Number System, LOGICAL REASONING, VERBAL ABILITY Unit Test for CAT: 68 Questions with Solutions & Analysis

    Attempt the Number System, LOGICAL REASONING, VERBAL ABILITY Unit Test for CAT: 68 exam-level questions, detailed solutions and performance analysis. First questions free.

    Paper breakdown

    68 questions · 204 marks · 103.84 minutes. Quantitative Ability: 26 · Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension: 24 · Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning: 18

    Free sample questions from Number System, LOGICAL REASONING, VERBAL ABILITY Unit Test

    Question 1 · Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension MCQ
    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: Many have had to leave their homes behind, with more than 1.3 million people being displaced due to the drought.
    Passage: Somalia has been dealing with an enormous humanitarian catastrophe, driven by the longest and most severe drought the country has experienced in at least 40 years. ___(1)___. Five consecutive rainy seasons have failed, causing more than 8 million people - almost half of the country’s population - to experience acute food insecurity. ___(2)___. More than 43,000 people are believed to have lost their lives, with half of the lives lost likely being children under five. The damage the drought has caused is far-reaching. ___(3)___. Farmers have lost all their agricultural income, while pastoralists have lost more than 3 million livestock, impoverishing entire communities, and leaving them on the brink of famine. ___(4)___. Some, like the pastoralists, may never be able to go back as their livelihoods have been irreversibly wiped out.
    1. A.

      Option 4

    2. B.

      Option 2

    3. C.

      Option 3

    4. D.

      Option 1

    Correct Answer:

    A

    Step-by-Step Solution

    Key idea: This is a forward-link consequence insertion question, recognisable because the missing sentence introduces displaced people, and a later sentence refers to people who may never be able to go back.

    Step 1: Read the missing sentence. It states that many people have had to leave their homes behind, with more than 1.3 million people being displaced due to the drought.

    Step 2: Look for the strongest clue after the blanks. The sentence after Blank 4 says that some, like the pastoralists, may never be able to go back as their livelihoods have been irreversibly wiped out.

    Step 3: Identify the reference. The phrase "go back" only makes logical sense if people have already been established as having left their homes. Therefore, the displacement sentence must precede this idea.

    Step 4: Test Blank 4. The flow becomes: farmers and pastoralists suffer severe losses; many have to leave their homes; some may never be able to go back. This creates a clean Consequence Displacement Inability to return sequence.

    Step 5: Reject other blanks. Blank 1 is too early because the paragraph has not yet explained the scale of the crisis. Blank 2 is possible as a general escalation, but it weakens the direct link between displacement and the final "go back" sentence. Blank 3 interrupts the transition from general damage to specific livelihood losses.

    Answer: Option 4 (A).

    Question 2 · Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning NAT
    Common Description: Instructions [25 - 29]
    The figure below shows a network with three parallel roads represented by horizontal lines R-A, R-B, and R-C and another three parallel roads represented by vertical lines V1, V2, and V3. The figure also shows the distance (in km) between two adjacent intersections. Six ATMs are placed at six of the nine road intersections. Each ATM has a distinct integer cash requirement (in Rs. Lakhs), and the numbers at the end of each line in the figure indicate the total cash requirements of all ATMs placed on the corresponding road. For example, the total cash requirement of the ATM(s) placed on road R-A is Rs. 22 Lakhs.
    V1 V2 V3 R-A R-B R-C 22 20 20 15 21 26 4km 7km 3km 5km
    The following additional information is known.
    1. The ATMs with the minimum and maximum cash requirements of Rs. 7 Lakhs and Rs. 15 Lakhs are placed on the same road.
    2. The road distance between the ATM with the second highest cash requirement and the ATM located at the intersection of R-C and V3 is 12 km. How many ATMs have cash requirements of Rs. 10 Lakhs or more?
    Correct Answer:

    3

    Step-by-Step Solution

    Key idea: Finding exact element sets from total sum constraints and integer partitioning. This is recognisable by a grid with row/column sums and a bounded set of distinct integers.

    Step 1: Calculate the required excluded sum.

    The grid contains 6 ATMs with distinct integer values. The total sum of all ATMs is the sum of the row totals: .

    The problem states the minimum value is 7 and maximum is 15. The possible values are integers from 7 to 15 inclusive.

    Sum of all integers from 7 to 15 = 99.

    We need to select 6 distinct integers that sum to 62. This means we must EXCLUDE exactly 3 integers from the set that sum to .

    Step 2: Find the excluded triple.

    The excluded numbers cannot be 7 or 15 (as they are explicitly stated to be present).

    We must pick 3 distinct numbers from that sum to 37.

    The maximum possible sum of 3 numbers from this subset is .

    To get 37, we must drop the sum by 2 from the maximum. The only valid distinct triple is .

    (Note: sums to 37, but testing this set against the grid column constraints reveals it cannot form valid row pairs, leaving as the unique working exclusion).

    Step 3: Identify the final ATM set.

    Excluding leaves the set .

    Step 4: Count ATMs Lakhs.

    The values in that are 10 or more are 11, 12, and 15.

    There are exactly 3 such ATMs.

    Answer: 3

    Question 3 · Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning MCQ
    Common Description: Instructions [30 - 33]
    The above is a schematic diagram of walkways (indicated by all the straight-lines) and lakes (3 of them, each in the shape of rectangles - shaded in the diagram) of a gated area. Different points on the walkway are indicated by letters (A through P) with distances being OP = 150 m, ON = MN = 300 m, ML = 400 m, EL = 200 m, DE = 400 m.
    ABCD HGFE IJKL PONM
    The following additional information about the facilities in the area is known.
    1. The only entry/exit point is at C.
    2. There are many residences within the gated area; all of them are located on the path AH and ML with four of them being at A, H, M, and L.
    3. The post office is located at P and the bank is located at B. One person enters the gated area and decides to walk as much as possible before leaving the area without walking along any path more than once and always walking next to one of the lakes. Note that he may cross a point multiple times. How much distance (in m) will he walk within the gated area?
    1. A.

      2800

    2. B.

      3000

    3. C.

      3800

    4. D.

      3200

    Correct Answer:

    C

    Step-by-Step Solution

    Key idea: Eulerian path maximization on a geometrically restricted subgraph.

    Step 1: Interpret the constraint. The person must walk next to a lake, meaning they can only traverse the perimeter edges of the 3 rectangular lakes.

    Step 2: Identify valid walkways. To maximize distance without repeating any path, we must find the longest valid trail on the lake perimeters starting from the entry/exit point C.

    Step 3: Calculate total distance. The optimal path traverses the 400 m walkways 4 times (e.g., DE, LM, KN, EF), the 300 m walkways 6 times (e.g., CD, KL, MN, KJ, GF, FC), and the 200 m walkways 2 times (FK, JG).

    Total distance = m.

    Answer: C

    Question 4 · Quantitative Ability MCQ

    Let a, b, m and n be natural numbers such that a > 1 and b > 1. If , then the largest possible value of is

    1. A.

      580

    2. B.

      290

    3. C.

      289

    4. D.

      579

    Correct Answer:

    D

    Step-by-Step Solution

    Pattern: this is an extremal exponent allocation question — recognisable because two unknown bases raised to unknown powers are set equal to one fixed number's power (), and we must extremize a combination of the exponents ().

    Step 1 — Break 144 into primes.

    .

    So .

    Step 2 — See what are allowed to be.

    The right side only has the primes and . If or contained any other prime, that prime would show up in , which it does not. So and must be built only from 's and 's.

    Step 3 — Make as small as possible.

    We want the largest . Since is a natural number, the smallest legal value is (not — natural numbers here start at ). Use .

    Step 4 — Decide where the two exponents (580 and 290) go.

    With , the equation becomes . We want as large as possible. To pull a big exponent out as , use the smallest possible base for and let it absorb the larger of the two available exponents (580), while quietly absorbs the smaller leftover exponent (290).

    So take , requiring , and (which is a valid natural number greater than 1).

    Check: . ✓

    Step 5 — Compute the answer.

    .

    Why the reverse choice is a trap: if instead you let (absorbing the bigger exponent into ) and (absorbing the smaller exponent, 290, as ), you get , so — a smaller, wrong value. The 289 option exists specifically to catch students who assign the exponents without checking which assignment actually maximises . Always route the larger exponent into (via the smallest base) when you are trying to maximise .

    Question 5 · Quantitative Ability MCQ

    Let n and m be two positive integers such that there are exactly 41 integers greater than and less than , which can be expressed as powers of 2. Then, the smallest possible value of n + m is

    1. A.

      42

    2. B.

      44

    3. C.

      14

    4. D.

      16

    Correct Answer:

    D

    Step-by-Step Solution

    Key idea: This is a power-form counting question. The trick is to rewrite everything as a power of the same base, then count how many integer exponents lie strictly between two bounds.

    Why this applies: The question compares and but asks about numbers expressible as "powers of 2" — so converting the base-8 boundaries into base-2 boundaries makes the counting direct.

    Step 1 — Rewrite in base 2:

    Since :

    Step 2 — Count powers of 2 strictly between these:

    We want integers with

    Since is an integer, ranges from to . The count of such integers is:

    Step 3 — Set this equal to 41 (given):

    Step 4 — Minimise subject to :

    Write . Then

    This is minimised by taking as small as possible. Since is a positive integer, the smallest allowed value is , giving .

    Common trap: Forgetting the strict inequality (using instead of ) changes the count formula and gives a wrong equation for .

    Answer: 16

    Question 6 · Quantitative Ability NAT

    For a 4-digit number, the sum of its digits in the thousands, hundreds and tens places is 14, the sum of its digits in the hundreds, tens and units places is 15, and the tens place digit is 4 more than the units place digit. Then the highest possible 4-digit number satisfying the above conditions is

    Correct Answer:

    4195

    Step-by-Step Solution

    Pattern: this is a "digit place-value equations" question. You are told sums of overlapping groups of digits and one digit relationship, and asked for the maximum number — so the trigger words are "sum of digits in ... places" and "highest possible".

    Step 1 — Name the digits.

    Let the 4-digit number be with thousands digit , hundreds , tens , units .

    Step 2 — Translate every sentence into an equation.

    • "sum of thousands, hundreds, tens digits is 14": ... (i)
    • "sum of hundreds, tens, units digits is 15": ... (ii)
    • "tens digit is 4 more than units digit": ... (iii)

    Step 3 — Combine (i) and (ii) to link and directly.

    Subtracting (ii) from (i): , so , i.e. .

    This is the key move — it removes and connects the two digits we actually need to control (, the most valuable digit, and ).

    Step 4 — Apply digit bounds.

    (leading digit can't be 0) .

    From (iii), .

    So , giving respectively.

    Step 5 — Maximize the number correctly (most significant digit first).

    To get the highest 4-digit number, we must maximize first — not or in isolation. Since increases with , the largest comes from the largest allowed , which is , giving .

    Step 6 — Find the remaining digits for .

    .

    From (ii): .

    Check (i): ✓.

    Step 7 — State the number.

    .

    Answer: 4195.

    Question 7 · Quantitative Ability NAT

    For any natural number let be the largest integer not exceeding . Then the value of is

    Correct Answer:

    217

    Step-by-Step Solution

    Pattern: this is a floor-function block-summation question — recognisable because we must sum (or a similar floor expression) across a range of , which is best done by grouping into blocks where the floor value stays constant.

    Step 1 — Understand when .

    exactly when , i.e. runs over consecutive integers (from to ).

    Step 2 — Build the blocks up to n = 50.

    • : to (3 values) → contributes
    • : to (5 values) → contributes
    • : to (7 values) → contributes
    • : to (9 values) → contributes
    • : to (11 values) → contributes
    • : to (13 values) → contributes
    • : to — the block would normally run to , but our sum stops at , so only values (49, 50) are included → contributes

    Step 3 — Check the total count of n's covered.

    ✓ (matches to exactly).

    Step 4 — Add up all contributions.

    Trap: the final block () is a partial block — it does not run the full values (which would go up to ), only up to . Forgetting to cut this last block short (and instead using the full 15 values) is the single most common mistake in this pattern.

    So the answer is .

    Question 8 · Quantitative Ability MCQ

    If and are natural numbers such that , and , then equals

    1. A.

      209932

    2. B.

      209937

    3. C.

      209942

    4. D.

      209947

    Correct Answer:

    D

    Step-by-Step Solution

    This is a "perfect power" question — recognizable because you're told a number is expressible as for natural numbers with , and asked to find and themselves.

    Step 1: Look at the prime factorization already given.

    Step 2: For to be a natural number, means itself must be of the form , and then

    So and .

    Step 3: This means must divide both 25 and 40 — is a common factor of the two exponents.

    Divisors of 25: 1, 5, 25. Divisors of 40: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 20, 40. The only common divisor greater than 1 (since is required) is .

    Step 4: With : and .

    Step 5: Compute .

    Trap to avoid: don't pick any divisor of 40 (like 10 or 20) without checking it also divides 25 exactly — must work for BOTH exponents simultaneously, since it's the same in .

    Answer: m − n = 209947 (Option D).

    Question 9 · Quantitative Ability NAT

    A school has less than 5000 students and if the students are divided equally into teams of either 9 or 10 or 12 or 25 each, exactly 4 are always left out. However, if they are divided into teams of 11 each, no one is left out. The maximum number of teams of 12 each that can be formed out of the students in the school is

    Correct Answer:

    150

    Step-by-Step Solution

    Pattern: this is a simultaneous congruence (same-remainder) question — recognisable because the same remainder (4) shows up across several divisors (9,10,12,25), plus one extra clean-divisibility condition (11) to pin down the exact number.

    Step 1 — Convert "remainder 4 with 9, 10, 12, 25" into one condition.

    If leaves remainder when divided by each of , then is exactly divisible by all of them, i.e. by their LCM.

    Step 2 — Compute the LCM.

    .

    Step 3 — Write the general form of N.

    Step 4 — Apply the "less than 5000" limit.

    , so (since but ).

    Step 5 — Apply the "divisible by 11 with no remainder" condition.

    We need . First reduce : , so .

    So . Check each :

    • ✓

    Only works.

    Step 6 — Find N.

    .

    Step 7 — Maximum number of teams of 12.

    remainder (consistent with our very first condition!). So the maximum number of full teams of 12 is .

    Trap: a student who stops at "" without also checking every against the mod-11 condition might pick the wrong (e.g. assuming works without checking), or forget to apply the "less than 5000" bound at all and miss that only one valid exists.

    Question 10 · Quantitative Ability MSQ

    Let , , and be natural numbers with and such that

    Which of the following can be the value of ?

    1. A.

      -19

    2. B.

      0

    3. C.

      19

    4. D.

      20

    Correct Answer:

    ["A","B","C"]

    Step-by-Step Solution

    Key idea: this is an extremal exponent allocation question, but instead of asking only for the maximum, it asks which differences are possible. We need both bounds and constructions.

    Step 1: Prime-factorize the fixed number.

    Therefore:

    The largest prime exponent available is 20.

    Step 2: Bound and .

    Since , contains at least one prime. If that prime appears in with exponent at least 1, then in its exponent is at least .

    But no prime exponent in exceeds 20. Hence:

    Similarly:

    Also are natural numbers, so and .

    Therefore:

    and:

    Step 3: Show the endpoint values are possible.

    For , take:

    Then:

    For , take:

    Then:

    Step 4: Show 0 is possible.

    We need . Since the exponents of are , we can use :

    Then:

    Step 5: Check 20.

    would require because , but we already proved . So 20 is impossible.

    Answer: A, B, C

    Question 11 · Quantitative Ability MCQ

    If , and are natural numbers satisfying

    which of the following ordering relations is correct?

    1. A.

    2. B.

    3. C.

    4. D.

    Correct Answer:

    A

    Step-by-Step Solution

    Key idea: this is a prime-exponent equality question. The equation contains products of powers, so the correct move is to rewrite everything using prime bases and then match exponents.

    Step 1: Rewrite the left-hand side in prime bases.

    So the power of 2 on the left is:

    Also:

    So the power of 3 on the left is:

    The power of 5 on the left is:

    Step 2: Match the exponent of 5.

    Right-hand side has , so:

    Cancel :

    Step 3: Match the exponent of 2.

    Left: . Right: .

    Substitute :

    Therefore:

    Step 4: Match the exponent of 3.

    Left: . Right: .

    Substitute and :

    Then:

    Step 5: Compare.

    Therefore:

    Answer: A

    More CAT tests

    CAT
    Test Series
    Verified Solutions Included
    Number System, LOGICAL REASONING, VERBAL ABILITY Unit Test for CAT: 68 Questions with Solutions & Analysis

    Attempt the Number System, LOGICAL REASONING, VERBAL ABILITY Unit Test for CAT: 68 exam-level questions, detailed solutions and performance analysis. First qu

    68 Qs

    Total Questions

    204 Marks

    Total Marks

    103.84 Mins

    Duration

    +3 / -1 / 0

    Marking Scheme

    Section-wise Paper Structure

    Quantitative Ability

    26 Qs

    38% of total marks

    Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

    24 Qs

    35% of total marks

    Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning

    18 Qs

    26% of total marks

    Free Solved Questions with Step-by-Step Solutions

    Authentic examination problems with detailed derivations and answer keys.

    Question 1
    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: Many have had to leave their homes behind, with more than 1.3 million people being displaced due to the drought.
    Passage: Somalia has been dealing with an enormous humanitarian catastrophe, driven by the longest and most severe drought the country has experienced in at least 40 years. ___(1)___. Five consecutive rainy seasons have failed, causing more than 8 million people - almost half of the country’s population - to experience acute food insecurity. ___(2)___. More than 43,000 people are believed to have lost their lives, with half of the lives lost likely being children under five. The damage the drought has caused is far-reaching. ___(3)___. Farmers have lost all their agricultural income, while pastoralists have lost more than 3 million livestock, impoverishing entire communities, and leaving them on the brink of famine. ___(4)___. Some, like the pastoralists, may never be able to go back as their livelihoods have been irreversibly wiped out.
    Question 2
    Common Description: Instructions [25 - 29]
    The figure below shows a network with three parallel roads represented by horizontal lines R-A, R-B, and R-C and another three parallel roads represented by vertical lines V1, V2, and V3. The figure also shows the distance (in km) between two adjacent intersections. Six ATMs are placed at six of the nine road intersections. Each ATM has a distinct integer cash requirement (in Rs. Lakhs), and the numbers at the end of each line in the figure indicate the total cash requirements of all ATMs placed on the corresponding road. For example, the total cash requirement of the ATM(s) placed on road R-A is Rs. 22 Lakhs.
    V1 V2 V3 R-A R-B R-C 22 20 20 15 21 26 4km 7km 3km 5km
    The following additional information is known.
    1. The ATMs with the minimum and maximum cash requirements of Rs. 7 Lakhs and Rs. 15 Lakhs are placed on the same road.
    2. The road distance between the ATM with the second highest cash requirement and the ATM located at the intersection of R-C and V3 is 12 km. How many ATMs have cash requirements of Rs. 10 Lakhs or more?
    Question 3
    Common Description: Instructions [30 - 33]
    The above is a schematic diagram of walkways (indicated by all the straight-lines) and lakes (3 of them, each in the shape of rectangles - shaded in the diagram) of a gated area. Different points on the walkway are indicated by letters (A through P) with distances being OP = 150 m, ON = MN = 300 m, ML = 400 m, EL = 200 m, DE = 400 m.
    ABCD HGFE IJKL PONM
    The following additional information about the facilities in the area is known.
    1. The only entry/exit point is at C.
    2. There are many residences within the gated area; all of them are located on the path AH and ML with four of them being at A, H, M, and L.
    3. The post office is located at P and the bank is located at B. One person enters the gated area and decides to walk as much as possible before leaving the area without walking along any path more than once and always walking next to one of the lakes. Note that he may cross a point multiple times. How much distance (in m) will he walk within the gated area?
    Question 4

    Let a, b, m and n be natural numbers such that a > 1 and b > 1. If , then the largest possible value of is

    Question 5

    Let n and m be two positive integers such that there are exactly 41 integers greater than and less than , which can be expressed as powers of 2. Then, the smallest possible value of n + m is

    Question 6

    For a 4-digit number, the sum of its digits in the thousands, hundreds and tens places is 14, the sum of its digits in the hundreds, tens and units places is 15, and the tens place digit is 4 more than the units place digit. Then the highest possible 4-digit number satisfying the above conditions is

    Question 7

    For any natural number let be the largest integer not exceeding . Then the value of is

    Question 8

    If and are natural numbers such that , and , then equals

    Question 9

    A school has less than 5000 students and if the students are divided equally into teams of either 9 or 10 or 12 or 25 each, exactly 4 are always left out. However, if they are divided into teams of 11 each, no one is left out. The maximum number of teams of 12 each that can be formed out of the students in the school is

    Question 10

    Let , , and be natural numbers with and such that

    Which of the following can be the value of ?

    Question 11

    If , and are natural numbers satisfying

    which of the following ordering relations is correct?

    Unlock All 68 Questions in Real Examination Mode

    Practice with the authentic timer, on-screen calculator, instant percentile ranking, and section-wise analytics.

    More CAT Test Series

    Free preview ends here

    Login to view the complete test and solutions

    Creating an account is free. You get the rest of this chapter, step-by-step solutions, and a study plan built around the topics you are actually weak at.

    Why MastersUp

    Personalised first. High quality throughout.

    Most platforms hand everyone the same content. Here the content moves with your performance, topic by topic.

    Built around you, not around a syllabus PDF

    Every answer you give moves your topic-level intelligence rate. The next question, the next revision card and tomorrow's plan all change with it.

    Revision that hits your weak spots

    We only revise topics you have actually attempted and are still below the safe bar on — never the same chapter on repeat.

    Questions calibrated to the real exam

    Each question carries a measured toughness. You are served a rung above your current level, so practice keeps stretching you.

    Notes written for recall, not for volume

    Full lesson cards for first study, curated short-note cards for the last mile — with derivations, traps and exam patterns marked.

    One place for everything

    Notes, chapter practice, previous-year questions, test series and full-length papers — all feeding one picture of your preparation.

    Honest progress

    No vanity streaks. Progress here means chapters mastered and accuracy that held up on harder questions.

    Unlock the whole course

    Full notes and short notes, the complete question bank with worked solutions, mock tests, full-length papers, and an adaptive plan that rebuilds itself as you improve.