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CAT Full-Length Mock Test 4

CAT Full-Length Mocks • Medium • 68 Questions
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40:00
  1. VARC24 Qs
  2. DILR22 Qs
  3. QA22 Qs

The Problem with Rankings

Rankings of universities, cities and hospitals have become a fixture of public life. They promise to turn complex institutions into a single, comparable number, and they attract enormous attention. Yet the number depends entirely on what is measured and how each measure is weighted, and these choices are rarely neutral. A ranking that gives heavy weight to research output will favour large, wealthy universities; one that emphasises teaching or graduate earnings may produce a very different order.

Rankings also change the behaviour of the institutions they measure. When a measure becomes a target, institutions can improve their position by focusing on what is counted rather than on what matters. A university may recruit staff whose papers are highly cited, or adjust admissions to raise average entry grades, without any change in the education its students receive.

None of this means rankings are useless. They can draw attention to weaknesses and give outsiders a starting point for comparison. The danger lies in treating them as a verdict rather than as one imperfect piece of evidence. Readers who look past the headline number to the measures beneath it, and ask whether those measures reflect their own priorities, will get far more from a ranking than those who simply note who came first.

VARC: Passage 1 Questions Questions 1-5
1

The central argument of the passage is that rankings:

2

According to the passage, the order of a ranking depends on:

3

The phrase 'when a measure becomes a target' suggests that institutions may:

4

Which of the following is given as an example of an institution improving its ranking without improving education?

5

The author advises readers of rankings to:

Silence in Music

We usually think of music as sound, but silence is one of its most important materials. A pause before the final chord of a piece creates suspense; a rest in the middle of a phrase lets the listener breathe and anticipate what comes next. Performers spend years learning how long to hold such silences, because a fraction of a second too long or too short can change the effect entirely.

Different musical traditions treat silence differently. In some, the space between notes is valued as highly as the notes themselves, and a performance may unfold slowly, leaving room for resonance to fade. In others, especially in music designed for dancing, continuous sound is the norm and silence is rare and dramatic when it occurs.

Recorded music has altered our relationship with silence. Listeners can now fill every moment of the day with sound, and streaming services encourage continuous playback from one track to the next. Some musicians and critics argue that this constant availability makes silence within music more striking, while others fear it has made audiences less patient with music that asks them to wait.

VARC: Passage 2 Questions Questions 6-10
6

The passage is mainly about:

7

Performers spend years learning how long to hold silences because:

8

According to the passage, in music designed for dancing:

9

Streaming services are mentioned because they:

10

In the final paragraph, the author:

Trees and the Unequal City

Trees are among the cheapest tools a city has for improving daily life. They shade streets, cool surrounding air, absorb rainwater that would otherwise flood drains and make neighbourhoods more pleasant to walk in. Yet in many cities trees are unevenly distributed. Wealthier districts often have far more tree cover than poorer ones, and the difference shows up in temperatures on hot days.

The pattern has several causes. Older, wealthier neighbourhoods were often planned with gardens and tree lined avenues, while denser housing for workers left little space for planting. Trees also need maintenance, and residents with time and money are more likely to plant them on their own land and to press the council to care for street trees.

Some cities now use maps of tree cover and temperature to decide where to plant, aiming to close the gap. The work is slower than it sounds. A young tree takes years to provide meaningful shade, and planting in dense streets may require removing paving or parking spaces, which residents do not always welcome. Equity in tree cover is therefore a long term commitment rather than a single planting campaign.

VARC: Passage 3 Questions Questions 11-15
11

The main point of the passage is that:

12

All of the following are mentioned as benefits of trees EXCEPT:

13

According to the passage, one cause of unequal tree cover is that:

14

Closing the gap in tree cover is slow because:

15

The author would most likely agree that equity in tree cover:

Type in the answer for the para-jumble and odd-sentence questions. For the rest, choose the best option.

VARC: Verbal Ability Questions Questions 16-24
16

The four sentences below, labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4, form a coherent paragraph when arranged in the right order. Type the correct order as a four-digit sequence (for example, 1234). 1. Suspension bridges hung the road deck from cables anchored at each end. 2. Early bridges were made of wood or stone and could only span short distances. 3. Such designs made it possible to cross wide rivers and straits that had once required ferries. 4. The arrival of cheap iron and later steel allowed engineers to design much longer spans.

17

The four sentences below, labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4, form a coherent paragraph when arranged in the right order. Type the correct order as a four-digit sequence (for example, 1234). 1. Supporters say they broaden horizons and help communities in need. 2. The most responsible programmes therefore focus on skills that local communities ask for. 3. Short volunteer trips abroad have become popular with students. 4. Critics reply that unskilled volunteers may take work from local people.

18

The four sentences below, labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4, form a coherent paragraph when arranged in the right order. Type the correct order as a four-digit sequence (for example, 1234). 1. Today glasses are so common that they are seen as a fashion item as much as a medical aid. 2. Lenses that corrected short sight came later and were harder to make. 3. Eyeglasses were invented in Italy in the late thirteenth century. 4. The first lenses helped people read by magnifying text.

19

Four of the five sentences below form a coherent paragraph; one is out of place. Type the number of the odd sentence. 1. Desert plants survive with very little water. 2. Many store water in thick stems or leaves. 3. Some have roots that spread wide just below the surface to catch brief rain. 4. Others open their pores only at night to reduce water loss. 5. The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world.

20

Four of the five sentences below form a coherent paragraph; one is out of place. Type the number of the odd sentence. 1. Chess was once seen mainly as a game for intellectuals. 2. Online platforms have brought it to millions of new players. 3. Short time controls make games quicker and more exciting to watch. 4. The pieces were once carved from bone or wood. 5. Streaming has turned top players into popular entertainers.

21

Choose the option that best summarises the following paragraph. Studies of language learning show that adults often learn grammar faster than children at first, but children who start early usually reach a more native like accent. Early exposure helps pronunciation, while adult learners benefit from their ability to understand rules.

22

Choose the option that best summarises the following paragraph. Food waste happens at every stage, from farms that cannot sell misshapen produce to households that buy more than they eat. Reducing it requires changes across the chain: better storage and transport, retailers accepting imperfect produce and consumers planning meals.

23

Choose the option that best summarises the following paragraph. Electric cars produce no exhaust emissions, but their overall environmental benefit depends on how the electricity is generated and how batteries are made. In regions that use mostly clean power, the benefit is large; where electricity comes mainly from coal, it is smaller.

24

Choose the option that best summarises the following paragraph. Four day working weeks have been tested by a number of companies. Many reported that productivity held steady and staff were happier, but some found it hard to cover customer needs. The model seems to suit some kinds of work better than others.

What is in this test

  • VARC: Passage 1, questions 1-5
  • VARC: Passage 2, questions 6-10
  • VARC: Passage 3, questions 11-15
  • VARC: Verbal Ability, questions 16-24
  • DILR: Set 1, questions 25-29
  • DILR: Set 2, questions 30-34
  • DILR: Set 3, questions 35-40
  • DILR: Set 4, questions 41-46
  • QA: Quantitative Ability, questions 47-68

68 questions in 120 minutes, marked +3 for a correct answer and -1 for a wrong multiple choice answer, with no penalty on type in the answer questions. When you finish you get your marks, a section breakdown and a written explanation for every question. Learn the method first on the topic practice pages and keep the formula sheet handy while you review.