CAT 2018 Slot 1 question paper with answers and solutions

CAT 2018 Slot 1 had 100 questions: 34 in VARC (60 minutes), 32 in DILR (60 minutes), 34 in QA (60 minutes). 27 of them were TITA (type in the answer, no options). 34 have a worked solution here. Every question is tagged by topic, and answers are CAT's official key.

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) 34 questions · 60 min

QuestionTopic
Passage 1Q1–Q5 · The only thing worse than being lied to is not knowing you’re being…RC · Science & Technology5 questions
Passage 2Q6–Q10 · “Everybody pretty much agrees that the relationship between elephants…RC · Science & Technology5 questions
Passage 3Q11–Q15 · The Indian government has announced an international competition to…RC · Society, History & Politics5 questions
Passage 4Q16–Q20 · Economists have spent most of the 20th century ignoring psychology…RC · Humanities & Philosophy5 questions
Passage 5Q21–Q24 · When researchers at Emory University in Atlanta trained mice to fear…RC · Science & Technology4 questions
Passage 6Q29–Q31 · Choose the option that best captures the author's positionRC · Science & Technology3 questions
Q251. Impartiality and objectivity are fiendishly difficult…Para JumblesTITA
Q261. The eventual diagnosis was skin cancer and after…Para JumblesTITA
Q271. The woodland’s canopy receives most of the sunlight that…Para JumblesTITA
Q281. But now we have another group: the unwitting enablers. 2…Para JumblesTITA
Q321. Displacement in Bengal is thus not very significant in…Para JumblesTITA
Q331. In many cases time inconsistency is what prevents our…Para JumblesTITA
Q341. Translators are like bumblebees. 2. Though long since…Para JumblesTITA

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) 32 questions · 60 min

QuestionTopic
Set 1Q1–Q4 · A company administers a written test comprising of three sections of…Quant-based Puzzles4 questions
Set 2Q5–Q8 · 1600 satellites were sent up by a country for several purposes. The…Venn & Set Puzzles4 questions
Set 3Q9–Q12 · You are given an n×n square matrix to be filled with numerals so that…Grids & Matrices4 questions
Set 4Q13–Q16 · The multi-layered pie-chart below shows the sales of LED television…Charts & Tables4 questions
Set 5Q17–Q20 · An ATM dispenses exactly Rs. 5000 per withdrawal using 100, 200 and…Quant-based Puzzles4 questions
Set 6Q21–Q24 · Fuel contamination levels at each of 20 petrol pumps P1, P2, …, P20…Arrangements4 questions
Set 7Q25–Q28 · Adriana, Bandita, Chitra, and Daisy are four female students, and…Grids & Matrices4 questions
Set 8Q29–Q32 · Twenty four people are part of three committees which are to look at…Selection & Distribution4 questions

Quantitative Ability (QA) 34 questions · 60 min

QuestionTopic
Q1A trader sells 10 litres of a mixture of paints A and B…Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesMCQ
Q2In a circle with centre O and radius 1 cm, an arc AB makes…GeometryMCQ
Q3If f(x + 2) = f(x) + f(x + 1) for all positive integers x…Functions & GraphsTITA
Q4The distance from A to B is 60 km. Partha and Narayan start…Time, Speed & DistanceMCQ
Q5A CAT aspirant appears for a certain number of tests. His…Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesTITA
Q6Two types of tea, A and B, are mixed and then sold at Rs. 40…Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesMCQ
Q7A wholesaler bought walnuts and peanuts, the price of walnut…Percentages & Profit-LossMCQ
Q8When they work alone, B needs 25% more time to finish a job…Time & WorkMCQ
Q9Given an equilateral triangle T1 with side 24 cm, a second…Progressions & SeriesMCQ
Q10While multiplying three real numbers, Ashok took one of the…Inequalities & ModulusTITA
Q11If x is a positive quantity such that 2^x = 3 log_52 , then…Logarithms & ExponentsMCQ
Q12If log_1281 = p, then 3( (4 - p)/(4 + p) ) is equal toLogarithms & ExponentsMCQ
Q13A right circular cone, of height 12 ft, stands on its base…MensurationTITA
Q14How many numbers with two or more digits can be formed with…Permutations & ProbabilityTITA
Q15John borrowed Rs. 2,10,000 from a bank at an interest rate…InterestTITA
Q16If u^2 + (u−2v−1)^2 = −4v(u + v), then what is the value of…EquationsMCQ
Q17Point P lies between points A and B such that the length of…Time, Speed & DistanceTITA
Q18Let ABCD be a rectangle inscribed in a circle of radius 13…GeometryMCQ
Q19In an examination, the maximum possible score is N while the…Percentages & Profit-LossMCQ
Q20Let x, y, z be three positive real numbers in a geometric…Progressions & SeriesMCQ
Q21The number of integers x such that 0.25 < 2^x < 200, and 2^x…Number SystemsTITA
Q22Each of 74 students in a class studies at least one of the…Set TheoryTITA
Q23Train T leaves station X for station Y at 3 pm. Train S…Time, Speed & DistanceTITA
Q24Points E, F, G, H lie on the sides AB, BC, CD, and DA…GeometryMCQ
Q25Given that x^2018 y^2017 = 1/2 and x^2016 y^2019 = 8, the…Logarithms & ExponentsMCQ
Q26Raju and Lalitha originally had marbles in the ratio 4 : 9…Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesMCQ
Q27If log_2(5 + log_3a) = 3 and log_5(4a + 12 + log_2b) = 3…Logarithms & ExponentsMCQ
Q28Humans and robots can both perform a job but at different…Time & WorkMCQ
Q29In a parallelogram ABCD of area 72 sq cm, the sides CD and…GeometryMCQ
Q30In a circle, two parallel chords on the same side of a…GeometryMCQ
Q31A tank is fitted with pipes, some filling it and the rest…Time & WorkTITA
Q32If among 200 students, 105 like pizza and 134 like burger…Set TheoryMCQ
Q33Let f(x)=min2x^2, 52 - 5x, where x is any positive real…Functions & GraphsTITA
Q34In an apartment complex, the number of people aged 51 years…Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesMCQ

Topic mix of CAT 2018 Slot 1

TopicSectionQuestions
RC · Science & TechnologyVARC17
Grids & MatricesDILR8
Quant-based PuzzlesDILR8
Para JumblesVARC7
GeometryQA5
Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesQA5
RC · Humanities & PhilosophyVARC5
RC · Society, History & PoliticsVARC5
ArrangementsDILR4
Charts & TablesDILR4
Logarithms & ExponentsQA4
Selection & DistributionDILR4
Venn & Set PuzzlesDILR4
Time & WorkQA3
Time, Speed & DistanceQA3
Functions & GraphsQA2
Percentages & Profit-LossQA2
Progressions & SeriesQA2
Set TheoryQA2
EquationsQA1
Inequalities & ModulusQA1
InterestQA1
MensurationQA1
Number SystemsQA1
Permutations & ProbabilityQA1