Some candidates were merely stating the general properties of cathode ray and not  those properties that suggest the particle nature of matter.  However, performance was average.

The expected answer is

Properties of Cathode rays

-  Shadow formation (of objects on their path)
-  Deflection in electric/magnetic fields (suggesting presence of charged  tiny granules of matter)
-  Possession of momentum.
-  Heating of objects which stop them (showing that they obey energy conservation law).