CAT Vocabulary Questions with Solutions PDF

Vocabulary questions account for nearly 20-25 per cent of the entire CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section. A good hold on contextual vocabulary can help candidates obtain a good score in the Reading Comprehension (RC) as well as the Verbal Ability (VA) subsections. In each session of the CAT exam, candidates can expect no direct synonym or antonym questions, as the exam pattern has completely evolved over the years. Instead, the ability to comprehend and interpret the meaning is tested through context across all 24 questions. A well-prepared test-taker must target processing and solving vocabulary-dependent RC questions within 1.5 to 2 minutes per question after reading the passage.

In the CAT 2026 exam, apart from word usage, candidates will find vocabulary acting as a foundation to assess critical reading skills and structural logic. Candidates find complex words in passages covering Philosophy and Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology, and Economics or Science Policy. A strong vocabulary base is also helpful in understanding advanced CAT question types like Author's Tone Identification, Inference-based elimination, and structural VA applications like Para Summary and Odd-Sentence-Out sets.

Sample CAT Vocabulary Questions with Solutions

Question 1

• Difficulty Level: Easy

• Sub-topic: Vocabulary in Context

Q: The central bank’s decision to lower interest rates was not an act of desperation, but a calculated move to inject liquidity into a moribund credit market that had been frozen since the collapse of the tech conglomerate. Choose the word that best captures the contextual meaning of the bolded word:

1. Flourishing

2. Volatile

3. Stagnant

4. Nascent

Question 2

• Difficulty Level: Easy

• Sub-topic: Antonyms

Q: While the legacy systems of the traditional banking sector are notoriously rigid, fintech startups pride themselves on their highly malleable infrastructure, which can adapt instantly to regulatory changes. Identify the word that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the bolded word:

1. Pliant

2. Refractory

3. Amorphous

4. Resilient

Question 3

• Difficulty Level: Medium

• Sub-topic: Word Usage

Q: Choose the option that indicates the sentences where the word COMPRISE has been used correctly.

1. The international trade committee is comprised of representatives from over twelve developing countries.

2. Diverse technological frameworks comprise the overarching architecture of the smart city platform.

3. The venture capital portfolio comprises five biotech startups and three renewable energy firms.

4. Individual historical properties comprise the cultural heritage conservation zone of the old town.

Answer Options:

1. 1 and 4
2. 2 and 3
3. 1, 2, and 3
4. 2, 3, and 4

Question 4

• Difficulty Level: Medium

• Sub-topic: Contextual Meaning

Q: The board of directors found the manager’s presentation to be exceptionally trenchant, as it cleanly cut through layers of corporate jargon to highlight the structural flaws threatening their supply chains. The word trenchant most closely matches the meaning of which word in this context?

1. Incoherent

2. Incisive

3. Verbose

4. Conciliatory

Question 5

• Difficulty Level: Hard

• Sub-topic: Word Usage

Q: Choose the option that accurately indicates the sentences where the word QUALIFY has been used correctly.

1. To protect her academic credibility, the historian had to qualify her thesis by noting that the archival evidence was limited to urban centers.

2. The athletic commission ruled that the sprinter’s record-breaking performance would qualify him for the championship final.

3. After receiving updated fiscal data, the economist felt compelled to qualify his optimistic GDP projections with severe caveats.

4. The defence attorney attempted to qualify the witness’s absolute statements by introducing evidence of partial vision impairment.

Answer Options:

1. 2 and 3 only
2. 1, 2, and 3 only
3. 1, 3, and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3, and 4