GATE-CS-2014-(Set-1)

Question 1

Which of the following options is the closest in meaning to the phrase underlined in the sentence below? It is fascinating to see life forms cope with varied environmental conditions.

• A. adopt to
• B. adapt to
• C. adept in
• D. accept with

Answer: (B)

GATE-CS-2014-(Set-1) English
Discuss it

In the above phrase, underlined part is *cope with*. "Cope" - It's a verb. Meaning - deal effectively with some difficulty. Example Sentence - "his ability to cope with stress" "adopt" - verb. Meaning - choose to take up or follow (an idea, method, or course of action). Sentence - "this approach has been adopted by many big banks" "adapt" - verb. Meaning - become adjusted to new conditions. sentence -"a large organization can be slow to adapt to change" "adept" - adjective Meaning - very skilled or proficient at something. Sentence - "she is adept at cutting through red tape" "accept" - verb Meaning - consent to receive or undertake (something offered). Sentence - "he accepted a pen as a present" Hence, only "adapt" goes right with the phrase described in the question.

Question 2

Choose the most appropriate word from the options given below to complete the following sentence. He could not understand the judges awarding her the first prize, because he thought that her performance was quite __________.

• A. superb
• B. medium
• C. mediocre
• D. exhilarating

Answer: (C)

GATE-CS-2014-(Set-1) English 50 Aptitude & Reasoning MCQs with Answers
Discuss it

Here, superb and exhilarating would imply that the performance was brilliant. But, the fact that he could not understand why she got awarded the first prize indicates that her performance was not that amazing in his opinion. So, A and D are incorrect. Medium is more used as a noun, and denoted intermediate in quality, value, etc. So, B is incorrect Mediocre is used as an adjective (to represent quality) and means low in performance, i.e., normal and not extraordinary  and C is the correct choice.

Question 3

In a press meet on the recent scam, the minister said, "The buck stops here". What did the minister convey by the statement?

• A. He wants all the money
• B. He will return the money
• C. He will assume final responsibility
• D. He will resist all enquiries

Answer: (C)

GATE-CS-2014-(Set-1) English
Discuss it

’The buck stops here’ means - Responsibility is not passed on beyond this point. See http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-buck-stops-here.html Option (C) is correct.

Question 4

IF (z + 1/z)² = 98, compute (z² + 1/z²)

• A. 96
• B. 99
• C. 100
• D. 94

Answer: (A)

GATE-CS-2014-(Set-1) General Aptitude
Discuss it

(z + 1/z)² = (z² + 1/z²) + 2*z*1/z (z² + 1/z²) = (z + 1/z)² - 2 = 98 - 2 = 96

Question 5

The roots of ax² + bx + c are real and positive. a, b and c are real. Then ax² + b|x| + c has

• A. no roots
• B. 2 real roots
• C. 3 real roots
• D. 4 real roots

Answer: (D)

GATE-CS-2014-(Set-1)
Discuss it

The second equation has both +vs and -ve values of roots of first equation as root.

Question 6

The Palghat Gap (or Palakkad Gap), a region about 30 km wide in the southern part of the Western Ghats in India, is lower than the hilly terrain to its north and south. The exact reasons for the formation of this gap are not clear. It results in the neighbouring regions of Tamil Nadu getting more rainfall from the South West monsoon and the neighbouring regions of Kerala having higher summer temperatures. What can be inferred from this passage?

• A. The Palghat gap is caused by high rainfall and high temperatures in southern Tamil Nadu and Kerala
• B. The regions in Tamil Nadu and Kerala that are near the Palghat Gap are low-lying
• C. The low terrain of the Palghat Gap has a significant impact on weather patterns in neighbouring parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala
• D. Higher summer temperatures result in higher rainfall near the Palghat Gap area

Answer: (C)

GATE-CS-2014-(Set-1)
Discuss it

Here the passage is asking, " what can be inferred ? ", i.e. it's asking about the hidden conclusion of the passage. Why not Option A ? - because it is clearly given in the passage : "The exact reasons for the formation of this gap are not clear ". Why not Option B ? - because the passage no where talks about the low-lying regions of Kerala and Tamil Nadu near the Palghat Gap. Why not option D ? - Because the passage only says : "neighbouring regions of Kerala having higher summer temperatures", it doesn't say that this high temperature results in rainfall. Note: We have to think and conclude only from what is given in the passage. We can't make our own conclusions. Why Option C ? - because the passage says : " It results in the neighbouring regions of Tamil Nadu getting more rainfall from the South West monsoon and the neighbouring regions of Kerala having higher summer temperatures", hence we can conclude here that the weather is getting affected due to the Gap. Therefore, option C is correct.

Question 7

Geneticists say that they are very close to confirming the genetic roots of psychiatric illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia, and consequently, that doctors will be able to eradicate these diseases through early identification and gene therapy. On which of the following assumptions does the statement above rely?

• A. Strategies are now available for eliminating psychiatric illnesses
• B. Certain psychiatric illnesses have a genetic basis
• C. All human diseases can be traced back to genes and how they are expressed
• D. In the future, genetics will become the only relevant field for identifying psychiatric illnesses

Answer: (B)

GATE-CS-2014-(Set-1) General Aptitude
Discuss it

• A says that strategies are now available for eliminating psychiatric illnesses but it is mentioned in the very first line that the geneticists are very close but the strategy is not available till now. So, A is incorrect.
• The given data says that the geneticists are working on the genetic roots of psychiatric illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia, which implies that these two diseases have genetic basis. Thus, B is the correct option.
• C says that all human diseases can be traced back to genes and how they are expressed, but the data given in the question talks about psychiatric illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia only. So, C is also incorrect.
• D says that in future, genetics will be the only relevant field for identifying psychiatric illnesses, which cannot be inferred from the given data. So, D is also incorrect.

So, B is the correct option

Question 8

Round-trip tickets to a tourist destination are eligible for a discount of 10% on the total fare. In addition, groups of 4 or more get a discount of 5% on the total fare. If the one way single person fare is Rs 100, a group of 5 tourists purchasing round-trip tickets will be charged Rs _________.

• A. 850
• B. 900
• C. 800
• D. 1000

Answer: (A)

GATE-CS-2014-(Set-1) General Aptitude
Discuss it

One way single person fare is 100. Therefore 2 way
is 200.

For 5 persons it is 200 x 5 = 1000

Now 1st discount is of 10 % on total fare, which is
100( 10 % of 1000). And as the group is of more than 4, 
an additional discount of 5 % on total fare, which is 
50( 5 % of 1000).

Hence total discount is equal to 100 + 50 = 150.

Therefore tickets are charged at Rs 1000 - 150 = 850. 

Question 9

In a survey, 300 respondents were asked whether they own a vehicle or not. If yes, they were further asked to mention whether they own a car or scooter or both. The responses are tabulated below. What percent of respondents do not own a scooter?

• A. 48
• B. 40
• C. 50
• D. 45

Answer: (A)

GATE-CS-2014-(Set-1) General Aptitude
Discuss it

No. of respondents do not own scooter = 
                        No. of persons who have car alone + 
                        No. of persons who don't have both.
In men, 40 + 20 = 60 and
In women 34 + 50 = 84.
Total 60 + 84 = 144 .
Now the percentage is, (144/300) *100 = 48

Question 10

When a point inside of a tetrahedron (a solid with four triangular surfaces) is connected by straight lines to its corners, how many (new) internal planes are created with these lines? _____________

• A. 6
• B. 8
• C. 4
• D. 10

Answer: (A)

GATE-CS-2014-(Set-1) General Aptitude
Discuss it

The Tetrahedron has 4 triangular surfaces with 4 vertices/corners ( say A,B,C and D) as can be seen here. http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/wa... Now if you take a point inside a tetrahedron (suppose O) and connect it with any two of its corners which are nothing but vertices( suppose A and B), you will get 1 internal plane as OAB. So we can see from here that, no of new internal planes = no of different pair of corners or vertices Similarly you can take any other 2 corners like (A,C) or (A,D) or (B,C) or (B,D) or (C,D), hence total possible pair of corners are 6. Therefore 6 new internal planes possible. We could also calculate the possible corners by using combinations formula, which is nCr, i.e. no of ways to select a combination of r things from a given set of n things. here n = 4 ( as total 4 vertices, A,B,C and D) and r =2 ( as we need two corners at a time) Thus, 4C2 = 6.