WhatsAppJoin our WhatsApp Community

Year

CAT 2018

Section

Data

Topic

Distribution

Difficulty

Hard

Question

Slot-1

Read the passage and answer the questions below.

Passage:

You are given an n×n\mathrm{n} \times \mathrm{n} square matrix to be filled with numerals so that no two adjacent cells have the same numeral. Two cells are called adjacent if they touch each other horizontally, vertically or diagonally. So a cell in one of the four corners has three cells adjacent to it, and a cell in the first or last row or column which is not in the corner has five cells adjacent to it. Any other cell has eight cells adjacent to it.

Question 1

What is the minimum number of different numerals needed to fill a 3×33 \times 3 square matrix?

Question 2

What is the minimum number of different numerals needed to fill a 5×55 \times 5 square matrix?

Question 3

Suppose you are allowed to make one mistake, that is, one pair of adjacent cells can have the same numeral. What is the minimum number of different numerals required to fill a 5×55 \times 5 matrix?

4

16

9

25

Question 4

Suppose that all the cells adjacent to any particular cell must have different numerals. What is the minimum number of different numerals needed to fill a 5×55 \times 5 square matrix?

25

4

16

9

Prepare for WAT & GD Like Never Before!

Join interactive sessions and receive expert guidance on Written Ability Tests and Group Discussions for MBA admissions.

Explore Interview Platform

Loading...

logo
optima learn

Optima Learn — Powered by Optimum Eduteck Pvt. Ltd. Built by learners from FMS Delhi, DTU, and Microsoft. contact@optimalearn.com

Connect with us

LinkedInInstagram

© 2026 Optima. All rights reserved.