CAT 2021 Slot 2 question paper with answers and solutions

CAT 2021 Slot 2 had 66 questions: 24 in VARC (40 minutes), 20 in DILR (40 minutes), 22 in QA (40 minutes). 18 of them were TITA (type in the answer, no options). 24 have a worked solution here. Every question is tagged by topic, and answers are CAT's official key.

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) 24 questions · 40 min

QuestionTopic
Passage 1Q1–Q4 · It has been said that knowledge, or the problem of knowledge, is the…RC · Humanities & Philosophy4 questions
Passage 2Q5–Q8 · It's easy to forget that most of the world's languages are still…RC · Society, History & Politics4 questions
Passage 3Q9–Q12 · I have elaborated . . . a framework for analyzing the contradictory…RC · Society, History & Politics4 questions
Passage 4Q13–Q16 · Many people believe that truth conveys power. . . . Hence sticking…RC · Society, History & Politics4 questions
Q17Five jumbled up sentences, related to a topic, are given…Odd Sentence OutTITA
Q18Para Summary: The purpose of an unlikely alliance between the…Para SummaryMCQ
Q19The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) below, when…Para JumblesTITA
Q20The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) below, when…Para JumblesTITA
Q21Five jumbled up sentences, related to a topic, are given…Odd Sentence OutTITA
Q22The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) below, when…Para JumblesTITA
Q23Para Summary: Preprints of research are frowned on by some…Para SummaryMCQ
Q24Para Summary: The obsession with original thought, how it can…Para SummaryMCQ

Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) 20 questions · 40 min

QuestionTopic
Set 1Q1–Q6 · Ten objects o1, o2, …, o10 were distributed among Amar, Barat…Selection & Distribution6 questions
Set 2Q7–Q10 · The different bars in the diagram above provide information about…Charts & Tables4 questions
Set 3Q11–Q14 · The game of Chango is a game where two people play against each other…Games & Tournaments4 questions
Set 4Q15–Q20 · Ravi works in an online food-delivery company. After each delivery…Quant-based Puzzles6 questions

Quantitative Ability (QA) 22 questions · 40 min

QuestionTopic
Q1The number of ways of distributing 15 identical balloons, 6…Permutations & ProbabilityTITA
Q2If log_2[3 + log_34 + log_4(x - 1)] - 2 = 0 then 4x equalsLogarithms & ExponentsTITA
Q3Consider the pair of equations: x^2 - xy - x = 22 and y^2…EquationsMCQ
Q4From a container filled with milk, 9 litres of milk are…Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesTITA
Q5Two trains A and B were moving in opposite directions, their…Time, Speed & DistanceMCQ
Q6Anil can paint a house in 60 days while Bimal can paint it…Time & WorkMCQ
Q7A box has 450 balls, each either white or black, there being…Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesTITA
Q8Anil, Bobby and Chintu jointly invest in a business and…Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesMCQ
Q9If a rhombus has area 12 sq cm and side length 5 cm, then…GeometryMCQ
Q10Three positive integers x, y and z are in arithmetic…Progressions & SeriesMCQ
Q11Let D and E be points on sides AB and AC, respectively, of a…GeometryTITA
Q12For a 4-digit number, the sum of its digits in the…Number SystemsTITA
Q13For all real values of x, the range of the function f(x) =…Functions & GraphsMCQ
Q14In a football tournament, a player has played a certain…Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesTITA
Q15For all possible integers n satisfying 2.25 ≤ 2 + 2^n + 2 ≤…Inequalities & ModulusTITA
Q16For all real numbers x the condition |3x - 20| + |3x - 40| =…Inequalities & ModulusMCQ
Q17The sides AB and CD of a trapezium ABCD are parallel, with…GeometryMCQ
Q18Raj invested ₹ 10000 in a fund. At the end of first year, he…Percentages & Profit-LossMCQ
Q19Suppose one of the roots of the equation a x^2 - b x + c = 0…EquationsMCQ
Q20For a sequence of real numbers x_1, x_2, ..., x_n, if x_1…Progressions & SeriesMCQ
Q21Two pipes A and B are attached to an empty water tank. Pipe…Time & WorkMCQ
Q22A person buys tea of three different qualities at ₹ 800, ₹…Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesMCQ

Topic mix of CAT 2021 Slot 2

TopicSectionQuestions
RC · Society, History & PoliticsVARC12
Quant-based PuzzlesDILR6
Selection & DistributionDILR6
Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesQA5
Charts & TablesDILR4
Games & TournamentsDILR4
RC · Humanities & PhilosophyVARC4
GeometryQA3
Para JumblesVARC3
Para SummaryVARC3
EquationsQA2
Inequalities & ModulusQA2
Odd Sentence OutVARC2
Progressions & SeriesQA2
Time & WorkQA2
Functions & GraphsQA1
Logarithms & ExponentsQA1
Number SystemsQA1
Percentages & Profit-LossQA1
Permutations & ProbabilityQA1
Time, Speed & DistanceQA1