CATLab

CAT 2020 DILR Questions — Slot 1

The actual Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning section from CAT 2020, Slot 1 — 24 questions in original paper order, each with a full worked solution. Tap an option (or type your answer) to check yourself before reading the solution.

24 questions18 MCQ · 6 TITA40 min section0/24 attempted
Set · Mixed Charts & Caselets

The local office of the APP-CAB company evaluates the performance of five cab drivers, Arun, Barun, Chandan, Damodaran, and Eman for their monthly payment based on ratings in five different parameters (P1 to P5) as given below:
P1: timely arrival
P2: behaviour
P3: comfortable ride
P4: driver's familiarity with the route
P5: value for money
Based on feedback from the customers, the office assigns a rating from 1 to 5 in each of these parameters. Each rating is an integer from a low value of 1 to a high value of 5. The final rating of a driver is the average of his ratings in these five parameters. The monthly payment of the drivers has two parts - a fixed payment and final rating-based bonus. If a driver gets a rating of 1 in any of the parameters, he is not eligible to get bonus. To be eligible for bonus a driver also needs to get a rating of five in at least one of the parameters. The partial information related to the ratings of the drivers in different parameters and the monthly payment structure (in rupees) is given in the table below:
The following additional facts are known.

  1. Arun and Barun have got a rating of 5 in exactly one of the parameters. Chandan has got a rating of 5 in exactly two parameters.
  2. None of drivers has got the same rating in three parameters.
DriverP1P2P3P4P5Fixed PaymentBonus
Arun4Rs.1000Rs.250 x Final Rating
Barun3Rs.1200Rs.200 x Final Rating
Chandan2Rs.1400Rs.100 x Final Rating
Damodaran3Rs.1300Rs.150 x Final Rating
Eman2Rs.1100Rs.200 x Final Rating
Q1Mixed Charts & CaseletsMCQ

If Damodaran does not get a bonus, what is the maximum possible value of his final rating?

Show solution

Correct answer: C

Setting up the rules

A driver is eligible for bonus only if both conditions hold:

  • No parameter rating is 1, and
  • At least one parameter rating is 5.

So a driver gets no bonus if either he has a rating of 1 somewhere, or he has no rating of 5 at all.

Also recall Fact 2: no driver may have the same rating in three (or more) parameters — i.e., no value may appear 3 times.

For Damodaran, P2 = 3 is fixed, and the other four parameters are free (integers 1–5). We want the maximum final rating subject to “no bonus”.

Two routes to “no bonus”

Route 1 — No rating of 5 at all. Then the four free ratings come from {2, 3, 4} (we avoid 1 to keep the sum high, and avoid 5 to stay on this route). With no value allowed three times, the best set is {4, 4, 3, 2}:

P1P2P3P4P5SumFinal
43432163.2

Final rating = 16 / 5 = 3.2.

Route 2 — Include a 5, but also include a 1 (the 1 disqualifies the bonus). We can now use a 5 to push the sum up, while a single 1 keeps him bonus-ineligible. The best set for the four free slots is {5, 5, 4, 1} (three 5’s would violate Fact 2):

P1P2P3P4P5SumFinal
53541183.6

Check Fact 2: 5 appears twice, 3 appears once, 4 appears once, 1 appears once — no value three times. ✔

Final rating = 18 / 5 = 3.6.

Comparing

Route 2 (3.6) beats Route 1 (3.2), so the maximum possible final rating is 3.6.

💡 Teacher tip: When a condition can be failed in two different ways, check both ways — sometimes breaking the rule deliberately (here, inserting a 1) lets you reach a higher total than playing safe.

Answer: 3.6 (Choice C)

Q2Mixed Charts & CaseletsMCQ

If Eman gets a bonus, what is the minimum possible value of his final rating?

Show solution

Correct answer: D

Setting up the rules

For Eman to get a bonus, both conditions must hold:

  • No rating of 1 anywhere, and
  • At least one rating of 5.

Also, Fact 2: no value may appear in three parameters.

For Eman, P5 = 2 is fixed. We want the minimum final rating while staying bonus-eligible.

Minimising the sum

All five ratings must be ≥ 2 (no 1’s allowed). To keep the sum low we would like to use 2’s, but P5 already gives us one 2, and Fact 2 lets us use at most two 2’s in total. So we may add only one more 2.

We are forced to include at least one 5 (bonus requirement). That leaves two slots, which we fill with the smallest available values, 3 and 3:

P1P2P3P4P5SumFinal
52332153.0

Check Fact 2: 2 appears twice, 3 appears twice, 5 appears once — no value three times. ✔

Final rating = 15 / 5 = 3.0.

Why we cannot go lower

  • We cannot drop the 5 (bonus needs at least one 5).
  • We cannot use three 2’s (Fact 2 forbids it), so the two non-5, non-2 slots must be at least 3 each.
  • Hence 15 is the minimum possible sum.

💡 Teacher tip: For “minimum with constraints” problems, list the forced pieces first (here: one 5, at most two 2’s), then fill the remaining slots with the smallest legal values.

Answer: 3.0 (Choice D)

Q3Mixed Charts & CaseletsMCQ

If all five drivers get bonus, what is the minimum possible value of the monthly payment (in rupees) that a driver gets?

Show solution

Correct answer: D

Setting up the rules

With all five drivers bonus-eligible, each driver must have:

  • No rating of 1, and
  • At least one rating of 5.

Plus the two facts:

  • Fact 1: Arun and Barun have exactly one 5; Chandan has exactly two 5’s.
  • Fact 2: No rating value appears in three parameters.

Monthly payment = Fixed Payment + (Bonus rate × Final Rating), where Final Rating = (sum of five ratings) / 5.

To find the minimum monthly payment any driver can receive, we minimise each driver’s final rating (subject to bonus eligibility), then pick the smallest payment.

Minimising each driver’s ratings

For each driver we keep the fixed parameter, add the required 5’s, and fill the rest with the smallest legal values (avoiding 1, and never repeating a value three times).

Arun — P4 = 4, exactly one 5. Fill the other three slots with 2, 2, 3:

  • Ratings: 5, 2, 2, 4, 3 → sum = 16 → final = 3.2
  • Payment = 1000 + 250 × 3.2 = 1800

Barun — P1 = 3, exactly one 5. Fill with 2, 2, 3:

  • Ratings: 5, 2, 2, 3, 3 → sum = 15 → final = 3.0
  • Payment = 1200 + 200 × 3.0 = 1800

Chandan — P3 = 2, exactly two 5’s. Fill the other two slots with 2, 3:

  • Ratings: 5, 5, 2, 2, 3 → sum = 17 → final = 3.4
  • Payment = 1400 + 100 × 3.4 = 1740

Damodaran — P2 = 3, at least one 5. Fill with 5, 2, 2, 3:

  • Ratings: 5, 3, 2, 2, 3 → sum = 15 → final = 3.0
  • Payment = 1300 + 150 × 3.0 = 1750

Eman — P5 = 2, at least one 5. Fill with 5, 2, 3, 3:

  • Ratings: 5, 2, 3, 3, 2 → sum = 15 → final = 3.0
  • Payment = 1100 + 200 × 3.0 = 1700

Summary table

DriverFixedMin ratingsSumFinalPayment
Arun10005, 2, 2, 4, 3163.21800
Barun12005, 2, 2, 3, 3153.01800
Chandan14005, 5, 2, 2, 3173.41740
Damodaran13005, 3, 2, 2, 3153.01750
Eman11005, 2, 3, 3, 2153.01700

The smallest achievable monthly payment is 1700, earned by Eman.

💡 Teacher tip: When minimising payment, don’t just minimise the final rating — also weigh the fixed payment and bonus rate. Eman has the lowest fixed payment (1100) and a moderate bonus rate (200), which together beat Chandan’s lower bonus rate (100) but higher fixed base (1400).

Answer: 1700 (Choice D)

Q4Mixed Charts & CaseletsMCQ

If all five drivers get bonus, what is the maximum possible value of the monthly payment (in rupees) that a driver gets?

Show solution

Correct answer: A

Setting up the rules

With all five drivers bonus-eligible, each driver must have:

  • No rating of 1, and
  • At least one rating of 5.

Plus the two facts:

  • Fact 1: Arun and Barun have exactly one 5; Chandan has exactly two 5’s.
  • Fact 2: No rating value appears in three parameters (so 5 can appear at most twice for any driver).

Monthly payment = Fixed Payment + (Bonus rate × Final Rating), where Final Rating = (sum of five ratings) / 5.

To find the maximum monthly payment any driver can receive, we maximise each driver’s final rating (subject to bonus eligibility), then pick the largest payment.

Maximising each driver’s ratings

For each driver we keep the fixed parameter, use the maximum allowed number of 5’s, and fill the remaining slots with the largest legal values (4’s and 3’s), never repeating a value three times.

Arun — P4 = 4, exactly one 5. The other three slots can be at most 4, 3, 3 (a second 4 is fine; a third 4 is not):

  • Ratings: 5, 4, 3, 4, 3 → sum = 19 → final = 3.8
  • Payment = 1000 + 250 × 3.8 = 1950

Barun — P1 = 3, exactly one 5. The other three slots can be 4, 4, 3:

  • Ratings: 5, 4, 4, 3, 3 → sum = 19 → final = 3.8
  • Payment = 1200 + 200 × 3.8 = 1960

Chandan — P3 = 2, exactly two 5’s. The other two slots can be 4, 4:

  • Ratings: 5, 5, 4, 4, 2 → sum = 20 → final = 4.0
  • Payment = 1400 + 100 × 4.0 = 1800

Damodaran — P2 = 3, at least one 5 (so up to two 5’s by Fact 2). Use two 5’s; the other two slots can be 4, 4:

  • Ratings: 5, 3, 5, 4, 4 → sum = 21 → final = 4.2
  • Payment = 1300 + 150 × 4.2 = 1930

Eman — P5 = 2, at least one 5 (up to two 5’s). Use two 5’s; the other two slots can be 4, 4:

  • Ratings: 5, 5, 4, 4, 2 → sum = 20 → final = 4.0
  • Payment = 1100 + 200 × 4.0 = 1900

Summary table

DriverFixedMax ratingsSumFinalPayment
Arun10005, 4, 3, 4, 3193.81950
Barun12005, 4, 4, 3, 3193.81960
Chandan14005, 5, 4, 4, 2204.01800
Damodaran13005, 3, 5, 4, 4214.21930
Eman11005, 5, 4, 4, 2204.01900

Picking the maximum

Although Damodaran reaches the highest final rating (4.2), his low bonus rate (150) caps his payment at 1930. Barun, with the same final rating as Arun (3.8) but a higher bonus rate than Damodaran’s effective payoff and a favourable fixed base, reaches 1960 — the largest of all.

💡 Teacher tip: The maximum payment is not always earned by the driver with the maximum final rating. Always multiply final rating by the bonus rate and add the fixed payment before comparing.

Answer: 1960 (Choice A)

Set · Puzzles

In a certain board examination, students were to appear for examination in five subjects: English, Hindi, Mathematics, Science and Social Science. Due to a certain emergency situation, a few of the examinations could not be conducted for some students. Hence, some students missed one examination and some others missed two examinations. Nobody missed more than two examinations.
The board adopted the following policy for awarding marks to students. If a student appeared in all five examinations, then the marks awarded in each of the examinations were on the basis of the scores obtained by them in those examinations.
If a student missed only one examination, then the marks awarded in that examination was the average of the best three among the four scores in the examinations they appeared for. If a student missed two examinations, then the marks awarded in each of these examinations was the average of the best two among the three scores in the examinations they appeared for. The marks obtained by six students in the examination are given in the table below. Each of them missed either one or two examinations.
The following facts are also known.
I. Four of these students appeared in each of the English, Hindi, Science, and Social Science examinations.
II. The student who missed the Mathematics examination did not miss any other examination.
III. One of the students who missed the Hindi examination did not miss any other examination. The other student who missed the Hindi examination also missed the Science examination.

StudentEnglishHindiMathematicsScienceSocial Science
Alva8075707560
Bithi9080558585
Carl75809010090
Deep70901009080
Esha8085956055
Foni8372788883
Q5PuzzlesMCQ

Who among the following did not appear for the Mathematics examination?

Show solution

Correct answer: B

Finding who missed the Mathematics examination

Key rule: If a student missed exactly one examination, the mark awarded for that missed subject equals the average of the best three among the four subjects they actually appeared for. If a student missed two examinations, both missing marks equal the average of the best two of the three real scores — so the two invented marks are equal.

Fact II tells us the student who missed Mathematics missed no other subject. So we are looking for someone whose Mathematics mark equals the average of the best three of their other four scores.

Let us test each student:

StudentOther four scores (E, H, Sc, SS)Best 3 sumAverageMaths markMatch?
Alva80, 75, 75, 6080+75+75 = 23076.770✗
Bithi90, 80, 85, 8590+85+85 = 26086.755✗
Carl75, 80, 100, 90100+90+80 = 2709090✓
Deep70, 90, 100, 80100+90+80 = 27090100✗
Esha80, 85, 60, 5585+80+60 = 2257595✗
Foni83, 72, 88, 8388+83+83 = 25484.778✗

Only Carl has a Mathematics mark (90) that equals the average of the best three of his other four scores. This is consistent with Fact II: Carl missed Mathematics and no other subject.

Answer: Carl (Choice B)

Q6PuzzlesMCQ

Which students did not appear for the English examination?

Show solution

Correct answer: D

Finding who missed the English examination

Recap of the marking rules:

  • Missed one subject → that mark = average of the best 3 of the 4 real scores.
  • Missed two subjects → both missing marks = average of the best 2 of the 3 real scores, so the two invented marks are equal.

We test whose English mark could be an invented (derived) mark.

Esha: English = 80. She has no equal pair among her marks, so she cannot have missed two subjects — she must have missed exactly one. Check: best 3 of {Hindi 85, Maths 95, Science 60, SS 55} = (95 + 85 + 60)/3 = 240/3 = 80 ✓. So Esha missed English only.

Foni: English = 83 and Social Science = 83 — an equal pair, suggesting two missed subjects. The three real scores would be {Hindi 72, Maths 78, Science 88}; best 2 = (88 + 78)/2 = 166/2 = 83 ✓. So Foni missed English + Social Science.

Checking the remaining students confirms their English marks are real scores, not invented ones.

Solved arrangement (examinations missed):

StudentMissed examination(s)
AlvaHindi (+ possibly Science)
BithiScience + Social Science
CarlMathematics
DeepHindi (+ possibly Science)
EshaEnglish
FoniEnglish + Social Science

The two students who did not appear for English are Esha and Foni.

Answer: Esha and Foni (Choice D)

Q7PuzzlesMCQ

What BEST can be concluded about the students who did not appear for the Hindi examination?

Show solution

Correct answer: B

Finding who missed the Hindi examination

Setting up the counts:

Fact I says four students appeared in each of English, Hindi, Science, and Social Science. Since there are six students, each of these four subjects was missed by 6−4=26 - 4 = 2 students. Fact II says Mathematics was missed by exactly 1 student (who missed no other subject).

Total misses across all students = 2+2+2+2+1=92 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 9.

Let xx = students who missed one subject, yy = students who missed two. Then: x+y=6,x+2y=9  ⟹  y=3,  x=3x + y = 6, \quad x + 2y = 9 \implies y = 3,\; x = 3

Using Fact III: The two students who missed Hindi are: one who missed only Hindi, and one who missed Hindi + Science.

We test whose Hindi mark could be invented:

  • Alva: Hindi = 75. If she missed only Hindi, the invented mark = best 3 of {English 80, Maths 70, Science 75, SS 60} = (80 + 75 + 70)/3 = 225/3 = 75 ✓.
  • Deep: Hindi = 90, Science = 90 (an equal pair). If he missed Hindi + Science, the invented mark = best 2 of {English 70, Maths 100, SS 80} = (100 + 80)/2 = 90 ✓.

No other student's Hindi mark can be an invented mark. Therefore, the two Hindi-missers are exactly Alva and Deep — one missed only Hindi and the other missed Hindi + Science, but both definitely missed Hindi.

Solved arrangement:

StudentMissed examination(s)
AlvaHindi (and possibly Science)
BithiScience + Social Science
CarlMathematics
DeepHindi (and possibly Science)
EshaEnglish
FoniEnglish + Social Science

Answer: Alva and Deep (Choice B)

Q8PuzzlesMCQ

What BEST can be concluded about the students who missed the Science examination?

Show solution

Correct answer: A

Finding who missed the Science examination

Science was missed by exactly 2 students (from Fact I: four students appeared, so 6−4=26 - 4 = 2 missed it).

From the Hindi analysis, we know one of Alva or Deep missed Hindi + Science (Fact III says one Hindi-misser also missed Science). So one Science-misser is in {Alva, Deep}.

The other Science-misser must be among the remaining students. We already know:

  • Carl missed Mathematics only.
  • Esha missed English only.
  • Foni missed English + Social Science.

That leaves Bithi. Let us verify:

Bithi: Science = 85, Social Science = 85 (an equal pair). The three real scores would be {English 90, Hindi 80, Maths 55}; best 2 = (90 + 80)/2 = 170/2 = 85 ✓. So Bithi missed Science + Social Science.

Solved arrangement:

StudentMissed examination(s)
AlvaHindi (and possibly Science)
BithiScience + Social Science
CarlMathematics
DeepHindi (and possibly Science)
EshaEnglish
FoniEnglish + Social Science

So Science was missed by Bithi and by exactly one of Alva or Deep. The data does not allow us to determine whether that second person is Alva or Deep.

Answer: Bithi and one out of Alva and Deep (Choice A)

Q9PuzzlesTITA

How many out of these six students missed exactly one examination?

Show solution

Correct answer: 3

Counting students who missed exactly one examination

Counting total misses from the subject side:

From Fact I, each of English, Hindi, Science, and Social Science was missed by 2 students. From Fact II, Mathematics was missed by 1 student.

Total misses=2+2+2+2+1=9\text{Total misses} = 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 9

Setting up equations:

Let xx = number of students who missed exactly one examination, and yy = number who missed exactly two.

  • Every student missed at least one: x+y=6x + y = 6
  • Total misses counted per student: x+2y=9x + 2y = 9

Subtracting the first from the second: y=3,x=3y = 3, \quad x = 3

Verification from the solved arrangement:

StudentMissed examination(s)Number missed
AlvaHindi only or Hindi + Science1 or 2
BithiScience + Social Science2
CarlMathematics1
DeepHindi only or Hindi + Science1 or 2
EshaEnglish1
FoniEnglish + Social Science2

Bithi and Foni definitely missed 2 each. Carl and Esha definitely missed 1 each. One of Alva/Deep missed 1 and the other missed 2. So exactly 3 students missed one examination (Carl, Esha, and one of Alva/Deep).

Answer: 3

Q10PuzzlesTITA

For how many students can we be definite about which examinations they missed?

Show solution

Correct answer: 4

Counting students whose missed examinations we can pin down exactly

Let us walk through each student against the solved arrangement:

StudentMissed examination(s)Definite?
CarlMathematics only — the unique Maths-misser (Fact II)✅ Yes
EshaEnglish only — no equal pair, so exactly one missed; only English fits✅ Yes
BithiScience + Social Science — the only equal pair (85, 85) forces both✅ Yes
FoniEnglish + Social Science — the only equal pair (83, 83) forces both✅ Yes
AlvaHindi only or Hindi + Science — both are mathematically valid❌ No
DeepHindi only or Hindi + Science — both are mathematically valid❌ No

💡 Teacher tip: For Alva, Hindi = 75 works as a single-miss mark (best 3 of 80, 70, 75, 60 = 75), and Hindi = Science = 75 works as a double-miss mark (best 2 of 80, 70, 60 = 75). The same ambiguity exists for Deep (Hindi = Science = 90). Fact III tells us one of them missed only Hindi and the other missed Hindi + Science, but nothing in the data tells us which is which.

So we can be definite about Carl, Esha, Bithi, and Foni — that is 4 students.

Answer: 4

Set · Scheduling & Sequencing

Four institutes, A, B, C, and D, had contracts with four vendors W, X, Y, and Z during the ten calendar years from 2010 to 2019. The contracts were either multi-year contracts running for several consecutive years or single-year contracts. No institute had more than one contract with the same vendor. However, in a calendar year, an institute may have had contracts with multiple vendors, and a vendor may have had contracts with multiple institutes. It is known that over the decade, the institutes each got into two contracts with two of these vendors, and each vendor got into two contracts with two of these institutes.
The following facts are also known about these contracts.
I. Vendor Z had at least one contract in every year.
II. Vendor X had one or more contracts in every year up to 2015, but no contract in any year after that.
III. Vendor Y had contracts in 2010 and 2019. Vendor W had contracts only in 2012.
IV. There were five contracts in 2012.
V. There were exactly four multi-year contracts. Institute B had a 7-year contract, D had a 4-year contract, and A and C had one 3-year contract each. The other four contracts were single-year contracts.
VI. Institute C had one or more contracts in 2012 but did not have any contract in 2011.
VII. Institutes B and D each had exactly one contract in 2012. Institute D did not have any contract in 2010.

Q11Scheduling & SequencingMCQ

In which of the following years were there two or more contracts?

Show solution

Correct answer: C

Setting up the full arrangement

There are 8 contracts in total: each of the 4 institutes signs exactly 2, and each of the 4 vendors signs exactly 2. Fact V tells us 4 are multi-year (B = 7 years, D = 4 years, A = 3 years, C = 3 years) and 4 are single-year — so each institute has one multi-year and one single-year contract.

Step 1 — Assign vendors to contract types.

  • W was active only in 2012 (Fact III), so both W contracts must be single-year, both in 2012.
  • Z must be active in every year 2010–2019 (Fact I) using only 2 contracts. The 7-year contract (B) covers 7 of the 10 years; Z's second contract must cover the remaining gap. So Z takes B's 7-year contract and one 3-year contract.
  • X must cover all of 2010–2015 with no activity after (Fact II). Two multi-year contracts can do this, so X takes the remaining two multi-year contracts (A's 3-year and D's 4-year).
  • Y only needs 2010 and 2019 (Fact III), so Y takes the remaining two single-year contracts.

Step 2 — Place the multi-year contracts.

  • B's 7-year (with Z) must cover 7 consecutive years. Since Z must cover all of 2010–2019, and C's 3-year (with Z) must cover the remaining 3 years, the only split is B–Z: 2010–2016 and C–Z: 2017–2019.
  • X must cover 2010–2015 with A's 3-year and D's 4-year. Fact VII says D had no contract in 2010, so D's contract cannot start in 2010. The only way to cover 2010–2015 with a 3-year and a 4-year (D not starting at 2010) is A–X: 2010–2012 and D–X: 2012–2015.

Step 3 — Place the single-year contracts.

  • W's two contracts are both in 2012. Fact VI says C had a contract in 2012, and C's multi-year (2017–2019) doesn't cover 2012, so C–W: 2012. The other W contract goes to A–W: 2012 (A is active in 2012 via its multi-year, and Fact IV says 5 contracts in 2012).
  • Y's two single-year contracts cover 2010 and 2019. Fact VII says B and D each had exactly one contract in 2012 — their multi-year contracts already supply that, so their single-year contracts must avoid 2012. Since D had no contract in 2010 (Fact VII), D's single-year goes to 2019: D–Y: 2019. B's single-year goes to 2010: B–Y: 2010.

Solved arrangement — the eight contracts

InstituteMulti-year contract (vendor)Single-year contract (vendor)
A2010–2012 (X)2012 (W)
B2010–2016 (Z)2010 (Y)
C2017–2019 (Z)2012 (W)
D2012–2015 (X)2019 (Y)

Contracts active each year:

Year2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
# contracts3252221112

Answering the question

We need the year (among the options) with two or more contracts:

Year (option)2015 (C)2016 (B)2017 (A)2018 (D)
# contracts2111

In 2015, two contracts are active: B–Z (2010–2016) and D–X (2012–2015). The other three options each have only 1 contract.

Answer: 2015 (Choice C)

Q12Scheduling & SequencingMCQ

Which of the following is true?

Show solution

Correct answer: D

Setting up the full arrangement

There are 8 contracts in total: each of the 4 institutes signs exactly 2, and each of the 4 vendors signs exactly 2. Fact V tells us 4 are multi-year (B = 7 years, D = 4 years, A = 3 years, C = 3 years) and 4 are single-year — so each institute has one multi-year and one single-year contract.

Step 1 — Assign vendors to contract types.

  • W was active only in 2012 (Fact III), so both W contracts must be single-year, both in 2012.
  • Z must be active in every year 2010–2019 (Fact I) using only 2 contracts. The 7-year contract (B) covers 7 of the 10 years; Z's second contract must cover the remaining gap. So Z takes B's 7-year contract and one 3-year contract.
  • X must cover all of 2010–2015 with no activity after (Fact II). Two multi-year contracts can do this, so X takes the remaining two multi-year contracts (A's 3-year and D's 4-year).
  • Y only needs 2010 and 2019 (Fact III), so Y takes the remaining two single-year contracts.

Step 2 — Place the multi-year contracts.

  • B's 7-year (with Z) must cover 7 consecutive years. Since Z must cover all of 2010–2019, and C's 3-year (with Z) must cover the remaining 3 years, the only split is B–Z: 2010–2016 and C–Z: 2017–2019.
  • X must cover 2010–2015 with A's 3-year and D's 4-year. Fact VII says D had no contract in 2010, so D's contract cannot start in 2010. The only way to cover 2010–2015 with a 3-year and a 4-year (D not starting at 2010) is A–X: 2010–2012 and D–X: 2012–2015.

Step 3 — Place the single-year contracts.

  • W's two contracts are both in 2012. Fact VI says C had a contract in 2012, and C's multi-year (2017–2019) doesn't cover 2012, so C–W: 2012. The other W contract goes to A–W: 2012.
  • Y's two single-year contracts cover 2010 and 2019. Since D had no contract in 2010 (Fact VII), D's single-year goes to 2019: D–Y: 2019. B's single-year goes to 2010: B–Y: 2010.

Solved arrangement — the eight contracts

InstituteMulti-year contract (vendor)Single-year contract (vendor)
A2010–2012 (X)2012 (W)
B2010–2016 (Z)2010 (Y)
C2017–2019 (Z)2012 (W)
D2012–2015 (X)2019 (Y)

Answering the question

We check each option against the solved table:

  • A: B had a contract with Z in 2017 — B's Z-contract runs 2010–2016; it ended in 2016. False.
  • B: B had a contract with Y in 2019 — B's Y-contract is the single year 2010, not 2019. False.
  • C: D had a contract with X in 2011 — D's X-contract runs 2012–2015, not 2011. False.
  • D: D had a contract with Y in 2019 — D's single-year Y-contract is exactly 2019. True.

Answer: D had a contract with Y in 2019 (Choice D)

Q13Scheduling & SequencingMCQ

In how many years during this period was there only one contract?

Show solution

Correct answer: A

Setting up the full arrangement

There are 8 contracts in total: each of the 4 institutes signs exactly 2, and each of the 4 vendors signs exactly 2. Fact V tells us 4 are multi-year (B = 7 years, D = 4 years, A = 3 years, C = 3 years) and 4 are single-year — so each institute has one multi-year and one single-year contract.

Step 1 — Assign vendors to contract types.

  • W was active only in 2012 (Fact III), so both W contracts must be single-year, both in 2012.
  • Z must be active in every year 2010–2019 (Fact I) using only 2 contracts. The 7-year contract (B) covers 7 of the 10 years; Z's second contract must cover the remaining gap. So Z takes B's 7-year contract and one 3-year contract.
  • X must cover all of 2010–2015 with no activity after (Fact II). Two multi-year contracts can do this, so X takes the remaining two multi-year contracts (A's 3-year and D's 4-year).
  • Y only needs 2010 and 2019 (Fact III), so Y takes the remaining two single-year contracts.

Step 2 — Place the multi-year contracts.

  • B's 7-year (with Z) must cover 7 consecutive years. Since Z must cover all of 2010–2019, and C's 3-year (with Z) must cover the remaining 3 years, the only split is B–Z: 2010–2016 and C–Z: 2017–2019.
  • X must cover 2010–2015 with A's 3-year and D's 4-year. Fact VII says D had no contract in 2010, so D's contract cannot start in 2010. The only way to cover 2010–2015 with a 3-year and a 4-year (D not starting at 2010) is A–X: 2010–2012 and D–X: 2012–2015.

Step 3 — Place the single-year contracts.

  • W's two contracts are both in 2012. Fact VI says C had a contract in 2012, and C's multi-year (2017–2019) doesn't cover 2012, so C–W: 2012. The other W contract goes to A–W: 2012.
  • Y's two single-year contracts cover 2010 and 2019. Since D had no contract in 2010 (Fact VII), D's single-year goes to 2019: D–Y: 2019. B's single-year goes to 2010: B–Y: 2010.

Solved arrangement — the eight contracts

InstituteMulti-year contract (vendor)Single-year contract (vendor)
A2010–2012 (X)2012 (W)
B2010–2016 (Z)2010 (Y)
C2017–2019 (Z)2012 (W)
D2012–2015 (X)2019 (Y)

Contracts active each year:

Year2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
# contracts3252221112

Answering the question

We need the number of years with exactly one active contract. Reading from the table:

  • 2016: only B–Z (2010–2016) → 1 contract
  • 2017: only C–Z (2017–2019) → 1 contract
  • 2018: only C–Z (2017–2019) → 1 contract

Every other year has 2 or more. So there are 3 years with exactly one contract.

Answer: 3 (Choice A)

Q14Scheduling & SequencingMCQ

What BEST can be concluded about the number of contracts in 2010?

Show solution

Correct answer: B

Setting up the full arrangement

There are 8 contracts in total: each of the 4 institutes signs exactly 2, and each of the 4 vendors signs exactly 2. Fact V tells us 4 are multi-year (B = 7 years, D = 4 years, A = 3 years, C = 3 years) and 4 are single-year — so each institute has one multi-year and one single-year contract.

Step 1 — Assign vendors to contract types.

  • W was active only in 2012 (Fact III), so both W contracts must be single-year, both in 2012.
  • Z must be active in every year 2010–2019 (Fact I) using only 2 contracts. The 7-year contract (B) covers 7 of the 10 years; Z's second contract must cover the remaining gap. So Z takes B's 7-year contract and one 3-year contract.
  • X must cover all of 2010–2015 with no activity after (Fact II). Two multi-year contracts can do this, so X takes the remaining two multi-year contracts (A's 3-year and D's 4-year).
  • Y only needs 2010 and 2019 (Fact III), so Y takes the remaining two single-year contracts.

Step 2 — Place the multi-year contracts.

  • B's 7-year (with Z) must cover 7 consecutive years. Since Z must cover all of 2010–2019, and C's 3-year (with Z) must cover the remaining 3 years, the only split is B–Z: 2010–2016 and C–Z: 2017–2019.
  • X must cover 2010–2015 with A's 3-year and D's 4-year. Fact VII says D had no contract in 2010, so D's contract cannot start in 2010. The only way to cover 2010–2015 with a 3-year and a 4-year (D not starting at 2010) is A–X: 2010–2012 and D–X: 2012–2015.

Step 3 — Place the single-year contracts.

  • W's two contracts are both in 2012. Fact VI says C had a contract in 2012, and C's multi-year (2017–2019) doesn't cover 2012, so C–W: 2012. The other W contract goes to A–W: 2012.
  • Y's two single-year contracts cover 2010 and 2019. Since D had no contract in 2010 (Fact VII), D's single-year goes to 2019: D–Y: 2019. B's single-year goes to 2010: B–Y: 2010.

Solved arrangement — the eight contracts

InstituteMulti-year contract (vendor)Single-year contract (vendor)
A2010–2012 (X)2012 (W)
B2010–2016 (Z)2010 (Y)
C2017–2019 (Z)2012 (W)
D2012–2015 (X)2019 (Y)

Contracts active each year:

Year2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
# contracts3252221112

Answering the question

In 2010, the active contracts are:

  1. A–X (multi-year, 2010–2012) — covers 2010 ✓
  2. B–Z (multi-year, 2010–2016) — covers 2010 ✓
  3. B–Y (single-year, 2010) — covers 2010 ✓

No other contract touches 2010: C's multi-year starts in 2017, D's multi-year starts in 2012, and the W contracts are in 2012. So 2010 has exactly 3 contracts.

Answer: exactly 3 (Choice B)

Q15Scheduling & SequencingMCQ

Which institutes had multiple contracts during the same year?

Show solution

Correct answer: C

Setting up the full arrangement

There are 8 contracts in total: each of the 4 institutes signs exactly 2, and each of the 4 vendors signs exactly 2. Fact V tells us 4 are multi-year (B = 7 years, D = 4 years, A = 3 years, C = 3 years) and 4 are single-year — so each institute has one multi-year and one single-year contract.

Step 1 — Assign vendors to contract types.

  • W was active only in 2012 (Fact III), so both W contracts must be single-year, both in 2012.
  • Z must be active in every year 2010–2019 (Fact I) using only 2 contracts. The 7-year contract (B) covers 7 of the 10 years; Z's second contract must cover the remaining gap. So Z takes B's 7-year contract and one 3-year contract.
  • X must cover all of 2010–2015 with no activity after (Fact II). Two multi-year contracts can do this, so X takes the remaining two multi-year contracts (A's 3-year and D's 4-year).
  • Y only needs 2010 and 2019 (Fact III), so Y takes the remaining two single-year contracts.

Step 2 — Place the multi-year contracts.

  • B's 7-year (with Z) must cover 7 consecutive years. Since Z must cover all of 2010–2019, and C's 3-year (with Z) must cover the remaining 3 years, the only split is B–Z: 2010–2016 and C–Z: 2017–2019.
  • X must cover 2010–2015 with A's 3-year and D's 4-year. Fact VII says D had no contract in 2010, so D's contract cannot start in 2010. The only way to cover 2010–2015 with a 3-year and a 4-year (D not starting at 2010) is A–X: 2010–2012 and D–X: 2012–2015.

Step 3 — Place the single-year contracts.

  • W's two contracts are both in 2012. Fact VI says C had a contract in 2012, and C's multi-year (2017–2019) doesn't cover 2012, so C–W: 2012. The other W contract goes to A–W: 2012.
  • Y's two single-year contracts cover 2010 and 2019. Since D had no contract in 2010 (Fact VII), D's single-year goes to 2019: D–Y: 2019. B's single-year goes to 2010: B–Y: 2010.

Solved arrangement — the eight contracts

InstituteMulti-year contract (vendor)Single-year contract (vendor)
A2010–2012 (X)2012 (W)
B2010–2016 (Z)2010 (Y)
C2017–2019 (Z)2012 (W)
D2012–2015 (X)2019 (Y)

Answering the question

An institute has multiple contracts in the same year only if its two contracts overlap in time. We check each institute:

InstituteMulti-year spanSingle-yearOverlap?
A2010–20122012Yes — 2012
B2010–20162010Yes — 2010
C2017–20192012No
D2012–20152019No
  • A: multi-year (2010–2012) and single-year (2012) both cover 2012 → two contracts in 2012. ✓
  • B: multi-year (2010–2016) and single-year (2010) both cover 2010 → two contracts in 2010. ✓
  • C: multi-year (2017–2019) and single-year (2012) do not overlap. ✗
  • D: multi-year (2012–2015) and single-year (2019) do not overlap. ✗

So only A and B had multiple contracts during the same year.

Answer: A and B only (Choice C)

Q16Scheduling & SequencingMCQ

Which institutes and vendors had more than one contracts in any year?

Show solution

Correct answer: B

Setting up the full arrangement

There are 8 contracts in total: each of the 4 institutes signs exactly 2, and each of the 4 vendors signs exactly 2. Fact V tells us 4 are multi-year (B = 7 years, D = 4 years, A = 3 years, C = 3 years) and 4 are single-year — so each institute has one multi-year and one single-year contract.

Step 1 — Assign vendors to contract types.

  • W was active only in 2012 (Fact III), so both W contracts must be single-year, both in 2012.
  • Z must be active in every year 2010–2019 (Fact I) using only 2 contracts. The 7-year contract (B) covers 7 of the 10 years; Z's second contract must cover the remaining gap. So Z takes B's 7-year contract and one 3-year contract.
  • X must cover all of 2010–2015 with no activity after (Fact II). Two multi-year contracts can do this, so X takes the remaining two multi-year contracts (A's 3-year and D's 4-year).
  • Y only needs 2010 and 2019 (Fact III), so Y takes the remaining two single-year contracts.

Step 2 — Place the multi-year contracts.

  • B's 7-year (with Z) must cover 7 consecutive years. Since Z must cover all of 2010–2019, and C's 3-year (with Z) must cover the remaining 3 years, the only split is B–Z: 2010–2016 and C–Z: 2017–2019.
  • X must cover 2010–2015 with A's 3-year and D's 4-year. Fact VII says D had no contract in 2010, so D's contract cannot start in 2010. The only way to cover 2010–2015 with a 3-year and a 4-year (D not starting at 2010) is A–X: 2010–2012 and D–X: 2012–2015.

Step 3 — Place the single-year contracts.

  • W's two contracts are both in 2012. Fact VI says C had a contract in 2012, and C's multi-year (2017–2019) doesn't cover 2012, so C–W: 2012. The other W contract goes to A–W: 2012.
  • Y's two single-year contracts cover 2010 and 2019. Since D had no contract in 2010 (Fact VII), D's single-year goes to 2019: D–Y: 2019. B's single-year goes to 2010: B–Y: 2010.

Solved arrangement — the eight contracts

InstituteMulti-year contract (vendor)Single-year contract (vendor)
A2010–2012 (X)2012 (W)
B2010–2016 (Z)2010 (Y)
C2017–2019 (Z)2012 (W)
D2012–2015 (X)2019 (Y)

Vendor view:

VendorContract 1Contract 2
WA in 2012C in 2012
XA: 2010–2012D: 2012–2015
YB in 2010D in 2019
ZB: 2010–2016C: 2017–2019

Answering the question

We need to find all entities (both institutes and vendors) that had more than one contract in some year — i.e., whose two contracts overlap in time.

Institutes:

InstituteMulti-year spanSingle-yearOverlap?
A2010–20122012Yes — 2012
B2010–20162010Yes — 2010
C2017–20192012No
D2012–20152019No

Vendors:

VendorContract 1 spanContract 2 spanOverlap?
W20122012Yes — 2012
X2010–20122012–2015Yes — 2012
Y20102019No
Z2010–20162017–2019No

💡 Teacher tip: The key insight is that two contracts "overlap" if they share at least one calendar year. For vendors, even though W's two contracts are with different institutes, they both fall in 2012 — so W had two contracts active simultaneously that year.

Combining both lists: the entities with more than one contract in some year are institutes A, B and vendors W, X.

Answer: A, B, W, and X (Choice B)

Set · Puzzles

Ten musicians (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and J) are experts in at least one of the following three percussion instruments: tabla, mridangam, and ghatam. Among them, three are experts in tabla but not in mridangam or ghatam, another three are experts in mridangam but not in tabla or ghatam, and one is an expert in ghatam but not in tabla or mridangam. Further, two are experts in tabla and mridangam but not in ghatam, and one is an expert in tabla and ghatam but not in mridangam.
The following facts are known about these ten musicians.

  1. Both A and B are experts in mridangam, but only one of them is also an expert in tabla.
  2. D is an expert in both tabla and ghatam.
  3. Both F and G are experts in tabla, but only one of them is also an expert in mridangam.
  4. Neither I nor J is an expert in tabla.
  5. Neither H nor I is an expert in mridangam, but only one of them is an expert in ghatam.
Q17PuzzlesMCQ

Who among the following is DEFINITELY an expert in tabla but not in either mridangam or ghatam?

Show solution

Correct answer: D

Step 1 — Count the category sizes

The set-up tells us how many musicians fall into each expertise category:

CategoryCount
Tabla only3
Mridangam only3
Ghatam only1
Tabla + Mridangam (not Ghatam)2
Tabla + Ghatam (not Mridangam)1

These add to 3+3+1+2+1=103+3+1+2+1 = 10, so every musician fits one of these five categories. There is no Mridangam+Ghatam-only person and no all-three expert.

Step 2 — Place the fixed musicians

  • Fact 2: D is an expert in both tabla and ghatam ⇒ D is the unique Tabla+Ghatam person.
  • Fact 4: I is not an expert in tabla.
  • Fact 5: H and I are not experts in mridangam, and exactly one of them is an expert in ghatam.

Since I is neither in tabla nor in mridangam, the only category I can occupy is Ghatam only (the unique Ghatam-only slot). Then, because exactly one of H and I is in ghatam, and that one is I, H is not in ghatam. H is also not in mridangam (Fact 5), so H must be Tabla only.

Step 3 — Check the options

We need someone definitely in tabla only (not mridangam, not ghatam):

  • F — Fact 3 says F is in tabla, but F could be Tabla+Mridangam or Tabla only. Not definite.
  • C — C's category is not yet pinned; could be Tabla only or Mridangam only. Not definite.
  • A — Fact 1 says A is in mridangam; A could be Tabla+Mridangam or Mridangam only. Not definite.
  • H — fixed as Tabla only. ✅

💡 Teacher tip: When a clue says "exactly one of X, Y has property P," first check whether one of them is forced into (or out of) P by other clues — the other follows automatically.

Answer: H (Option D)

Q18PuzzlesMCQ

Who among the following is DEFINITELY an expert in mridangam but not in either tabla or ghatam?

Show solution

Correct answer: B

Step 1 — Recall the fixed placements

Working through the clues (as in the previous question):

  • D is the unique Tabla + Ghatam expert (Fact 2).
  • I is Ghatam only (not tabla by Fact 4, not mridangam by Fact 5).
  • H is Tabla only (not mridangam by Fact 5, not ghatam since I is the ghatam one).

Step 2 — Pin down J

Fact 4 says neither I nor J is an expert in tabla.

  • I is already placed as Ghatam only.
  • J is not in tabla, and the single Ghatam-only slot is already taken by I, so J cannot be Ghatam only.
  • The only remaining category for a non-tabla musician is Mridangam only.

So J is definitely a mridangam-only expert.

Step 3 — Check the options

We need someone definitely in mridangam only (not tabla, not ghatam):

  • B — Fact 1: B is in mridangam, but could be Tabla+Mridangam or Mridangam only. Not definite.
  • J — fixed as Mridangam only. ✅
  • G — Fact 3: G is in tabla, so G cannot be mridangam only. Eliminated.
  • E — E's category is not pinned; could be Tabla only or Mridangam only. Not definite.

Solved arrangement so far

MusicianExpertiseCertain?
DTabla + Ghatamyes
IGhatam onlyyes
HTabla onlyyes
JMridangam onlyyes
ATabla+Mridangam or Mridangam onlyone of {A,B} is T+M
BMridangam only or Tabla+Mridangamcomplement of A
FTabla+Mridangam or Tabla onlyone of {F,G} is T+M
GTabla only or Tabla+Mridangamcomplement of F
CTabla only or Mridangam onlyone of {C,E} is T-only
EMridangam only or Tabla onlycomplement of C

Answer: J (Option B)

Q19PuzzlesMCQ

Which of the following pairs CANNOT have any musician who is an expert in both tabla and mridangam but not in ghatam?

Show solution

Correct answer: B

Step 1 — Identify who can be a Tabla+Mridangam expert

The two Tabla+Mridangam slots are filled by:

  • One of {A, B} — Fact 1 says both A and B are in mridangam, but only one is also in tabla.
  • One of {F, G} — Fact 3 says both F and G are in tabla, but only one is also in mridangam.

So every Tabla+Mridangam expert must come from the set {A, B, F, G}, with exactly one from each pair.

Step 2 — Examine each option

We need the pair that cannot contain any Tabla+Mridangam musician.

  • {F, G}: exactly one of them is Tabla+Mridangam ⇒ can contain one. ❌ (not our answer)
  • {A, B}: exactly one of them is Tabla+Mridangam ⇒ can contain one. ❌
  • {C, F}: F could be the Tabla+Mridangam one ⇒ can contain one. ❌
  • {C, E}: C and E fill the remaining single-instrument slots (one Tabla only, one Mridangam only) — neither can be Tabla+Mridangam. ✅

Solved arrangement — instrument expertise

MusicianExpertiseCertain?
DTabla + Ghatamyes
IGhatam onlyyes
HTabla onlyyes
JMridangam onlyyes
ATabla+Mridangam or Mridangam onlyone of {A,B} is T+M
BMridangam only or Tabla+Mridangamcomplement of A
FTabla+Mridangam or Tabla onlyone of {F,G} is T+M
GTabla only or Tabla+Mridangamcomplement of F
CTabla only or Mridangam onlyone of {C,E} is T-only
EMridangam only or Tabla onlycomplement of C

💡 Teacher tip: The key move is to notice that the Tabla+Mridangam slots are already fully accounted for by {A,B} and {F,G}. Anyone outside that set — like C and E — is structurally barred from being Tabla+Mridangam.

Answer: C and E (Option B)

Q20PuzzlesMCQ

If C is an expert in mridangam and F is not, then which are the three musicians who are experts in tabla but not in either mridangam or ghatam?

Show solution

Correct answer: A

Step 1 — Start from the solved arrangement

From the clues we already have these fixed placements:

MusicianExpertise
DTabla + Ghatam
IGhatam only
HTabla only
JMridangam only

The remaining musicians {A, B, C, E, F, G} fill:

  • 2 Tabla-only slots (one already taken by H, so 2 left)
  • 2 Mridangam-only slots (one already taken by J, so 2 left)
  • 2 Tabla+Mridangam slots

with the pairings:

  • {A, B}: one Tabla+Mridangam, one Mridangam only.
  • {F, G}: one Tabla+Mridangam, one Tabla only.
  • {C, E}: one Tabla only, one Mridangam only.

Step 2 — Apply the extra conditions

Condition 1: C is an expert in mridangam.

  • C is not in tabla (since {C, E} split into one Tabla only and one Mridangam only).
  • So C is Mridangam only, which forces E to be Tabla only.

Condition 2: F is not an expert in mridangam.

  • Fact 3 says F is in tabla. Since F is not in mridangam, F is Tabla only, which forces G to be Tabla+Mridangam.

Step 3 — Collect the three Tabla-only musicians

We need exactly three Tabla-only experts. Reading off:

  • H — fixed Tabla only.
  • E — now Tabla only (from Condition 1).
  • F — now Tabla only (from Condition 2).

That gives the three: H, E, F.

Final arrangement under the extra conditions

MusicianExpertise
DTabla + Ghatam
IGhatam only
HTabla only
JMridangam only
CMridangam only
ETabla only
FTabla only
GTabla + Mridangam
ATabla+Mridangam or Mridangam only
BMridangam only or Tabla+Mridangam

(A and B remain interchangeable, but they do not affect the Tabla-only count.)

💡 Teacher tip: Each "pair" clue ({A,B}, {F,G}, {C,E}) acts like a seesaw: fixing one member's category automatically fixes the other's. Use that to cascade deductions quickly.

Answer: E, F and H (Option A)

Set · Puzzles

1000 patients currently suffering from a disease were selected to study the effectiveness of treatment of four types of medicines — A, B, C and D. These patients were first randomly assigned into two groups of equal size, called treatment group and control group. The patients in the control group were not treated with any of these medicines; instead they were given a dummy medicine, called placebo, containing only sugar and starch. The following information is known about the patients in the treatment group.
a. A total of 250 patients were treated with type A medicine and a total of 210 patients were treated with type C medicine.
b. 25 patients were treated with type A medicine only. 20 patients were treated with type C medicine only. 10 patients were treated with type D medicine only.
c. 35 patients were treated with type A and type D medicines only. 20 patients were treated with type A and type B medicines only. 30 patients were treated with type A and type C medicines only. 20 patients were treated with type C and type D medicines only.
d. 100 patients were treated with exactly three types of medicines.
e. 40 patients were treated with medicines of types A, B and C, but not with medicines of type D. 20 patients were treated with medicines of types A, C and D, but not with medicines of type B.
f. 50 patients were given all the four types of medicines. 75 patients were treated with exactly one type of medicine.

Q21PuzzlesTITA

How many patients were treated with medicine type B?

Show solution

Correct answer: 340

Setting up the Venn diagram

The 1000 patients are split equally: 500 in the treatment group (who receive medicines A, B, C, D) and 500 in the control group (placebo only). All the medicine clues apply to the 500 treatment-group patients, so our Venn diagram has four overlapping sets — A, B, C, D — summing to 500.

Filling in the regions step by step

Step 1 — Exactly-one-type regions.

We are told 75 patients were treated with exactly one type, and three of the four single-medicine regions are given:

  • A only = 25, C only = 20, D only = 10

So B only = 75 − (25 + 20 + 10) = 20.

Step 2 — Exactly-three-type regions.

We are told 100 patients took exactly three types. Two of the four three-type regions are given:

  • ABC only = 40, ACD only = 20

So ABD only + BCD only = 100 − 40 − 20 = 40.

Step 3 — Use the A-total (250) to pin ABD only.

Every region that includes A must sum to 250:

25+20+30+35+40+(ABD only)+20+50=25025 + 20 + 30 + 35 + 40 + (\text{ABD only}) + 20 + 50 = 250

220+ABD only=250  ⟹  ABD only=30220 + \text{ABD only} = 250 \implies \text{ABD only} = 30

Then BCD only = 40 − 30 = 10.

Step 4 — Use the C-total (210) to pin BC only.

Every region that includes C must sum to 210:

20+30+(BC only)+20+40+20+10+50=21020 + 30 + (\text{BC only}) + 20 + 40 + 20 + 10 + 50 = 210

190+BC only=210  ⟹  BC only=20190 + \text{BC only} = 210 \implies \text{BC only} = 20

Step 5 — Use the grand total (500) to pin BD only.

Adding up all 14 known regions:

25+20+20+10+20+30+35+20+20+40+30+20+10+50=35025+20+20+10+20+30+35+20+20+40+30+20+10+50 = 350

BD only=500−350=150\text{BD only} = 500 - 350 = 150

Complete solved Venn diagram

Region (medicines taken)Patients
A only25
B only20
C only20
D only10
A and B only20
A and C only30
A and D only35
B and C only20
B and D only150
C and D only20
A, B and C only40
A, B and D only30
A, C and D only20
B, C and D only10
A, B, C and D (all four)50
Total500

Answering: How many were treated with medicine type B?

We sum every region that includes B:

B=20+20+20+150+40+30+10+50=340B = 20 + 20 + 20 + 150 + 40 + 30 + 10 + 50 = 340

Answer: 340

Q22PuzzlesTITA

The number of patients who were treated with medicine types B, C and D, but not type A was:

Show solution

Correct answer: 10

Setting up the Venn diagram

The 1000 patients are split equally: 500 in the treatment group (who receive medicines A, B, C, D) and 500 in the control group (placebo only). All medicine clues apply to the 500 treatment-group patients.

Finding the BCD-only region

The question asks for patients treated with B, C, and D but not A — this is the "BCD only" region of the Venn diagram.

Step 1 — Narrow down using the exactly-three-types total.

We are told 100 patients took exactly three types of medicine. Two of the four three-type regions are given directly:

  • ABC only = 40 (given in clue e)
  • ACD only = 20 (given in clue e)

So the remaining two three-type regions must satisfy:

ABD only+BCD only=100−40−20=40\text{ABD only} + \text{BCD only} = 100 - 40 - 20 = 40

Step 2 — Use the A-total (250) to pin ABD only.

Every region that includes A sums to 250. Listing them all:

Region including APatients
A only25
A and B only20
A and C only30
A and D only35
A, B and C only40
A, B and D only?
A, C and D only20
All four (A, B, C, D)50

25+20+30+35+40+(ABD only)+20+50=25025 + 20 + 30 + 35 + 40 + (\text{ABD only}) + 20 + 50 = 250

220+ABD only=250  ⟹  ABD only=30220 + \text{ABD only} = 250 \implies \text{ABD only} = 30

Step 3 — Solve for BCD only.

BCD only=40−30=10\text{BCD only} = 40 - 30 = 10

💡 Teacher tip: The region "treated with B, C and D but not A" is exactly the BCD-only region — it is the part of the triple-overlap of B, C, D that excludes A entirely.

Complete solved Venn diagram (for reference)

Region (medicines taken)Patients
A only25
B only20
C only20
D only10
A and B only20
A and C only30
A and D only35
B and C only20
B and D only150
C and D only20
A, B and C only40
A, B and D only30
A, C and D only20
B, C and D only10
A, B, C and D (all four)50
Total500

Answer: 10

Q23PuzzlesTITA

How many patients were treated with medicine types B and D only?

Show solution

Correct answer: 150

Setting up the Venn diagram

The 1000 patients are split equally: 500 in the treatment group (who receive medicines A, B, C, D) and 500 in the control group (placebo only). All medicine clues apply to the 500 treatment-group patients.

Building up to the BD-only region

The question asks for patients treated with B and D only (no A, no C). This is the last unknown region we solve for.

Step 1 — Fill the exactly-one-type regions.

Given: A only = 25, C only = 20, D only = 10, and exactly-one total = 75.

B only=75−(25+20+10)=20\text{B only} = 75 - (25 + 20 + 10) = 20

Step 2 — Fill the exactly-two-type regions (partially given).

From the clues: AB only = 20, AC only = 30, AD only = 35, CD only = 20.

BC only and BD only are unknown for now.

Step 3 — Fill the exactly-three-type regions.

Given: ABC only = 40, ACD only = 20, and exactly-three total = 100.

ABD only+BCD only=100−40−20=40\text{ABD only} + \text{BCD only} = 100 - 40 - 20 = 40

Using the A-total = 250:

25+20+30+35+40+(ABD only)+20+50=250  ⟹  ABD only=3025 + 20 + 30 + 35 + 40 + (\text{ABD only}) + 20 + 50 = 250 \implies \text{ABD only} = 30

BCD only=40−30=10\text{BCD only} = 40 - 30 = 10

Step 4 — Use the C-total (210) to find BC only.

20+30+(BC only)+20+40+20+10+50=210  ⟹  BC only=2020 + 30 + (\text{BC only}) + 20 + 40 + 20 + 10 + 50 = 210 \implies \text{BC only} = 20

Step 5 — Use the grand total (500) to find BD only.

Now every region except BD only is known. Summing all 14 known regions:

25+20+20+10+20+30+35+20+20+40+30+20+10+50=35025+20+20+10+20+30+35+20+20+40+30+20+10+50 = 350

BD only=500−350=150\text{BD only} = 500 - 350 = 150

💡 Teacher tip: When every other region is pinned down by the given totals (A = 250, C = 210, exactly-one = 75, exactly-three = 100, all-four = 50), the grand total of 500 acts as the final equation that closes the system.

Complete solved Venn diagram

Region (medicines taken)Patients
A only25
B only20
C only20
D only10
A and B only20
A and C only30
A and D only35
B and C only20
B and D only150
C and D only20
A, B and C only40
A, B and D only30
A, C and D only20
B, C and D only10
A, B, C and D (all four)50
Total500

Answer: 150

Q24PuzzlesTITA

The number of patients who were treated with medicine type D was:

Show solution

Correct answer: 325

Setting up the Venn diagram

The 1000 patients are split equally: 500 in the treatment group (who receive medicines A, B, C, D) and 500 in the control group (placebo only). All medicine clues apply to the 500 treatment-group patients.

Solving the full Venn diagram

Step 1 — Exactly-one-type regions.

Given A only = 25, C only = 20, D only = 10, and exactly-one total = 75:

B only=75−(25+20+10)=20\text{B only} = 75 - (25 + 20 + 10) = 20

Step 2 — Exactly-three-type regions.

Given ABC only = 40, ACD only = 20, and exactly-three total = 100:

ABD only+BCD only=40\text{ABD only} + \text{BCD only} = 40

Using A-total = 250:

25+20+30+35+40+(ABD only)+20+50=250  ⟹  ABD only=3025 + 20 + 30 + 35 + 40 + (\text{ABD only}) + 20 + 50 = 250 \implies \text{ABD only} = 30

BCD only=40−30=10\text{BCD only} = 40 - 30 = 10

Step 3 — Find BC only using C-total = 210.

20+30+(BC only)+20+40+20+10+50=210  ⟹  BC only=2020 + 30 + (\text{BC only}) + 20 + 40 + 20 + 10 + 50 = 210 \implies \text{BC only} = 20

Step 4 — Find BD only using grand total = 500.

BD only=500−350=150\text{BD only} = 500 - 350 = 150

Complete solved Venn diagram

Region (medicines taken)Patients
A only25
B only20
C only20
D only10
A and B only20
A and C only30
A and D only35
B and C only20
B and D only150
C and D only20
A, B and C only40
A, B and D only30
A, C and D only20
B, C and D only10
A, B, C and D (all four)50
Total500

Answering: How many were treated with medicine type D?

We sum every region that includes D — these are the rows where D appears:

Region including DPatients
D only10
A and D only35
B and D only150
C and D only20
A, B and D only30
A, C and D only20
B, C and D only10
All four (A, B, C, D)50

D=10+35+150+20+30+20+10+50=325D = 10 + 35 + 150 + 20 + 30 + 20 + 10 + 50 = 325

💡 Teacher tip: To find the total for any single medicine, add up every Venn region that contains that medicine — from the single-only region through the all-four overlap.

Answer: 325