Basics of TrianglesCAT Previous-Year Questions

24 previous-year questions on Basics of Triangles from CAT, with full solutions. Practise free — check answers as you go; sign in to save your progress.

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24 questions

Basics of Triangles · CAT PYQs

CAT 2023 Slot 1 · QA
Q1.

In a right-angled triangle △ˆ†ABC, the altitude AB is 5 cm, and the base BC  is 12 cm. P and Q are two points on BC such that the areas of △ˆ†ABP,  △ˆ†ABQ and △ˆ†ABC are in arithmetic progression. If the area of △ˆ†ABC is 1.5  times the area of △ˆ†ABP, the length of PQ, in cm, is    

CAT 2023 Slot 2 · QA
Q2.

A triangle is drawn with its vertices on the circle C such that one of its sides is a diameter of C and the other two sides have their lengths in the ratio a : b. If the radius of the circle is r, then the area of the triangle is

CAT 2022 Slot 2 · QA
Q3.

In triangle ABC, altitudes AD and BE are drawn to the corresponding bases. If ∠BAC = 45° and ∠ABC = θ, then AD/BE equals

CAT 2022 Slot 2 · QA
Q4.

The length of each side of an equilateral triangle ABC is 3 cm. Let D be a point on BC such that the area of triangle ADC is half the area of triangle ABD. Then the length of AD, in cm, is

CAT 2022 Slot 3 · QA
Q5.

Two ships are approaching a port along straight routes at constant speeds. Initially, the two ships and the port formed an equilateral triangle with sides of length 24 km. When the slower ship travelled 8 km, the triangle formed by the new positions of the two ships and the port became right-angled. When the faster ship reaches the port, the distance, in km, between the other ship and the port will be

CAT 2021 Slot 3 · QA
Q6.

In a triangle ABC, ∠BCA = 50°. D and E are points on AB and AC, respectively, such that AD = DE. If F is a point on BC such that BD = DF, then ∠FDE, in degrees is equal to

CAT 2020 Slot 2 · QA
Q7.

From an interior point of an equilateral triangle, perpendiculars are drawn on all three sides. The sum of the lengths of the three perpendiculars is s. Then the area of the triangle is

CAT 2019 Slot 1 · QA
Q8.

Corners are cut off from an equilateral triangle T to produce a regular hexagon H. Then, the ratio of the area of H to the area of T is

CAT 2017 Slot 1 · QA
Q9.

Let ABC be a right-angled isosceles triangle with hypotenuse BC. Let BQC be a semi-circle, away from A, with diameter BC. Let BPC be an arc of a circle centered at A and lying between BC and BQC. If AB has length 6 cm then the area, in sq. cm, of the region enclosed by BPC and BQC is:

CAT 2017 Slot 1 · QA
Q10.

Let ABC be a right-angled triangle with BC as the hypotenuse. Lengths of AB and AC are 15 km and 20 km, respectively. The minimum possible time, in minutes, required to reach the hypotenuse from A at a speed of 30 km per hour is:

CAT 2008 · QA
Passage / Data

Directions for next 2 questions:

The figure below shows the plan of a town. The streets are at right angles to each other. A rectangular park (P) is situated inside the town with a diagonal road running through it. There is also a prohibited region (D) in the town.

Q11.

Consider obtuse-angled triangles with sides 8 cm, 15 cm and x cm. If x is an integer, then how many such triangles exist?

CAT 2003 Slot 1 · QA
Passage / Data

Each question is followed by two statements, A and B. Answer each question using the following instructions

Choose 1 if the question can be answered by using one of the statements alone but not by using the other statement alone.
Choose 2 if the question can be answered by using either of the statements alone.
Choose 3 if the question can be answered by using both statements together but not by either statement alone.
Choose 4 if the question cannot be answered on the basis of the two statements.

Q12.

In a triangle ABC, AB = 6, BC = 8 and AC = 10. A perpendicular dropped from B, meets the side AC at D. A circle of radius BD (with centre B) is drawn. If the circle cuts AB and BC at P and Q respectively, then AP : QC is equal to

CAT 2001 · QA
Q13.

Euclid has a triangle in mind, Its longest side has length 20 and another of its sides has length 10. Its area is 80. What is the exact length of its third side?

CAT 2001 · QA
Q14.

In ∆DEF shown below, points A, B, and C are taken on DE, DF and EF respectively such that EC = AC and CF = BC. If ∠D = 40°, then what is ∠ACB in degrees?

CAT 2000 · QA
Q15.

What is the number of distinct triangles with integral valued sides and perimeter 14?

CAT 2000 · QA
Passage / Data

Answer the following question based on the information given below.

Sixteen teams have been invited to participate in the ABC Gold Cup cricket tournament. The tournament is conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the teams are divided into two groups. Each group consists of eight teams, with each team playing every other team in its group exactly once. At the end of the first stage, the top four teams from each group advance to the second stage while the rest are eliminated. The second stage comprises of several rounds. A round involves one match for each team. The winner of a match in a round advances to the next round, while the loser is eliminated. The team that remains undefeated in the second stage is declared the winner and claims the Gold Cup.

The tournament rules are such that each match results in a winner and a loser with no possibility of a tie. In the first stage, a team earns one point for each win and no points for a loss. At the end of the first stage teams in each group are ranked on the basis of total points to determine the qualifiers advancing to the next stage. Ties are resolved by a series of complex tie-breaking rules so that exactly four teams from each group advance to the next stage.

Q16.

If a, b, c are the sides of a triangle, and a2 + b2 + c2 = bc + ca + ab, then the triangle is

CAT 2000 · QA
Passage / Data

Answer the following question based on the information given below.

Sixteen teams have been invited to participate in the ABC Gold Cup cricket tournament. The tournament is conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the teams are divided into two groups. Each group consists of eight teams, with each team playing every other team in its group exactly once. At the end of the first stage, the top four teams from each group advance to the second stage while the rest are eliminated. The second stage comprises of several rounds. A round involves one match for each team. The winner of a match in a round advances to the next round, while the loser is eliminated. The team that remains undefeated in the second stage is declared the winner and claims the Gold Cup.

The tournament rules are such that each match results in a winner and a loser with no possibility of a tie. In the first stage, a team earns one point for each win and no points for a loss. At the end of the first stage teams in each group are ranked on the basis of total points to determine the qualifiers advancing to the next stage. Ties are resolved by a series of complex tie-breaking rules so that exactly four teams from each group advance to the next stage.

Q17.

In the figure above, AB = BC = CD = DE = EF = FG = GA. Then ∠DAE is approximately

CAT 1995 · QA
Q18.

ABCD is a square of area 4, which is divided into four non-over lapping triangles as shown in figure. Then the sum of the perimeters of the triangles is

CAT 1995 · QA
Passage / Data

Direction: Answer the questions based on the following information.
Four sisters — Suvarna, Tara, Uma and Vibha are playing a game such that the loser doubles the money of each of the other players from her share. They played four games and each sister lost one game in alphabetical order. At the end of fourth game, each sister had Rs.32.

Q19.

AB ⊥ BC, BD ⊥ AC and CE bisects ∠C, ∠A = 30°. Then what is ∠CED?

CAT 1995 · QA
Passage / Data

Direction: Answer the questions based on the following information.
Four sisters — Suvarna, Tara, Uma and Vibha are playing a game such that the loser doubles the money of each of the other players from her share. They played four games and each sister lost one game in alphabetical order. At the end of fourth game, each sister had Rs.32.

Q20.

The sides of a triangle are 5, 12 and 13 units. A rectangle is constructed, which is equal in area to the triangle, and has a width of 10 units. Then the perimeter of the rectangle is

CAT 1995 · QA
Passage / Data

Direction: Answer the questions based on the following information.
Four sisters — Suvarna, Tara, Uma and Vibha are playing a game such that the loser doubles the money of each of the other players from her share. They played four games and each sister lost one game in alphabetical order. At the end of fourth game, each sister had Rs.32.

Q21.

The length of a ladder is exactly equal to the height of the wall it is learning against. If lower end of the ladder is kept on a stool of height 3 m and the stool is kept 9 m away from the wall, the upper end of the ladder coincides with the top of the wall. Then the height of the wall is

CAT 1995 · QA
Passage / Data

Directions for next 4 questions: Answer the questions based on the following information.

le(x, y) = Least of (x, y)
mo(x) = |x|
me(x, y) = Maximum of (x, y)

Q22.

Which one of the following cannot be the ratio of angles in a right-angled triangle?

CAT 1993 · QA
Passage / Data

Answer the following questions based on the information given below:

ABC forms an equilateral triangle in which B is 2 km from A. A person starts walking from B in a direction parallel to AC and stops when he reaches a point D directly east of C. He, then, reverses direction and walks till he reaches a point E directly south of C.

Q23.

Then D is

CAT 1993 · QA
Passage / Data

Answer the following questions based on the information given below:

ABC forms an equilateral triangle in which B is 2 km from A. A person starts walking from B in a direction parallel to AC and stops when he reaches a point D directly east of C. He, then, reverses direction and walks till he reaches a point E directly south of C.

Q24.

The total distance walked by the person is