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The following charts depict details of research papers written by four authors, Arman, Brajen, Chintan, and Devon. The papers were of four types, single-author, two-author, three-author, and four-author, that is, written by one, two, three, or all four of these authors, respectively. No other authors were involved in writing these papers.

Figure for CAT 2025 2025 Slot 2 DILR question 18 (Data Interpretation)

The following additional facts are known.

  1. Each of the authors wrote at least one of each of the four types of papers.
  2. The four authors wrote different numbers of single-author papers.
  3. Both Chintan and Devon wrote more three-author papers than Brajen.
  4. The number of single-author and two-author papers written by Brajen were the same.

If Devon wrote more than one two-author papers, then how many two-author papers did Chintan write?

Entered answer:

Solution

✅ Correct Answer: 3
Slide 1/8

The four authors form the rows and the four paper types form the columns.

The Total column gives the number of papers each author was involved in (read from the chart). The bottom row records the sum each column must reach.

AuthorSingleTwoThreeFourTotal
Arman4
Brajen8
Chintan10
Devon8
Col sum10106430

A paper written by kk authors is counted once in each of those kk authors' cells.

Number of papers of each type: single =10=10, two-author =5=5, three-author =2=2, four-author =1=1.

The required column sums are therefore:

single =10×1=10=10\times1=10

two-author =5×2=10=5\times2=10

three-author =2×3=6=2\times3=6

four-author =1×4=4=1\times4=4

Total involvement =30=4+8+10+8=30=4+8+10+8.

Goal: fill every inner cell.

AuthorSingleTwoThreeFourTotal
Arman14
Brajen18
Chintan110
Devon18
Col sum10106430

The Four column is filled with 11 for each author.

A four-author paper is written by all four authors, and there is only 11 four-author paper.

So each author wrote exactly 11 four-author paper, and the column sums to 44.

AuthorSingleTwoThreeFourTotal
Arman114
Brajen118
Chintan2110
Devon218
Col sum10106430

The Three column is filled: Arman 11, Brajen 11, Chintan 22, Devon 22.

There are 22 three-author papers, and each one leaves out exactly one author.


By clue 1 every author is in at least one three-author paper, so the two papers cannot leave out the same author. They leave out two different authors.

Thus two authors appear in both papers (count 22) and two appear in exactly one (count 11).


Clue 3 says Chintan and Devon each wrote more three-author papers than Brajen, so Brajen's count is the strict minimum.

The only counts available are 11 and 22, so Brajen =1=1 and Chintan == Devon =2=2.

The remaining count of 11 goes to Arman.

The two papers are {Arman, Chintan, Devon} and {Brajen, Chintan, Devon}; both contain Chintan and Devon.

AuthorSingleTwoThreeFourTotal
Arman114
Brajen33118
Chintan2110
Devon218
Col sum10106430

Brajen's Single and Two cells are filled with 33 and 33.

Brajen's total is 88, with 11 three-author and 11 four-author already placed.

So SB+TB=8−1−1=6S_B+T_B=8-1-1=6.

Clue 4 gives SB=TBS_B=T_B, hence SB=TB=3S_B=T_B=3.

AuthorSingleTwoThreeFourTotal
Arman11114
Brajen33118
Chintan2110
Devon218
Col sum10106430

Arman's Single and Two cells are filled with 11 and 11.

Arman's total is 44, with 11 three-author and 11 four-author placed.

So SA+TA=4−1−1=2S_A+T_A=4-1-1=2.

Each type needs at least 11 paper (clue 1), so SA=1S_A=1 and TA=1T_A=1.

Case 1

AuthorSingleTwoThreeFourTotal
Arman11114
Brajen33118
Chintan22110
Devon4218
Col sum10106430

Case 2

AuthorSingleTwoThreeFourTotal
Arman11114
Brajen33118
Chintan42110
Devon2218
Col sum10106430

Chintan's and Devon's single counts are filled.

The Single column must total 1010; Arman and Brajen give 1+3=41+3=4, so SC+SD=6S_C+S_D=6.

By clue 2 all four single counts differ, so SCS_C and SDS_D are distinct and different from 11 and 33.

The only such pair summing to 66 is {2,4}\{2,4\}.

This splits into Case 1 (SC=2,SD=4S_C=2, S_D=4) and Case 2 (SC=4,SD=2S_C=4, S_D=2).

Case 1

AuthorSingleTwoThreeFourTotal
Arman11114
Brajen33118
Chintan252110
Devon41218
Col sum10106430

Case 2

AuthorSingleTwoThreeFourTotal
Arman11114
Brajen33118
Chintan432110
Devon23218
Col sum10106430

Chintan's and Devon's Two cells are filled.

Chintan's total 1010 gives SC+TC=10−2−1=7S_C+T_C=10-2-1=7.

Devon's total 88 gives SD+TD=8−2−1=5S_D+T_D=8-2-1=5.

Case 1: TC=7−2=5T_C=7-2=5 and TD=5−4=1T_D=5-4=1.

Case 2: TC=7−4=3T_C=7-4=3 and TD=5−2=3T_D=5-2=3.

Case 1

AuthorSingleTwoThreeFourTotal
Arman11114
Brajen33118
Chintan252110
Devon41218
Col sum10106430

Case 2

AuthorSingleTwoThreeFourTotal
Arman11114
Brajen33118
Chintan432110
Devon23218
Col sum10106430

The two-author column must total 1010.

Case 1: 1+3+5+1=101+3+5+1=10.

Case 2: 1+3+3+3=101+3+3+3=10.

Both cases satisfy every clue, so the arrangement is not unique.

The only freedom is between Chintan and Devon: Chintan's (single, two) is (2,5)(2,5) or (4,3)(4,3) and Devon's is (4,1)(4,1) or (2,3)(2,3).

Everything else is fixed: four-author =1=1 for all, three-author =1,1,2,2=1,1,2,2, Brajen =(3,3)=(3,3), Arman =(1,1)=(1,1).

The two three-author papers are always {Arman, Chintan, Devon} and {Brajen, Chintan, Devon}.


Devon's two-author count exceeds 11 only in Case 2, where TD=3T_D=3 (in Case 1, TD=1T_D=1).

In Case 2, Chintan's two-author count is 33.

Answer: 33.

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