CAT 2016 Question Paper was rated difficult compared to the previous year. The paper included three sections: namely, Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension. These sections consisted of 34, 32, and 34 questions respectively. Candidates who attempted 72+ questions with 95% accuracy were able to get 99.5+ percentile.
Students preparing for CAT 2025 can download CAT 2016 Question Paper with Answer Key PDFs from below:
CAT 2016 Question Paper with Solution PDF – VARC Slot 1
| CAT 2016 Question Paper With Answer Key – VARC Slot 1 | Check Solutions |
Arrange the sentences A, B, C, and D to form a logical sequence between sentences 1 and 6
1. Amount of published information available varies widely by industry
A. Unfortunately for the researcher, many industries do not meet these criteria, and there may be little published information available
B. Generally, the problem the researcher will face in using published data for analysing an economically meaningful industry is that they are too broad or too arranged to fit the industry
C. However, it is always possible to gain some important information about an industry from published sources and these sources should be aggressively pursued
D. Larger the industry, the older it is, and the slower the rate of technological change, better is the available published information
6. If a researcher starts a searching for data with this reality in mind, the uselessness of broad data will be better recognized and the tendency to give up will be avoided.
Arrange the sentences A, B, C, and D to form a logical sequence between sentences 1 and 6
1. The main source of power in industrial undertaking is electricity
A. Electricity from water also requires enormous river valley projects involving huge expenditure
B. In contrast, electricity from atomic power stations will result in a tremendous saving in expenditure
C. Besides, the mineral resources of the world required for generation of electricity are being rapidly depleted
D. But the production of electricity needs huge quantities of coal
6. The installation of atomic plants will help in meeting the shortage of these resources.
Arrange the sentences A, B, C, and D to form a logical sequence between sentences 1 and 6
1. Intensity of competition in an industry is neither a matter of coincidence nor bad luck
A. The collective strength of these forces determines the ultimate profit potential in the industry where profit potential is measured in terms of long run returns on invested capital
B. Rather, competition in an industry is rooted in its underlying economic structure and goes well beyond the behavior of current competitors
C. Not all industries have the same potential
D. Beyond the behavior of current competitors, there are five basic competitive forces which determine the intensity of competition in an industry
6. Different industries can sustain different levels of profitability depending upon these forces.
A number of sentences are given below which, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a letter. However, one of the statements is illogically placed. Choose the illogically placed sentence from among the five given choices so that the remaining four can construct a coherent paragraph
A. It is turning off the tap
B. And with no consensus of the exit policy, the government is damned if it supports loss-making units and damned if it doesn’t
C. The private sector did the same in the past because securing legal sanction for closure was virtually impossible
D. After sûrement years of funding the losses of public sector companies, the government is doing the unthinkable
E. Private sector and public sector companies act in a similar fashion when in crisis.
A number of sentences are given below which, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a letter. However, one of the statements is illogically placed. Choose the illogically placed sentence from among the five given choices so that the remaining four can construct a coherent paragraph
A. Trade protocols were signed, the dollar as the medium of exchange was ignored, trade was denominated in rupees and the exchange rate between the two countries was to be fixed outside the ambit of free markets
B. A young India, some years after independence fashioning her foreign policy of nonalignment, found it prudent to stay close to the former Soviet Union
C. Therefore it led to the escalation of cold war between Soviet Union and the U.S.A
D. Once upon a time there was a superpower named Soviet Union that attracted nations apprehensive of the global aspirations of the other superpower, the U.S.A
E. One way of doing this was to evolve a bilateral relations in trade that could be called upon provide a buffer against the arm-twisting by the U.S.A
A number of sentences are given below which, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a letter. However, one of the statements is illogically placed. Choose the illogically placed sentence from among the five given choices so that the remaining four can construct a coherent paragraph
A. There are also a larger number of Lebanese restaurants in Paris than there are in other European capital citie
B. French Cordon Bleu cuisine is very expensiv
C. The number of French tourists eating in New York burger restaurants is very lo
D. Junk food is actually has high nutritional value when eaten in moderatio
E. There are an unusually large number of American tourists in Paris who eat at burger joints
Evidence has been presented that the unconscious mind,
still viewed by many psychological scientists as the shadow of a
‘‘real’’ conscious mind, is identifiably more deliberate, action
oriented and complex than its conscious counterpart.
Furthermore researchers have proven that the mind is
incredibly efficient at extracting meaning from stimuli of which
one is not consciously aware. The claims above are made on
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conclusive experimentations in which test subjects who wereallowed to sleep during a decision making process made more
optimal decisions when compared to the subjects who were
given the exact same amount of information but were not
allowed to sleep, leading researchers to believe that rationality
comes on the way of making a rational decision. Researchers
explain that while the conscious mind can only follow strict
rules, unconscious mind can handle and integrate a larger
amount of information, explaining why it can make better
decisions. Even more surprising than this unconscious mind’s
ability is that the mental processes that drive such decision
making are necessarily minimal and unsophisticated and do not
require humongous amount of calories to make us arrive at the
best decision whereas using conscious mind for complex
decisions burns up a lot of energy, setting in fatigue, forcing the
conscious mind to give up and leading to subconscious
decisions. Overall, researchers agree that there is no need to
have sleepless night pondering over a complex issue to resolve
it when it can actually be solved more efficiently by snoring the
night away.
(A) highlight the differences among psychologists regarding the importance of the unconscious mind in making complex decisions.
(B) contrast and compare the workings of the rationality with that of deliberate, action-oriented, and complex decision-making processes.
(C) prove that the unconscious mind is more effective than the conscious mind in complex decision-making.
(D) show that conscious mind is not that undependable as previously thought.
(E) ascertain that using conscious and unconscious minds together yield second-to-none judgements.
French cuisine is highly regarded all over the world. Yet in
Paris there are more American restaurants selling burgers and
fries (which many people now class as junk food) than there are
in any other European capital city. Obviously the French are
very fond of junk food, and are not too proud to eat it.
Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the
author’s contention?
(A) There are also a larger number of Lebanese restaurants in Paris than there are in other European capital cities.
(B) French Cordon Bleu cuisine is very expensive.
(C) The number of French tourists eating in New York burger restaurants is very low.
(D) Junk food actually has high nutritional value when eaten in moderation.
(E) There are an unusually large number of American tourists in Paris who eat at burger joints.
In research designed to investigate the possibility of
animals developing friendship with other, unrelated, members
of their species, a group of 29 chimpanzees were reared
together for 15 years. At the end of that time the chimps were
presented with two options for obtaining food: press a lever
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and feed themselves, or press another identical lever and feedthemselves, and at the same time deliver food to the chimp
next door. (The chimps were able to see each other). The
researchers found that the chimps were no more likely to
choose the lever that fed a neighbour. The researchers
concluded that the chimps had no concept of friendship.
However, one critic has suggested that the animals were in an
artificial environment from which little can be concluded, and
that, at the least, the test ought to have involved the animals
being able to touch
What role do the parts in boldface play in the argument above?
(A) The first is a position that the critic opposes. The second is a position that the critic supports.
(B) The first is an observation that supports the researcher’s position. The second is an observation that opposes the researcher’s position.
(C) The first is a finding on which the researchers base their conclusion. The second is a suggestion that might cast doubt on that finding.
(D) The first is an observation that supports the critic’s conclusion. The second is the critic’s conclusion.
(E) The first is part of the evidence that the critic disputes. The second is a suggestion that the researchers do not accept.
The areas most prone to salinization are
The most appropriate title to this passage is
Natural fertility exhausts most quickly in
The factor that can restore fertility to the soil not mentioned in the passage is
Crop rotation helps to
I. increase the farmer’s seasonal income.
II. preserve soil condition.
III. desalinize the soil.
IV. destroy pests.
One of the characteristics of agricultural land in Nile basin is
The author’s attitude towards the application of scientism to the social sciences is best described as one of
According to the author, causes and effects in the social world are
Which of the following statements about scientism is best supported by the passage?
As used in the passage, the term ‘scientism’ can best be defined as
In the passage, the author is most concerned with doing which of the following?
The passage is most likely directed towards an audience of
Which of the following best describes the main subject of the passage?
The passage indicates that a single cycle of which of the following motions is completed in the shortest period of time?
Which of the following techniques does the author use in
order to make the descriptions of motion clear?
I. Comparison with familiar objects
II. Reference of geometric forms
III. Allusions to the works of other authors.
The passage has most probably been taken from a book on
Mesenteries are
Through peri-vascular spaces exchange takes place between
Some instances of connective tissues are
I. Cartilage
II. Stroma
III. Lipid
IV. Synovia
In his study of suicide, Durkheim’s main purpose was
Single adults not heavily involved with family life are more likely to commit suicide. Durkheim categorized this as
According to Durkheim, suicide rates within a social entity can be explained in terms of
Basing himself on his own indicators, Durkheim was
To support his contentions, Durkheim relied on the following indicators
CAT 2016 Question Paper Analysis
CAT 2016 was conducted by IIM Bangalore on December 4, 2016. CAT 2015 exam pattern and CAT 2016 exam pattern were similar except for the weighted TITA questions.
CAT 2016 VARC Question Paper Analysis
The VARC section of CAT 2016 Question Paper was rated easy to moderate level. CAT 2016 Question Paper had 25 Non-MCQ questions and there was no negative marking for Non-MCQ questions.
The second slot of CAT 2016 was conducted from 2:30 PM and 5:30 PM. A good attempt of 66+ questions with 100% accuracy should suffice a good percentile.
Slot 1
- The question paper had reading comprehensions from areas like Environmental Studies, Economics, etc.
- The VARC section was lengthy but easier than other sections.
- Most of the questions of the VARC section came from the verbal logic part.
Slot 2
- One passage from the Reading Comprehension section was difficult and other passages were majorly factual.
- The easiest part of the question paper was the summary and the para jumble questions.
- There were inference-based questions in RC.
Students should follow the below table for a better understanding of question distribution
| Topic | Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 24 |
| Para-jumble | 4 |
| Summary | 3 |
| Para-jumble (Odd sentence out) | 2 |
CAT 2016 DILR Question Paper Analysis
Candidates should have practiced enough to do well in this section. They should have read the instructions before starting answering the questions.
Slot 1
- 1 set in this section was moderately difficult while 4 sets of this section were very easy.
- Most of the Data Interpretation questions were calculation-related.
- The slot 1 DILR question paper of CAT 2016 had no questions from the DS part.
Slot 2
- The question paper had three difficult DI sets but the other one was easier.
- This question paper had more than 17 doable questions.
Students should follow the below table for a better understanding of question distribution
| Topic | Number of Questions | Doable |
|---|---|---|
| Pass percentage - Moderate | 4 | 2-3 |
| Movies - Easy | 4 | 4 |
| Train - Difficult | 4 | 1-2 |
| Veg/Non-veg - Moderate/Difficult | 4 | 1-2 |
| Marks - Easy | 4 | 4 |
| Folders - Easy | 4 | 4 |
| T-shirt - Easy | 4 | 3 |
| Venn Diagram (Laptop/Smartphone/Tablet) - Moderate | 4 | 3 |
CAT 2016 QA Question Paper Analysis
The options in this section were very helpful to get the answer. Candidates should have known time management to get a good percentile in this section.
Slot 1
- CAT 2016 Question Paper had 7-8 MCQ questions from the QA section and the rest were Non-MCQs.
- The questions were easy and doable with the help of formulas.
- The question paper had around 10 questions from the Algebra part.
Slot 2
- The slot 2 QA section of CAT 2016 Question Paper was dominated by the questions from Geometry and Arithmetic.
- There were only 7 TITA questions in slot 2.
- A good attempt of 18-20 questions with 90% accuracy should suffice a good percentile.
Students should follow the below table for a better understanding of question distribution
| Topic | Number of Questions | Doable |
|---|---|---|
| Number System | 4 | 3 |
| Algebra | 10-11 | 8-10 |
| Arithmetic | 10 | 7-9 |
| Geometry and Mensuration | 7-8 | 4-5 |
| Modern Math | 2 | 1 |
CAT Question Papers of Previous Years
| CAT 2024 Question Papers | CAT 2023 Question Papers | CAT 2022 Question Papers | CAT 2021 Question Papers |
| CAT 2020 Question Papers | CAT 2019 Question Papers | CAT 2018 Question Papers | CAT 2017 Question Papers |
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