CAT 50 Day Streak Day 21

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CAT 50 Day Streak – Day 21

30 questions across VARC, DILR & QA · +3 for a correct answer · −1 for a wrong MCQ · no negative marking for TITA

0/30Attempted

0Correct

0Wrong

0Score / 90

VARC · Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension

Q1 – Q10 0/10

Passage · Q1 – Q4

Deep in the Diquis Delta region of southwestern Costa Rica, fruit company bulldozers plowed down swathes of rainforest in the 1930s and dug drainage ditches to make way for banana plantations. In the process, they accidentally exposed a collection of remarkable objects: almost perfectly round spheres carved from hard volcanic rock. The largest one is massive, with a diameter of nearly 9 feet and weighs 26 tons. Research has since revealed the spheres were carved by Indigenous people who abandoned them and their communities before the 16th-century arrival of the Spaniards. Archaeologists have some understanding of their purpose—they believe the spheres were status symbols placed at the entryways of homes of important people. Research has also found that some spheres were aligned with astrological features, such as the location of the sunrise on the horizon at certain days of the year. Beyond that, any additional purposes, spiritual significance and the beliefs of the people who made them are educated guesswork. There has been speculation that they may have been markers for navigators from the mythical city of Atlantis, or even projectiles fired from alien ships to earth.

The train cars that shipped bananas from the plantations were then also used to send the objects known in Costa Rica as “Las Bolas de Piedra” (The Stone Balls) all over the country, says John Hoopes, an archaeology professor who specializes in southern Central and northern South America and has researched the spheres in visits to Costa Rica since 1990. Some ended up as ornaments in front of Costa Rican office buildings and banks and three are on display in front of the Costa Rican congress building. Museums in New York and Denver have them and one is displayed on the campus of Harvard University. The fact that so many were moved from their original locations has complicated research into the spheres’ purpose. Those that are still in the Diquis Delta and on a small island off the country’s Pacific coast were granted protection as national treasures in the 1980s and prohibited from being exported. Their locations were designated as World Heritage sites by UNESCO in 2014.

The Indigenous people who made the spheres lived on mounds with stone foundations to elevate their homes above the region’s frequent flooding. They used two different techniques to fashion sophisticated gold jewelry and made pottery featuring images of birds and crocodiles, Hoopes says. They were members of societies ruled by chiefs in which “extensive farming and the availability of natural resources would have created favorable conditions to undertake important public infrastructure works, create monumental sculptures and obtain symbolic, deluxe goods according to their social condition,” according to the National Museum of Costa Rica. Most spheres “were probably made by the Chiriqui culture (A.D. 800–1500), the last of three major pre-Colombian cultures in Costa Rica, during a period when villages began to form, with cobblestone house foundations, pavements, walls, and mounds,” Archaeology Magazine reports in an article citing museum archaeologist Francisco Corrales. Hoopes says field work by Corrales in the 1990s found two stone spheres on both sides of the entrance ramp to a house platform, representing evidence that the spheres were status symbol ornaments.

Q1MCQ

The primary purpose of the passage is to:

Adocument the timeline of the discovery, dispersal, and eventual protection of the Costa Rican stone spheres.

Bargue that the “status symbol” hypothesis is the most complete and definitive explanation for the spheres’ existence.

Ccontrast the sophisticated techniques of the Chiriqui culture with the primitive understanding of their artifacts by modern speculators.

Dintroduce a set of mysterious archaeological artifacts, discuss the challenges in interpreting them, and provide context about their creators.

Solution Answer: D

Paragraph 1 introduces the spheres and the uncertainty about their purpose. Paragraph 2 explains how dispersal complicated research. Paragraph 3 describes the people who made them. D covers all three.

A covers only the timeline and ignores the creators. B: the author calls everything beyond the basics “educated guesswork”, so no hypothesis is presented as definitive. C: the passage doesn’t frame a contrast with speculators.

Q2MCQ

According to the passage, the primary obstacle to definitively understanding the purpose of the stone spheres is:

Athe prevalence of fantastical theories involving Atlantis and aliens, which obscure academic research.

Bthe displacement of many spheres from their original archaeological settings and alignments.

Cthe absence of any written records from the pre-Colombian cultures that inhabited the Diquis Delta.

Dthe decomposition of organic materials that might have once been associated with the spheres.

Solution Answer: B

The passage says directly: “The fact that so many were moved from their original locations has complicated research into the spheres’ purpose.”

A: the passage mentions the speculation but never says it hinders research. C and D are not mentioned at all.

Q3MCQ

What can be inferred about the author’s position on the hypothesis that the spheres were “status symbols”?

AThe author is skeptical of the hypothesis, grouping it with other “educated guesswork.”

BThe author considers it the definitive and complete explanation for the spheres’ purpose.

CThe author views it as a plausible theory that is corroborated by specific archaeological evidence.

DThe author feels it is a preliminary theory that has been largely disproven by the findings of the National Museum of Costa Rica.

Solution Answer: C

The status-symbol view is part of what archaeologists “have some understanding of”, and it is backed by Corrales finding two spheres on either side of a house-platform ramp, described as “evidence that the spheres were status symbol ornaments.”

A: “educated guesswork” refers to purposes beyond this. B: the author admits much remains unknown, so “definitive and complete” overstates it. D: the museum never disproves it.

Q4MCQ

The passage suggests which of the following about the spheres that are not located in the Diquis Delta or on the Pacific island?

ATheir relocation has compromised their historical and cultural context.

BThey are all now located in museums in the United States.

CThey are considered to be of lesser archaeological value than the protected spheres.

DThey were the primary evidence used by Corrales to support the “status symbol” theory.

Solution Answer: A

Spheres moved to banks, offices and museums lost their original setting, and the passage says this relocation “complicated research into the spheres’ purpose.”

B: many are in Costa Rica (banks, the congress building). C: the passage never ranks their value. D: Corrales’ evidence came from spheres found in situ at a house platform.

Q5MCQ

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

Sentence One interesting approach is to analyze ancient remedies used to treat bacterial infections, formulate them, and test them against modern microbes.

Paragraph Options to combat bacterial infections are becoming scarce. ___(1)___. We require innovative approaches to enhance the discovery of effective antimicrobials capable of combating bacteria resistant to multiple or all antibiotics. ___(2)___. These methods should either directly eliminate resistant bacteria or indirectly influence their viability by inhibiting their virulence or reducing their resistance to antibiotics. ___(3)___. This field has recently been named “ancientbiotics.” ___(4)___. This approach allows us to leverage centuries of empirical knowledge accumulated, from traditional medicines across various ancient cultures worldwide.

AOption 1

BOption 2

COption 3

DOption 4

Solution Answer: C (Option 3)

After the paragraph calls for innovative methods and says what they should achieve, the sentence offers “one interesting approach”: testing ancient remedies. The next sentence names it: “This field has recently been named ‘ancientbiotics.’”

At 1 and 2 the requirements haven’t been fully set out. At 4, “this field” would have nothing to refer to.

Q6TITA

The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) given below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer.

Apparently, the effort revealed to the students their own ignorance, because their self-assessments dropped.
In a study conducted at Yale, graduate students were asked to rate their understanding of everyday devices, including toilets, zippers, and cylinder locks.
They were then asked to write detailed, step-by-step explanations of how the devices work, and to rate their understanding again.
Sloman and Fernbach see this effect, which they call the “illusion of explanatory depth,” just about everywhere.

Solution Answer: 2314

The order runs like this:

2: Yale students rate their understanding of devices.
3: “They were then asked” to explain step by step and re-rate.
1: “The effort” revealed ignorance, so ratings dropped.
4: Sloman and Fernbach see “this effect” everywhere.

Q7TITA

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

They slept in nylon-shell, down-filled sleeping bags that weighed approximately nine pounds.
Modern sleeping bags weigh just 4.5 pounds and are rated for temperatures as low as -40 Fahrenheit.
Hillary, Norgay and other expedition members sheltered in tents that featured a canvas shell with an inner nylon tent.
This makes the achievement of Hillary and Norgay, who didn’t have 70 years of precedent to draw on, all the more remarkable.
Whereas modern Base Camp tents may be spacious and comfortable, those for high camps and the assault on the summit are small, lightweight and double-walled for protection against fierce winds and extreme elements.

Solution Answer: 4

The coherent paragraph is 3 → 5 → 1 → 2, comparing gear then and now:

3: The 1953 expedition used canvas-and-nylon tents.
5: “Whereas” modern tents are lightweight and double-walled.
1: “They” slept in nine-pound down bags.
2: Modern bags weigh 4.5 pounds.

Sentence 4 shifts from equipment to accumulated precedent (“70 years” of experience) and makes a judgement that the gear comparison doesn’t lead to.

Q8MCQ

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

Sentence There are also recipes for Dutch apple pies as far back as 1514.

Paragraph ___(1)___. Americans had made the apple truly their own. But the apple pie isn’t a uniquely American dish either. ___(2)___. In fact, the first recorded recipe for apple pie was written in 1381 in England, and called for figs, raisins, pears, and saffron in addition to apples. ___(3)___. There were other differences, too: early apple pie recipes generally didn’t include sugar, and their pastry crust was “coffin” pastry, which was intended as an inedible container, not a part of the pie. ___(4)___.

AOption 1

BOption 2

COption 3

DOption 4

Solution Answer: D (Option 4)

“Also” adds another non-American early recipe to the English one from 1381. It can’t go at 3: “There were other differences, too” must directly follow the figs/raisins/saffron sentence that lists the first differences. So the Dutch example closes the paragraph at 4, as further proof the dish isn’t uniquely American.

At 1 and 2 the sentence would come before the claim it supports and before the first recorded recipe.

Q9MCQ

The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.

Passage Unless you are living under a rock, you likely woke up today to plenty of news and commentary on the decision of U.K. voters to “Brexit” the European Union. But what is the United Kingdom, anyway? The telltale “Br” in the term seems to have created some confusion as to who’s really saying bye-bye to the E.U.—prompting well-intentioned onlookers abroad to perpetuate some misconceptions about how to refer to the political drama’s players. Understanding complex geopolitical dynamics may be hard, but that’s no excuse not to refer to countries by their proper names. Here’s a quick primer to help you sort out who’s who when it comes to the U.K.

AGreat Britain and the United Kingdom are synonymous terms referring to the same political and geographic entity.

BThe United Kingdom is a political entity consisting of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, while Great Britain is a geographical term referring only to the island with England, Scotland, and Wales.

CThe United Kingdom exclusively refers to England and its surrounding islands, excluding Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

DGreat Britain is a political union of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, whereas the United Kingdom is a geographic term for the island of England.

Solution Answer: B

The passage introduces a primer to clear up the confusion caused by the “Br” in Brexit, i.e. the mix-up between Britain and the U.K. B states the distinction the primer sets out: the U.K. is the political state, while Great Britain is the island of England, Scotland and Wales.

A repeats the very confusion the passage wants to correct. C and D get the facts wrong (D swaps the two terms).

Q10TITA

Taking the case of Abraham’s rushing to meet three strangers even though he is in great pain, the rabbis of the Talmud wrote that “Hospitality to wayfarers is greater than receiving the Divine Presence.”
Wrote Levinas in 1959, “Monotheism is not an arithmetic of the divine; It is, rather, a school of xenophilia and anti-racism.”
He begins by quoting Emmanuel Levinas, the “great and radical” French “philosopher on the nature of ethical obligation.”
Shankman explores how xenophilia is fundamental to some of our oldest stories, including those from the Hebrew Bible and the Homeric epics.

Solution Answer: 4321

The order runs like this:

4: Shankman’s subject: xenophilia in our oldest stories.
3: “He begins by quoting” Levinas.
2: The Levinas quote itself.
1: A Hebrew Bible example (Abraham and the Talmud).

DILR · Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning

Q11 – Q20 0/10

Set 1 · Q11 – Q15

X-Phones, a mobile phone retailer, has stores in 8 cities of India. It sells phones of only 4 brands: Xiaomi, Vivo, Samsung and Apple. The below table gives the data about the phones sold by them during a month in these cities:

City	Samsung	Xiaomi	Vivo	Apple
Ajmer	4960	480	18%	14%
Bhopal	19%	17%	630	22%
Chandigarh	32%	2160	13%	19%
Dehradun	4260	8%	9%	12%
Jodhpur	5%	20%	1260	990
Kanpur	180	2250	26%	900
Ludhiana	450	35%	4050	1350
Meerut	25%	725	32%	14%

The integer values denote the number of phones sold whereas the percentages denote the percentage of the total phones sold in that city. For example, 18% of the phones sold in Ajmer are of Vivo.

Q11MCQ

What is the ratio between the number of phones sold in Dehradun, Kanpur and Ludhiana?

A6:5:9

B5:6:9

C3:4:6

D4:3:6

Solution Answer: D

In each city, the known numbers make up 100% minus the given percentages, which gives the city total. For example, Ajmer: 4960 + 480 = 68%, so the total is 8000.

City	Samsung	Xiaomi	Vivo	Apple	Total
Ajmer	4960	480	1440	1120	8000
Bhopal	285	255	630	330	1500
Chandigarh	1920	2160	780	1140	6000
Dehradun	4260	480	540	720	6000
Jodhpur	150	600	1260	990	3000
Kanpur	180	2250	1170	900	4500
Ludhiana	450	3150	4050	1350	9000
Meerut	625	725	800	350	2500

Dehradun : Kanpur : Ludhiana = 6000 : 4500 : 9000 = 4 : 3 : 6.

Q12TITA

How many cities had a sale of at least 500 phones for each brand?

Solution Answer: 1

From the table in Q11, only Chandigarh (1920, 2160, 780, 1140) has at least 500 of every brand. Every other city has at least one brand below 500. Answer: 1.

Q13MCQ

The number of Xiaomi phones sold in Bhopal is what percentage of the number of phones of the same brand sold in Jodhpur?

A55%

B65.5%

C42.5%

D47.5%

Solution Answer: C

255/600 × 100 = 42.5%.

Q14MCQ

Which of the following statements is/are true?

The number of Apple phones sold was the least in Bhopal.
Vivo is the only company with a sale of more than 1000 in four cities.
The number of Samsung phones sold in Jodhpur was 24% of the number of Samsung phones sold in Meerut.
Samsung phones sold in Ludhiana were 30 more than Xiaomi phones sold in Dehradun.

AI, II and III

BI and II

CII, III and IV

DII and IV

Solution Answer: A

I: Bhopal’s 330 Apple phones is the lowest ✓
II: Vivo tops 1000 in Ajmer, Jodhpur, Kanpur and Ludhiana (4 cities). Samsung, Xiaomi and Apple each do so in only 3 ✓
III: 150/625 = 24% ✓
IV: Ludhiana Samsung (450) is 30 fewer than Dehradun Xiaomi (480) ✗

True statements: I, II and III.

Q15MCQ

How many Vivo phones were sold in Ajmer and Meerut put together?

A2160

B2240

C2050

D1980

Solution Answer: B

1440 + 800 = 2240.

Set 2 · Q16 – Q20

Pranav took a workshop of Arithmetic from Monday to Saturday. Six topics – Percentage, Profit Loss, SICI, Ratio, Mixture and Average were taught in the workshop, one on each day. It was observed that:

Except for the first two days, attendance on a particular day was the average of the attendance of the previous two days.
The class on Ratio had the least attendance of 30 students. It was immediately before the class on Average, which did not have the highest attendance.
3 more students were present in the class on Mixture as compared to the class on SICI, which was taken before the classes on Profit Loss and Mixture.

Q16MCQ

Which class was conducted on Friday?

AAverage

BMixture

CSICI

DProfit Loss

Solution Answer: D

Pattern. Let Mon = a and Tue = a + d. Then the attendances run a, a + d, a + d/2, a + 3d/4, a + 5d/8, a + 11d/16. The lowest and highest are always Monday and Tuesday.
Ratio and Average. Ratio has the least attendance and comes right before Average, which isn’t the highest. If Monday were least, Average would fall on Tuesday, the highest. So Tuesday (Ratio) = 30 is the least, Average is Wednesday, and Monday is the highest.
In units of e. Mon = 30 + 16e, Wed = 30 + 8e, Thu = 30 + 4e, Fri = 30 + 6e, Sat = 30 + 5e.
SICI and Mixture. Mixture − SICI = 3 with SICI earlier. SICI Thu / Mixture Fri gives 2e = 3 (non-whole attendance on Saturday ✗). SICI Thu / Mixture Sat gives e = 3 ✓. Profit Loss must come after SICI, so it is Friday, and Percentage is Monday.

Day	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Topic	Percentage	Ratio	Average	SICI	Profit Loss	Mixture
Attendance	78	30	54	42	48	45

Friday’s class was Profit Loss.

Q17TITA

What was the highest number of students attending any class?

Solution Answer: 78

Monday: 30 + 16 × 3 = 78.

Q18TITA

How many students attended the class on Average?

Solution Answer: 54

Average was on Wednesday: (78 + 30)/2 = 54.

Q19MCQ

How many students attended the class on Saturday?

A42

B45

C48

D40

Solution Answer: B

Saturday = (42 + 48)/2 = 45.

Q20MCQ

If a total of 80 students registered for the workshop, at least how many students attended the classes on both Profit Loss and Mixture?

A18

B21

C13

D16

Solution Answer: C

Profit Loss had 48 and Mixture had 45. The minimum overlap is 48 + 45 − 80 = 13.

QA · Quantitative Ability

Q21 – Q30 0/10

Q21MCQ

In an art exhibition, 90 junior artists achieve an average monthly sale of 40 art pieces. Senior artists, in contrast, achieve an average monthly sale of 112 art pieces. If the overall average monthly sales for all junior and senior artists combined is 85 art pieces, and this combined group represents 75% of the exhibition’s total artist population, what is the total number of artists?

A320

B300

C280

D240

Solution Answer: A

Alligation: juniors : seniors = (112 − 85) : (85 − 40) = 27 : 45 = 3 : 5. With 90 juniors, there are 150 seniors, so 240 in total.

240 is 75% of all artists, so the total = 320.

Q22TITA

If f(x) = f(x − 1) + x for x > 4, and f(x) = x − f(x + 1) for x ≤ 4, find f(5) + f(6).

Solution Answer: 15

f(4) = 4 − f(5) and f(5) = f(4) + 5. Substituting: f(5) = 9 − f(5), so f(5) = 4.5.

f(6) = f(5) + 6 = 10.5. So f(5) + f(6) = 15.

Q23MCQ

In the given figure, O is the center of the semicircle. AB is a chord and C is a point on it such that AC = 3 cm and ∠COB = 90˚. Find the area of the semicircle.

Semicircle with centre O; chord AB with point C on it, AC = 3, OC = 3√3, and angle COB = 90 degrees

A18 π sq cm

B27 π sq cm

C36 π sq cm

D54 π sq cm

Solution Answer: B

From the figure, OC = 3√3, so OC² = 27. Let CB = y and the radius be r.

Right angle at O: y² = OC² + r² = 27 + r².

Power of point C: AC × CB = r² − OC², so 3y = r² − 27.

Subtracting: y² − 3y = 54, so y = 9 and r² = 54. Semicircle area = ½πr² = 27π sq cm.

Q24MCQ

Find the sum of the series: 2 + 49 + 1081 + 28729 + 826561 + …

A45/16

B15/8

C7/4

D21/8

Solution Answer: D

The numerators are 3ⁿ + 1 (2, 4, 10, 28, 82) and the denominators are 9ⁿ. So each term = (1/3)ⁿ + (1/9)ⁿ, starting from n = 0.

Sum = 11 − 1/3 + 11 − 1/9 = 3/2 + 9/8 = 21/8.

Q25MCQ

How many numbers less than 100000 have the sum of their digits equal to 11?

A1365

B1001

C1340

D1360

Solution Answer: C

Treat each number as five digits with leading zeros: d₁ + … + d₅ = 11 with 0 ≤ d_i ≤ 9.

Without the upper limit there are ¹⁵C₄ = 1365 solutions. Remove those with a digit ≥ 10: that digit takes 10 and the remaining 1 is spread over five places, giving 5 × 5 = 25 cases.

1365 − 25 = 1340.

Q26MCQ

A dealer gives 10% discount on the marked price and gives 1 item free for buying every 35 items and thus gains 5%. The marked price is above the cost price by

A20%

B16.67%

C14.28%

D18.33%

Solution Answer: A

Let CP = 1 per item and MP = m. For 36 items the dealer receives 35 × 0.9m = 31.5m.

Cost of 36 items = 36. A 5% gain means 31.5m = 37.8, so m = 1.2. The marked price is 20% above CP.

Q27TITA

Find the remainder when 5²⁰²⁴ − 3²⁰²⁴ is divided by 34.

Solution Answer: 0

34 = 2 × 17. Both powers are odd, so their difference is even (divisible by 2).

Mod 17: since 2024 ≡ 8 (mod 16), 5²⁰²⁴ ≡ 5⁸ ≡ −1 and 3²⁰²⁴ ≡ 3⁸ ≡ −1. The difference is ≡ 0.

So 34 divides it, and the remainder is 0.

Q28MCQ

There are three bookshelves, A, B, and C. The total price of the books kept in bookshelves A, B, and C is Rs. 900, Rs. 1000, and Rs. 1120, respectively. Bookshelf B has five more books than Bookshelf A, and Bookshelf C has 5 less books than Bookshelf B. If the average cost price of a book kept in bookshelves A, B, and C are Rs. (a − 14), (a − 19), and (a − 3), respectively, then find the total number of books in the three bookshelves.

A51

B55

C59

D65

Solution Answer: D

A and C have the same number of books, n. Their averages differ by 11: 1120/n − 900/n = 11, so n = 20 and a = 59.

Check B: 25 books, 1000/25 = 40 = 59 − 19 ✓. Total = 20 + 25 + 20 = 65.

Q29TITA

Given a triangle with sides {14, 22, x}, where x ∈ Z and 22 is the maximum side length. If the triangle is scalene and acute, determine the median of the perimeters (in cm) of all possible triangles satisfying these conditions.

Solution Answer: 55

Acute with 22 the largest side: 22² < 14² + x², so x² > 288 and x ≥ 17. Scalene and 22 the maximum: x ≤ 21 and x ≠ 14.

x = 17 to 21 gives perimeters 53 to 57. Median = 55.

Q30MCQ

On a circular field, Nisha takes three rounds at a uniform speed. Risha, another runner, starts at the same time as Nisha, but after completing 2 rounds she stops immediately and Misha, the third runner, starts on her behalf and completes the remaining third round with the uniform speed. The length of the track is 800 metres. Risha’s speed is 6 km/h less than that of Misha and 1 km/h less than that of Nisha. Find the time at which Nisha completes the third round, given that Nisha and Misha complete the race (third round) at the same time.

A24 minutes

B25 minutes 36 seconds

C28 minutes 48 seconds

D30 minutes

Solution Answer: C

Let Nisha’s speed be n km/h. Then Risha = n − 1 and Misha = n + 5.

Same finishing time: 2.4n = 1.6n − 1 + 0.8n + 5. Dividing by 0.8: 3(n − 1)(n + 5) = 2n(n + 5) + n(n − 1), which simplifies to 3n = 15, so n = 5.

Nisha’s time = 2.4/5 h = 28.8 min = 28 minutes 48 seconds.

Day 21 complete! 🔥

0 / 90

Correct: 0 · Wrong: 0 · Accuracy: 0%

Keep the streak alive. See you tomorrow for Day 22.