CAT Puzzles are considered as one of the scoring and important sections in DILR. Puzzles will check the candidate’s logical deduction abilities and around 3-4 questions can be expected from this topic. The sub topics from which questions can be expected in the upcoming are Syllogisms, Elimination Grids, Truth Tellers and Liars, Arithmetic Puzzles etc. Check CAT DILR Syllabus

Based on the experience of the test taker, difficulty level of CAT Puzzle Questions ranges from moderate to high. All the Puzzle Questions would be MCQ type. As per the CAT Exam Pattern, for each correct answer, + 3 marks will be awarded; whereas, 1 marks will be deducted for each incorrect answer. Read the article to know more about the type of questions, important preparation to be noted while preparing for CAT 2021.

Basic Concepts of CAT Puzzles

Puzzles are defined, by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, as: 

“The problems in which the solver is expected to arrange the given data in a particular way, so as to obtain a meaningful conclusion which can be an appropriate solution to the problem.”

In layman’s terms, puzzles are the problems which require the candidate to understand data and arrive at a possible answer. The various types of logical puzzles are as following : 

• Syllogisms
• Elimination Grids
• Truth Tellers and Liars
• Cryptograms
• Arithmetic Puzzles
• River Crossing Puzzle
• Tour Puzzles
• Nonograms

In the below c section, some points to solve the question of CAT Puzzle from the section of CAT DILR are given.

• Know the entire syllabus of Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning 
• Read the statement carefully and understand the question first
• Make a diagram is possible before start solving the question
• Take help from various books
• Practice sample paper or questions from the previous year
• Give mock test as many times as possible

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CAT Puzzles 2021 Preparation Tips : How to Solve Puzzle Questions?

Some basic processes to solve puzzle questions are mentioned below.

• Read the Question Multiple TImes

Go through the question and the statement carefully. It will help to build up an overall idea. Statement is one of the most important parts of a question. So, each instruction must be followed.

• Solve by Diagrams

Practise making Diagrams whenever possible. Diagrams represent the information in a more logical and efficient way. Some problems, such as seating arrangement, cannot be solved without the help of diagrams, while for some - Cubes, Grid Puzzles- they are optional. 

• Infer from Diagrams

Conversely, If the Question involves a diagram, before marking the answer, write down all the important points displayed in the diagram. It helps to analyse the given data.

• Always Make Cases 

Do not assume. Instead make cases for each possibility. Then, review the data carefully and eliminate cases.

CAT Solved Sample Questions on Puzzles

Based on various types of Puzzles, different CAT Puzzles questions are framed. Some CAT Puzzle types are enumerated below.

CAT Sample Questions on Cube Puzzle

These types of puzzles, more than often, appear in the CAT Exam. In various ways, this type of puzzle is used in the question. The basic patterns are unchanged. 

Some examples of CAT Cube Puzzles are given below.

Ques. A cube has a side of 6 cm and it is painted in red on all the faces. After that it was cut into smaller cubes of 1 cm in each. How many smaller cubes does it have? 

Solution: Total number of smaller cubes = (6/1)3 = 216. 

(Here x=6 and y=1)

Ques. In the above example, what is the number of cubes that will have three faces painted?

Solution: As per the explanation given above, 8 corner cubes in total of the original cube gets 3 faces painted. So, the correct answer will be 8. 

Ques. As per the example given above, find out the number of cubes will have only two faces painted. 

Solution: As per the information given above, only the cubes at the edge of the bigger cube will have two faces painted. 

Ques. In the example given above, what is the number of cubes that will have only one face and also no side painted?

Solution: As per the details mentioned above, the cubes at the face of the bigger cube that is coloured on one side. As the edge of the larger cube is 6 cm whereas the edge of the smaller cube is 1 cm only. After seeing one of the faces of the larger cube, it will be shown 6*6 = 36 cubes. There will be 4*4 = 16 cubes will have only one face painted. 

As there are 6 such faces, the total number of smaller cubes will be 16*6 = 96.

Lastly, the number of cubes without any painted face will be 216 – (8 + 48 + 96) = 64 cubes.

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CAT Sample Questions on Grid Puzzle

Also, this type of puzzles frequently come in the entrance test of CAT. For most questions, a grid or box containing data followed by some questions are given in the CAT Exam. 

An example of CAT Grid Puzzle are given below

Statement: In a tournament, there are 5 teams containing A, B, C, D, and E participate. There they will have to perform 5 tasks that are very embarrassing such as preparing for the entrance test of CAT and XAT. Some numbers from 1 to 5 are given for the task. There are some interesting points included in those tasks. The team which completes the task at first, gets 50 points whereas the team which completes the task in the second, third and the fourth gets 40 points , 30 points, 20 points respectively. And the team that completes the same task at the end gets 10 points. The team gets no points or 0 points when they do not complete the assigned task within 60 minutes. Moreover, the team gets extra points for saving every minute. Apart from that, the team that completes the task within 53 minutes gets 40+7 = 47 points in total. All the teams complete the task within 60 minutes. 

In the below table, the total time which is taken by the team is mentioned below. 

After knowing that the team D won the championship with a score of 286 points in total. Omn the other hand, team B got a total score of 178 points. An overall score of 254 points were given in the first game. Game 3 is considered as the most difficult one where 193 points were scored. Total 1126 was scored. 

Ques. What is the number of duration in minutes that A takes for the game of 4?

1. 48minutes
2. 46minutes
3. 47minutes
4. 45minutes

Correct Answer: ( A)

Ques. What is the number of minutes C takes for the first game?

1. 41minutes
2. 46minutes
3. 47minutes
4. 43minutes

Correct Answer: ( A)

Ques. What is the number of minutes B takes for the second game?

1. 26minutes
2. 27minutes
3. 26minutes
4. 21minutes

Correct Answer: ( A)

Ques. What is the number of minutes taken by D for the fifth game?

1. 52 minutes
2. 51 minutes
3. 56minutes
4. 56minutes

Correct Answer: (B)

Ques. Find out the number of points in total scored by A?

1. 193
2. 196
3. 195
4. 147

Correct Answer: (B)

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CAT Sample Questions on Syllogisms Puzzles

A syllogism is defined as a logical argument which is applicable for deductive reasoning. Outcomes are based on some propositions that are considered logically true. 

To attempt questions from this section, candidates need to conclude the question from a set of propositions. The questions can be classified as a type of argument that is concluded with the help of deductive reasoning. There are some methods such as Venn Diagrams and analytical skills used for solving the question from this topic. 

Some examples of CAT syllogisms are given below.

Ques.1.

Statements:

• No tree is a flower
• Some trees are fruits

Conclusions:

(I) Fruits that are trees are not flowers.

(II) No fruit is a flower.

Options: 

1.  Only conclusion I follows
2.  Only conclusion II follows
3.  Either conclusion I or II follows
4. Neither conclusion I nor II follows

Correct Answer: ( A)

Ques.2.

Statements:

Lady's Finger is tastier than cabbage

Cauliflower is tastier than Lady's Finger

Cabbage is not tastier than peas

Options:

1. Peas are as tasty as lady's finger
2. Peas are as tasty as cauliflower and lady's finger
3. Peas is not tastier than lady's finger
4. Cauliflower is tastier than cabbage
5. None of the above options

Correct Answer: ( D)

Ques.3.

Statements:

Some A are B.

Some C are A.

Conclusions:

(I) Some C are B.

(II) Some B are A.

1. Only conclusion I follows
2. Only conclusion II follows
3. Either conclusion I or II follows
4. Neither conclusion I nor II follows

Correct Answer: ( B)

CAT Sample Questions on Cryptogram

A Cryptogram is defined as a puzzle type that comprises a short type of encrypted text. In this type of puzzle, each letter is removed by a completely different letter or number.

Some examples of CAT Cryptogram are mentioned below.

Ques. 1. Correct Answer: ( C)

Ques. 2. Correct Answer: ( D)

Ques. 3. Correct Answer: ( B)

Also Check CAT Study Notes for Quantitative Aptitude