CAT LR Scheduling Questions & Solutions

A sample of real CAT LR Scheduling past-year questions, each with a worked solution and the correct answer highlighted. AthenaPrep has 34 LR Scheduling questions in all — sign up free to practise them timed.

1. Passage

   Comprehension:
   A, B, C, D, E and F are the six police stations in an area, which are connected by streets as shown below. Four teams - Team 1, Team 2, Team 3 and Team 4 - patrol these streets continuously between 09:00 hrs. and 12:00 hrs. each day.
   

   

   The teams need 30 minutes to cross a street connecting one police station to another. All four teams start from Station A at 09:00 hrs. and must return to Station A by 12:00 hrs. They can
   also pass via Station A at any point on their journeys.
   The following facts are known.
   1. None of the streets has more than one team traveling along it in any direction at any point in time.
   2. Teams 2 and 3 are the only ones in stations E and D respectively at 10:00 hrs.
   3. Teams 1 and 3 are the only ones in station E at 10:30 hrs.
   4. Teams 1 and 4 are the only ones in stations B and E respectively at 11:30 hrs.
   5. Team 1 and Team 4 are the only teams that patrol the street connecting stations A and E.
   6. Team 4 never passes through Stations B, D or F.

   Q1.CAT 2023

   Which one among the following stations is visited the largest number of times?

   • Station C

   • Station E

   • Station D

   • Station F

   Show solution

   It is given that none of the streets has more than one team traveling along it in any direction at any point in time (point 1), which implies at 9.00 hrs, all 4 teams have chosen different roots from the starting point.

   It is also known that Teams 2 and 3 are the only ones in stations E and D respectively at 10:00 hrs, and Team 1 and Team 4 are the only teams that patrol the street connecting stations A and E.

   It is only possible when Team 2 traveled (A-E) via F, and Team 3 reached station D via station C.

   It is also known that Teams 1 and 3 are the only ones in Station E at 10:30 hrs, and Team 4 never passes through Stations B, D, or F. Hence, Team 1 must have chosen the (A-B) root at the starting point, and Team 4 has chosen the (A-E) root at 9.00 hrs.

   Hence, Team 1 will reach B at 9.30, and come to A at 10.00 hrs. After that, they will go to E at 10.30 hrs. 

   Since Team 4 never passes through stations B, D, or F. Team 4 only can pass through stations A, E, and C.

   Hence, the roots of team 4 to reach station E at 11.30 will be (A-E-A-C-A-E) or (A-E-A-E-A-E).

   Since team 1 is already traveling to E from A at 10.00 hrs, at that time team 4 can't choose the same route. Hence, the final route for team 4 to reach E at 11.30 is (A-E-A-C-A-E), and at 12.00 hrs, team 4 will come back to station A.

   Hence, the complete route diagram for team 4 is (A-E-A-C-A-E-A)

   

   We can see that team 1 is at station E at 10.30 hrs, and they will reach station B at 11.30 hrs, which is only possible when they travel to B via A. 

   Hence, the complete route diagram for team 1 is (A-B-A-E-A-B-A). It is also known that Teams 1 and 3 are the only ones in station E at 10:30 hrs.

   

   The only possible root for Team 2 at 10.00 hrs is from E to F since they can't choose E to D because Team 3 is already on this route. Since team 3 has to reach A at 12.00. The only possible combination for team 3 is E-D-C-A

   

   Now the roots for team 2 going back to A is from F at 10.30 hrs (F-A-F-A) or (F-E-F-A).

   Hence, the final table is given below:

   

   From the table, we can see that among the options station E is visited the largest number of times.
   

2. Q2.CAT 2023

   Which team patrols the street connecting Stations D and E at 10:15 hrs?

   • Team 4

   • Team 1

   • Team 2

   • Team 3

   Show solution

   It is given that none of the streets has more than one team traveling along it in any direction at any point in time (point 1), which implies at 9.00 hrs, all 4 teams have chosen different roots from the starting point.

   It is also known that Teams 2 and 3 are the only ones in stations E and D respectively at 10:00 hrs, and Team 1 and Team 4 are the only teams that patrol the street connecting stations A and E.

   It is only possible when Team 2 traveled (A-E) via F, and Team 3 reached station D via station C.

   It is also known that Teams 1 and 3 are the only ones in Station E at 10:30 hrs, and Team 4 never passes through Stations B, D, or F. Hence, Team 1 must have chosen the (A-B) root at the starting point, and Team 4 has chosen the (A-E) root at 9.00 hrs.

   Hence, Team 1 will reach B at 9.30, and come to A at 10.00 hrs. After that, they will go to E at 10.30 hrs.

   Since Team 4 never passes through stations B, D, or F. Team 4 only can pass through stations A, E, and C.

   Hence, the roots of team 4 to reach station E at 11.30 will be (A-E-A-C-A-E) or (A-E-A-E-A-E).

   Since team 1 is already traveling to E from A at 10.00 hrs, at that time team 4 can't choose the same route. Hence, the final route for team 4 to reach E at 11.30 is (A-E-A-C-A-E), and at 12.00 hrs, team 4 will come back to station A.

   Hence, the complete route diagram for team 4 is (A-E-A-C-A-E-A)

   

   We can see that team 1 is at station E at 10.30 hrs, and they will reach station B at 11.30 hrs, which is only possible when they travel to B via A.

   Hence, the complete route diagram for team 1 is (A-B-A-E-A-B-A). It is also known that Teams 1 and 3 are the only ones in station E at 10:30 hrs.

   

   The only possible root for Team 2 at 10.00 hrs is from E to F since they can't choose E to D because Team 3 is already on this route. Since team 3 has to reach A at 12.00. The only possible combination for team 3 is E-D-C-A

   

   Now the roots for team 2 going back to A is from F at 10.30 hrs (F-A-F-A) or (F-E-F-A).

   Hence, the final table is given below:

   

   From the table, we can see that a 10.15 hrs, team 3 is travelling from station D to station E.

   The correct option is D

3. Passage

   A visa processing office (VPO) accepts visa applications in four categories - US, UK, Schengen, and Others. The applications are scheduled for processing in twenty 15- minute slots starting at 9:00 am and ending at 2:00 pm. Ten applications are scheduled in each slot.

   There are ten counters in the office, four dedicated to US applications, and two each for UK applications, Schengen applications and Others applications. Applicants are called in for processing sequentially on a first-come-first-served basis whenever a counter gets freed for their category. The processing time for an application is the same within each category. But it may vary across the categories. Each US and UK application requires 10 minutes of processing time. Depending on the number of applications in a category and time required to process an application for that category, it is possible that an applicant for a slot may be processed later.

   On a particular day, Ira, Vijay and Nandini were scheduled for Schengen visa processing in that order. They had a 9:15 am slot but entered the VPO at 9:20 am. When they entered the office, exactly six out of the ten counters were either processing applications, or had finished processing one and ready to start processing the next.

   Mahira and Osman were scheduled in the 9:30 am slot on that day for visa processing in the Others category.

   The following additional information is known about that day.
   1. All slots were full.
   2. The number of US applications was the same in all the slots. The same was true for the other three categories.
   3. 50% of the applications were US applications.
   4. All applicants except Ira, Vijay and Nandini arrived on time.
   5. Vijay was called to a counter at 9:25 am.

   Q3.CAT 2023

   How many UK applications were scheduled on that day?

   Answer: 0

   Show solution

   It is given that the applications are scheduled for processing in twenty 15-minute slots starting at 9:00 am and ending at 2:00 pm. Ten applications are scheduled in each slot.

   Hence, the total number of applicants = (20*10) = 200. It is also known that 50% of the applications were US applications, and the number of US applications was the same in all the slots. The same was true for the other three categories.

   Hence, the number of total number of US applicants = (200*50%) = 100, and the number of US applicants in each slot = (100/20) = 5

   It is also known that Ira, Vijay, and Nandini were scheduled for Schengen visa processing in that order. They had a 9:15 am slot. Since the number of Schengen applicants was the same in all the slots, it implies the number of Schengen applicants in each slot is at least 3. 

   Similarly, it is given that Mahira and Osman were scheduled in the 9:30 am slot on that day for visa processing in the Others category, which implies the number of other category applicants in each slot is at least 2. Since the number of total applicants in each slot is 10, this implies the number of Schengen and other applicants in each slot is 3, and 2, respectively. Hence, the number of UK applicants is 0 in each slot.

   It is also known that the number of total counters is 10, among which four are dedicated to US applications, and two each for UK applications, Schengen applications, and Others applications. It is given that each US and UK application requires 10 minutes of processing time, and Vijay was called to a counter at 9:25 am. (Who is 5th in the queue). It can only be possible when the processing time of Schengen applications is 12.5 minutes.

   

   On a particular day, Ira, Vijay, and Nandini were scheduled for Schengen visa processing in that order. They had a 9:15 am slot but entered the VPO at 9:20 am. When they entered the office, exactly six out of the ten counters were either processing applications, or had finished processing one and ready to start processing the next. Hence, at 9.20 am, there are exactly four free counters. Out of these 4, 2 is the UK counter, and the other two are other counters. (Since the US counters and Schengen Counters were either processing applications, or had finished processing one and were ready to start processing the next.)

   From the table, we can say that the total number of UK applicants in each slot is zero, Hence, the total number of applicants is zero.

4. Q4.CAT 2023

   Which of the following statements is false?

   • The application process of Osman was completed before 9:45 am.

   • The application process of Mahira started after Nandini’s.

   • The application process of Osman was completed before Vijay’s.

   • The application process of Mahira was completed before Nandini’s.

   Show solution

   It is given that the applications are scheduled for processing in twenty 15-minute slots starting at 9:00 am and ending at 2:00 pm. Ten applications are scheduled in each slot.

   Hence, the total number of applicants = (20*10) = 200. It is also known that 50% of the applications were US applications, and the number of US applications was the same in all the slots. The same was true for the other three categories.

   Hence, the number of total number of US applicants = (200*50%) = 100, and the number of US applicants in each slot = (100/20) = 5

   It is also known that Ira, Vijay, and Nandini were scheduled for Schengen visa processing in that order. They had a 9:15 am slot. Since the number of Schengen applicants was the same in all the slots, it implies the number of Schengen applicants in each slot is at least 3. 

   Similarly, it is given that Mahira and Osman were scheduled in the 9:30 am slot on that day for visa processing in the Others category, which implies the number of other category applicants in each slot is at least 2. Since the number of total applicants in each slot is 10, this implies the number of Schengen and other applicants in each slot is 3, and 2, respectively. Hence, the number of UK applicants is 0 in each slot.

   It is also known that the number of total counters is 10, among which four are dedicated to US applications, and two each for UK applications, Schengen applications, and Others applications. It is given that each US and UK application requires 10 minutes of processing time, and Vijay was called to a counter at 9:25 am. (Who is 5th in the queue). It can only be possible when the processing time of Schengen applications is 12.5 minutes.

   

   On a particular day, Ira, Vijay, and Nandini were scheduled for Schengen visa processing in that order. They had a 9:15 am slot but entered the VPO at 9:20 am. When they entered the office, exactly six out of the ten counters were either processing applications, or had finished processing one and ready to start processing the next. Hence, at 9.20 am, there are exactly four free counters. Out of these 4, 2 is the UK counter, and the other two are other counters. (Since the US counters and Schengen Counters were either processing applications, or had finished processing one and were ready to start processing the next.)

   Let's check the options.

   Option A: The application process of Osman was completed before 9:45 am. => True (Since he is 5th in the queue, his process will end at 9.35 am)

   Option B: The application process of Mahira started after Nandini’s. => The application process for Mahira starts at 9.30 am, and the application process for Nandini starts at 9.32.30 am => False.

   The correct option is B

5. Passage

   A journal plans to publish 18 research papers, written by eight authors (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H) in four issues of the journal scheduled in January, April, July and October. Each of the research papers was written by exactly one of the eight authors. Five papers were scheduled in each of 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 the total number of papers written by the other four authors. Four of the authors were from India and two each were from Japan and China. Each author belonged to exactly one of the three areas — Manufacturing, Automation, and Logistics. Four of the authors were from the Logistics area and two were from the Automation area. As per the journal policy, none of the authors could have more than one paper in any issue of the journal.

   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 were from the Manufacturing area and none of the Japanese or Chinese authors were from the Automation area.
   4. A and H were from different countries, but had their papers scheduled in exactly the same issues.
   5. C and E, both Chinese authors from different areas, had the same number of papers scheduled. Further, E had papers scheduled in consecutive issues of the journal 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 were 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.

   Q5.CAT 2021

   How many papers were written by Indian authors?

   Answer: 8

   Show solution

   In the information, it is provided that there are four authors in the logistics department, 2 authors in automation, and 2 authors in manufacturing. There are 4 Indian authors, 2 Chinese authors, and 2 Japanese authors.

   The total issues publicized were 18 of which the publications done by A, D, G, H are twice the papers written by the other four authors. Hence A+D+G+H has written 12 papers in total and B+C+E+F has written 6 in total. Since an author can write a minimum of 4 papers and a maximum of 3 papers. Each of A, D, G, H must have written 3 papers each.

   In statement 3 it was provided that none of the Indian authors were from the Manufacturing area and none of the Japanese or Chinese authors were from the Automation area.

   Since none of the Japanese and Chinese authors belonged to automation. Hence the two automation authors must be from India. In statement 1 it was given that F an Indian author is from logistics.

   Of the remaining 5 authors 3 from logistics and 2 from manufacturing, in statement 5 it is given that the two Chinese authors are from different areas and hence they must be from manufacturing and logistics.

   Of the remaining 3 authors 2 in logistics and 1 in manufacturing, in statement 8 is given that a Japanese author belonged to manufacturing, and hence of the remaining 2 in logistics one of them was from India and the other from Japan.

   Of the four Indian authors, 2 belonged to logistics and 2 automation. Of the two authors from Japan, one belonged to manufacturing and one logistics. Of the two Chinese authors, one of them belonged to logistics and the other manufacturing.

   Five papers were scheduled in each of the January and April issues, while four were scheduled in each of July and October issues.

   Using statement 1, F an Indian author wrote a single paper in logistics published in October.

   Using statement 2, A was from Automation and did not have a paper scheduled in October. Since A wrote 3 papers in total he must have written in the other three months and since only Indian authors worked in Automation he must have been from India.

   Using statement 5, C, E are Chinese and wrote an equal number of papers. Since B+C+E+F have written a total of 6 papers. The two possibilities are 2+2+1+1 or 3+1+1+1.. Since it was given that E had papers scheduled in consecutive issues and C did not. So the only possible case is C = 2, E =2, F = 1, B = 1.

   Using statement 4, A and H were from different countries and wrote papers in the same months. Hence H must be Japanese and must have written in Jan, April, July.

   

   In statement 6, B, from the Logistics area, had a paper scheduled in the April issue of the journal.

   In statement 7, B and G belonged to the same country. None of their papers were scheduled in the same issue of the journal. Since B and G belonged to the same country the only possibility is that both of them belonged to the same country and since they published Journals in different months. G must have published in January, July, and October.

   In statement 8, D, a Japanese author from the Manufacturing area, did not have a paper scheduled in the July issue. Hence he must have had the three issues in Jan, April, Oct. The other Japanese author H must have written in logistics.

   The fourth Indian author G must have written a paper in Automation.

   In January, one more paper needs to be publicized, one in April, 1 in July, and one in October.
   In statement 5, E had papers scheduled in consecutive issues of the journal but C did not.

   Hence C must have written in Jan and October, and E in April and July.

   In statement 9, C and H belonged to different areas. Hence C must be from Manufacturing and E must be from Logistics.

   

   Indian authors wrote a total of 3+1+1+3 = 8 papers

6. Q6.CAT 2021

   Which of the following statements is FALSE?

   • There were exactly two papers by authors from Manufacturing area in the January issue.

   • There was exactly one paper by an author from Manufacturing area in the April issue.

   • There was exactly one paper by an author from Logistics area in the October issue.

   • There were exactly two papers by authors from Manufacturing area in the July issue.

   Show solution

   In the information, it is provided that there are four authors in the logistics department, 2 authors in automation, and 2 authors in manufacturing. There are 4 Indian authors, 2 Chinese authors, and 2 Japanese authors.

   The total issues publicized were 18 of which the publications done by A, D, G, H are twice the papers written by the other four authors. Hence A+D+G+H has written 12 papers in total and B+C+E+F has written 6 in total. Since an author can write a minimum of 4 papers and a maximum of 3 papers. Each of A, D, G, H must have written 3 papers each.

   In statement 3 it was provided that none of the Indian authors were from the Manufacturing area and none of the Japanese or Chinese authors were from the Automation area.

   Since none of the Japanese and Chinese authors belonged to automation. Hence the two automation authors must be from India. In statement 1 it was given that F an Indian author is from logistics.

   Of the remaining 5 authors 3 from logistics and 2 from manufacturing, in statement 5 it is given that the two Chinese authors are from different areas and hence they must be from manufacturing and logistics.

   Of the remaining 3 authors 2 in logistics and 1 in manufacturing, in statement 8 is given that a Japanese author belonged to manufacturing, and hence of the remaining 2 in logistics one of them was from India and the other from Japan.

   Of the four Indian authors, 2 belonged to logistics and 2 automation. Of the two authors from Japan, one belonged to manufacturing and one logistics. Of the two Chinese authors, one of them belonged to logistics and the other manufacturing.

   Five papers were scheduled in each of the January and April issues, while four were scheduled in each of July and October issues.

   Using statement 1, F an Indian author wrote a single paper in logistics published in October.

   Using statement 2, A was from Automation and did not have a paper scheduled in October. Since A wrote 3 papers in total he must have written in the other three months and since only Indian authors worked in Automation he must have been from India.

   Using statement 5, C, E are Chinese and wrote an equal number of papers. Since B+C+E+F have written a total of 6 papers. The two possibilities are 2+2+1+1 or 3+1+1+1.. Since it was given that E had papers scheduled in consecutive issues and C did not. So the only possible case is C = 2, E =2, F = 1, B = 1.

   Using statement 4, A and H were from different countries and wrote papers in the same months. Hence H must be Japanese and must have written in Jan, April, July.

   

   In statement 6, B, from the Logistics area, had a paper scheduled in the April issue of the journal.

   In statement 7, B and G belonged to the same country. None of their papers were scheduled in the same issue of the journal. Since B and G belonged to the same country the only possibility is that both of them belonged to the same country and since they published Journals in different months. G must have published in January, July, and October.

   In statement 8, D, a Japanese author from the Manufacturing area, did not have a paper scheduled in the July issue. Hence he must have had the three issues in Jan, April, Oct. The other Japanese author H must have written in logistics.

   The fourth Indian author G must have written a paper in Automation.

   In January, one more paper needs to be publicized, one in April, 1 in July, and one in October.
   In statement 5, E had papers scheduled in consecutive issues of the journal but C did not.

   Hence C must have written in Jan and October, and E in April and July.

   In statement 9, C and H belonged to different areas. Hence C must be from Manufacturing and E must be from Logistics.

   

   There are no authors from Manufacturing in the July issue and hence option D is false.

7. Passage

   The Humanities department of a college is planning to organize eight seminars, one for each of the eight doctoral students - A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H. Four of them are from Economics, three from Sociology and one from Anthropology department. Each student is guided by one among P, Q, R, S and T. Two students are guided by each of P, R and T, while one student is guided by each of Q and S. Each student is guided by a guide belonging to their department. Each seminar is to be scheduled in one of four consecutive 30-minute slots starting at 9:00 am, 9:30 am, 10:00 am and 10:30 am on the same day. More than one seminars can be scheduled in a slot, provided the guide is free. Only three rooms are available and hence at the most three seminars can be scheduled in a slot. Students who are guided by the same guide must be scheduled in consecutive slots.

   The following additional facts are also known.

   1. Seminars by students from Economics are scheduled in each of the four slots.
   2. A’s is the only seminar that is scheduled at 10:00 am. A is guided by R.
   3. F is an Anthropology student whose seminar is scheduled at 10:30 am.
   4. The seminar of a Sociology student is scheduled at 9:00 am.
   5. B and G are both Sociology students, whose seminars are scheduled in the same slot. The seminar of an Economics student, who is guided by T, is also scheduled in the same slot.
   6. P, who is guiding both B and C, has students scheduled in the first two slots.
   7. A and G are scheduled in two consecutive slots.

   Q7.CAT 2020

   Who all are NOT guiding any Economics students?

   • Q, R and S

   • P, Q and R

   • P, R and S

   • P, Q and S

   Show solution

   Let's look at all the students we have A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H. The guides are P,Q,R,S,T and they mentor 2,1,2,1,2 students respectively.

   Slots are 9:00,9:30,10:00,10:30 . Moreover economics, sociology and anthropology have 4,3,1 students respectively.

   Now from 5th statement, two sociology seminars and economics seminars are held in the same slot. This will not take place at 10:00(only one seminar is scheduled at 10:00), this will also not take place at 10:30( An anthropology seminar is scheduled at 10:30 and maximum three seminars are scheduled in a slot. Hence this will happen at either 9 or 9:30. Now from (7) A and G are scheduled in consecutive slots. A is scheduled at 10:00. Hence G will be scheduled at 9:30. SO from (5), there will be three students having their seminars at 9:30.

   Combining this data with the remaining points we get the following table

   

   Moreover we do know that students having same subject are scheduled in consecutive slots. So we get

   

   As we can see from the above table, P,Q and S are not guiding any economics student

8. Q8.CAT 2020

   If D is scheduled in a slot later than Q's, then which of the following two statement(s) is(are) true?
   (i) E and H are guided by T.
   (ii) G is guided by Q.

   • Only (ii)

   • Neither (i) nor (ii)

   • Only (i)

   • Both (i) and (ii)

   Show solution

   

   

   Now D is scheduled in a slot later than Q. Q can mentor only F or G, but obviously he can't mentor F because F is in the last slot, hence Q will mentor G. In that scenario D has to take the 10:30 slot which means D will  be mentored by R and E/H will be mentored by T. So statement 1 and statement 2 both are correct.

9. Passage

   Three doctors, Dr. Ben, Dr. Kane and Dr. Wayne visit a particular clinic Monday to Saturday to see patients. Dr. Ben sees each patient for 10 minutes and charges Rs. 100/-. Dr. Kane sees each patient for 15 minutes and charges Rs. 200/-, while Dr. Wayne sees each patient for 25 minutes and charges Rs. 300/-. The clinic has three rooms numbered 1, 2 and 3 which are assigned to the three doctors as per the following table.
   

   

   The clinic is open from 9 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. every Monday to Saturday.
   On arrival each patient is handed a numbered token indicating their position in the queue, starting with token number 1 every day. As soon as any doctor becomes free, the next patient in the queue enters that emptied room for consultation. If at any time, more than one room is free then the waiting patient enters the room with the smallest number. For example, if the next two patients in the queue have token numbers 7 and 8 and if rooms numbered 1 and 3 are free, then patient with token number 7 enters room number 1 and patient with token number 8 enters room number 3.

   Q9.CAT 2019

   What is the maximum number of patients that the clinic can cater to on any single day?

   • 12

   • 30

   • 31

   • 15

   Show solution

   If all the doctors served the patients one after the other, then in 2.5 hrs, Ben will serve 15 patients, Kane will serve 10 patients and Wayne will serve 6 patients.

   A total of 31 patients can be served on a particular day.

10. Q10.CAT 2019

    On a slow Thursday, only two patients are waiting at 9 a.m. After that two patients keep arriving at exact 15-minute intervals starting at 9:15 a.m. -- i.e. at 9:15 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m. etc. Then the total duration in minutes when all three doctors are simultaneously free is

    • 30

    • 10

    • 15

    • 0

    Show solution

    On Thursday, the preference order for the patients is Wayne, Ben and Kane. 

    The first two customers will be served by Wayne and Ben. While Kane will be empty for the first 15 mins. Then he and Ben will serve the next two customers and Wayne will be empty for 5 minutes as shown in the figure below.

    

    As we can see that the cycle will repeat after every 30 mins.

    So all three doctors are never simultaneously free.

    Option D

11. Passage

    Seven candidates, Akil, Balaram, Chitra, Divya, Erina, Fatima, and Ganeshan, were invited to interview for a position. Candidates were required to reach the venue before 8 am. Immediately upon arrival, they were sent to one of three interview rooms: 101, 102, and 103. The following venue log shows the arrival times for these candidates. Some of the names have not been recorded in the log and have been marked as ‘?’.
    

    
    Additionally here are some statements from the candidates:

    Balaram: I was the third person to enter Room 101.
    Chitra: I was the last person to enter the room I was allotted to.
    Erina: I was the only person in the room I was allotted to.
    Fatima: Three people including Akhil were already in the room that I was allotted to when I entered it.
    Ganeshan : I was one among the two candidates allotted to Room 102.

    Q11.CAT 2018

    When did Erina reach the venue?

    • 7:45 am

    • 7:25 am

    • 7:15 am

    • 7:10 am

    Show solution

    It is given that there were a total of 3 rooms and seven candidates. Ganeshan said that he was one among the two candidates allotted to Room 102 whereas Erina said that she is the only person in the room she was allotted to. Therefore, we can say that there were 1 and 4 candidates in either 101 or 103 room. But it is given that Balaram was the third person to enter in the Room 101 therefore we can say that there were 4 candidates in Room 101 and only 1 candidate in room 103. 

    

    Fatima said that three people including Akhil were already in the room that I was allotted to when I entered it. Hence, we can say that Fatima was the last person to enter in 101 and Akhil is the first person who entered in room 101. 

    Chitra said that she was the last person to enter the room she was allotted to. Hence, we can say that Chitra was allotted room no 102 and she entered after Ganeshan.  

    Erina was the only person in room no 103. 

    

    Balaram said he was third to enter room no 101. Hence, we can say that Divya was second person who entered in room 101. 

    Since Chitra and Fatima were already in by 7:40 AM we can say that the candidate who entered at 7:45 am is Erina. 

    

    From the table we can see that Erina reached the venue at 7:45 am. Hence, option A is the correct answer. 

12. Passage

    Healthy Bites is a fastfood joint serving three items, burgers, fries and ice cream. It has two employees Anish and Bani who prepare the items ordered by the clients. Preparation time is 10 minutes for a burger and 2 minutes for an order of Ice cream. An employee can prepare only one of these items at a time. The fries are prepared in an automatic fryer which can prepare upto to 3 portions of fries at a time, and takes 5 minutes irrespective of the number of portions. The fryer does not need an employee to constantly attend to it, and we can ignore the time taken by an employee to start and stop the fryer; thus, an employee can be engaged in preparing other items while the frying is on. However fries cannot be prepared in anticipation of future orders.

    Healthy Bites wishes to serve the orders as early as possible. The individual items in any order are served as and when ready; however,the order is considered to be completely served only when all the items of that order are served.

    The table below gives the orders of three clients and the times at which they placed their orders:

    
    Q12.CAT 2017

    Assume that only one client's order can be processed at any given point of time. So, Anish or Bani cannot start preparing a new order while a previous order is being prepared.
    At what time is the order placed by Client 3 completely served?

    • 10:35

    • 10:22

    • 10:25

    • 10:17

    Show solution

    It is given that 

    1 burger takes 10 minutes

    1 ice cream takes 2 minutes and 3 portions of fries take 5 min by the machine (operator is not required).

    Anish or Bani cannot start preparing a new order while a previous order is being prepared.
    

    The first order will be completely done at 10:10.

    The second order is two fries and one ice cream, which will be done by 10:15.

    The third order is one 1 burger and 1 portion of fries.

    The burger will take 10 minutes, by which fries will be ready.

    Thus, the third order will be completed by 10:25.

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