In critical reasoning, logical bent of mind plays a major role. Statements which are correlated to each other are presented and finally they reach at the conclusion. An essential skill to inculcate in critical reasoning is to find the missing link , which we call the assumption.Thus assumptions fill the missing link between the premises and the conclusion. Let us take a small example of the missing link— Four of the most striking characters in Mahabharat were Karna, Arjuna, Drona and Bhisma. At the end of the war Arjuna got the triumph. Here in the above two statements, th

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In this post, we will learn about logical reasoning concepts on selection and group formation that is frequently asked in CAT exam. This topic generally deals with the selection of a team of say ‘r’ members from ‘n’ (n>r) available for selection or it can be the selection of committee of certain number of members. Certain number of constraints drives this selection. In order to understand these constrains and the implicit details related to them, let us start the discussion with an example. Question: Among five students of group I – A, B, C, D, E and six students of group I

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In the earlier post on circles, we had discussed the properties and some sample CAT questions related to circles. In this post, we will see some additional CAT questions which have been asked in the previous years. Let us look at below examples. Example 1: A one rupee coin is placed on a piece of paper. How many more coins of the same size may be placed such that each touches the central coin and the two adjacent coins? a.) 7 b.) 4 c.) 5 d.) 6 Solution:  It can be seen in the below figure that if we place 3 coins touching each other, their centers form an equilateral tri

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Concepts of a circle are very important for CAT examinations. There are lots of properties to understand and some formulas to remember. Several direct and sometimes indirect questions are asked from concepts of a circle in CAT exams. Also, some of the geometry questions cannot be solved without having a proper understanding of CAT concepts. Let’s take a look at some of the concepts and CAT questions related to circles. 1. Arc: An arc is just a part of a circle. An arc can be measured in degrees. In the above diagram, the part of the circle from B to C forms an arc. Also, arc BC

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Imagine that you are a tennis player – let’s say a club-level player. You have been taking tennis lessons regularly. As a result, you have acquired some skills. You have a good first serve that (may not be like Roger Federer’s, but still) can reach about 100 mph. You also have a reliable second serve with enough kick. You can generate a nice topspin (although not of 3000 rpm as Rafael Nadal’s) on your forehand, and your backhand (usually a weakness of most players, unless you are a Stan Wawrinka) is good enough to keep the ball in play till you can pull the trigger. Your volleys â€

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In the sunlit Cote de Beaune region of France lies a commune called Puligny Montrachet. Its four Grand Cru vineyards are the birthplace of arguably the world’s finest white wine. The eponymous Puligny-Montrachet has a bright golden color, with greenish highlight. Its bouquet tells of hawthorn blossoms, hazelnut, marzipan, green apples, with the aromas of honey and flint. It intensifies with age and is considered to be the perfect expression of the chardonnay grape. As any oenophile worth their grape would attest, no other white that comes out of green is as elegant and angelic as Puligny-M

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Cubes is one of the most frequently asked puzzle topics in CAT. These puzzles require us to think visually about the puzzle, which makes it somewhat tougher than other type of puzzles. We will discuss the basic concepts of the cube and few things that we would be using is majority of the puzzles related to cubes. Cube related puzzles are asked in a number of ways unlike selection or arrangement puzzles, where the primary pattern remains the same. We will illustrate some of the types of puzzles and the approach one should use to solve such problems. We will focus our discussion on what woul

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Binomial Theorem is a very intriguing topic in mathematics due to its wide-ranging application. Before moving forth with its use, let me ask you a question? Do you remember what’s is (a + b)2 or (a-b)2? I guess most of you would have easily say (a+b)2 is a2 + b2 + 2ab and (a2 – b2) is a2 + b2 -2ab. But, what about (a + b)4? Okay, this is something you can still deduce. Let’s make it a little bit more complex, can you tell what the expansion for would be (a + b)7 or (7a – 5b)10. Now, I think it would not that simple to answer as you did earlier. Here’s something where the binomial

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There are some topics in Quantitative Aptitude, like Permutation & Combination,  where you can easily find out the answer and the answer you calculate is there in the options but it turns out to be wrong. And then there are some topics in which you read the question, understand it but cannot even begin solving it. You get stuck at the first step and you have no idea about how to even approach the question. The irritating fact is that you understood the question properly. It happens very frequently with questions on Time Speed & Distance (TSD). I have always been a big advocate of

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  I guess my first fascination with problems of Time, Speed and Distance began when I first saw Henna. An important part of the story line  if you can call it that, saw Rishi Kapoor floating from India to Pakistan without drowning. I remember arguing with my friends that if could float for that long – he could swim back to India as well. My friends nullified the argument by saying: Speed River > Speed Rishi Kapoor I know that the reference is a little dated for most readers of this post, but Zeba Bhaktiyar made me look beyond reason. In this post we will discuss some of the id

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