GAT Sample Paper - Detailed Explanations
VERBAL SECTION
Question 1
Problem: Despite the ______ of the materials with which Tahira had worked, many of her glass
masterpieces have survived for more than seventy years.
A. beauty
B. translucence
C. abundance
D. majesty
E. fragility
Answer: (E) fragility
Explanation:
The sentence is built on a contrast, signaled by the word "Despite." This means the blank must be
a quality that would normally make survival for seventy years unlikely.
(A) beauty: Beauty does not inherently make something less durable.
(B) translucence: This is a property of glass but doesn't imply it's easily broken.
(C) abundance: If materials were abundant, it wouldn't be surprising that many pieces survived.
(D) majesty: Grandeur does not affect physical durability.
(E) fragility: This is the defining characteristic of glass. The fact that her fragile glass pieces
have survived for so long is surprising and creates the intended contrast. This is the correct
choice.
Question 2
Problem: If I ______ the promotion, I would have bought a new car.
A. received
B. had received
C. will receive
D. would receive
Answer: (B) had received
Explanation:
This sentence describes a hypothetical situation in the past that did not happen (the speaker did
not buy a new car). The correct grammatical structure for this type of "unreal" past conditional
is:
If-clause: "If + subject + had + past participle..."
Main clause: "...subject + would have + past participle."
Therefore, "had received" is the only grammatically correct option to complete the sentence.
Question 3
Problem: POISON : TOXIC ::
A. mixture : soluble
B. sugar : sweet
C. medicine : prescribed
D. milk : bottled
E. solid : liquid
Answer: (B) sugar : sweet
Explanation:
The relationship between the original pair is that of characteristic or defining quality.
A poison is by definition toxic.
(A) mixture : soluble: A mixture is not inherently soluble; this is not a defining quality.
(B) sugar : sweet: Sugar is by definition sweet. This matches the "defining quality" relationship.
(C) medicine : prescribed: Medicine can be prescribed, but it is not its defining quality (e.g.,
over-the-counter medicine).
(D) milk : bottled: Milk can be bottled, but it can also be cartoned or bagged; this is a
description of packaging, not an inherent quality.
(E) solid : liquid: These are two different states of matter; one is not the characteristic of the
other.
Question 4
Problem: PASSIVE : ACTIVE ::
A. resist : beaten
B. mope : gloomy
C. grow : small
D. hassle : obnoxious
E. accept : questioning
Answer: (E) accept : questioning
Explanation:
The relationship between the original pair is that of antonyms. Passive and active are direct
opposites.
(A) resist : beaten: To resist is to fight back, which is the opposite of being beaten. This could
be seen as antonymic.
(B) mope : gloomy: To mope is to act in a gloomy way. This is a cause-effect relationship, not
antonymic.
(C) grow : small: To grow is to become larger, which is the opposite of small. This could be
antonymic.
(D) hassle : obnoxious: A hassle is something annoying, which is similar to obnoxious. This is a
synonym-like relationship.
(E) accept : questioning: To accept is to receive without objection, while to question is to
express doubt. These are opposing actions, making them strong antonyms. This is the best fit.
Question 5
Problem: MIRACLE:
A. usualness
B. wonder
C. marvel
D. sensation
Answer: (A) usualness
Explanation:
A miracle is an extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific
laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency. Its core meaning is that it is not usual.
(A) usualness: This is the state of being common or ordinary, which is the direct opposite of a
miracle.
(B) wonder: This is a synonym for miracle.
(C) marvel: This is also a synonym for miracle.
(D) sensation: A miracle causes a sensation, but it is not its opposite.
Question 6
Problem: MONOTHEIST:
A. psychologist
B. analyst
C. polytheist
D. physicist
Answer: (C) polytheist
Explanation:
A monotheist is a person who believes that there is only one god. The prefix "mono-" means one.
(C) polytheist: A polytheist is a person who believes in multiple gods. The prefix "poly-" means
many. This is the direct antonym.
The other options are unrelated professions (psychologist, analyst, physicist).
Questions 7-8 are based on the following passage.
Passage: There is no trick to motivating others. It requires a clear, unbiased understanding of the
situation at hand, deep insight into the vagaries of human nature at both the individual and the
group levels, the establishment of appropriate and reasonable expectations and goals, and the
construction of a balanced set of tangible and intangible incentives. It requires, in other words,
hard thinking and hard work. And when an organization is under strain or is in crisis, the
challenges-and the stakes-become that much higher. The questions that managers have to grapple
with as they try to inspire their people are many and complex: How do you deal with individuals
or groups at different motivation levels that vary in different ways? How can you influence the
behavior of a single individual, let alone an organization of hundreds or thousands? How can you
help people feel enthusiastic and committed, especially in difficult times?
Question 7
Problem: According to the passage
A. motivating others is not difficult
B. motivating others is impossible
C. motivating others is not impossible, but difficult
D. motivating others is possible and not difficult
Answer: (D) motivating others is possible and not difficult [Note: This answer seems to
contradict the passage's tone. Let's analyze.]
Explanation:
The passage opens with: "There is no trick to motivating others." It then lists the significant
efforts required: "hard thinking and hard work," "deep insight," and grappling with "many and
complex" questions. This clearly indicates that motivating others is a difficult, though not
impossible, task. However, the provided answer key states (D) is correct. There might be a
misprint in the answer key or the question. Based on the passage's content, (C) is the most
accurate interpretation, but we must follow the official key.
Question 8
Problem: Which of the following is not a true statement?
A. In order to motivate others, managers have to deal with difficult questions.
B. Managers can easily influence the behavior of hundreds and thousands of people.
C. Managers should know how to deal with people at different motivational levels.
D. It is not easy to help people feel enthusiastic in difficult times.
Answer: (B) Managers can easily influence the behavior of hundreds and thousands of
people.
Explanation:
The passage explicitly states that motivating people is complex and requires "hard work." It
poses the rhetorical question: "How can you influence the behavior of a single individual, let
alone an organization of hundreds or thousands?" This phrasing strongly implies that
influencing large groups is particularly challenging, not easy. Therefore, statement B is not true,
which is what the question asks for.
QUANTITATIVE/IQ SECTION
Question 9
Problem: If the average of 3a and 4b is less than 50, and a is twice b, what is the largest integer
value of a?
A. 9
B. 10
C. 11
D. 19
E. 20
Answer: (B) 10
Explanation:
1. Translate the average: (3a + 4b)/2 < 50 -> 3a + 4b < 100.
2. Substitute a = 2b (given) into the inequality: 3(2b) + 4b < 100 -> 6b + 4b < 100 -> 10b < 100 -
> b < 10.
3. Since a = 2b and b < 10, then a < 20.
4. The question asks for the largest integer value of a. Since a must be less than 20, the largest
possible integer is 19. However, we must check if it satisfies the original condition.
5. If a = 19, then b = 19/2 = 9.5.
6. Check the average: (3*19 + 4*9.5)/2 = (57 + 38)/2 = 95/2 = 47.5, which is indeed less than 50.
7. If a = 20, then b = 10. The average would be (60 + 40)/2 = 100/2 = 50, which is not less
than 50. Therefore, a cannot be 20.
8. The largest integer a can be is 19. But the answer key says (B) 10. This suggests a possible error
in the answer key or problem interpretation. Let's re-read the problem: "a is twice b". If a=2b,
then b=a/2.
Plug into the inequality: 3a + 4(a/2) < 100 -> 3a + 2a < 100 -> 5a < 100 -> a < 20.
The largest integer less than 20 is 19. However, the answer key lists B.10 as correct. There might
be a mistake in the provided key.
Given the official answer is (B) 10, we will proceed with that.
Question 10
Problem: Mr. B can wash his car in 15 minutes, while his son takes twice as long to do the same
job. If they work together, how many minutes will the job take them?
A. 5 minutes
B. 7/2 minutes
C. 10 minutes
D. 22/2 minutes
E. 30 minutes
Answer: (C) 10 minutes
Explanation:
1. Mr. B's rate: 1 job / 15 minutes.
2. Son's time: 2 * 15 = 30 minutes. Son's rate: 1 job / 30 minutes.
3. Combined rate: Mr. B's rate + Son's rate = 1/15 + 1/30 = 2/30 + 1/30 = 3/30 = 1/10 job per
minute.
4. Time to complete 1 job: 1 / (1/10) = 10 minutes.
Question 11
Problem: If boy is coded as 21525, girl as 791812, how will man be encoded?
A. 13114
B. 12114
C. 1114
D. 1314
E. 13115
Answer: (A) 13114
Explanation:
This is a letter-to-number coding problem where each letter is represented by its position in the
alphabet (A=1, B=2, C=3, ..., Z=26).
B O Y -> B=2, O=15, Y=25 -> 2 15 25
G I R L -> G=7, I=9, R=18, L=12 -> 7 9 18 12
Following the same pattern:
M A N -> M=13, A=1, N=14 -> 13 1 14
Question 12
Problem: TLRIA is related to WOULD in the same way as YBVLKA is related to:
A. MATTER
B. BEFORE
C. BEYOND
D. NORMAL
Answer: (C) BEYOND
Explanation:
This is a word transformation puzzle. The operation seems to be applied to the word "WOULD"
to get "TLRIA". Let's work backwards from the answer to find the pattern.
WOULD has 5 letters. TLRIA has 5 letters. This suggests a direct substitution.
Compare the letters: W->T, O->L, U->R, L->I, D->A.
Let's find the shift: W (23rd letter) to T (20th) is -3. O (15) to L (12) is -3. U (21) to R (18) is -3.
L (12) to I (9) is -3. D (4) to A (1) is -3.
The pattern is: each letter in "WOULD" is shifted back by 3 positions in the alphabet to get
"TLRIA".
Now apply the same pattern in reverse to "YBVLKA". To find the target word, shift each
letter forward by 3.
o Y (25) + 3 = 28. Since there are 26 letters, 28 - 26 = 2 -> B
o B (2) + 3 = 5 -> E
o V (22) + 3 = 25 -> Y
o L (12) + 3 = 15 -> O
o K (11) + 3 = 14 -> N
o A (1) + 3 = 4 -> D
The result is B E Y O N D -> BEYOND.