Overview: This year CAT 2024 is scheduled on November 24, 2024. An often overlooked yet powerful approach to ace CAT is practicing with CAT previous year papers.

This blog not only provides you with the CAT exam previous year question paper but also reveals how it can significantly enhance your preparation.

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CAT Previous Year Papers Overview

• The question papers are released annually by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and are available online for students to download and practice.
• The CAT Previous Year Papers involve questions about Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, and occasionally from General Knowledge & Current Affairs. 
• The answer keys released by the officials can help you identify the right solutions that are provided for all questions. 
• The article below contains questions from the CAT Previous Year Papers with Solution to aid your preparations. 

CAT Exam Previous Year Question Paper with Solution

Analyze and practice the questions listed in the table below:

CAT Exam Previous Year Question Paper with Solution	PDF
CAT Previous Year Papers 2022	PDF Link
CAT Previous Year Papers 2021	PDF Link
CAT Previous Year Papers 2020	PDF Link

CAT Previous Year Papers Sample Questions 2024

You can expect similar questions to appear in the CAT exam. 

VARC Section Passage

We cannot travel outside our neighborhood without passports. We must wear the same plain clothes. We must exchange our houses every ten years. We cannot avoid labor. We all go to bed at the same time. We have religious freedom, but we cannot deny that the soul dies with the body, since ‘but for fear of punishment, they would have nothing but contempt for the laws and customs of society'. . .. Given the plenty and security on offer for much of the population in More's time, such restraints would not have seemed overly unreasonable. For modern readers, however, Utopia appears to rely upon relentless transparency, the repression of variety, and the curtailment of privacy. Utopia provides security: but at what price? In its external and internal relations, it seems perilously dystopian. Such a conclusion might be fortified by examining selectively the tradition which follows more on these points. This often portrays societies where. . .'it would be almost impossible for man to be depraved, or wicked'. . .. This is achieved through institutions and mores, which underpin the common life. . .. The passions are regulated, and inequalities of wealth and distinction are minimized. Needs, vanity, and emulation are restrained, often by prizing equality and holding riches in contempt. The desire for public power is curbed. Marriage and sexual intercourse are often controlled: in Tommaso Campanella’s the City of the Sun (1623), the first great literary utopia after More’s, relations are forbidden to men before age of twenty-one and women before nineteen. Communal child-rearing is normal; for Campanella, this commences at age two. The greater simplicity of life, ‘living according to nature’, is often a result: the desire for simplicity and purity are closely related. People have become more alike in appearance, opinion, and outlook than they often have been. Unity, order, and homogeneity thus prevail at the cost of individuality and diversity. This model, as J. C. Davis demonstrates, dominated early modern utopianism. . .. And utopian homogeneity remains a familiar theme well into the twentieth century. Given these considerations, it is not unreasonable to take as our starting point here the hypothesis that utopia and dystopia evidently share more in common than is often supposed. Indeed, they might be twins, the progeny of the same parents. As this proves the case, my linkage of both here will be uncomfortably close for some readers. Yet we should not mistake this argument for the assertion that all utopias are or tend to produce dystopias. Those who defend this proposition will find their association here is not nearly close enough. We have only to acknowledge the existence of thousands of successful intentional communities in which a cooperative ethos predominates. Harmony without coercion is the rule to set aside such an assertion. Here the individual’s submersion in the group is consensual (though this concept is not unproblematic). It results not in enslavement but voluntary submission to group norms. Harmony is achieved without . . .harming others. 

1) All the following statements can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT that: 

[1] utopian and dystopian societies are twins, the progeny of the same parents.

[2] utopian societies exist in a long tradition of literature dealing with imaginary people practicing imaginary customs in imaginary worlds.

[3] many conceptions of utopian societies emphasize the importance of social uniformity and cultural homogeneity.

[4] it is possible to see utopias as dystopias, with a change in perspective, because one person’s utopia could be seen as another’s dystopia.

Check Now: CAT Exam Analysis

2) Following the passage, which one of the following may be seen as a characteristic of a utopian society?

[1] The regulation of homogeneity through promoting competitive heterogeneity.

[2] A society where public power is earned through merit rather than through privilege.

[3] Institutional surveillance of every individual to ensure his/her security and welfare.

[4] A society without any laws to restrain one’s individuality. 

3) Which sequence of words below best captures the passage's narrative?

[1] Relentless transparency – Homogeneity – Utopia – Dystopia.

[2] Utopia – Security – Dystopia – Coercion.

[3] Curtailment of privacy – Dystopia – Utopia – Intentional community.

[4] Utopia – Security – Homogeneity – Intentional community.

Check: How to prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT?

4) All of the following arguments are made in the passage EXCEPT that:

[1] in More’s time, there was plenty and security, so people did not need restraints that

could appear unreasonable.

[2] there have been thousands of communities where homogeneity and stability have been

achieved through choice rather than force.

[3] in early modern utopianism, the stability of utopian societies was seen to be achieved.

only with individuals surrendering their sense of self.

[4] the tradition of utopian literature has often shown societies in which it would be nearly.

impossible for anyone to be sinful or criminal.

Learn More: CAT Exam Pattern 2023

DILR Section Passage

A journal plans to publish 18 research papers written by eight authors (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H) in four journal issues in January, April, July and October. Each research paper was written by exactly one of the eight authors. Five papers were scheduled in the first two issues, while four were scheduled in each of the last two issues. Every author wrote at least one paper and, at most, three papers. The total number of papers written by A, D, G and H was double that of the other four authors. Four authors were from India, and two were from Japan and China. Each author belonged to exactly one of the three areas — Manufacturing, Automation and Logistics. Four authors were from the logistics area, and two were from the Automation area. 

Per the journal policy, no authors could have more than one paper in any journal issue. 

The following facts are also known.

1. F, an Indian author from the logistics area, wrote only one paper. It was scheduled in the October issue.
2. A was from the Automation area and did not have a paper scheduled in the October issue.
3. None of the Indian authors was from the Manufacturing area, and none of the Japanese or Chinese authors was from the Automation area.
4. A and H were from different countries but had their papers scheduled in the same issues.
5. C and E, Chinese authors from different areas, had the same number of papers scheduled. Further, E had papers scheduled in consecutive journal issues, but C did not.
6. B, from the logistics area, had a paper scheduled in the April issue of the journal.
7. B and G belonged to the same country. None of their papers was scheduled in the same issue of the journal.
8. D, a Japanese author from the Manufacturing area, did not have a paper scheduled in the July issue.
9. C and H belonged to different areas.
10. 1) What is the correct sequence of papers written by B, C, E and G?

[1] 1, 2, 2, 3

[2] 1, 3, 3, 1

[3] 3, 1, 1, 3

[4] 1, 2, 2, 1

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2) Indian authors wrote how many papers?

3) Which of the following statement(s) MUST be true?

Statement A: Every issue had at least one paper by author(s) from each country.

Statement B: Every issue had at most two papers by the author(s) from each area.

[1] Both the statements

[2] Only Statement B

[3] Only Statement A

[4] Neither of the statements

Check: CAT Cut off 2023

Why to Solve CAT Previous Year Papers?

• Solving the CAT Exam question paper is an important part of exam preparation. 
• It helps build your knowledge and understanding of the key topics and also helps you develop an effective strategy for tackling the exam. 
• It also allows you to practice and familiarize yourself with the format and type of questions likely to appear in the actual CAT Exam. 
• Practicing CAT Exam question papers help you to identify your strengths and weaknesses and also helps you to identify the areas that need more focused attention. 
• Finally, by solving CAT Exam question papers, you will understand the time management required to complete the exam successfully. 

Read More: CAT Exam Preparation 2024

Conclusion

In conclusion, the CAT Previous year Papers is an important tool for students to assess their knowledge and understanding of the topics covered in the CAT syllabus. It allows students to practice their skills and prepare for the exam. It is also an effective way for students to evaluate their progress in their studies and analyze their strengths and weaknesses in each subject. Finally, it is important to remember that the CAT Exam Question Paper should be used as a guide to prepare for the actual CAT Exam.