CAT 2023 Slot 1 question paper with answers and solutions

CAT 2023 Slot 1 had 66 questions: 24 in VARC (40 minutes), 20 in DILR (40 minutes), 22 in QA (40 minutes). 20 of them were TITA (type in the answer, no options). 61 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 · Many human phenomena and characteristics – such as behaviors, beliefs…RC · Society, History & Politics4 questions
Passage 2Q5–Q8 · For early postcolonial literature, the world of the novel was often…RC · Society, History & Politics4 questions
Passage 3Q9–Q12 · [Fifty] years after its publication in English [in 1972], and just a…RC · Society, History & Politics4 questions
Passage 4Q13–Q16 · RESIDENTS of Lozère, a hilly department in southern France, recite…RC · Society, History & Politics4 questions
Q17Sentence Placement: Option 1Sentence PlacementMCQ
Q18Sentence Placement: Option 1Sentence PlacementMCQ
Q19Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)…Odd Sentence OutTITA
Q20Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)…Odd Sentence OutTITA
Q21The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) given below…Para JumblesTITA
Q22The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) given below…Para JumblesTITA
Q23Para Summary: Disinformation, which is mediated by technology…Para SummaryMCQ
Q24Para Summary: Colonialism surged in the 16^th century due to…Para SummaryMCQ

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

QuestionTopic
Set 1Q1–Q5 · Faculty members in a management school can belong to one of four…Selection & Distribution5 questions
Set 2Q6–Q10 · Five restaurants, coded R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 gave integer ratings to…Quant-based Puzzles5 questions
Set 3Q11–Q15 · A visa processing office (VPO) accepts visa applications in four…Scheduling5 questions
Set 4Q16–Q20 · The schematic diagram below shows 12 rectangular houses in a housing…Grids & Matrices5 questions

Quantitative Ability (QA) 22 questions · 40 min

QuestionTopic
Q1If x and y are positive real numbers such that log…Logarithms & ExponentsMCQ
Q2If x and y are real numbers such that x^2+(x-2 y-1)^2=-4…EquationsMCQ
Q3If √(5 x+9)+√(5 x-9)=3(2+√(2)) , then √(10 x+9) is equal toLogarithms & ExponentsMCQ
Q4Let n be the least positive integer such that 168 is a…Number SystemsMCQ
Q5The number of integer solutions of equation 2|x|(x^2+1)=5…Inequalities & ModulusTITA
Q6Let α and β be the two distinct roots of the equation 2…EquationsTITA
Q7The equation x^3+(2 r+1) x^2+(4 r-1) x+2=0 has -2 as one of…EquationsTITA
Q8Brishti went on an 8-hour trip in a car. Before the trip…Time, Speed & DistanceMCQ
Q9The minor angle between the hours hand and minutes hand of a…GeometryMCQ
Q10In an examination, the average marks of 4 girls and 6 boys…Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesMCQ
Q11A mixture P is formed by removing a certain amount of coffee…Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesMCQ
Q12The salaries of three friends Sita, Gita and Mita are…Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesMCQ
Q13Gita sells two objects A and B at the same price such that…Percentages & Profit-LossMCQ
Q14Arvind travels from town A to town B, and Surbhi from town B…Time, Speed & DistanceTITA
Q15The amount of job that Amal, Sunil and Kamal can…Time & WorkTITA
Q16Anil invests Rs. 22000 for 6 years in a certain scheme with…InterestTITA
Q17Let C be the circle x^2+y^2+4 x-6 y-3=0 and L be the locus…Coordinate GeometryMCQ
Q18A quadrilateral ABCD is inscribed in a circle such that AB…GeometryMCQ
Q19In a right-angled triangle ABC, the altitude AB is 5 cm, and…GeometryTITA
Q20For some positive and distinct real numbers x, y and z , if…Progressions & SeriesMCQ
Q21The number of all natural numbers up to 1000 with…Permutations & ProbabilityMCQ
Q22A lab experiment measures the number of organisms at 8 am…Progressions & SeriesTITA

Topic mix of CAT 2023 Slot 1

TopicSectionQuestions
RC · Society, History & PoliticsVARC16
Grids & MatricesDILR5
Quant-based PuzzlesDILR5
SchedulingDILR5
Selection & DistributionDILR5
EquationsQA3
GeometryQA3
Ratio, Mixtures & AveragesQA3
Logarithms & ExponentsQA2
Odd Sentence OutVARC2
Para JumblesVARC2
Para SummaryVARC2
Progressions & SeriesQA2
Sentence PlacementVARC2
Time, Speed & DistanceQA2
Coordinate GeometryQA1
Inequalities & ModulusQA1
InterestQA1
Number SystemsQA1
Percentages & Profit-LossQA1
Permutations & ProbabilityQA1
Time & WorkQA1