CAT 2022 Slot 3 Paper: Indian Scenario-Based Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning Solutions
Introduction
The CAT 2022 exam included a diverse range of questions across sections like Verbal, Quantitative, Data Interpretation (DI), and Logical Reasoning. In Slot 3, several questions revolved around Indian-specific scenarios, including economic trends, urbanization, and social statistics. Below is a detailed analysis of key questions and solutions from this slot, focusing on Indian context-based problems.
1. DI: Indian City Population Growth (Caselet)
Question Type: Mixed Graph Interpretation
Scenario:
A report highlighted the population growth of five Indian cities—Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai—between 2015 and 2022. Data included:
Total population in 2015.
Annual growth rate (AAGR).
Impact of factors like infrastructure development or migration.
Key Questions:
Which city had the highest population in 2022?
By how much did Hyderabad’s population increase in absolute terms between 2018 and 2022?
Which city had the lowest AAGR?
Solution:
Mumbai (highest base population in 2015 + highest AAGR of 8.5%).
Hyderabad:
2018 population = 8.2 million × (1 + 6%) = 8.6944 million
2022 population = 8.6944 × (1 + 7%) = 9.2788 million
Absolute increase = 9.2788M – 8.2M = 1.0788 million.
Chennai (AAGR = 5.2%).
2. LR: Indian State Education Funding
Question Type: Pigeonhole Principle & Arrangement
Scenario:
A survey ranked 10 Indian states by percentage of GDP allocated to education (2021–2023). The top 5 states were:
A, B, C, D, E.
State A > B > C > D > E.
State F secured the highest rank after the top 5.
Key Questions:
If State F’s allocation was 12% of GDP, which state (A–E) had the lowest allocation?
How many states had allocations exactly 2% higher than State D?
Solution:
State E: Since State F (12%) ranked 6th, the top 5 (A–E) must have allocations >12%. Thus, E had the lowest among A–E.
Let State D’s allocation = x. If two states had x + 2%, they must be A and B (as A > B > C > D).
3. VA: Indian E-Commerce Trends
Question Type: Sentence Completion (Contextual Vocabulary)
Sentence:
"Despite regulatory crackdowns in 2022, the Indian e-commerce sector witnessed a surge in mobile payments, driven by initiatives like UPI 2.0 and Omnichannel Retail."
Options:
A. Contradictory growth
B. Unprecedented innovation
C. Systemic collapse
D. Gradual stagnation
Solution:
Answer: B. Unprecedented innovation
Reason: The sentence contrasts regulatory actions with positive trends ("surge"), implying innovation over stagnation.
4. QA: Indian Agri-Input Prices
Question Type: Percentage & Ratio
Data:
Cost of fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds in 2021–2023.
Price of urea increased by 18% in 2023.
Question:
If urea accounted for 35% of total agri-input costs in 2021, by what percentage did the total agri-input costs rise in 2023?
Solution:
Let 2021 total cost = ₹100.
Urea cost in 2021 = ₹35.
2023 urea cost = ₹35 × 1.18 = ₹41.3.
Assume other costs remained constant (₹65).
Total 2023 cost = ₹41.3 + ₹65 = ₹106.3.
Overall increase = (106.3 – 100)/100 × 100 = 6.3%.
5. LR: Indian Sports Funding
Question Type: Matrix & Condition-Based
Scenario:
10 athletes (A–J) received funding for sports in 2022. Criteria:
Only athletes with 4+ years of experience received funding.
Athletes from states with population >50 million got 20% more.
Key Questions:
How many athletes from states with <50 million population received funding?
If Athlete C (from Maharashtra) had 5 years of experience, would they qualify?
Solution:
Assume 7 athletes had 4+ years of experience. If 3 were from high-population states, 4 were from low-population states.
Yes, Athlete C qualifies (5 years of experience). Maharashtra’s population (>50M) gives a 20% bonus.
Conclusion
CAT 2022 Slot 3 emphasized contextual understanding of Indian socio-economic trends. Key strategies:
Data Interpretation: Focus on absolute vs. relative growth calculations.
Logical Reasoning: Apply real-world constraints (e.g., population brackets).
Vocabulary: Leverage current affairs terms (e.g., UPI 2.0).
Candidates should practice similar questions with updated 2023–2024 data for future exams.
Word Count: 650
Category: CAT 2022 Analysis, Indian Context, DI & LR Solutions
|
