MixturesCAT Previous-Year Questions

18 previous-year questions on Mixtures from CAT, with full solutions. Practise free — check answers as you go; sign in to save your progress.

Back
18 questions

Mixtures · CAT PYQs

CAT 2024 Slot 2 · QA
Q1.

A vessel contained a certain amount of a solution of acid and water. When 2 litres of water was added to it, the new solution had 50% acid concentration. When 15 litres of acid was further added to this new solution, the final solution had 80% acid concentration. The ratio of water and acid in the original solution was

CAT 2023 Slot 3 · QA
Q2.

Anil mixes cocoa with sugar in the ratio 3 : 2 to prepare mixture A, and coffee with sugar in the ratio 7 : 3 to prepare mixture B. He combines mixtures A and B in the ratio 2 : 3 to make a new mixture C. If he mixes C with an equal amount of milk to make a drink, then the percentage of sugar in this drink will be

CAT 2022 Slot 1 · QA
Q3.

A mixture contains lemon juice and sugar syrup in equal proportion. If a new mixture is created by adding this mixture and sugar syrup in the ratio 1 : 3, then the ratio of lemon juice and sugar syrup in the new mixture is

CAT 2022 Slot 2 · QA
Q4.

There are two containers of the same volume, first container half-filled with sugar syrup and the second container half-filled with milk. Half the content of the first container is transferred to the second container, and then the half of this mixture is transferred back to the first container. Next, half the content of the first container is transferred back to the second container. Then the ratio of sugar syrup and milk in the second container is

CAT 2022 Slot 3 · QA
Q5.

A glass contains 500 cc of milk and a cup contains 500 cc of water. From the glass, 150 cc of milk is transferred to the cup and mixed thoroughly. Next, 150 cc of this mixture is transferred from the cup to the glass. Now, the amount of water in the glass and the amount of milk in the cup are in the ratio

CAT 2020 Slot 1 · QA
Q6.

A solution, of volume 40 litres, has dye and water in the proportion 2 : 3. Water is added to the solution to change this proportion to 2 : 5. If one-fourths of this diluted solution is taken out, how many litres of dye must be added to the remaining solution to bring the proportion back to 2 : 3?

CAT 2020 Slot 1 · QA
Q7.

An alloy is prepared by mixing three metals A, B and C in the proportion 3 : 4 : 7 by volume. Weights of the same volume of the metals A, B and C are in the ratio 5 : 2 : 6. In 130 kg of the alloy, the weight, in kg, of the metal C is

CAT 2020 Slot 3 · QA
Q8.

Two alcohol solutions, A and B, are mixed in the proportion 1 : 3 by volume. The volume of the mixture is then doubled by adding solution A such that the resulting mixture has 72% alcohol. If solution A has 60% alcohol, then the percentage of alcohol in solution B is

CAT 2019 Slot 2 · QA
Q9.

The strength of a salt solution is p% if 100 ml of the solution contains p grams of salt. Each of three vessels A, B, C contains 500 ml of salt solution of strengths 10%, 22%, and 32%, respectively. Now, 100 ml of the solution in vessel A is transferred to vessel B. Then, 100 ml of the solution in vessel B is transferred to vessel C. Finally, 100 ml of the solution in vessel C is transferred to vessel A. The strength, in percentage, of the resulting solution in vessel A is

CAT 2018 Slot 1 · QA
Q10.

Two types of tea, A and B, are mixed and then sold at Rs. 40 per kg. The profit is 10% if A and B are mixed in the ratio 3 : 2, and 5% if this ratio is 2 : 3. The cost prices, per kg, of A and B are in the ratio 

CAT 2018 Slot 1 · QA
Q11.

A trader sells 10 litres of a mixture of paints A and B, where the amount of B in the mixture does not exceed that of A. The cost of paint A per litre is Rs. 8 more than that of paint B. If the trader sells the entire mixture for Rs. 264 and makes a profit of 10%, then the highest possible cost of paint B, in Rs. per litre, is

CAT 2018 Slot 2 · QA
Q12.

The strength of a salt solution is p% if 100 ml of the solution contains p grams of salt. If three salt solutions A, B, C are mixed in the proportion 1 : 2 : 3, then the resulting solution has strength 20%. If instead the proportion is 3 : 2 : 1, then the resulting solution has strength 30%. A fourth solution, D, is produced by mixing B and C in the ratio 2 : 7. The ratio of the strength of D to that of A is?

CAT 2018 Slot 2 · QA
Q13.

A 20% ethanol solution is mixed with another ethanol solution, say, S of unknown concentration in the proportion 1 : 3 by volume. This mixture is then mixed with an equal volume of 20% ethanol solution. If the resultant mixture is a 31.25% ethanol solution, then the unknown concentration of S is

CAT 2017 Slot 2 · QA
Q14.

Consider three mixtures – the first having water and liquid A in the ratio 1 : 2, the second having water and liquid B in the ratio 1 : 3, and the third having water and liquid C in the ratio 1 : 4. These three mixtures of A, B and C respectively, are further mixed in the proportion 4 : 3 : 2. Then the resulting mixture has

CAT 2004 · QA
Q15.

A milkman mixes 20 litres of water with 80 litres of milk. After selling one-fourth of this mixture, he adds water to replenish the quantity that he has sold. What is the current proportion of water to milk?

CAT 2001 · QA
Q16.

Fresh grapes contain 90% water by weight while dry grapes contain 20% water by weight. What is the weight of dry grapes available from 20 kg of fresh grapes?

CAT 1999 · QA
Passage / Data

Answer the next 2 questions based on the following information.

The following table presents the sweetness of different items relative to sucrose, whose sweetness is taken to be 1.00.

​​​​​​​

Q17.

Approximately how many times sweeter than sucrose is a mixture consisting of glucose, sucrose and fructose in the ratio of 1 : 2 : 3?

CAT 1997 · QA
Passage / Data

Answer the next 3 questions based on the following information.

There are 60 students in a class. These students are divided into three groups A, B and C of 15, 20 and 25 students each. The groups A and C are combined to form group D.

Q18.

Fresh grapes contain 90% water while dry grapes contain 20% water. What is the weight of dry grapes obtained from 20 kg fresh grapes?