CAT Odd One Out Questions [Download PDF]

Odd One Out is one of the key topics in the CAT VARC Section. You can check out these Odd One Out questions in the CAT Previous year’s papers, along with detailed video solutions. Also, note that questions on Out One Out in the VARC section have not appeared in the CAT 2022 Examination. These questions have appeared in CAT 2021 and in its previous years. However, CAT is known to throw surprises, and it would help to practice a few questions on this topic. This article will look into some important Odd One Out Questions for CAT VARC. These are good sources for practice; If you want to practice these questions, you can download this CAT Odd One Out Most Important Questions PDF below, which is completely Free.

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Instructions

Arrange the four sentences in their proper order so that they make a logically coherent paragraph.

Question 1: 1. The Saheli Programme, run by the US Cross-Cultural Solutions, is offering a three week tour of India that involves a lot more than frenzied sightseeing.
2. Participants interested in women’s issues will learn about arranged marriages, dowry and infanticide.
3. Holiday packages include all sorts of topics, but female infanticide must be the first for tourism.
4. Interspersed with these talks and meetings are visits to cities like New Delhi and Agra, home to the Taj Mahal.

1) Answer: 1324

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Solution:

1 should start the para as it introduces the Saheli Programme. It also states that an offer being made by the programme. 3 further takes the idea forward and gives details about it. 2 and 4 form a pair as 4 refers to some talks, the topic for which is mentioned in 2. Thus, the correct order is 1324.

Question 2: Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph. Identify the odd one out.

1. Neuroscientists have just begun studying exercise’s impact within brain cells — on the genes themselves.
2. Even there, in the roots of our biology, they’ ve found signs of the body’s influence on the mind.
3. It turns out that moving our muscles produces proteins that travel through the bloodstream and into the brain, where they play pivotal roles in the mechanisms of our highest thought processes.
4. In today’s technology-driven, plasma-screened-in world, it’s easy to forget that we are born movers-animals, in fact — because we’ ve engineered movement right out of our lives.
5. It’s only in the past few years that neuroscientists have begun to describe these factors and how they work, and each new discovery adds awe-inspiring depth to the picture.

2) Answer: 4

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Solution:

After reading all the sentences, we know that the passage is about the study of the effect of exercise on the mind by the neuroscientists. Statement 1 is the opening sentence as it introduces the main idea and suggests that neuroscientists have started studying the effect of exercise on the mind. Statement 2 discusses the findings of the study mentioned in statement 1. Statement 3 further elaborates the finding and explains the reasons behind the effect of exercise on brain cells. Statement 5 is a conclusion sentence based on the study mentioned in the three sentences mentioned earlier. Thus, 1235  forms a meaningful paragraph.
Statement 4 focuses on our ignorance of movements due to the widespread use of technology. Other four sentences are about the relationship between exercise and brain cells. However, statement 4 is about a different topic. Therefore, statement 4 is an odd sentence which does not fit in the paragraph.
Hence, 4 is the correct answer.

Question 3: The five sentences labelled (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) given in this question, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a number. Decide on the proper order for the sentences and key in this sequence of FIVE NUMBERS as your answer.

1. Before plants can take life from atmosphere, nitrogen must undergo transformations similar to ones that food undergoes in our digestive machinery.
2. In its aerial form nitrogen is insoluble, unusable and is in need of transformation.
3. Lightning starts the series of chemical reactions that need to happen to nitrogen, ultimately helping it nourish our earth.
4. Nitrogen — an essential food for plants — is an abundant resource, with about 22 million tons of it floating over each square mile of earth.
5. One of the most dramatic examples in nature of ill wind that blows goodness is lightning.

3) Answer: 53421

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Solution:

On closely reading the sentences, we see that the topic of discussion is how chemical reactions started by lightning affects nitrogen in the air which ultimately help nourish the earth. Hence, sentence 5 which introduces lightning to us must be the starting sentence. Sentence 3 further elaborates on chemical reactions, started by lightning, which affects nitrogen. Hence, sentence 3 logically follows sentence 5. Sentence 4 states how nitrogen helps in nourishing the earth. Hence, sentence 4 must follow sentence 3. Sentence 2 states why in its natural form nitrogen is unusable and sentence 1 further elaborates on why nitrogen must undergo transformation for plants to use it. Hence sentences 2 and 1 form a pair which must follow sentence 4. Hence, the correct sequence 53421.

Question 4: Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph. Identify the odd one out.
1. Although we are born with the gift of language, research shows that we are surprisingly unskilled when it comes to communicating with others.
2. We must carefully orchestrate our speech if we want to achieve our goals and bring our dreams to fruition.
3. We often choose our words without thought, oblivious of the emotional effects they can have on others.
4. We talk more than we need to, ignoring the effect we are having on those listening to us.
5. We listen poorly, without realizing it, and we often fail to pay attention to the subtle meanings conveyed by facial expressions, body gestures, and the tone and cadence of our voice.

4) Answer: 2

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Solution:

The paragraph is about how inefficient we are when it comes to usage of language. Sentence 2 stands out as an imperative or instructive  statement whereas the other statements simply elaborate on the point that we are unskilled at language usage. Therefore, option 2 is the odd sentence.

Question 5: Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph. Identify the odd one out.
1: Over the past fortnight, one of its finest champions managed to pull off a similar impression.
2. Wimbledon’s greatest illusion is the sense of timelessness it evokes.
3. At 35 years and 342 days, Roger Federer became the oldest man to win the singles title in the Open Era — a full 14 years after he first claimed the title as a scruffy, pony-tailed upstart.
4. Once he had survived the opening week, the second week witnessed the range of a rested Federer’s genius.
5. Given that his method isn’t reliant on explosive athleticism or muscular ball-striking, both vulnerable to decay, there is cause to believe that Federer will continue to enchant for a while longer.

5) Answer: 4

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Solution:

The paragraph is about the timelessness of the Wimbledon and Roger Federer. Sentences 1, 2 and 3 are clearly the part of the paragraph.
Wimbledon – one of its finest champion – Roger Federer
Now, sentences 4 and 5 are close. Sentence 4 talks about a specific event. Whereas, sentence 5 is inline with the idea of timelessness and hence, can be used as the concluding sentence of the paragraph. Moreover, sentence 4 appears hanging (Missing some previous statement). Therefore, sentence 4 is the odd one out.

Question 6: Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph. Identify the ODD ONE out. Choose its number as your answer and key it in.

1) Translators are like bumblebees.
2) Though long since scientifically disproved, this factoid is still routinely trotted out.
3) Similar pronouncements about the impossibility of translation have dogged practitioners since Leonardo Bruni’s De interpretatione recta, published in 1424.
4) Bees, unaware of these deliberations, have continued to flit from flower to flower, and translators continue to translate.
5) In 1934, the French entomologist August Magnan pronounced the flight of the bumblebee to be aerodynamically impossible.

6) Answer: 2

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Solution:

On reading the sentences, we can infer that the author draws an analogy between translators and bumblebees in the paragraph.

1 should be the opening sentence since it introduces the fact that the paragraph is going to be about the similarities of translators and bumblebees. After sentence 1, the author should have explained how they are analogous.

5 states that the French entomologist August Magnan pronounced the flight of bumblebees to be aerodynamically impossible. Sentence 3 talks about similar statements made about translations. Sentence 4 should be the last sentence since it concludes by saying that both translators and bees have continued their work unaware of these deliberations. Sentences 1534 can be put together into a coherent paragraph.

Sentence 2 does not add any valuable information to the topic of discussion. The author does not use the fact that the factoid (impossibility of the flight of the bumblebee) has been disproved to support his argument. Sentence 2 should be the one out of context and hence, 2 is the correct answer.

Question 7: Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph. Identify the odd one out.

1) Displacement in Bengal is thus not very significant in view of its magnitude.
2) A factor of displacement in Bengal is the shifting course of the Ganges leading to erosion of river banks.
3) The nature of displacement in Bengal makes it an interesting case study.
4) Since displacement due to erosion is well spread over a long period of time, it remains invisible.
5) Rapid displacement would have helped sensitize the public to its human costs.

7) Answer: 5

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Solution:

On reading the sentences, we can infer that the paragraph revolves around the displacement of people in Bengal due to erosion. 3 should be the opening sentence since it introduces the topic of discussion – displacement in Bengal. 3 should be followed by sentence 2 since it elaborates that the displacement is due to the shifting of the course of the Ganges and the erosion. We have to decide the pair between 5, 4, and 1.

Sentence 4 is definitely a part of the paragraph since it fits well with both the sentences. Also, it states an important detail – the displacement is spread out over a period of time and hence, remains invisible. Since the displacement is not rapid, its magnitude is not significant. Sentences 4 and 1 form a pair and hence, sentence 5 is the one out of context.

Question 8: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, and 4) given in this question, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper order for the sentences and key in this sequence of four numbers as your answer.
1.The eventual diagnosis was skin cancer and after treatment all seemed well.
2. The viola player didn’t know what it was; nor did her GP.
3. Then a routine scan showed it had come back and spread to her lungs.
4. It started with a lump on Cathy Perkins’ index finger.

8) Answer: 4213

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Solution:

Sentence 4 should be the opening sentence since it sets the scene and introduces the person suffering from cancer.
Sentence 2 states that the viola player and her physician did not know what it was. ‘It’ refers to the lump on the finger.
Sentence 1 should follow sentence 2 since it states what the eventual diagnosis was. The GP did not know what the lump was and later it was identified to be skin cancer. Sentence 1 states that all seemed well after the treatment, implying it was not.
Sentence 3 should be the last sentence since it states that the cancer had spread to her lungs.

Sentences 4213 form a coherent paragraph and hence, 4213 is the right answer.

Question 9: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, and 4) given in this question, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper order for the sentences and key in this sequence of four numbers as your answer.

1) The woodland’s canopy receives most of the sunlight that falls on the trees.
2) Swifts do not confine themselves to woodlands, but hunt wherever there are insects in the air.
3) With their streamlined bodies, swifts are agile flyers, ideally adapted to twisting and turning through the air as they chase flying insects – the creatures that form their staple diet.
4) Hundreds of thousands of insects fly in the sunshine up above the canopy, some falling prey to swifts and swallows

9) Answer: 1432

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Solution:

1 should be the opening sentence since it sets the context. Sentence 1 states that the woodland’s canopy receives most of the sunshine that falls on the trees. Sentence 4 continues sentence 1 by stating that thousands of insects fly above the canopy in the sunlight. The insects fall prey to the swifts and swallows.

We have to decide whether the order of the remaining 2 sentences is 32 or 23.
Sentence 3 states that swifts are agile flyers, adapted to chasing flying insects. Sentence 3 states that flying insects form the staple diet of the swifts. Sentence 2 states that swifts do not confine themselves to woodlands and hunt wherever they can find insects. Therefore, sentence 3 should precede sentence 2 (We cannot introduce that insects form the staple diet after stating that swifts hunt wherever they can find flying insects).

Sentences 1432 form a coherent paragraph.
Therefore, 1432 is the correct answer.

Question 10: The four sentences (labelled 1,2,3,4) given in this question, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a number. Decide on the proper sequence of order of the sentences and key in this sequence of four numbers as your answer:

1. In the era of smart world, however, ‘Universal Basic Income’ is an
ineffective instrument which cannot address the potential breakdown of
the social contract when large swathes of the population would
effectively be unemployed.
2. In the era of industrial revolution, the abolition of child labour,
poor laws and the growth of trade unions helped families cope with the
pressures of mechanised work.
3. Growing inequality could be matched by a creeping authoritarianism
that is bolstered by technology that is increasingly able to peer into
the deepest vestiges of our lives.
4. New institutions emerge which recognise ways in which workers could
contribute to and benefit by economic growth when, rather than if, their
jobs are automated.

10) Answer: 4213

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Solution:

4 should be the opening sentence since it states that new institutions recognize ways in which workers can contribute to the economy. The other 3 sentences provide examples and elaborate on the same and hence, sentence 4, which introduces the topic of discussion, should be the opening sentence.

2 talks about the period of industrial revolution. 1 talks about the smart world. Chronologically, 1 should follow 2. Moreover, 2 talks about an example that conformed to the point mentioned in sentence 4. On the other hand, 1 talks about an inadequacy. Therefore, 2 should have preceded 1. 3 should be the last sentence of the paragraph.

Sentences 4213 form a coherent paragraph and hence, 4213 is the correct answer.

Question 11: Five sentences related to a topic are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a meaningful and coherent short paragraph. Identify the odd one out.
1. Much has been recently discovered about the development of songs in birds.
2. Some species are restricted to a single song learned by all individuals, others have a range of songs.
3. The most important auditory stimuli for the birds are the sounds of other birds.
4. For all bird species there is a prescribed path to development of the final song,
5. A bird begins with the subsong, passes through plastic song, until it achieves the species song.

11) Answer: 3

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Solution:

On reading the sentences, we can infer that the paragraph talks about the development of songs in birds.

1 should be the opening sentence since it introduces the topic of discussion, the development of songs in birds. 1 provides a proper introduction to the paragraph by stating that much has been discovered about the development of songs in birds.

4 should be the sentence that follows 1 since it states that the development of songs in birds follow a template process.
5 explains the mechanism in which the song is developed. Therefore, sentence 5 should follow sentence 4.
2 should be the last sentence since it states that some species restrict themselves to one song while other species have more than one song.

Sentences 1452 form a coherent paragraph. Sentence 3 talks about the sounds of birds while the other sentences are about how a species develops a song. Therefore, sentence 3 is the one out of context and hence, 3 is the right answer.

Question 12: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, and 4) given in this question, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper order for the sentences and key in this sequence of four numbers as your answer.
1. It was his taxpayers who had to shell out as much as $1.6bn over 10 years to employees of failed companies.
2. Companies in many countries routinely engage in such activities which means that the employees are left with unpaid entitlements
3. Deliberate and systematic liquidation of a company to avoid liabilities and then restarting the business is called phoenixing.
4. The Australian Minister for Revenue and Services discovered in an audit that phoenixing had cost the Australian economy between $2.9bn and $5.1bn last year.

12) Answer: 3241

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Solution:

3 should be the opening sentence since it introduces the concept of phoenixing. Sentence 2 logically continues sentence 1 by stating that companies in many countries engage in such activities (Phoenixing). Sentence 2 should be followed by sentence 4 since it moves to a specific instance (Australian minister’s discovery) from general statements. Sentence 1 should follow sentence 4 since it states that it was ‘his’ taxpayers (Australian Minister’s taxpayers or Australian citizens) who had to foot the bill.

Sentences 3241 form a coherent paragraph. Therefore, 3241 is the correct answer.

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