XAT 2021 — Question Paper with Solutions
The complete XAT 2021 previous-year paper with the answer key and detailed solutions for all 54 questions across 3 sections. Attempt each question and check it, or tap Show solution — free, and your progress saves when you sign in.
XAT 2021 — practice
Read the following statements and answer the question that follows.
1. Some countries are, at least, trying to curb emissions.
2. Morocco is building a colossal solar-power plant in the desert.
3. States in the Middle East and North Africa can do little on their own to mitigate climate change.
4. Saudi Arabia is not going to stop exporting oil, but it plans to build a solar plant that will be about 200 times the size of the biggest such facility operating today.
5. Politics often gets in the way of problem solving.
Arrange the above five statements in a logical sequence.
Read the following statements and answer the question that follows.
1. Behavioral models in finance most often critique the efficient market hypothesis, which states that if investors behave rationally then prices should reflect all available information about the financial asset in consideration.
2. A number of behavioral models, including feedback models where investors bid up the price, have been used to explain this phenomenon.
3. But asset price bubbles and crashes belie this conclusion.
4. Finance is one of the fields where behavioral models have been used extensively, enough for behavioral finance.
5. This idea of “irrational exuberance” is now widely accepted and used in financial analysis, especially while analyzing asset price bubbles.
Arrange the above five statements in a logical sequence.
Which of the following sentences uses a WRONG tag-question?
Read the following statement:
While start-ups have__________ reach, _____ they introduce ________ products, they open-up ________ markets.
Fill in the blanks meaningfully, in the above statement, from the following options.
Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.
The painting, which is in poor condition, suggests that a highly advanced artistic culture existed some 44,000 years ago, punctuated by folklore, religious myths and spiritual belief. The scene may be regarded not only as the earliest dated figurative art in the world but also as the oldest evidence for the communication of a narrative in Palaeolithic art.
"This is noteworthy, given that the ability to invent fictional stories may have been the last and most crucial stage in the evolutionary history of human language and the development of modern-like patterns of cognition” researchers said.
Which of the following can be BEST concluded from the passage?
Read the following passage and answer the two questions that follow.
We stand before this great world. The truth of our life depends upon our attitude of mind towards it - an attitude which is formed by our habit of dealing with it according to the special circumstance of our surroundings and our temperaments. It guides our attempts to establish relations with the universe either by conquest or by union, either through the cultivation of power or through that of sympathy.
And thus, in our realization of the truth of existence, we put our emphasis either upon the principle of dualism or upon the principle of unity.
Which of the following statements can be BEST inferred from the passage?
Read the following passage and answer the two questions that follow.
We stand before this great world. The truth of our life depends upon our attitude of mind towards it - an attitude which is formed by our habit of dealing with it according to the special circumstance of our surroundings and our temperaments. It guides our attempts to establish relations with the universe either by conquest or by union, either through the cultivation of power or through that of sympathy.
And thus, in our realization of the truth of existence, we put our emphasis either upon the principle of dualism or upon the principle of unity.
According to the passage, our emphasis on dualism or on unity is BEST guided by:
Read the following passage and answer the three questions that follow.
Multitasking has been found to increase the production of the stress hormone cortisol as well as the fight-or flight hormone adrenaline, which can overstimulate your brain and cause mental fog or scrambled thinking. Multitasking creates a dopamine addiction feedback loop, effectively rewarding the brain for losing focus and for constantly searching for external stimulation. To make matters worse, the prefrontal cortex has a novelty bias, meaning that its attention can be easily hijacked by something new—the proverbial shiny objects we use to entice infants, puppies, and kittens. The irony here for those of us who are trying to focus amid competing activities is clear: The very brain region we need to rely on for staying on task is easily distracted. We answer the phone, look up something on the Internet, check our email, send an SMS, and each of these things tweaks the novelty-seeking, reward-seeking centers of the brain, causing a burst of endogenous opioids (no wonder it feels so good!), all to the detriment of our staying on task. It is the ultimate emptycaloried brain candy. Instead of reaping the big rewards that come from sustained, focused effort, we instead reap empty rewards from completing a thousand little sugarcoated tasks.
In the old days, if the phone rang and we were busy, we either didn’t answer or we turned the ringer off. When all phones were wired to a wall, there was no expectation of being able to reach us at all times—one might have gone out for a walk or be between places, and so if someone couldn’t reach you (or you didn’t feel like being reached), that was considered normal. Now more people have cell phones than have toilets. This has created an implicit expectation that you should be able to reach someone when it is convenient for you, regardless of whether it is convenient for them. This expectation is so ingrained that people in meetings routinely answer their cell phones to say, “I’m sorry, I can’t talk now, I’m in a meeting.” Just a decade or two ago, those same people would have let a landline on their desk go unanswered during a meeting, so different were the expectations for reachability.
According to the passage, why do people in meetings routinely answer their cell phones to say, “I’m sorry, I can’t talk now, I’m in a meeting.”?
Read the following passage and answer the three questions that follow.
Multitasking has been found to increase the production of the stress hormone cortisol as well as the fight-or flight hormone adrenaline, which can overstimulate your brain and cause mental fog or scrambled thinking. Multitasking creates a dopamine addiction feedback loop, effectively rewarding the brain for losing focus and for constantly searching for external stimulation. To make matters worse, the prefrontal cortex has a novelty bias, meaning that its attention can be easily hijacked by something new—the proverbial shiny objects we use to entice infants, puppies, and kittens. The irony here for those of us who are trying to focus amid competing activities is clear: The very brain region we need to rely on for staying on task is easily distracted. We answer the phone, look up something on the Internet, check our email, send an SMS, and each of these things tweaks the novelty-seeking, reward-seeking centers of the brain, causing a burst of endogenous opioids (no wonder it feels so good!), all to the detriment of our staying on task. It is the ultimate emptycaloried brain candy. Instead of reaping the big rewards that come from sustained, focused effort, we instead reap empty rewards from completing a thousand little sugarcoated tasks.
In the old days, if the phone rang and we were busy, we either didn’t answer or we turned the ringer off. When all phones were wired to a wall, there was no expectation of being able to reach us at all times—one might have gone out for a walk or be between places, and so if someone couldn’t reach you (or you didn’t feel like being reached), that was considered normal. Now more people have cell phones than have toilets. This has created an implicit expectation that you should be able to reach someone when it is convenient for you, regardless of whether it is convenient for them. This expectation is so ingrained that people in meetings routinely answer their cell phones to say, “I’m sorry, I can’t talk now, I’m in a meeting.” Just a decade or two ago, those same people would have let a landline on their desk go unanswered during a meeting, so different were the expectations for reachability.
What does the author BEST intend to convey when he says, “Now more people have cell phones than have toilets?”
Read the following passage and answer the three questions that follow.
Multitasking has been found to increase the production of the stress hormone cortisol as well as the fight-or flight hormone adrenaline, which can overstimulate your brain and cause mental fog or scrambled thinking. Multitasking creates a dopamine addiction feedback loop, effectively rewarding the brain for losing focus and for constantly searching for external stimulation. To make matters worse, the prefrontal cortex has a novelty bias, meaning that its attention can be easily hijacked by something new—the proverbial shiny objects we use to entice infants, puppies, and kittens. The irony here for those of us who are trying to focus amid competing activities is clear: The very brain region we need to rely on for staying on task is easily distracted. We answer the phone, look up something on the Internet, check our email, send an SMS, and each of these things tweaks the novelty-seeking, reward-seeking centers of the brain, causing a burst of endogenous opioids (no wonder it feels so good!), all to the detriment of our staying on task. It is the ultimate emptycaloried brain candy. Instead of reaping the big rewards that come from sustained, focused effort, we instead reap empty rewards from completing a thousand little sugarcoated tasks.
In the old days, if the phone rang and we were busy, we either didn’t answer or we turned the ringer off. When all phones were wired to a wall, there was no expectation of being able to reach us at all times—one might have gone out for a walk or be between places, and so if someone couldn’t reach you (or you didn’t feel like being reached), that was considered normal. Now more people have cell phones than have toilets. This has created an implicit expectation that you should be able to reach someone when it is convenient for you, regardless of whether it is convenient for them. This expectation is so ingrained that people in meetings routinely answer their cell phones to say, “I’m sorry, I can’t talk now, I’m in a meeting.” Just a decade or two ago, those same people would have let a landline on their desk go unanswered during a meeting, so different were the expectations for reachability.
Which of the following can be BEST inferred from the passage?
Read the following passage and answer the three questions that follow.
Considering the multitude of situations in which we humans use numerical information, life without numbers is inconceivable. But what was the benefit of numerical competence for our ancestors, before they became Homo sapiens? Why would animals crunch numbers in the first place? It turns out that processing numbers offers a significant benefit for survival, which is why this behavioural trait is present in many animal populations.
Several studies examining animals in their ecological environments suggest that representing number enhances an animal’s ability to exploit food sources, hunt prey, avoid predation, navigate in its habitat, and persist in social interactions. Before numerically competent animals evolved on the planet, single-celled microscopic bacteria — the oldest living organisms on earth — already exploited quantitative information. The way bacteria make a living is through their consumption of nutrients from their environment. Mostly, they grow and divide themselves to multiply. However, in recent years, microbiologists have discovered they also have a social life and are able to sense the presence or absence of other bacteria; in other words, they can sense the number of bacteria. Take, for example, the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri. It has a special property that allows it to produce light through a process called bioluminescence, similar to how fireflies give off light. If these bacteria are in dilute water solutions (where they are alone), they make no light. But when they grow to a certain cell number of bacteria, all of them produce light simultaneously. Therefore, Vibrio fischeri can distinguish when they are alone and when they are together.
Somehow they have to communicate cell number, and it turns out they do this using a chemical language. They secrete communication molecules, and the concentration of these molecules in the water increases in proportion to the cell number. And when this molecule hits a certain amount, called a quorum, it tells the other bacteria how many neighbours there are, and all bacteria glow. This behaviour is called “quorum sensing”: The bacteria vote with signalling molecules, the vote gets counted, and if a certain threshold (the quorum) is reached, every bacterium responds. This behavior is not just an anomaly of Vibrio fischeri; all bacteria use this sort of quorum sensing to communicate their cell number in an indirect way via signalling molecules.
Which of the following statements CANNOT be inferred from the passage?
Read the following passage and answer the three questions that follow.
Considering the multitude of situations in which we humans use numerical information, life without numbers is inconceivable. But what was the benefit of numerical competence for our ancestors, before they became Homo sapiens? Why would animals crunch numbers in the first place? It turns out that processing numbers offers a significant benefit for survival, which is why this behavioural trait is present in many animal populations.
Several studies examining animals in their ecological environments suggest that representing number enhances an animal’s ability to exploit food sources, hunt prey, avoid predation, navigate in its habitat, and persist in social interactions. Before numerically competent animals evolved on the planet, single-celled microscopic bacteria — the oldest living organisms on earth — already exploited quantitative information. The way bacteria make a living is through their consumption of nutrients from their environment. Mostly, they grow and divide themselves to multiply. However, in recent years, microbiologists have discovered they also have a social life and are able to sense the presence or absence of other bacteria; in other words, they can sense the number of bacteria. Take, for example, the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri. It has a special property that allows it to produce light through a process called bioluminescence, similar to how fireflies give off light. If these bacteria are in dilute water solutions (where they are alone), they make no light. But when they grow to a certain cell number of bacteria, all of them produce light simultaneously. Therefore, Vibrio fischeri can distinguish when they are alone and when they are together.
Somehow they have to communicate cell number, and it turns out they do this using a chemical language. They secrete communication molecules, and the concentration of these molecules in the water increases in proportion to the cell number. And when this molecule hits a certain amount, called a quorum, it tells the other bacteria how many neighbours there are, and all bacteria glow. This behaviour is called “quorum sensing”: The bacteria vote with signalling molecules, the vote gets counted, and if a certain threshold (the quorum) is reached, every bacterium responds. This behavior is not just an anomaly of Vibrio fischeri; all bacteria use this sort of quorum sensing to communicate their cell number in an indirect way via signalling molecules.
Based on the passage, which of the following statements BEST defines “quorum sensing” in bacteria?
Read the following passage and answer the three questions that follow.
Considering the multitude of situations in which we humans use numerical information, life without numbers is inconceivable. But what was the benefit of numerical competence for our ancestors, before they became Homo sapiens? Why would animals crunch numbers in the first place? It turns out that processing numbers offers a significant benefit for survival, which is why this behavioural trait is present in many animal populations.
Several studies examining animals in their ecological environments suggest that representing number enhances an animal’s ability to exploit food sources, hunt prey, avoid predation, navigate in its habitat, and persist in social interactions. Before numerically competent animals evolved on the planet, single-celled microscopic bacteria — the oldest living organisms on earth — already exploited quantitative information. The way bacteria make a living is through their consumption of nutrients from their environment. Mostly, they grow and divide themselves to multiply. However, in recent years, microbiologists have discovered they also have a social life and are able to sense the presence or absence of other bacteria; in other words, they can sense the number of bacteria. Take, for example, the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri. It has a special property that allows it to produce light through a process called bioluminescence, similar to how fireflies give off light. If these bacteria are in dilute water solutions (where they are alone), they make no light. But when they grow to a certain cell number of bacteria, all of them produce light simultaneously. Therefore, Vibrio fischeri can distinguish when they are alone and when they are together.
Somehow they have to communicate cell number, and it turns out they do this using a chemical language. They secrete communication molecules, and the concentration of these molecules in the water increases in proportion to the cell number. And when this molecule hits a certain amount, called a quorum, it tells the other bacteria how many neighbours there are, and all bacteria glow. This behaviour is called “quorum sensing”: The bacteria vote with signalling molecules, the vote gets counted, and if a certain threshold (the quorum) is reached, every bacterium responds. This behavior is not just an anomaly of Vibrio fischeri; all bacteria use this sort of quorum sensing to communicate their cell number in an indirect way via signalling molecules.
Which of the following statements is NOT based on the premises of the passage?
Read the following passage and answer the three questions that follow.
Considering the multitude of situations in which we humans use numerical information, life without numbers is inconceivable. But what was the benefit of numerical competence for our ancestors, before they became Homo sapiens? Why would animals crunch numbers in the first place? It turns out that processing numbers offers a significant benefit for survival, which is why this behavioural trait is present in many animal populations.
Several studies examining animals in their ecological environments suggest that representing number enhances an animal’s ability to exploit food sources, hunt prey, avoid predation, navigate in its habitat, and persist in social interactions. Before numerically competent animals evolved on the planet, single-celled microscopic bacteria — the oldest living organisms on earth — already exploited quantitative information. The way bacteria make a living is through their consumption of nutrients from their environment. Mostly, they grow and divide themselves to multiply. However, in recent years, microbiologists have discovered they also have a social life and are able to sense the presence or absence of other bacteria; in other words, they can sense the number of bacteria. Take, for example, the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri. It has a special property that allows it to produce light through a process called bioluminescence, similar to how fireflies give off light. If these bacteria are in dilute water solutions (where they are alone), they make no light. But when they grow to a certain cell number of bacteria, all of them produce light simultaneously. Therefore, Vibrio fischeri can distinguish when they are alone and when they are together.
Somehow they have to communicate cell number, and it turns out they do this using a chemical language. They secrete communication molecules, and the concentration of these molecules in the water increases in proportion to the cell number. And when this molecule hits a certain amount, called a quorum, it tells the other bacteria how many neighbours there are, and all bacteria glow. This behaviour is called “quorum sensing”: The bacteria vote with signalling molecules, the vote gets counted, and if a certain threshold (the quorum) is reached, every bacterium responds. This behavior is not just an anomaly of Vibrio fischeri; all bacteria use this sort of quorum sensing to communicate their cell number in an indirect way via signalling molecules.
Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.
We can think of the history of life on earth as a vast, long-term experiment in pure competition. Every living organism is competing with all other living organisms for resources (nutrients, sunlight, water, territory, etc.). Nature, or the natural world, is a laboratory of unfettered competition. It’s a dog-eat-dog, no-holds-barred, day-in and day-out struggle.
There are no governmental regulators to protect the weak or favor the strong. All organisms are given a chance, but not necessarily an equal chance. As the climate and the environment change (and change they do), some organisms are favored over others at times, but these advantages are fleeting. What nature gives, nature can take away.
Which of the following can be BEST concluded from the passage?
Read the following excerpt and answer the two questions that follow.
Para 1: We plan to right-size our manufacturing operations to align to the new strategy and take advantage of integration opportunities. We expect to focus phone production mainly in Hanoi, with some production to continue in Beijing and Dongguan. We plan to shift other Microsoft manufacturing and repair operations to Manaus and Reynosa respectively, and start a phased exit from Komaron, Hungary.
Para 2: In short, we will focus on driving Lumia volume in the areas where we are already successful today in order to make the market for Windows Phone. With more speed, we will build on our success in the affordable smart phone space with new products offering more differentiation. We’ll focus on acquiring new customers in the markets where Microsoft’s services and products are most concentrated. And, we will continue building momentum around applications.
Para 3: We plan that this would result in an estimated reduction of 12500 factory direct and professional employees over the next year. These decisions are difficult for the team, and we plan to support departing team members with severance benefits.
Which of the following can be BEST described as the core message of the excerpt?
Read the following excerpt and answer the two questions that follow.
Para 1: We plan to right-size our manufacturing operations to align to the new strategy and take advantage of integration opportunities. We expect to focus phone production mainly in Hanoi, with some production to continue in Beijing and Dongguan. We plan to shift other Microsoft manufacturing and repair operations to Manaus and Reynosa respectively, and start a phased exit from Komaron, Hungary.
Para 2: In short, we will focus on driving Lumia volume in the areas where we are already successful today in order to make the market for Windows Phone. With more speed, we will build on our success in the affordable smart phone space with new products offering more differentiation. We’ll focus on acquiring new customers in the markets where Microsoft’s services and products are most concentrated. And, we will continue building momentum around applications.
Para 3: We plan that this would result in an estimated reduction of 12500 factory direct and professional employees over the next year. These decisions are difficult for the team, and we plan to support departing team members with severance benefits.
In conveying the core message, the Para 2:
Read the following poem and answer the two questions that follow.
Sit, drink your coffee here; your work can wait awhile.
You're twenty-six, and still have some of life ahead.
No need for wit; just talk vacuities, and I'll
Reciprocate in kind, or laugh at you instead.
The world is too opaque, distressing and profound.
This twenty minutes' rendezvous will make my day:
To sit here in the sun, with grackles all around,
Staring with beady eyes, and you two feet away.
Which of the following BEST captures the essence of the poem?
Read the following poem and answer the two questions that follow.
Sit, drink your coffee here; your work can wait awhile.
You're twenty-six, and still have some of life ahead.
No need for wit; just talk vacuities, and I'll
Reciprocate in kind, or laugh at you instead.
The world is too opaque, distressing and profound.
This twenty minutes' rendezvous will make my day:
To sit here in the sun, with grackles all around,
Staring with beady eyes, and you two feet away.
What does the poet BEST convey by mentioning grackles in these lines, “...with grackles all around, /Staring with beady eyes, and you two feet away.”?
Read the following passage and answer the three questions that follow.
Most of recorded human history is one big data gap. Starting with the theory of Man the Hunter, the chroniclers of the past have left little space for women’s role in the evolution of humanity, whether cultural or biological. Instead, the lives of men have been taken to represent those of humans overall. When it comes to the lives of the other half of humanity, there is often nothing but silence.
And these silences are everywhere. Our entire culture is riddled with them. Films, news, literature, science, city planning, economics. The stories we tell ourselves about our past, present and future. They are all marked—disfigured—by a female-shaped ‘absent presence’. This is the gender data gap.
The gender data gap isn’t just about silence. These silences, these gaps, have consequences. They impact on women’s lives every day. The impact can be relatively minor. Shivering in offices set to a male temperature norm, for example, or struggling to reach a top shelf set at a male height norm. Irritating, certainly. Unjust, undoubtedly.
But not life-threatening. Not like crashing in a car whose safety measures don’t account for women’s measurements. Not like having your heart attack go undiagnosed because your symptoms are deemed ‘atypical’. For these women, the consequences of living in a world built around male data can be deadly.
One of the most important things to say about the gender data gap is that it is not generally malicious, or even deliberate. Quite the opposite. It is simply the product of a way of thinking that has been around for millennia and is therefore a kind of not thinking. A double not thinking, even: men go without saying, and women don’t get said at all. Because when we say human, on the whole, we mean man.
This is not a new observation. Simone de Beauvoir made it most famously when in 1949 she wrote, ‘humanity is male and man defines woman not in herself, but as relative to him; she is not regarded as an autonomous being. [...] He is the Subject, he is the Absolute—she is the Other.’ What is new is the context in which women continue to be ‘the Other’. And that context is a world increasingly reliant on and in thrall to data. Big Data. Which in turn is panned for Big Truths by Big Algorithms, using Big Computers. But when your big data is corrupted by big silences, the truths you get are half-truths, at best. And often, for women, they aren’t true at all. As computer scientists themselves say: ‘Garbage in, garbage out.’.
Based on the passage, which of the following statements BEST explains “absent presence”?
Read the following passage and answer the three questions that follow.
Most of recorded human history is one big data gap. Starting with the theory of Man the Hunter, the chroniclers of the past have left little space for women’s role in the evolution of humanity, whether cultural or biological. Instead, the lives of men have been taken to represent those of humans overall. When it comes to the lives of the other half of humanity, there is often nothing but silence.
And these silences are everywhere. Our entire culture is riddled with them. Films, news, literature, science, city planning, economics. The stories we tell ourselves about our past, present and future. They are all marked—disfigured—by a female-shaped ‘absent presence’. This is the gender data gap.
The gender data gap isn’t just about silence. These silences, these gaps, have consequences. They impact on women’s lives every day. The impact can be relatively minor. Shivering in offices set to a male temperature norm, for example, or struggling to reach a top shelf set at a male height norm. Irritating, certainly. Unjust, undoubtedly.
But not life-threatening. Not like crashing in a car whose safety measures don’t account for women’s measurements. Not like having your heart attack go undiagnosed because your symptoms are deemed ‘atypical’. For these women, the consequences of living in a world built around male data can be deadly.
One of the most important things to say about the gender data gap is that it is not generally malicious, or even deliberate. Quite the opposite. It is simply the product of a way of thinking that has been around for millennia and is therefore a kind of not thinking. A double not thinking, even: men go without saying, and women don’t get said at all. Because when we say human, on the whole, we mean man.
This is not a new observation. Simone de Beauvoir made it most famously when in 1949 she wrote, ‘humanity is male and man defines woman not in herself, but as relative to him; she is not regarded as an autonomous being. [...] He is the Subject, he is the Absolute—she is the Other.’ What is new is the context in which women continue to be ‘the Other’. And that context is a world increasingly reliant on and in thrall to data. Big Data. Which in turn is panned for Big Truths by Big Algorithms, using Big Computers. But when your big data is corrupted by big silences, the truths you get are half-truths, at best. And often, for women, they aren’t true at all. As computer scientists themselves say: ‘Garbage in, garbage out.’.
Based on the passage, which of the following options BEST describes “double not thinking”?
Read the following passage and answer the three questions that follow.
Most of recorded human history is one big data gap. Starting with the theory of Man the Hunter, the chroniclers of the past have left little space for women’s role in the evolution of humanity, whether cultural or biological. Instead, the lives of men have been taken to represent those of humans overall. When it comes to the lives of the other half of humanity, there is often nothing but silence.
And these silences are everywhere. Our entire culture is riddled with them. Films, news, literature, science, city planning, economics. The stories we tell ourselves about our past, present and future. They are all marked—disfigured—by a female-shaped ‘absent presence’. This is the gender data gap.
The gender data gap isn’t just about silence. These silences, these gaps, have consequences. They impact on women’s lives every day. The impact can be relatively minor. Shivering in offices set to a male temperature norm, for example, or struggling to reach a top shelf set at a male height norm. Irritating, certainly. Unjust, undoubtedly.
But not life-threatening. Not like crashing in a car whose safety measures don’t account for women’s measurements. Not like having your heart attack go undiagnosed because your symptoms are deemed ‘atypical’. For these women, the consequences of living in a world built around male data can be deadly.
One of the most important things to say about the gender data gap is that it is not generally malicious, or even deliberate. Quite the opposite. It is simply the product of a way of thinking that has been around for millennia and is therefore a kind of not thinking. A double not thinking, even: men go without saying, and women don’t get said at all. Because when we say human, on the whole, we mean man.
This is not a new observation. Simone de Beauvoir made it most famously when in 1949 she wrote, ‘humanity is male and man defines woman not in herself, but as relative to him; she is not regarded as an autonomous being. [...] He is the Subject, he is the Absolute—she is the Other.’ What is new is the context in which women continue to be ‘the Other’. And that context is a world increasingly reliant on and in thrall to data. Big Data. Which in turn is panned for Big Truths by Big Algorithms, using Big Computers. But when your big data is corrupted by big silences, the truths you get are half-truths, at best. And often, for women, they aren’t true at all. As computer scientists themselves say: ‘Garbage in, garbage out.’.
Which of the following statements can be BEST concluded from the passage?
Read the following passage and answer the two questions that follow.
And that has to do with the question of uncertainty and doubt. A scientist is never certain. We all know that. We know that all our statements are approximate statements with different degrees of certainty; that when a statement is made, the question is not whether it is true or false but rather how likely it is to be true or false. We must discuss each question within the uncertainties that are allowed. And as evidence grows it increases the probability perhaps that some idea is right or decreases it. But it never makes absolutely certain one way or the other. Now, we have found that this is of paramount importance in order to progress. We absolutely must leave room for doubt or there is no progress and there is no learning. There is no learning without having to pose a question. And a question requires doubt. People search for certainty. But there is no certainty. People are terrified- how can you live and not know? It is not odd at all. You only think you know as a matter of fact. And most of your actions are based on incomplete knowledge and you really don’t know what it is all about or what the purpose of the world is or know a great deal of other things. It is possible to live and not know.
What does the author BEST mean when he says, “We must discuss each question within the uncertainties that are allowed?”
Read the following passage and answer the two questions that follow.
And that has to do with the question of uncertainty and doubt. A scientist is never certain. We all know that. We know that all our statements are approximate statements with different degrees of certainty; that when a statement is made, the question is not whether it is true or false but rather how likely it is to be true or false. We must discuss each question within the uncertainties that are allowed. And as evidence grows it increases the probability perhaps that some idea is right or decreases it. But it never makes absolutely certain one way or the other. Now, we have found that this is of paramount importance in order to progress. We absolutely must leave room for doubt or there is no progress and there is no learning. There is no learning without having to pose a question. And a question requires doubt. People search for certainty. But there is no certainty. People are terrified- how can you live and not know? It is not odd at all. You only think you know as a matter of fact. And most of your actions are based on incomplete knowledge and you really don’t know what it is all about or what the purpose of the world is or know a great deal of other things. It is possible to live and not know.
Which of the following BEST describes the essence of the passage?
Read the following sentences and answer the question that follows.
1. We are going to a restaurant but we haven’t decided which one.
2. We went to the toilet behind a tree.
3. It was the November after we went to Indonesia.
4. My friend is travelling to UK.
5. She drinks medicine by a litre.
6. Would you rather go out or watch a TV.
Which of the above sentences have INCORRECT usages of articles?
Read the following sentences and answer the question that follows.
1. In my opinion, Tom Jones is a picaresque novel.
2. According to me, Tom Jones is a bildungsroman.
3. The books were distributed between Jessica, Neha and Swati.
4. The books were distributed among Jessica and Neha.
5. Life teaches us important lessons.
6. The life moves forward, teaches backward.
Which of the above sentences are grammatically CORRECT?
Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.
Twitter is not on the masthead of a newspaper. But Twitter has become its ultimate editor. As the ethics and mores of that platform have become those of the paper, the paper itself has increasingly become a kind of performance space. Stories are chosen and told in a way to satisfy the narrowest of audiences, rather than to allow a curious public to read about the world and then draw their own conclusions.
Based on the passage, the writer’s disappointment can be BEST summarised as:
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
A quick survey at the end of a purchase at buyagain.com asks the following three questions to each shopper:
1. Are you shopping at the website for the first time? (YES or NO)
2. Specify your gender: (MALE or FEMALE)
3. How satisfied are you? (HAPPY, NEUTRAL or UNHAPPY)
240 shoppers answer the survey, among whom 65 are first time shoppers. Furthermore:
i. The ratio of the numbers of male to female shoppers is 1 : 2 while the ratio of the numbers of unhappy, happy and neutral shoppers is 3 : 4 : 5
ii. The ratio of the numbers of happy first-time male shoppers, happy returning male shoppers, unhappy female shoppers, neutral male shoppers, neutral female shoppers and happy female shoppers is 1 : 1 : 4 : 4 : 6 : 6
iii. Among the first-time shoppers, the ratio of the numbers of happy male, neutral male, unhappy female and the remaining female shoppers is 1 : 1 : 1 : 2, while the number of happy first-time female shoppers is equal to the number of unhappy first-time male shoppers
Which among the following cannot be determined uniquely?
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
A quick survey at the end of a purchase at buyagain.com asks the following three questions to each shopper:
1. Are you shopping at the website for the first time? (YES or NO)
2. Specify your gender: (MALE or FEMALE)
3. How satisfied are you? (HAPPY, NEUTRAL or UNHAPPY)
240 shoppers answer the survey, among whom 65 are first time shoppers. Furthermore:
i. The ratio of the numbers of male to female shoppers is 1 : 2 while the ratio of the numbers of unhappy, happy and neutral shoppers is 3 : 4 : 5
ii. The ratio of the numbers of happy first-time male shoppers, happy returning male shoppers, unhappy female shoppers, neutral male shoppers, neutral female shoppers and happy female shoppers is 1 : 1 : 4 : 4 : 6 : 6
iii. Among the first-time shoppers, the ratio of the numbers of happy male, neutral male, unhappy female and the remaining female shoppers is 1 : 1 : 1 : 2, while the number of happy first-time female shoppers is equal to the number of unhappy first-time male shoppers
The six faces of a wooden cube of side 6 cm are labelled A, B, C, D, E and F respectively. Three of these faces A, B, and C are each adjacent to the other two, and are painted red. The other three faces are not painted. Then, the wooden cube is neatly cut into 216 little cubes of equal size. How many of the little cubes have no sides painted?
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
A quick survey at the end of a purchase at buyagain.com asks the following three questions to each shopper:
1. Are you shopping at the website for the first time? (YES or NO)
2. Specify your gender: (MALE or FEMALE)
3. How satisfied are you? (HAPPY, NEUTRAL or UNHAPPY)
240 shoppers answer the survey, among whom 65 are first time shoppers. Furthermore:
i. The ratio of the numbers of male to female shoppers is 1 : 2 while the ratio of the numbers of unhappy, happy and neutral shoppers is 3 : 4 : 5
ii. The ratio of the numbers of happy first-time male shoppers, happy returning male shoppers, unhappy female shoppers, neutral male shoppers, neutral female shoppers and happy female shoppers is 1 : 1 : 4 : 4 : 6 : 6
iii. Among the first-time shoppers, the ratio of the numbers of happy male, neutral male, unhappy female and the remaining female shoppers is 1 : 1 : 1 : 2, while the number of happy first-time female shoppers is equal to the number of unhappy first-time male shoppers
ABC is a triangle with integer-valued sides AB = 1, BC >1, and CA >1. If D is the mid-point of AB, then, which of the following options is the closest to the maximum possible value of the angle ACD (in degrees)?
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
A quick survey at the end of a purchase at buyagain.com asks the following three questions to each shopper:
1. Are you shopping at the website for the first time? (YES or NO)
2. Specify your gender: (MALE or FEMALE)
3. How satisfied are you? (HAPPY, NEUTRAL or UNHAPPY)
240 shoppers answer the survey, among whom 65 are first time shoppers. Furthermore:
i. The ratio of the numbers of male to female shoppers is 1 : 2 while the ratio of the numbers of unhappy, happy and neutral shoppers is 3 : 4 : 5
ii. The ratio of the numbers of happy first-time male shoppers, happy returning male shoppers, unhappy female shoppers, neutral male shoppers, neutral female shoppers and happy female shoppers is 1 : 1 : 4 : 4 : 6 : 6
iii. Among the first-time shoppers, the ratio of the numbers of happy male, neutral male, unhappy female and the remaining female shoppers is 1 : 1 : 1 : 2, while the number of happy first-time female shoppers is equal to the number of unhappy first-time male shoppers
Find z, if it is known that:
a: -y2 + x2 = 20
b: y3 - 2x2 - 4z ≥ -12 and
c: x, y and z are all positive integers
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
A quick survey at the end of a purchase at buyagain.com asks the following three questions to each shopper:
1. Are you shopping at the website for the first time? (YES or NO)
2. Specify your gender: (MALE or FEMALE)
3. How satisfied are you? (HAPPY, NEUTRAL or UNHAPPY)
240 shoppers answer the survey, among whom 65 are first time shoppers. Furthermore:
i. The ratio of the numbers of male to female shoppers is 1 : 2 while the ratio of the numbers of unhappy, happy and neutral shoppers is 3 : 4 : 5
ii. The ratio of the numbers of happy first-time male shoppers, happy returning male shoppers, unhappy female shoppers, neutral male shoppers, neutral female shoppers and happy female shoppers is 1 : 1 : 4 : 4 : 6 : 6
iii. Among the first-time shoppers, the ratio of the numbers of happy male, neutral male, unhappy female and the remaining female shoppers is 1 : 1 : 1 : 2, while the number of happy first-time female shoppers is equal to the number of unhappy first-time male shoppers
An encryption system operates as follows:
Step 1. Fix a number k (k ≤ 26).
Step 2. For each word, swap the first k letters from the front with the last k letters from the end in reverse order. If a word contains less than 2k letters, write the entire word in reverse order.
Step 3. Replace each letter by a letter k spaces ahead in the alphabet. If you cross Z in the process to move k steps ahead, start again from A.
Example: k = 2: zebra → arbez → ctdgb.
If the word “flight” becomes “znmorl” after encryption, then the value of k:
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
The following plot describes the height (in cm), weight (in kg), age (in years) and gender (F for female, M for male) of 20 patients visiting a hospital.
âââââââ
A person’s body mass index (BMI) is calculated as weight (in kg) divided by squared height (measured in square metres). For example, a person weighing 100 kg and of height 100 cm (1m) will have a BMI of 100. A person with BMI less than or equal to 18.5 is considered as underweight, above 18.5 but less than or equal to 25 as normal weight, above 25 but less than or equal to 30 as overweight, and above 30 as obese.
The average age of the female patients who weigh 50 kg or above is approximately
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
The following plot describes the height (in cm), weight (in kg), age (in years) and gender (F for female, M for male) of 20 patients visiting a hospital.
âââââââ
A person’s body mass index (BMI) is calculated as weight (in kg) divided by squared height (measured in square metres). For example, a person weighing 100 kg and of height 100 cm (1m) will have a BMI of 100. A person with BMI less than or equal to 18.5 is considered as underweight, above 18.5 but less than or equal to 25 as normal weight, above 25 but less than or equal to 30 as overweight, and above 30 as obese.
The highest BMI among all patients is approximately
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
The following plot describes the height (in cm), weight (in kg), age (in years) and gender (F for female, M for male) of 20 patients visiting a hospital.
âââââââ
A person’s body mass index (BMI) is calculated as weight (in kg) divided by squared height (measured in square metres). For example, a person weighing 100 kg and of height 100 cm (1m) will have a BMI of 100. A person with BMI less than or equal to 18.5 is considered as underweight, above 18.5 but less than or equal to 25 as normal weight, above 25 but less than or equal to 30 as overweight, and above 30 as obese.
The BMI of the oldest person considered as normal weight is approximately
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
The following plot describes the height (in cm), weight (in kg), age (in years) and gender (F for female, M for male) of 20 patients visiting a hospital.
âââââââ
A person’s body mass index (BMI) is calculated as weight (in kg) divided by squared height (measured in square metres). For example, a person weighing 100 kg and of height 100 cm (1m) will have a BMI of 100. A person with BMI less than or equal to 18.5 is considered as underweight, above 18.5 but less than or equal to 25 as normal weight, above 25 but less than or equal to 30 as overweight, and above 30 as obese.
The topmost point of a perfectly vertical pole is marked A. The pole stands on a flat ground at point D. The points B and C are somewhere between A and D on the pole. From a point E, located on the ground at a certain distance from D, the points A, B and C are at angles of 60, 45 and 30 degrees respectively. What is AB : BC : CD?
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
The following plot describes the height (in cm), weight (in kg), age (in years) and gender (F for female, M for male) of 20 patients visiting a hospital.
âââââââ
A person’s body mass index (BMI) is calculated as weight (in kg) divided by squared height (measured in square metres). For example, a person weighing 100 kg and of height 100 cm (1m) will have a BMI of 100. A person with BMI less than or equal to 18.5 is considered as underweight, above 18.5 but less than or equal to 25 as normal weight, above 25 but less than or equal to 30 as overweight, and above 30 as obese.
Two circles P and Q, each of radius 2 cm, pass through each other’s centres. They intersect at points A and B. A circle R is drawn with diameter AB. What is the area of overlap (in square cm) between the circles R and P?
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
The following plot describes the height (in cm), weight (in kg), age (in years) and gender (F for female, M for male) of 20 patients visiting a hospital.
âââââââ
A person’s body mass index (BMI) is calculated as weight (in kg) divided by squared height (measured in square metres). For example, a person weighing 100 kg and of height 100 cm (1m) will have a BMI of 100. A person with BMI less than or equal to 18.5 is considered as underweight, above 18.5 but less than or equal to 25 as normal weight, above 25 but less than or equal to 30 as overweight, and above 30 as obese.
Four friends, Ashish, Brian, Chaitra, and Dorothy, decide to jog for 30 minutes inside a stadium with a circular running track that is 200 metres long. The friends run at different speeds. Ashish completes a lap exactly every 60 seconds. Likewise, Brian, Chaitra and Dorothy complete a lap exactly every 1 minute 30 seconds, 40 seconds and 1 minute 20 seconds respectively. The friends begin together at the start line exactly at 4 p.m. What is the total of the numbers of laps the friends would have completed when they next cross the start line together ?
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
The following plot describes the height (in cm), weight (in kg), age (in years) and gender (F for female, M for male) of 20 patients visiting a hospital.
âââââââ
A person’s body mass index (BMI) is calculated as weight (in kg) divided by squared height (measured in square metres). For example, a person weighing 100 kg and of height 100 cm (1m) will have a BMI of 100. A person with BMI less than or equal to 18.5 is considered as underweight, above 18.5 but less than or equal to 25 as normal weight, above 25 but less than or equal to 30 as overweight, and above 30 as obese.
Zahir and Raman are at the entrance of a dark cave. To enter this cave, they need to open a number lock. Raman sees a note on a rock: “ ... chest of pure diamonds kept for the smart one ... number has six digits ... second last digit is 2, third last is 4 ... divisible by all prime numbers less than 15 ...”. Excited, Zahir and Raman seek your help: which of these can be the first digit of the six digit number that will help them open the lock?
If log4 m + log4 n = log2 (m + n) where m and n are positive real numbers, then which of the following must be true?
Mr. Jose buys some eggs. After bringing the eggs home, he finds two to be rotten and throws them away. Of the remaining eggs, he puts five-ninth in his fridge, and brings the rest to his mother’s house. She cooks two eggs and puts the rest in her fridge. If her fridge cannot hold more than five eggs, what is the maximum possible number of eggs bought by Mr. Jose?
Mohan has some money (â¹M) that he divides in the ratio of 1:2. He then deposits the smaller amount in a savings scheme that offers a certain rate of interest, and the larger amount in another savings scheme that offers half of that rate of interest. Both interests compound yearly. At the end of two years, the total interest earned from the two savings schemes is â¹830. It is known that one of the interest rates is 10% and that Mohan deposited more than â¹1000 in each saving scheme at the start. What is the value of M?
A small store has five units of a new phone model in stock: two white, two black, and one red. Three customers arrive at the shop to buy a unit each. Each one has a pre- determined choice of the colour and will not buy a unit of any other colour. All the three customers are equally likely to have chosen any of the three colours. What is the probability that the store will be able to satisfy all the three customers?
At any point of time, let x be the smaller of the two angles made by the hour hand with the minute hand on an analogue clock (in degrees). During the time interval from 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., what is the minimum possible value of x?
One third of the buses from City A to City B stop at City C, while the rest go non-stop to City B. One third of the passengers, in the buses stopping at City C, continue to City B, while the rest alight at City C. All the buses have equal capacity and always start full from City A. What proportion of the passengers going to City B from City A travel by a bus stopping at City C?
Rajesh, a courier delivery agent, starts at point A and makes a delivery each at points B, C and D, in that order. He travels in a straight line between any two consecutive points. The following are known:
(i) AB and CD intersect at a right angle at E, and
(ii) BC, CE and ED are respectively 1.3 km, 0.5 km and 2.5 km long.
If AD is parallel to BC, then what is the total distance (in km) that Rajesh covers in travelling from A to D?
Let f(x) = if x ≠ 1, -1, and 1 if x = 1, -1. Let g(x) = if x ≠ 1, and 3 if x = 1. What is the minimum possible values of ?
Swati can row a boat on still water at a speed of 5 km/hr. However, on a given river, it takes her 1 hour more to row the boat 12 km upstream than downstream. One day, Swati rows the boat on this river from X to Y, which is N km upstream from X. Then she rows back to X immediately. If she takes at least 2 hours to complete this round trip, what is the minimum possible value of N?
Rahul has just made a 3 × 3 magic square, in which, the sum of the cells along any row, column or diagonal, is the same number N. The enries in the cells are given as expressions in x, y and Z. Find N
ââââââââââââââ
On the bank of the pristine Tunga river, a deer and a tiger are joyfully playing with each other. The deer notices that it is 40 steps away from the tiger and starts running towards it. At the same time, the tiger starts running away from the deer. Both run on the same straight line. For every five steps the deer takes, the tiger takes six. However, the deer takes only two steps to cover the distance that the tiger covers in three. In how many steps can the deer catch the tiger?
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
A company awards incentives to its employees for successful project performances. It rates successful project performance in categories A*, A, B, and C. Employees, in solo projects rated A*, A, B, and C, are awarded incentives â¹6 lakh, â¹5 lakh, â¹3 lakh, and â¹1 lakh respectively. When a project has multiple team members, the following scheme is used to award the incentives:
âââââââ
For example, for a project rated A, with three members, the team lead gets â¹4 lakh, and the other team members get â¹2.5 lakh each. A project always has a single team lead. Six employees: Altaf, Bose, Chakrabarthi, Dipa, Ernie, and Fatima receive a total of â¹45 lakh in incentives by participating in a total of eight different projects that does not involve any other person. Not all six employees are involved in all eight projects.
The following are additionally known about these eight projects:
1. One project involves all six employees. Four projects involve three each, and the rest, two each.
2. Exactly three projects are rated C, for which a total of â¹4.8 lakh is paid.
3. Only one project is rated A*
What BEST is known about the team compositions for the projects rated C?
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
A company awards incentives to its employees for successful project performances. It rates successful project performance in categories A*, A, B, and C. Employees, in solo projects rated A*, A, B, and C, are awarded incentives â¹6 lakh, â¹5 lakh, â¹3 lakh, and â¹1 lakh respectively. When a project has multiple team members, the following scheme is used to award the incentives:
âââââââ
For example, for a project rated A, with three members, the team lead gets â¹4 lakh, and the other team members get â¹2.5 lakh each. A project always has a single team lead. Six employees: Altaf, Bose, Chakrabarthi, Dipa, Ernie, and Fatima receive a total of â¹45 lakh in incentives by participating in a total of eight different projects that does not involve any other person. Not all six employees are involved in all eight projects.
The following are additionally known about these eight projects:
1. One project involves all six employees. Four projects involve three each, and the rest, two each.
2. Exactly three projects are rated C, for which a total of â¹4.8 lakh is paid.
3. Only one project is rated A*
What BEST is known about the team composition for the project rated A*?
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
A company awards incentives to its employees for successful project performances. It rates successful project performance in categories A*, A, B, and C. Employees, in solo projects rated A*, A, B, and C, are awarded incentives â¹6 lakh, â¹5 lakh, â¹3 lakh, and â¹1 lakh respectively. When a project has multiple team members, the following scheme is used to award the incentives:
âââââââ
For example, for a project rated A, with three members, the team lead gets â¹4 lakh, and the other team members get â¹2.5 lakh each. A project always has a single team lead. Six employees: Altaf, Bose, Chakrabarthi, Dipa, Ernie, and Fatima receive a total of â¹45 lakh in incentives by participating in a total of eight different projects that does not involve any other person. Not all six employees are involved in all eight projects.
The following are additionally known about these eight projects:
1. One project involves all six employees. Four projects involve three each, and the rest, two each.
2. Exactly three projects are rated C, for which a total of â¹4.8 lakh is paid.
3. Only one project is rated A*
Total amount of money paid for projects rated A (in lakhs of Rupees) is:
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
A quick survey at the end of a purchase at buyagain.com asks the following three questions to each shopper:
1. Are you shopping at the website for the first time? (YES or NO)
2. Specify your gender: (MALE or FEMALE)
3. How satisfied are you? (HAPPY, NEUTRAL or UNHAPPY)
240 shoppers answer the survey, among whom 65 are first time shoppers. Furthermore:
i. The ratio of the numbers of male to female shoppers is 1 : 2 while the ratio of the numbers of unhappy, happy and neutral shoppers is 3 : 4 : 5
ii. The ratio of the numbers of happy first-time male shoppers, happy returning male shoppers, unhappy female shoppers, neutral male shoppers, neutral female shoppers and happy female shoppers is 1 : 1 : 4 : 4 : 6 : 6
iii. Among the first-time shoppers, the ratio of the numbers of happy male, neutral male, unhappy female and the remaining female shoppers is 1 : 1 : 1 : 2, while the number of happy first-time female shoppers is equal to the number of unhappy first-time male shoppers
What is the number of happy male shoppers?
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
A quick survey at the end of a purchase at buyagain.com asks the following three questions to each shopper:
1. Are you shopping at the website for the first time? (YES or NO)
2. Specify your gender: (MALE or FEMALE)
3. How satisfied are you? (HAPPY, NEUTRAL or UNHAPPY)
240 shoppers answer the survey, among whom 65 are first time shoppers. Furthermore:
i. The ratio of the numbers of male to female shoppers is 1 : 2 while the ratio of the numbers of unhappy, happy and neutral shoppers is 3 : 4 : 5
ii. The ratio of the numbers of happy first-time male shoppers, happy returning male shoppers, unhappy female shoppers, neutral male shoppers, neutral female shoppers and happy female shoppers is 1 : 1 : 4 : 4 : 6 : 6
iii. Among the first-time shoppers, the ratio of the numbers of happy male, neutral male, unhappy female and the remaining female shoppers is 1 : 1 : 1 : 2, while the number of happy first-time female shoppers is equal to the number of unhappy first-time male shoppers
Which among the following is the lowest?
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