CAT VARC Questions with Answers PDF; Practice Test & Preparation Guide

Updated on Jul 30, 2026 11:24 IST

By Abhishek Dhawan, Deputy Manager - MBA & BBA Content

CAT VARC questions are high-scoring; attempting 2-3 sets with high accuracy can also help boost the overall score. CAT question paper has a total of 24 questions from VARC. Candidates find CAT VARC questions on Reading Comprehension passages, Verbal Ability, and Para Jumbles.

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In the CAT exam, apart from the VARC questions, a good hold on VARC concepts indirectly helps in comprehension and critical thinking skills for DILR section. Some of the key themes for CAT VARC section include Para Summary, Odd One Out, and Paragraph Completion. Candidates can find CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension questions with solutions PDF for download. Also find a preparation guide for CAT VARC section below.

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Table of contents

Sample CAT VARC Questions with Solutions

Sample CAT VARC Questions with Solutions

Directions for Q1 to Q4: Reading Comprehension Passage

View Reading Comprehension Passage

Stoicism was founded in 300 BC by the Greek philosopher Zeno and survived into the Roman era until about AD 300. According to the Stoics, emotions consist of two movements. The first movement is the immediate feeling and other reactions (e.g., physiological response) that occur when a stimulus or event occurs. For instance, consider what could have happened if an army general accused Marcus Aurelius of treason in front of other officers. The first movement for Marcus may have been (internal) surprise and anger in response to this insult, accompanied perhaps by some involuntary physiological and expressive responses such as face flushing and a movement of the eyebrows. The second movement is what one does next about the emotion. Second movement behaviors occur after thinking and are under one’s control. Examples of second movements for Marcus might have included a plot to seek revenge, actions signifying deference and appeasement, or perhaps proceeding as he would have proceeded whether or not this event occurred: continuing to lead the Romans in a way that Marcus Aurelius believed best benefited them. In the Stoic view, choosing a reasoned, unemotional response as the second movement is the only appropriate response.

The Stoics believed that to live the good life and be a good person, we need to free ourselves of nearly all desires such as too much desire for money, power, or sexual gratification. Prior to second movements, we can consider what is important in life. Money, power, and excessive sexual gratification are not important. Character, rationality, and kindness are important. The Epicureans, first associated with the Greek philosopher Epicurus . . . held a similar view, believing that people should enjoy simple pleasures, such as good conversation, friendship, food, and wine, but not be indulgent in these pursuits and not follow passion for those things that hold no real value like power and money. As Oatley (2004) states, “the Epicureans articulated a view—enjoyment of relationship with friends, of things that are real rather than illusory, simple rather than artificially inflated, possible rather than vanishingly unlikely—that is certainly relevant today” . . . In sum, these ancient Greek and Roman philosophers saw emotions, especially strong ones, as potentially dangerous. They viewed emotions as experiences that needed to be [reined] in and controlled.

As Oatley (2004) points out, the Stoic idea bears some similarity to Buddhism. Buddha, living in India in the 6th century BC, argued for cultivating a certain attitude that decreases the probability of (in Stoic terms) destructive second movements. Through meditation and the right attitude, one allows emotions to happen to oneself (it is impossible to prevent this), but one is advised to observe the emotions without necessarily acting on them; one achieves some distance and decides what has value and what does not have value. Additionally, the Stoic idea of developing virtue in oneself, of becoming a good person, which the Stoics believed we could do because we have a touch of the divine, laid the foundation for the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam . . . As with Stoicism, tenets of these religions include controlling our emotions lest we engage in sinful behavior.

Q1. "Through meditation and the right attitude, one allows emotions to happen to oneself (it is impossible to prevent this), but one is advised to observe the emotions without necessarily acting on them; one achieves some distance and decides what has value and what does not have value." In the context of the passage, which one of the following is not a possible implication of the quoted statement?

“Meditation and the right attitude”, in this instance, implies an initially passive reception of all experiences.
Meditation allows certain out-of-body experiences that permit us to gain the distance necessary to control our emotions.
The observation of emotions in a distant manner corresponds to the second movement referred to earlier in the passage.
Emotional responses can make it difficult to distinguish valuable experiences from valueless experiences.

Q2. Which one of the following statements would be an accurate inference from the example of Marcus Aurelius?

Marcus Aurelius was humiliated by the accusation of treason in front of the other officers.
Marcus Aurelius was a Stoic whose philosophy survived into the Roman era.
Marcus Aurelius plotted revenge in his quest for justice.
Marcus Aurelius was one of the leaders of the Roman army.

Q3. Which one of the following statements, if false, could be seen as contradicting the facts/arguments in the passage?

Despite practising meditation and cultivating the right attitude, emotions cannot ever be controlled.
The Greek philosopher Zeno survived into the Roman era until about AD 300.
In the Epicurean view, indulging in simple pleasures is not desirable.
In the Stoic view, choosing a reasoned, unemotional response as the first movement is an appropriate response to emotional situations.

Q4. On the basis of the passage, which one of the following statements can be regarded as true?

The Stoics valorised the pursuit of money, power, and sexual gratification.
The Stoic influences can be seen in multiple religions.
The Epicureans believed in controlling all emotions.
There were no Stoics in India at the time of the Roman civilisation.

Topic: Odd One Out

Q5. Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.

In English, there is no systematic rule for the naming of numbers; after ten, we have "eleven" and "twelve" and then the teens: "thirteen", "fourteen", "fifteen" and so on.
Even more confusingly, some English words invert the numbers they refer to: the word "fourteen" puts the four first, even though it appears last.
It can take children a while to learn all these words, and understand that "fourteen" is different from "forty".
For multiples of 10, English speakers switch to a different pattern: "twenty", "thirty", "forty" and so on.
If you didn't know the word for "eleven", you would be unable to just guess it – you might come up with something like "one-teen".

Answer Format: [Key in the number of the option]

Topic: Para Jumbles

Q6. The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:

The more we are able to accept that our achievements are largely out of our control, the easier it becomes to understand that our failures, and those of others, are too.
But the raft of recent books about the limits of merit is an important correction to the arrogance of contemporary entitlement and an opportunity to reassert the importance of luck, or grace, in our thinking.
Meritocracy as an organising principle is an inevitable function of a free society, as we are designed to see our achievements as worthy of reward.
And that in turn should increase our humility and the respect with which we treat our fellow citizens, helping ultimately to build a more compassionate society.

Answer Format: [Key in the sequence of the four numbers]

Q7. The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4) given below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequence of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer.

Metaphors may map to similar meanings across languages, but their subtle differences can have a profound effect on our understanding of the world.
Latin scholars point out carpe diem is a horticultural metaphor that, particularly seen in the context of its source, is more accurately translated as “plucking the day,” evoking the plucking and gathering of ripening fruits or flowers, enjoying a moment that is rooted in the sensory experience of nature, unrelated to the force implied in seizing.
The phrase carpe diem, which is often translated as “seize the day and its accompanying philosophy, has gone on to inspire countless people in how they live their lives and motivates us to see the world a little differently from the norm
It’s an example of one of the more telling ways that we mistranslate metaphors from one language to another, revealing in the process our hidden assumptions about what we really value.

Answer Format: [Key in the sequence of the four numbers]

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