, Steel, Crude Oil, Banking

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (Coal, Natural Gas, Crude Oil, Fertilizers) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Which of the following options is the correct list of core industries as defined by IIP? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why B. “Coal, Natural Gas, Crude Oil, Fertilizers” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“Shipping, Coal, Natural Gas, Pharmaceuticals”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“Coal, Steel, Cement, Information Technology”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“Refinery, Fertilizers, Crude Oil, Telecommunication”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Coal, Steel, Crude Oil, Banking”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q82General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK
XAT 2018 Q82 matching table

Match the items in the two columns and choose the correct option.

  • Aa-i, b-ii, c-iii, d-iv, e-v
  • Ba-ii, b-i, c-iv, d-v, e-iiiCorrect answer
  • Ca-ii, b-iii, c-i, d-v, e-iv
  • Da-iv, b-i, c-ii, d-v, e-iii
  • Ea-iv, b-ii, c-iii, d-i, e-v

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (a-ii, b-i, c-iv, d-v, e-iii) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Match the items in the two columns and choose the correct option. Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why B. “a-ii, b-i, c-iv, d-v, e-iii” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“a-i, b-ii, c-iii, d-iv, e-v”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“a-ii, b-iii, c-i, d-v, e-iv”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“a-iv, b-i, c-ii, d-v, e-iii”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“a-iv, b-ii, c-iii, d-i, e-v”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q83General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK
XAT 2018 Q83 matching table

Match the items in the two columns and choose the correct option.

  • Aa-iii, b-ii, c-iv, d-iCorrect answer
  • Ba-ii, b-i, c-iv, d-iii
  • Ca-iii, b-ii, c-i, d-iv
  • Da-iv, b-i, c-ii, d-ii
  • Ea-iv, b-ii, c-iii, d-i

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (a-iii, b-ii, c-iv, d-i) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Match the items in the two columns and choose the correct option. Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why A. “a-iii, b-ii, c-iv, d-i” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • B (“a-ii, b-i, c-iv, d-iii”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“a-iii, b-ii, c-i, d-iv”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“a-iv, b-i, c-ii, d-ii”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“a-iv, b-ii, c-iii, d-i”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q84General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK

Which of the following Indian business houses (conglomerate) started its operation with companies like Philips Carbon Black, Asian Cables, Agarpara Jute and Murphy(India)?

  • AAditya Birla
  • BC.K. Birla
  • CRPG EnterprisesCorrect answer
  • DK.K.Birla
  • EEssar

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (RPG Enterprises) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Which of the following Indian business houses (conglomerate) started its operation with companies like Philips Carbon Black, Asian Cables, Agarpara Jute and Murphy(India)? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why C. “RPG Enterprises” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“Aditya Birla”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • B (“C.K. Birla”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“K.K.Birla”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Essar”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q85General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Current Affairs

Which of the following spacecrafts, in 2017, plunged into the planet it was exploring?

  • AApollo-8
  • BVoyager-2
  • CVoyager-1
  • DCassiniCorrect answer
  • EPioneer-11

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (Cassini) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Which of the following spacecrafts, in 2017, plunged into the planet it was exploring? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why D. “Cassini” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“Apollo-8”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • B (“Voyager-2”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“Voyager-1”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Pioneer-11”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q86General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Current Affairs

The Time magazine’s person of the year 2017 is:

  • ADonald Trump
  • BEmmanuel Macron
  • CThe Peace Makers
  • DSilence BreakersCorrect answer
  • ESarah Huckabee Sanders

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (Silence Breakers) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. The Time magazine’s person of the year 2017 is: Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why D. “Silence Breakers” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“Donald Trump”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • B (“Emmanuel Macron”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“The Peace Makers”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Sarah Huckabee Sanders”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q87General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Arts & Culture

Which of the following is NOT one of the World Heritage Sites?

  • AMountain Railways of India
  • BJim Corbett National ParkCorrect answer
  • CKhangchendzonga National Park
  • DHistoric City of Ahmedabad
  • EGreat living Chola temples

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (Jim Corbett National Park) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Which of the following is NOT one of the World Heritage Sites? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why B. “Jim Corbett National Park” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“Mountain Railways of India”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“Khangchendzonga National Park”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“Historic City of Ahmedabad”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Great living Chola temples”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q88General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK
XAT 2018 Q88 matching table

Match the items in the two columns and choose the correct option.

  • Aa-iii, b-ii, c-iv, d-i,e-v
  • Ba-ii, b-i, c-iv, d-iii,e-v
  • Ca-ii, b-i, c-v, d-iii,e-ivCorrect answer
  • Da-v, b-i, c-iii, d-ii,e-iv
  • Ea-iv, b-ii, c-iii, d-i,e-v

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (a-ii, b-i, c-v, d-iii,e-iv) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Match the items in the two columns and choose the correct option. Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why C. “a-ii, b-i, c-v, d-iii,e-iv” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“a-iii, b-ii, c-iv, d-i,e-v”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • B (“a-ii, b-i, c-iv, d-iii,e-v”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“a-v, b-i, c-iii, d-ii,e-iv”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“a-iv, b-ii, c-iii, d-i,e-v”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q89General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK

If a company encourages its employees to use its own products to understand customers’ perception, then the company is engaging in:

  • ADogfoodingCorrect answer
  • BLionhunting
  • CMoonlighting
  • DSpacetraveling
  • EBikeriding

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (Dogfooding) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. If a company encourages its employees to use its own products to understand customers’ perception, then the company is engaging in: Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why A. “Dogfooding” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • B (“Lionhunting”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“Moonlighting”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“Spacetraveling”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Bikeriding”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q90General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK

Which of the following is not a video streaming service?

  • ANetflix
  • BPrimevideo
  • CYoutube
  • DRokuCorrect answer
  • EItunes

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (Roku) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Which of the following is not a video streaming service? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why D. “Roku” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“Netflix”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • B (“Primevideo”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“Youtube”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Itunes”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q91General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK

Which of the following is not a French overseas territory?

  • ANew Caledonia
  • BGuadeloupe
  • CGuamCorrect answer
  • DReunion
  • EMayotte

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (Guam) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Which of the following is not a French overseas territory? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why C. “Guam” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“New Caledonia”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • B (“Guadeloupe”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“Reunion”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Mayotte”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q92General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK
XAT 2018 Q92 matching table

Match the items in the two columns and choose the correct option.

  • Aa-i, b-ii, c-iii, d-iv, e-v
  • Ba-iv, b-iii, c-v, d-ii, e-i
  • Ca-iv, b-iii, c-ii, d-v, e-iCorrect answer
  • Da-v, b-iv, c-iii, d-ii, e-i
  • Ea-iii, b-iv, c-ii, d-v, e-i

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (a-iv, b-iii, c-ii, d-v, e-i) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Match the items in the two columns and choose the correct option. Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why C. “a-iv, b-iii, c-ii, d-v, e-i” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“a-i, b-ii, c-iii, d-iv, e-v”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • B (“a-iv, b-iii, c-v, d-ii, e-i”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“a-v, b-iv, c-iii, d-ii, e-i”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“a-iii, b-iv, c-ii, d-v, e-i”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q93General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Current Affairs

Who is the independent athlete to win a gold medal at 2016 Summer Olympics?

  • AAbdullah Al-Rashidi
  • BFehaid Al-DeehaniCorrect answer
  • CJasna Sekaric
  • DYulia Stepanova
  • EDarya Klishna

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (Fehaid Al-Deehani) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Who is the independent athlete to win a gold medal at 2016 Summer Olympics? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why B. “Fehaid Al-Deehani” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“Abdullah Al-Rashidi”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“Jasna Sekaric”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“Yulia Stepanova”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Darya Klishna”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q94General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK

Which of the following mobile manufacturing companies DOES NOT have its headquarters in China?

  • AXoloCorrect answer
  • BXiaomi
  • CVivo
  • DOppo
  • ELenovo

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (Xolo) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Which of the following mobile manufacturing companies DOES NOT have its headquarters in China? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why A. “Xolo” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • B (“Xiaomi”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“Vivo”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“Oppo”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Lenovo”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q95General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Awards & Personalities

Name the only Indian (or from Indian origin) to win Abel Prize?

  • AManjul Bhargava
  • BSrinivasa Ramanujam
  • CS. R. Srinivasa VaradhanCorrect answer
  • DMahan Maharaj (Swami Vidyanathananda)
  • EHarishchandra Mehta

Answer: C

Show explanation
Answer:C (S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Name the only Indian (or from Indian origin) to win Abel Prize? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why C. “S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“Manjul Bhargava”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • B (“Srinivasa Ramanujam”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“Mahan Maharaj (Swami Vidyanathananda)”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Harishchandra Mehta”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q96General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK

What is a Hundi?

  • AIt is a financial instrumentCorrect answer
  • BIt is a utensil used for marriage functions
  • CIt is a marriage ritual in Tibetan society
  • DIt is Hyundai’s earlier name
  • EIt is the name of the last Hun that ruled China

Answer: A

Show explanation
Answer:A (It is a financial instrument) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. What is a Hundi? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why A. “It is a financial instrument” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • B (“It is a utensil used for marriage functions”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“It is a marriage ritual in Tibetan society”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“It is Hyundai’s earlier name”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“It is the name of the last Hun that ruled China”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q97General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Geography & Environment

Windhoek, Suva and Ulaanbaatar are the capital cities of:

  • AMongolia, Hungary, Romania
  • BNamibia, Fiji and MongoliaCorrect answer
  • CGhana, Fiji, Uruguay
  • DGuyana, Fiji, Mongolia
  • ENamibia, Guyana, Ghana

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (Namibia, Fiji and Mongolia) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Windhoek, Suva and Ulaanbaatar are the capital cities of: Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why B. “Namibia, Fiji and Mongolia” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“Mongolia, Hungary, Romania”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“Ghana, Fiji, Uruguay”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“Guyana, Fiji, Mongolia”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Namibia, Guyana, Ghana”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q98General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK

Which of the following is the most recent club to join ISL?

  • AFC Goa
  • BChennaiyin FC
  • CNorth East United FC
  • DJamshedpur FCCorrect answer
  • EDelhi Dynamos FC

Answer: D

Show explanation
Answer:D (Jamshedpur FC) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Which of the following is the most recent club to join ISL? Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why D. “Jamshedpur FC” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“FC Goa”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • B (“Chennaiyin FC”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“North East United FC”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“Delhi Dynamos FC”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.
Q99General Knowledge / Current Affairs·Static GK
XAT 2018 Q99 matching table

Match the brands with the companies and choose the correct option.

  • Aa-i, b-ii, c-iii, d-iv, e-v
  • Ba-iv, b-iii, c-v, d-ii, e-iCorrect answer
  • Ca-iv, b-iii, c-ii, d-v, e-i
  • Da-v, b-iv, c-iii, d-v, e-ii
  • Ea-iv, b-i, c-ii, d-v, e-iii

Answer: B

Show explanation
Answer:B (a-iv, b-iii, c-v, d-ii, e-i) What to find. General awareness — lock the stem’s unique factual cue (person, place, year, treaty, award, or institution). What to find. Match the brands with the companies and choose the correct option. Steps. Identify the one hard cue in the stem; eliminate options that swap a close distractor (similar role, neighbouring state, adjacent year). Why B. “a-iv, b-iii, c-v, d-ii, e-i” is the fact that matches that cue. Why the others fail. • A (“a-i, b-ii, c-iii, d-iv, e-v”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • C (“a-iv, b-iii, c-ii, d-v, e-i”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • D (“a-v, b-iv, c-iii, d-v, e-ii”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue. • E (“a-iv, b-i, c-ii, d-v, e-iii”) — nearby lookalike (wrong person/place/year/institution) or a fact that does not answer this exact cue.

Answer key

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

Q#SectionAnswerTopic
1Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningBReading Comprehension
2Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningEReading Comprehension
3Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningDReading Comprehension
4Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningEReading Comprehension
5Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningAReading Comprehension
6Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningCReading Comprehension
7Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningBReading Comprehension
8Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningBReading Comprehension
9Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningEReading Comprehension
10Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningDReading Comprehension
11Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningBReading Comprehension
12Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningEReading Comprehension
13Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningDReading Comprehension
14Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningAVerbal Ability
15Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningCVerbal Ability
16Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningDReading Comprehension
17Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningDVerbal Ability
18Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningAVerbal Ability
19Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningCVerbal Ability
20Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningAReading Comprehension
21Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningBReading Comprehension
22Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningEReading Comprehension
23Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningEDecision Making
24Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningCVerbal Ability
25Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningCReading Comprehension
26Verbal Ability & Logical ReasoningAVerbal Ability
27Decision MakingADecision Making
28Decision MakingEDecision Making
29Decision MakingCDecision Making
30Decision MakingADecision Making
31Decision MakingBDecision Making
32Decision MakingADecision Making
33Decision MakingDDecision Making
34Decision MakingDDecision Making
35Decision MakingCDecision Making
36Decision MakingCDecision Making
37Decision MakingEDecision Making
38Decision MakingADecision Making
39Decision MakingBDecision Making
40Decision MakingEDecision Making
41Decision MakingBDecision Making
42Decision MakingDDecision Making
43Decision MakingCDecision Making
44Decision MakingBDecision Making
45Decision MakingEDecision Making
46Decision MakingEDecision Making
47Decision MakingEDecision Making
48Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationDQuantitative Ability
49Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationEQuantitative Ability
50Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationEQuantitative Ability
51Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationDQuantitative Ability
52Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationEQuantitative Ability
53Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationEQuantitative Ability
54Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationDQuantitative Ability
55Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationAQuantitative Ability
56Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationDQuantitative Ability
57Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationCQuantitative Ability
58Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationBQuantitative Ability
59Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationCQuantitative Ability
60Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationCQuantitative Ability
61Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationEQuantitative Ability
62Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationBQuantitative Ability
63Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationEQuantitative Ability
64Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationBQuantitative Ability
65Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationDQuantitative Ability
66Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationCQuantitative Ability
67Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationAData Sufficiency
68Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationDData Sufficiency
69Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationEData Interpretation
70Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationBData Interpretation
71Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationAData Interpretation
72Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationCData Interpretation
73Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationCData Interpretation
74Quantitative Ability & Data InterpretationAData Interpretation
75General KnowledgeDGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
76General KnowledgeAGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
77General KnowledgeBGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
78General KnowledgeDGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
79General KnowledgeAGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
80General KnowledgeAGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
81General KnowledgeBGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
82General KnowledgeBGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
83General KnowledgeAGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
84General KnowledgeCGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
85General KnowledgeDGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
86General KnowledgeDGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
87General KnowledgeBGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
88General KnowledgeCGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
89General KnowledgeAGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
90General KnowledgeDGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
91General KnowledgeCGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
92General KnowledgeCGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
93General KnowledgeBGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
94General KnowledgeAGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
95General KnowledgeCGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
96General KnowledgeAGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
97General KnowledgeBGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
98General KnowledgeDGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs
99General KnowledgeBGeneral Knowledge / Current Affairs

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are there in XAT 2018?

XAT 2018 has 99 questions across Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, General Knowledge, with a total duration of 3h.

Is this the official XAT 2018 question paper?

Yes — this page hosts the past-year XAT paper for 2018, with the full question set, answer key, and explanations for revision.

Can I attempt XAT 2018 online with a timer?

XAT 2018 is free to browse with answers here. Timed attempts on MBACracked require Pro. Free accounts include recent CAT and XAT past papers.

Does this page include the XAT 2018 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 XAT 2018 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.