3 Line Bar Graphs PYQ (Solutions)
Master Line Bar Graphs for CAT 2026 with practice questions and detailed explanations
Line and Bar Graph DI Sets
Line and bar graphs are classic DI formats. CAT almost every year includes a set with a bar graph or line chart to interpret.
- CAT 2017: Featured a difficult-to-understand bar graph in one slot.
- CAT 2018:
- Slot 1: Easy Pie-Chart (percentages)
- Slot 2: “Square chart” and profitability vs market share graph (bar/line chart interpretations)
- CAT 2019:
- Slot 1: Radar (spider-web) graph
- Slot 2: Horizontal bar chart on crime rates
- CAT 2020–2021: Graph-based sets continued; 2021 Slot 1 had a horizontal bar chart on revenue (easy DI set).
- CAT 2024: Slot 1 included a scatter-plot graph DI set (easy-moderate).
Key Insights:
- Graphical DI sets (bar, line, pie, scatter, etc.) appear every year.
- Usually 1–2 sets per exam are graph-based.
- Difficulty varies depending on how the data needs to be interpreted or combined.
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Weightage Over Past Years
| Year | Q.NONumber of questions | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2 | Medium |
| 2017 | 1 | Hard |
CAT 2021 Line Bar Graphs questions
Question 1
Slot-2

The different bars in the diagram above provide information about different orders in various categories (Art, Binders, ....) that were booked in the first two weeks of September of a store for one client. The colour and pattern of a bar denotes the ship mode (First Class / Second Class / Standard Class). The left end point of a bar indicates the booking day of the order, while the right end point indicates the dispatch day of the order. The difference between the dispatch day and the booking day (measured in terms of the number of days) is called the processing time of the order. For the same category, an order is considered for booking only after the previous order of the same category is dispatched. No two consecutive orders of the same category had identical ship mode during this period.
For example, there were only two orders in the furnishing category during this period. The first one was shipped in the Second Class. It was booked on Sep 1 and dispatched on Sep 5. The second order was shipped in the Standard class. It was booked on Sep 5 (although the order might have been placed before that) and dispatched on Sep 12. So the processing times were 4 and 7 days respectively for these orders.

The different bars in the diagram above provide information about different orders in various categories (Art, Binders, ....) that were booked in the first two weeks of September of a store for one client. The colour and pattern of a bar denotes the ship mode (First Class / Second Class / Standard Class). The left end point of a bar indicates the booking day of the order, while the right end point indicates the dispatch day of the order. The difference between the dispatch day and the booking day (measured in terms of the number of days) is called the processing time of the order. For the same category, an order is considered for booking only after the previous order of the same category is dispatched. No two consecutive orders of the same category had identical ship mode during this period.
For example, there were only two orders in the furnishing category during this period. The first one was shipped in the Second Class. It was booked on Sep 1 and dispatched on Sep 5. The second order was shipped in the Standard class. It was booked on Sep 5 (although the order might have been placed before that) and dispatched on Sep 12. So the processing times were 4 and 7 days respectively for these orders.
How many days between Sep 1 and Sep 14 (both inclusive) had no booking from this client considering all the above categories?
How many days between Sep 1 and Sep 14 (both inclusive) had no booking from this client considering all the above categories?
What was the average processing time of all orders in the categories which had only one type of ship mode?
What was the average processing time of all orders in the categories which had only one type of ship mode?
The sequence of categories -- Art, Binders, Paper and Phones -- in decreasing order of average processing time of their orders in this period is:
The sequence of categories -- Art, Binders, Paper and Phones -- in decreasing order of average processing time of their orders in this period is:
Art, Binders, Paper, Phones
Phones, Art, Binders, Paper
Phones, Binders, Art, Paper
Paper, Binders, Art, Phones
Approximately what percentage of orders had a processing time of one day during the period Sep 1 to Sep 22 (both dates inclusive)?
Approximately what percentage of orders had a processing time of one day during the period Sep 1 to Sep 22 (both dates inclusive)?
16%
25%
Question 2
Slot-3

The figure above shows the schedule of four employees – Abani, Bahni, Danni and Tinni – whom Dhoni supervised in 2020. Altogether there were five projects which started and concluded in 2020 in which they were involved. For each of these projects and for each employee, the starting day was at the beginning of a month and the concluding day was the end of a month, and these are indicated by the left and right end points of the corresponding horizontal bars. The number within each bar indicates the percentage of assigned work completed by the employee for that project, as assessed by Dhoni.
For each employee, his/her total project-month (in 2020) is the sum of the number of months (s)he worked across the five project, while his/her annual completion index is the weightage average of the completion percentage assigned from the different projects, with the weights being the corresponding number of months (s)he worked in these projects. For each project, the total employee-month is the sum of the number of months four employees worked in this project, while its completion index is the weightage average of the completion percentage assigned for the employees who worked in this project, with the weights being the corresponding number of months they worked in this project.

The figure above shows the schedule of four employees – Abani, Bahni, Danni and Tinni – whom Dhoni supervised in 2020. Altogether there were five projects which started and concluded in 2020 in which they were involved. For each of these projects and for each employee, the starting day was at the beginning of a month and the concluding day was the end of a month, and these are indicated by the left and right end points of the corresponding horizontal bars. The number within each bar indicates the percentage of assigned work completed by the employee for that project, as assessed by Dhoni.
For each employee, his/her total project-month (in 2020) is the sum of the number of months (s)he worked across the five project, while his/her annual completion index is the weightage average of the completion percentage assigned from the different projects, with the weights being the corresponding number of months (s)he worked in these projects. For each project, the total employee-month is the sum of the number of months four employees worked in this project, while its completion index is the weightage average of the completion percentage assigned for the employees who worked in this project, with the weights being the corresponding number of months they worked in this project.
Which of the following statements is/are true?
I: The total project-month was the same for the four employees.
II: The total employee-month was the same for the five projects.
Which of the following statements is/are true?
I: The total project-month was the same for the four employees.
II: The total employee-month was the same for the five projects.
Neither I nor II
Only II
Both I and II
Only I
Which employees did not work in multiple projects for any of the months in 2020?
Which employees did not work in multiple projects for any of the months in 2020?
Only Abani and Bahni
All four of them
Only Tinni
Only Abani, Bahni and Danni
The project duration, measured in terms of the number of months, is the time during which at least one employee worked in the project. Which of the following pairs of the projects had the same duration?
The project duration, measured in terms of the number of months, is the time during which at least one employee worked in the project. Which of the following pairs of the projects had the same duration?
Project 3, Project 5
Project 1, Project 5
Project 4, Project 5
Project 3, Project 4
The list of employees in decreasing order of annual completion index is:
The list of employees in decreasing order of annual completion index is:
Danni, Tinni, Bahni, Abani
Bahni, Abani, Tinni, Danni
Danni, Tinni, Abani, Bahni
Tinni, Danni, Abani, Bahni
CAT 2017 Line Bar Graphs questions
Question 1
Slot-2
At a management school, the oldest M dorms, numbered 1 to 10, need to be repaired urgently. This following diagram represents the estimated repair costs (in Rs. Crores for, the 10 dorms. For any dorm, the estimated repair cost (in Rs. Crores) is an integer. Repairs with estimated cost Rs. 1 or 2 Crores are considered light repairs, repairs with estimated cost Rs. 3 or 4 are considered moderate repairs and repairs with estimated cost Rs. 5 or 6 Crores are considered extensive repairs.
Further, the following information is known.
-
Odd-numbered dorms do not need light repair; even-numbered dorms do not need moderate repair and dorms, whose numbers are divisible by 3, do not need extensive repair.
-
Dorms 4 to 9 all need different repair costs, with Dorm 7 needing the maximum and Dorm 8 needing the minimum.

At a management school, the oldest M dorms, numbered 1 to 10, need to be repaired urgently. This following diagram represents the estimated repair costs (in Rs. Crores for, the 10 dorms. For any dorm, the estimated repair cost (in Rs. Crores) is an integer. Repairs with estimated cost Rs. 1 or 2 Crores are considered light repairs, repairs with estimated cost Rs. 3 or 4 are considered moderate repairs and repairs with estimated cost Rs. 5 or 6 Crores are considered extensive repairs.
Further, the following information is known.
-
Odd-numbered dorms do not need light repair; even-numbered dorms do not need moderate repair and dorms, whose numbers are divisible by 3, do not need extensive repair.
-
Dorms 4 to 9 all need different repair costs, with Dorm 7 needing the maximum and Dorm 8 needing the minimum.

Which of the following is NOT necessarily true?
Which of the following is NOT necessarily true?
Dorm 1 needs a moderate repair
Dorm 5 repair will cost no more than Rs. 4 Crores
Dorm 7 needs an extensive repair
Dorm 10 repair will cost no more than Rs. 4 Crores
What is the total cost of repairing the odd-numbered dorms (in Rs. Crores)?
What is the total cost of repairing the odd-numbered dorms (in Rs. Crores)?
Suppose further that:
Suppose further that:
Suppose further that: 1 4 of the 10 dorms needing repair are women's dorms and need a total of Rs. 20 Crores for repair. 2 Only one of Dorms 1 to 5 is a women's dorm. Which of the following is a women's dorm?
Suppose further that: 1 4 of the 10 dorms needing repair are women's dorms and need a total of Rs. 20 Crores for repair. 2 Only one of Dorms 1 to 5 is a women's dorm. Which of the following is a women's dorm?
Dorm 2
Dorm 5
Dorm 8
Dorm 10
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