Percentages

Percentage is a way to express numbers in the base of a fraction of 100. Percentage forms a very
important and vast part of the quantitative aptitude section. Here we will learn about the percent
and the percentage and the many techniques that we can use to solve the questions on calculating
percentages. Let us see below!

• Percent to Decimal or Fraction Conversion

• Percentage of Quantity
• Inverse Case – Value From Percentage
• Percentage Change
• Relative Percentage
• Product Constancy
• Consecutive Increments
• Consecutive Decrease
• Problems Based on Population
• Results on Depreciation
• Percentages Practice Questions

Percentages Practice Questions

Percentages Practice Questions section is here and it is time to start the much-needed practice for
this section. Here in the Percentages Practice Questions, we have all the different types of
questions that can be asked from this section. Best of luck, let us begin!

Percentages Practice Questions

Let us recall the important formulae that we need to solve this section:

(i) To express x% as fraction: We have x% = x/00. Thus, 20% = 20/100 = 1/5: 48% = 48/100
and so on.

(ii) To express a/b as a percent: We have, a/b as [(a/b)×100]%. Thus, 1/4 can be written as
[(1/4)×100]% = 25% etc.

(iii) If the price of a commodity increases by R%, then the reduction in consumption so as not to
increase the expenditure is [{R/(100+R)}×100]%.

If the price of a commodity decreases by R%, then the increase in consumption so as not to
decrease the expenditure is = [{R/(100-R)}×100]%

(iv) Results on Population: Let the population of a town be P now and suppose it increases at the
rate of R% per annum, then:

1. Population after n years = P[1 + (R/100]n

2. Population n years ago = P/[1 + (R/100)]n

(v) Results on Depreciation: Let the present value of machine be P. Suppose it depreciates at the
rate of R% per annum. Then:

1. Value of the machine fter n years = P[1 – (R/100)]n

2. Value of the machine n years ago = P/[1 – (R/100)]n
(vi) If A is R% more than B, then B is less than A by [{R/(100+R)}×100]%.

If A is R% less than B, then B is more than A by [{R/(100 – R)}×100]%.

Browse more Topics under Percentages

• Percent to Decimal or Fraction Conversion

• Percentage of Quantity
• Inverse Case – Value From Percentage
• Percentage Change
• Relative Percentage
• Product Constancy
• Consecutive Increments
• Consecutive Decrease
• Problems Based on Population
• Results on Depreciation

Practice Questions – Part I

Q1: 88% of 370 + 24% of 210 – ____ = 118. [Bank PO 2003]

A) 256 B) 258 C) 268 D) 358

Q2: 860% of 50 + 50% of 860 = ____? [RBI 2003]

A) 430 B) 516 C) 860 D) 960

Q3: 45% of 750 – 25% of 480 = ? [Bank PO 2002]

A) 216 B) 217.50 C) 236.50 D) 245

Q4: It costs Rs. 1 to photocopy a sheet of paper. However, 2% discount is allowed on all
photocopies done after the first 1000 sheets. How much will it cost to copy 5000 sheets of
paper? [IGNOU 2003]

A) Rs. 3920 B) Rs. 3980 C) Rs. 4900 D) Rs. 4920

Q5: A housewife saved Rs. 2.50 in buying n item on sale. If she spent Rs. 25 for the item,
approximately how much percent she saved in the transaction? [Section Officer, 2003]

A) 8% B) 9% C) 10% D) 11%
Q6: Rajeev buys goods worth Rs. 6650. He gets a rebate of 6% on it. After getting the rebate, he
pays sales tax @10%. Find the amount he will have to pay for the goods. [MAT 2002]

A) Rs. 6876.10 B) Rs. 6999.20 C) Rs. 6654 D) Rs. 7000

Q7: Which of the following shows the best percentage? [Hotel Management, 1996]

A) 384/540 B0 425/500 C) 570/700 D) 480/660

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: (b), Q2: (c), Q3: (b), Q4: (d), Q5: (b), Q6: (a), Q7: (b)

Part II
Q1: When 15% is lost in grinding wheat, a country can export 30 lakh tons of wheat. On the
other hand, if 10% is lost in grinding, it can export 40 lakh tons of wheat. The production of
wheat in the country is:

A) 20 lakh tons B) 80 lakh tons C) 200 lakh tons D) 800 lakh tons

Q2: In a competitive examination in State A, 6% candidates got selected from the total appeared
candidates. State B had an equal number of candidates appeared and 7% candidates got selected
with 80 more candidates got selected than A. What was the number of candidates appeared from
each State? [SBI PO 2000]

A) 7600 B) 8000 C) 8400 D) Data Inadequate

Q3: The price of a car is Rs. 3,25,000. It was insured to 85% of its price. the car was damaged
completely in an accident and the insurance company paid 90% of the insurance. What was the
difference between the price of the car and the amount received? [Bank PO 2003]

A) Rs. 32500 B) Rs. 48750 C) Rs. 76375 D) Rs 81250

Q4: Gauri went to the stationers and bought things worth Rs. 25 out of which 30 paise went on
sales tax on taxable purchases. if the tax rate was 6%, then what was the cost of the tax-free
items? [MAT 2003]

A) Rs. 15 B) Rs. 15.70 C) Rs. 19.70 D) Rs. 29

Q5: A batsman scored 110 runs which included 3 boundaries and 8 sixes. What percent of his
total score did he make by running between the wickets? [SSC 2004]

A) 45% B) 45(5/11)% C) 54(6/11)% D) 55%

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: (c), Q2: (b), Q3: (c), Q4: (c), Q5: (b)

Part III
Q1: In a market survey, 20% opted for product A whereas 60% opted for product B. The
remaining individuals were not certain. If the difference between those who opted for product B
and those who were uncertain was 720, how many individuals were covered in the survey?
A) 1440 B) 700 C) 3600 D) Data Inadequate

Q2: A student has to obtain 33% of the total marks to pass. he got 125 marks and failed by 40
marks. The maximum marks are: [CBI 2003]

A) 300 B) 500 C) 800 D) 1000

Q3: In an election between two candidates, one get 55% of the total valid votes, 20% of the votes
were invalid. If the total number of votes was 7500, the number of valid votes that the other
candidate got, was? [RRB 2003]

A) 2700 B) 2900 C) 3000 D) 3100

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: (b), Q2: (b), Q3: (a)

Percent To Decimal Or Fraction Conversion

Conversions are never easy. But they are very important in the calculation. While solving maths,
you might have encountered many conversions. From meter to a kilometre, feet to the inch, gram
to kilogram, and many more. All these conversions depend on the type of data given in the
question and the answers required. The questions asked in the percentage can become a lot easier
when you know the rules for converting percent to fraction. This will make the solution a lot
easier.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

What is Percent to Fraction?

When you convert the given percentage into fraction it is called percent to fraction. We all know
that percentage means ‘out of a hundred’. So to convert the percent to fraction initially you need
to change the percentage to a decimal and then from decimal, you can convert it into a fraction.
This will simplify the process.

For example, suppose the percentage given is 25%. So, in decimal, this will be 0.25. Now, 0.25
can also be written as 25/100 which is equal to 1/4. The easier way to remember this is whenever
a digit is given and it is followed by percentage than place the decimal at two places from the
left. The reason for following this approach is that you will be able to know how many zeroes
you need to put in the denominator.
For example, you need to find the fraction of 106%. You will start with the placing the decimals.
This will become 1.06. So you have determined that you need to put two zeroes in the
denominator. So, it will become 106/100 = 53/50. This will be your final answer. Now, we will
have more complex examples.

Suppose you need to find a fraction of 0.6%. So it’s decimal will be 0.006 which is equal to
6/1000 = 3/500. Remember that here you were asked to find the fraction of a decimal number.
Because of using decimals first you had the idea beforehand about the number of zeroes in the
denominator.

Browse more Topics Under Percentages

• Percent to Decimal or Fraction Conversion

• Percentage of Quantity
• Inverse Case – Value From Percentage
• Percentage Change
• Relative Percentage
• Product Constancy
• Consecutive Increments
• Consecutive Decrease
• Problems Based on Population
• Results on Depreciation
• Percentages Practice Questions

Fractions to Percentage
Let’s convert 4/5 to a percentage. Percentage always has 100 as the base. So you need to find the
number with which when we multiply 5 it will become 100. That number is 20. So multiply 20 in
the denominator as well as the numerator. So the fraction will become 4 x 20/5 x 20 = 80/100 =
80%. So, 80% is your required answer.

Convert 12/25 into a percentage. In this question also you need to make the base as 100 first and
then you can convert the given digits into a percentage. When you multiply 25 by 4 it becomes
100. So multiply 4 in the numerator as well as the denominator. This will become, 12 x 4/25 x 4
= 48/100 = 48%.

The below table shows the value of percentage when you convert it from the fraction. You can
remember this table to solve any fractions related questions.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
1 100
2 50 100
3 33.33 66.66 100
4 25 50 75 100
5 20 40 60 80 100
6 16.66 33.33 50 66.66 83.33 100
7 14.28 28.57 42.85 57.14 71.42 85.71 100
8 12.5 25 37.5 50 62.5 75 87.5 100
9 11.11 22.22 33.33 44.44 55.55 66.66 77.77 88.88 100
10 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

What is the use of this table?

You will notice that the values given in the table are only percentage values. You can easily
convert this values into decimals by shifting two places to the left. Thus, 66.66% = 0.6666 in
decimal value. Another use of this table is that in the process of division by any number such as
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and so on, candidates normally face difficulty in calculating the decimal values of
these divisions.

However, when you get used to the decimal values that are in the table, calculations will become
a lot easier. For example, when you divide an integer by 7, the decimal values can only be 0.14,
0.28, 0.42, 0.57, 0.71, 0.85 , or 0.00.
This also denotes that the difference between two ratios like x/4 – x/5 is integral only when x is
divisible by 4 as well as 5.

Solved Example

Q. What is the percentage value of the ratio 53/81?

In this question, to find the answer you need to remove all the 50%, 100%, 10%, 1%, and all
such of the denominator from the numerator.

53/81 will be written as :

(40.5 + 12.5)/81 = 40.5/81 + 12.5/81 = 50% + 12.5/81

= 50% + (8.1 + 4.4)/81 = 50% + 10% + 4.4/81
= 60% + 4.4/81

So, now we have established that answer is somewhere between 60 and 70 %. You need to find
those remaining digits now. This can be found by calculating 4.4/81 through the normal process
of multiplying the numerator by 100.

So, the % value of 4.4/81 = 4.4 x 100/ 81 = 440/81. 440/81 will be 5% with 35 as a remainder.
To find the remaining digits, add a zero to the remainder and divide it by 81. Here, that
remainder is 35. It will become 350/81 = 4 with 26 as a remainder. Again repeat the process for
260/81 with 3 and remainder as 17. So the final answer will be 65.43.

Practice Questions
Q. What will be the percentage value of the ratio 223/72?

A. 308.5 % B. 309.52 % C. 309.72 % D. 309.83 %

Ans: The correct answer is C.

Q. What will be the percentage value of the ratio of 53/14?

A. 378.57 % B. 378.75 % C. 380 % D. 383 %

Ans: The correct answer is A.

Q. Calculate 123 x 4.73.

A. 582.67 B. 582.5 C. 580 D. 581.79

Ans: The correct answer is D.

Inverse Case – Value From Percentage

You must have definitely prepared percentage topic for the exams. But the topic is so diversified
that it becomes hard for a student to fully comprehend it. We all have been taught to find the
percentage of the given values. But what would happen if it is reversed? How to find value from
percentage?

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Value from Percentage

There is never a set pattern in a competitive exam. And there have been questions from the past
exams, where a candidate was asked to find the value from the percentage. So it becomes very
important that you prepare such topics. Generally, these below types of questions are asked in
the exams.
Source: The blue diamond gallery

Solved Example

Q. Anil gets a tuition fee of Rs. 200 per week. Now, he asks for a raise of 15 %. What will be his
revised fees per week?

A. Rs. 210
B. Rs. 230
C. Rs. 200
D. Rs. 245

This question can be solved using two methods.

Method 1

In method 1, you can use directly the multiplying factor for the 15 % raise given in the question.
Here, 1.15 will be the multiplying factor. So, the increase in the fee that Anil asks will be (100 %
+ 15 %) of 200
= 115 % of 200
= 1.15 x 200
= 230.
So, after increasing Anil’s salary will be Rs. 230.

Method 2

Method 2 can only be used if the questions asked are less complex. In this method, you can do
the calculations quickly and find the answer. Here, the raise asked is 15 %. So we can divide it
into two parts 10 % and 5 %. 10 % of 200 will be 20 and 5 % will be 10. So, by adding both the
values we will get 30. Add this to 200. So, after the rise, his salary will be Rs. 230.

So, the correct answer is B.

In the above example, we saw the multiplying factor. To find the multiplying factor, there is a
direct formula used which is as under:
For an increase of a % in the value of b, the multiplying factor is ( 1+ p/100) and the final value
will be given by,
Final value = (1 + p/100) x q

For a decrease of a % in the value of b, the multiplying factor is (1 – a/100)

And again the final value will be given by,
fv = (1 – p/100) x q
where, fv = final value.

Examples of Finding the Value Using Percentage

Q. The daily salary of Rahul is Rs. 200 and the tax deducted at source is 15 %, then find the net
salary of Rahul per day.

A. Rs. 160
B. Rs. 165
C. Rs. 170
D. Rs. 180
In this question, we need to find the daily salary of Rahul i.e value from percentage given in the
question. Usually, daily net salary or any net salary can be found after deducting the taxes and
expenses from the gross salary.

So, net salary = gross salary – deductions

= 100 % of salary – 15 % of his salary

= 85 % of 200 = 0.85 x 200 = Rs. 170.

Here the multiplying factor is 0.85. This multiplying factor can also be described as a fraction,
for example, 0.85 = 85/100 = 17/20.

Finding the initial value, when the final value and the percentage is given to us.

Q. The new fares of the train from Pune to Hyderabad was increased by 9 % and Suresh ended
up paying Rs. 5995. Find the initial fare before the hike.

A. Rs. 5500
B. Rs. 5600
C. Rs. 5700
D. Rs. 5800

Here, in this type of questions you just need to find the initial fare before the prices were
increased. You can also solve this question by using a multiplying factor.

Here, the fares are increased by 9 % so the multiplying factor will be 1.09. Now let the initial
fare be Rs. x. And the final value is y = 5995.
Therefore, y = 1.09x, x = y/1.09 = 5995/1.09 = 5500. So, the correct answer is Rs. 5500 which is
option A.

Practice Questions
Q. In order to clear the exam candidates were asked to take an aptitude test. Every candidate
must score 60 % marks. Hiral took the test and missed the cut off by 8 marks. She scored 40
marks. What were the maximum marks in the test?

A. 120
B. 160
C. 80
D. 72

Ans: The correct answer is C.

Q. Instead of finding 50 % of the number, Mahesh finds 15 % and gets a value which is 140 less.
Find this number.

A. 280
B. 400
C. 80.5
D. 200

Ans: The correct answer is B.

Q. To pass the exam every candidate need to score 35 % of the total marks in the exam. A
student got 35 marks and failed by 35 marks. What were the maximum marks for the test?
A. 200
B. 130
C. 100
D. 70

Ans: The correct answer is A.

Q. When 60 % of a number is added to 60 the original number is obtained. Find the original
number here.

A. 150
B. 160
C. 96
D. No such number is possible

Ans: The correct answer is A.

Q. The population in the village is 5500. If the number of females increases by 20 % and the
number of males increases by 11 %, the population becomes 6330. Find the number of females
in the village.

A. 3000
B. 2000
C. 2500
D. 3500

Ans: The correct answer is C.

Q. Ajay bought goods worth Rs. 6000. He gets a rebate of 10 % on it. After getting the rebate, he
pays sales tax of 20 %. What is the amount that Ajay has to pay for goods?

A. Rs. 6480
B. Rs. 6280
C. Rs. 6330
D. Rs. 6440

Ans: The correct answer is A.

Relative Percentage
Every banking exams like IBPS PO, IBPS clerk, SSC and MBA exams as well such as CAT
have 3-4 questions appearing from percentage section alone. So, it is important that you study
percentage chapter well. And therefore it is not possible to cover the entire chapter in one
section. And that is why we are discussing one topic at a time. Today we will be discussing on
relative percentage.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Relative Percentage
In relative percentage, usually, questions are asked in form of comparison. You are required to
find out the comparison between two people or objects or products. This will be understood
better by using some of the solved examples. But before going into some questions, we will
provide you with some of the basic formulas required to solve percentages. There are many
different types of percentage questions that can be asked in the exam like percentage change,
successive percentage, relative percentage, etc.

Basic Rules of Percentage

• p % of y = (p/100) x y = y % of p.
• To find what percent of a is b: b/a x 100.
• Increase in A by B % = A( 1 + B/100)
• The decrease in A by B % = A(1 – B/100)
• When the price of the item increases by n % than the reduction of quantity should be
100n/ (100 + n) % so that the total expenditure of the item remains the same.
• For successive percentage change, if the price of the quantity increases by x % and y %,
then the percentage increases will be {x + y + (xy/100)}.
• When the price of an item increases by x % than the increase in the consumption so that
the expenditure does not increase is {(x/100 + x) x 100 %}.
• While the formula for the price of an item decreases by x %, when there is a decrease in
the consumption so that the expenditure does not decrease is {(x/100-x) x 100%}.

Examples Based on Salary

Q. A’s salary is 25 % more than B’s salary. By what percentage is the B’s salary less than A’s
salary?

A. 30 %
B. 20 %
C. 15 %
D. 25 %

We will keep B’s salary as a base and solve the question. So, let’s suppose that B’s salary is 100.
A’s salary is 25 % more than B, so now A’s salary will be 125. This shows that B’s salary is 25
less than A. But 25 is 1/5th part of 125, so it is 20 % less than A. So, the required answer is 20 %
which is option B. This can be solved quickly if you remember the product constancy table.

Examples Based on Goods

Q. Suresh sells his goods 25 % cheaper than Mahesh and 25 % dearer than Ramesh. How much
percentage is goods of Ramesh cheaper than Mahesh?

A. 33.33 %
B. 66.66 %
C. 40 %
D. 50 %

To easily solve this type of questions, assume the price of goods of one of the people as 100.
Here, let’s assume that goods of Suresh are 100. So the goods of Mahesh will be 133.33 and
Ramesh will be 80. So, the goods of Ramesh in comparison to will be (53.33/133.33) x 100
cheaps. This gives us the answer as 40 %. So, the correct answer is C.

Q. If the price of the sugar is decreased by 10 % and the sales are increased by 15 %, then what
is the net effect of the revenue?

A. +5 % B. + 3.5 % C. -3.5 % D. +7.5 %

Here, suppose that earlier the price of the sugar was Rs. 100 and the sales were also 100. Now,
with the decrease in price, the new price of the sugar will be Rs. 90 and with the increase in sales
the new sales of the sugar will be 115. So, old revenue of the sugar was 100 x 100 = Rs. 10000.
Now, due to increase and decrease in sales and prices of the sugar respectively the new revenue
will be, 115 x 90 = Rs. 10350. So, there is an increase of Rs. 350 in the new revenue of the
sugar. 350 is 3.5 % of the original revenue. Thus the correct answer is B.

Practice Questions
Q. A person recently got a promotion and his salary was increased by 23 %. But due to ongoing
cost-cutting in the company, his salary was reduced by 32 %. Find the net change in the person’s
salary.

A. -14.32 %
B. – 15. 60 %
C. -16.36 %
D. – 17.34 %

Ans: The correct answer is C.

Q. In 2004, the watch manufacturers had two watches manufactured – Sitan and Holex with
market shares of 25% and 75% respectively. In 2005, the overall market for the product was
increased and there was a new member of the market. This new member captured 15% of the
market share. We know that the market share of Sitan was increased up to 50% in the following
year, the share of Holex in the same year was…….

A. 50 %
B. 45 %
C. 40 %
D. 35 %

Ans: The correct answer is D.

Q. There were two friends appearing for the examination. One of those friends scored 6 marks
more than the other and her marks were 52 % of the sum of the total marks. How many marks
did better on the two friends scored?
A. 72
B. 78
C. 76
D. 82

Ans: The correct answer is B.

Q. The Indian MNC has 2000 employees. The females outnumber male by 150 %. In all, there
are a total of 60 managers. Among the total female members, 2 % are managers. What % of male
employees are managers?

A. 4 % B. 4.5 % C. 5 % D. 9 %

Ans: The correct answer is B.

Q. Suresh had Rs. 96000 in his bank account two years ago. After one year he added 25 % to that
amount in the bank. In the second year, he added deposited 12.5 % of the increased amount in
his bank account. What is the final he has in the bank account after two years?

A. Rs. 135000 B. Rs. 108000 C. Rs. 132000 D. Rs. 120000

Ans: The correct answer is A.

The increase and decrease in prices of the product are very common phenomena. Every day you
see various discounts and offers being given to lure the customers. This increase and decrease
can also be calculated by percentage. Today we are going to discuss only the increase in this
percentage and how to calculate the consecutive increments of the product. We will also discuss
what type of articles are asked on this topic.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Consecutive Increments
Consecutive increments are defined as more than one increment in the value of the product.
 Source: Max Pixel

Solved Example
Q. Ram’s salary increases every year by 10 %. Last year his salary was Rs. 12000 per month.

1. What will be the salary of Ram in next year?

2. How will much percentage of Ram’s salary increase in 2 years?

Here, the salary of Ram last year was Rs. 12000. The increase in salary of Ram per year = 10 %.
Based on the last year, this year the salary of Ram will be, 10 % of 12000 = Rs. 1200. So, the
salary of present year will be, 12000 + 1200 = Rs. 13200.
Next year again there is an increase of 10 % in Ram’s salary. So, for next year Ram’s salary will
be, 10 % of 13200 = 1320 + 13200 = Rs. 14520.
Instead of doing this much amount of calculation, you can also use this method. Ram’s salary
last year was Rs. 12000. Annual percentage increase = 10 %. 10 % can also be written as 1.10
times the initial salary. So, for next year Ram’s salary will be 1.1 x 1.1 x 12000 = Rs. 14520.

For an overall increase in salary, Ram’s salary grew from 12000 to 14520. So, increase = Rs.
14520 – Rs. 12000 = Rs. 2520.
Therefore, % increase = 2520/12000 x 100 = 21%.

To generalize, if there are successive changes of a %, b %, and c % on the initial value, than the
final value P will be,
P = (1 + a/100)(1 + b/100)(1 + c/100) x A.
Use a, b, c with an appropriate sign i.e. use + a for an increase in % and – a for the decrease in
%.

Practice Questions
Q. Anil’s salary was Rs. 18000. An increase of 20 % in consecutive terms is equal to a single
increment of what percentage?

A. 44 % B. 40 % C. 22 % D. 400 %

Ans: The correct answer is A.

Q. It was determined in the experiment that the bacteria multiply by three times of its original
population per hour. What will be the percentage rate of growth in one hour?

A. 33.33 % B. 200 % C. 300 % D. 100 %

Ans: The correct answer is B.

Q. Shailesh had Rs. 96000 deposited in his locker a couple of years ago. During the first year, he
added 25 % to that amount and in the second year, he deposited an additional 12.5 % of the
amount in the bank locker. What is the present amount in his locker?

A. Rs. 135000 B. Rs. 120000

C. Rs. 108000 D. Rs. 132000

Ans: The correct answer is A.

Q. Hillary’s present salary was Rs. 25000 per month. She decided to switch jobs and the new
company offered an increment of 10 % for two consecutive years. What was the total percent
equal to the percentage offered in two consecutive years?

A. 22 % B. 21 % C. 25 % D. 20 %

Ans: The correct answer is B.

Q. The population in a town was 1,00,000. It was noted that every year there was an increase of
10 % per year. Find the population of the town at the start of the third year.

A. 1,21,000 B. 1,33,100
C. 1,20,000 D. 1,18,800

Ans: The correct answer is A.

Problems Based on Population

Overpopulation causes a lot of problems. Reasons of overpopulation are poverty, increased birth
rate, immigration, child labor, fertility treatments, and better medical facilities reduce death rates,
lack of resources, etc. The population is increasing rapidly all over the world and especially in
India. At the increasing rate of 1.07% per year, the global world population is expected to be
more than 8 Billion till 2030. The current average population is more than 80 million per year.
Big families with more than 5 members are resulting in poverty in developing countries like
India. Today in this article, we are going to cover some quantitative aptitude questions related to
the population problem.

Browse more Topics Under Percentages

• Percent to Decimal or Fraction Conversion

• Percentage of Quantity
• Inverse Case – Value From Percentage
• Percentage Change
• Relative Percentage
• Product Constancy
• Consecutive Increments
• Consecutive Decrease
• Problems Based on Population
• Results on Depreciation
• Percentages Practice Question

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles
Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Population Problem
Population problem is an ever-growing phenomenon. Every year you see an increase in it. This
increase is calculated by using percentage. The population problem is an ever-growing
phenomenon. Every year you see an increase in it. This increase is calculated by using
percentage. There are many tricks and methods to calculate the changes being done in it. We will
try and cover every different type of question-based on it. We will also provide some questions
for you to practice at the end.

Example Based on Population

Q. The population of New Foundland increases at a uniform rate of 8 % per year, but due to
people flying from different countries there is a further increase in it by 1 %. This 1 %, is the
increase in population which is to be calculated on it after the 8 % increase and not on the
previous year’s population. Find what the amount of percentage increase of population after 2
years.

A. 19.76
B. 17.91
C. 18.081
D. 18.24

Answer: Here, you need to find an increase in the percentage of the population after two years.
But there is a condition given where a 1 % increase is only when there was an 8 % increase and
not before that. Thus 1 % increase will only be calculated after there is an increase of 8%. This
means that for 2 years, we will only calculate this increase two times.

For the first years let’s suppose that the population before was 100. Now, with the increase of
8%, the new population after one year will 108. Now, there is a one percent increase in this
population. So, 1% of 108 is 1.08. So, new population will be 108 + 1.08 = 109.8. The important
thing here to note is that you have to take 8% and 1% separately. You cannot take a 9% increase
in the population. Because then the new population after one year would have been 109 instead
of 109.8.

Now, for the second year, there is again an increase of 8% in the population. So, the population
after two years will be 8% of 109.8 which will be 8.78 => 109.8 + 8.78 = 118.58. Increasing
118.58 by 1% we get new population as 119.76 which is our required answer. So, the increase in
population after two will be 19.76 %.

Example Based on Voters

Q. It was decided that 800 people will vote in the elections. But out of 800, 1/3 of the people
were sick. The people in the opposition party managed to increase their strength somehow by
100 %. The resolution was rejected by the majority. This majority was 50 % of that by which it
would have been passed if none of these changes would have occurred. How many people in
Vadodara finally voted for the resolution and against the resolution?

A. 150 (for), 300 (against)

B. 200 (for), 400 (against)
C. 200 (for), 300 (against)
D. 100 (for), 200 (against)

Answer: This type of questions will easier to solve if you do it through options. We will go
through the options one by one and see what is the correct answer. In the first option, there 150
for and 300 against. So 350 people are remaining. This 350 have rejected the resolution. But this
is not possible because 1/3 of the people were sick. And 1/3 of 500 is 160+. But here it is
mentioned that 150 people voted for. So option A is not the correct answer.

For option B, 200 people voted for and 400 voted against. So 200 people rejected the resolution.
So if none of this thing would have happened than the resolution would have been passed by 400
people which are 600 for and 200 against. 1/3 people were sick. So, 200 were sick and opponents
doubled their vote from 200 to 400. So, option B is the correct answer.

Practice Questions
Q. Of the total number of people in Vadodara, 25 % of men and 45 % of women are married.
What is the total percentage of the population of adults is married? (Assume that no women
marry more than one man and vice versa).

A. 31.1 %
B. 32.3 %
C. 32.14 %
D. 33.33 %

The correct answer is C.

Q. The population in Ahmedabad was 3000. It was increased by 4 % in the first year and then it
was decreased by 3 % in the next year. What was the total population at the end of two years?

A. 3208
B. 3028
C. 2028
D. 3026

The correct answer is D.

Q. Every year the population in India grows at the rate of 20 %. If the population in 2010 was
50000 then what will be the population of India in 2013?

A. 88000
B. 86000
C. 86200
D. 86400

The correct answer is D.

Q. The population of Denver in 2015 was 160000. After one year there was a decrease in
population of 6 %. After that, there was an increase in population by 8 %. What was the
population of Denver in 2017?

A. 162422
B. 162432
C. 163422
D. 165432

The correct answer is B.

Q. In a town 30 % were children, while 45 % were men. 25000 people in the town were women.
What is the total number of men and children in the town?

A. 65000
B. 75000
C. 85000
D. 90000

The correct answer is B.

Arithmetic Aptitude
In the Arithmetic Aptitude test, the questions are based on the concepts of Quadratic
Equations, Approximations and Simplifications, Data Sufficiency, and HCF and LCM. The
following set of topics will not only help you solve any question from this section but solve it
within one minute, with proper practice. Let us begin!

• Quadratic Equations
• Approximations and Simplifications
• Data Sufficiency
• HCF and LCM
• Arithmetic Aptitude Practice Questions
• Additive Inverse Property
• Square Meter How To Calculate Sq Meter Of Room

Quadratic Equations
Quadratic Equations are the equations of order 2. In the banking exams, these equations form a
frequent section of the quantitative aptitude. The quadratic equations are usually easy to factorize
and the quadratic formula is seldom used. Here we will see the exact questions and some brief
tips and tricks to solve these quadratic equation questions.
Suggested Videos
Introduction to Quadratic Equations

Solution of Quadratic Equations - Roots

Identifying Quadratic Equations

Imaginary Roots | Quadratic Equation

Quadratic Equations
The equations of the form ax2 + bx + c = 0 or the ones that can be reduced to such form are
known ass the quadratic equations. The solutions of this equation are two in number at the
maximum and are also known as the roots of the equation. There are two methods that we will
discuss here in brief by which we can solve the quadratic equations.

Browse more Topics under Arithmetic Aptitude

• Approximations and Simplifications

• Data Sufficiency
• HCF and LCM
• Arithmetic Aptitude Practice Questions

Factorization

Factorisation, if done correctly will give two linear equations in x. From these equations, we get
the value of the variable ‘x’. Let’s see an example and we will get to know more about it.

Example 1: Solve the equation: x2 + 3x – 4 = 0

Solution: This method is also known as splitting the middle term method. Here, a = 1, b = 3, c = -
4.

The first step is to multiply a and c = 1 × (-4) = -4. The second step is that the middle term is
split into two terms. We do it in such a way that the product of the new coefficients equals the
product of a and c that we got above. We have to get 3 here. Therefore, we write x2 + 3x – 4 = 0
as x2 + 4x – x – 4 = 0. Thus, we can factorise the terms as: (x+4)(x-1) = 0. Using the law that any
two quantities a and b, if a×b = 0, we must have either a = 0, b = 0 or a = b = 0.

Either (x+4) = 0 or (x-1) = 0 or both are = 0. This gives x+4 = 0 or x-1 = 0. Solving these
equations for x gives: x=-4 or x=1. This method is convenient but is not applicable to every
equation. In those cases, we can use the other methods as discussed below.

Quadratic Equation Formula

There are equations that can’t be reduced using the above two methods. For such equations, a
more powerful method is required. A method that will work for every quadratic equation. This is
the general quadratic equation formula. We define it as follows: If ax2 + bx + c = 0 is a quadratic
equation, then the value of x is given by the following formula:
Just plug in the values of a, b and c, and do the calculations. The quantity in the square root is
called the discriminant or D. The below image illustrates the best use of a quadratic equation.

Example 2: Solve: x2 + 2x + 1 = 0

Solution: Given that a=1, b=2, c=1, and

Discriminant = b2 − 4ac = 22 − 4×1×1 = 0
Using the quadratic formula, x = (−2 ± √0)/2 = −2/2

Quadratic Equation Questions

The questions are always based on a certain pattern. The following pattern is usually followed:

Example – 1: In each of these questions, two equations (I) and (II) are given. You have to solve
both equations and decide which of the following options is correct:
(A) If x < y
(B) If x > y
(C) If x = y or no relationship can be established between x and y.
(D) If x < y
(E) If x > y

Q 1: I: x2 + 4x + 4 = 0

II: y2 + 3y + 2 = 0

Answer: If you solve the first equation, you will find that x = -2. Let us see how. We can write
the first equation as:

x2 + 4x + 4 = 0 ⇒ x(x + 2) + 2(x + 2) = 0

or (x + 2) (x + 2) = 0or x = -2.

From the second equation, we see that y(y + 1) + 2 ( y + 1) = 0 ⇒ (y + 2) (y + 1) = 0

⇒ y = -2 and y = -1.

Thus plotting the values of ‘x’ and ‘y’ got from both the equation we see the following:

y y
-2 -1
x

Hence, we say that the actual relation can’t be determined as x may be equal to or less than y
which is not any of the options. Therefore the correct option here is (C) If x = y or no
relationship can be established between x and y.

Some Other Examples:

Q 2: I: x2 + 6x + 9 = 0

II: (√2)y + 1 = 0.

Answer: I: This equation can be solved as follows:

x2 + 3x + 3x + 9 = 0 ⇒ x(x+3) + 3(x+3) = 0

(x + 3) + (x + 3) = 0 ⇒ x = -3.

II: The second equation can be written as, after transferring 1 to the R.H.S. and squaring both
sides, we have:

2y2 = 1 ⇒ y2 = 1/2 or y = ± 1/(√2)

Now putting these values on a number line, we have:

-3 -1/2 1/2
x y y

So as it is clear from the above description, x is always less than y. Thus the correct option to
choose here is (D) x < y.

Practice Questions
In each of these questions, two equations (I) and (II) are given. You have to solve both equations
and decide which of the following options is correct:
(A) If x < y
(B) If x > y
(C) If x = y or no relationship can be established between x and y.
(D) If x < y
(E) If x > y

Q 1: I: 3x2 + 2x – 21 = 0
II: 3y2 – 19y + 28 = 0

Ans: D) x < y

Q 2: I. 3x2 + 7x – 6 = 0
II. 4y2 – 13y – 12 = 0

Ans: C) x = y or no relationship can be established between x and y.

Data Sufficiency
Some of the topics are commonly asked in all the competitive exams. One of that common topic
is data sufficiency. Data sufficiency consists of different types of questions from number system
to profit and loss of arithmetic aptitude and geometry. Any question can be asked in data
sufficiency.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss
VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Data Sufficiency
In data sufficiency, there are two options given to you in the form of the statements and you need
to determine whether the given statements are enough to find the answer. You need to start by
solving the question using the statements one by one and then if you cannot find the answer you
need to combine the statements to find the answer.

Directions for the questions

Each question given will be followed by two statements.

• If statement I alone is sufficient, but statement II alone is not sufficient mark (A)
• Statement II alone is sufficient, but the statement I alone is not sufficient mark (B).
• If both the statements I and II together are sufficient, but neither statements alone is
sufficient mark (C).
• Each statement alone is sufficient mark (D).
• If statement I and II together are not sufficient mark (E).

Examples Based on Age

1. How old is Ajay in 1997?

Statement I: Ajay is 11 years younger than Sanjay whose age will be a prime number in 1998.
Statement II: Sanjay’s age was a prime number in 1996.

Now, in this question, we can see that in statement I and II it is given that Sanjay’s age was a
prime number in 1996 as well as 1998. So, it can be determined that the prime numbers will be
consecutive. Thus, there are many pairs that can be formed by having two consecutive prime
numbers. These pairs are (3,5), (5,7), (11,13), (17,19), and so on. Thus you cannot find a definite
answer.
One thing we can determine that the first two pairs are not possible, because Ajay is 11 years
younger than Sanjay. But after that, there are many pairs that can be possible. So, there is not a
unique pair that can be determined with the use of the given two statements. Thus, E is the
correct option.

Examples Based on Average

1. What is a student’s overall average in the 4 subjects?

Statement I: The weight of the subjects is as follows: English 4, maths 3, physics 3, and
chemistry 1.
Statement II: The student receives 90 in English, 84 in maths, 75 in physics, and 76 in chemistry.

In order to find the average, you need to find the total marks in all the subjects and divide it by
the total number of subjects. We will start solving the question by using statements individually.
Let’s start with the first statement. In the first statement, the weight of the individual subjects is
given to us. Each subject has an individual weight but in order to find the average, we all need
the actual marks of the subjects. Thus, the statement I is not enough to answer the question.

In statement II the marks of the individual subjects of the students are given to us. But once
again you cannot find the average without the wieghtage of each individual subjects. Thus
statement II is also insufficient to determine the answer. Now we will combine both the
statements and see whether the required answer can be obtained or not. In the statement, I
individual weight of the subjects is given, so the total of the weight age will be 11. We will put
this in the denominator. And from statement II we can find the total marks of all the subjects.

Thus, average = (Total marks/total weight) = (90 x 4 + 84 x 3 + 75 x 3 + 76 x 1)/11. So, we can

find the required answer using both the statements. The correct answer is C.

Practice Questions
1. How much did Rahul earn in 1980?

The statement I: Rahul earned Rs. 6500 in 1981 which is 12.5 % more than what he earned in
1980.
Statement II: His wife(who earned half of what he earned) and he earned Rs. 8666.62 together in
1980.

Ans: The correct answer is D.

2. What will be the average speed of the two cars?

Statement I: One car completes 60 kilometers.

Statement II: The other car travels 4 km in one hour.

Ans: The correct answer is A.

3. In a school, there were 82 students who attend class A or class B or both. How many students
attend each class?

Statement I: 50 students attend class A only.

Statement II: 32 students attend class B.

Ans: The correct answer is E.

4. Who is the youngest among Rahul, Ramesh, Suresh, and Ajay?

Statement I: Rahul is elder to Ramesh.

Statement II: Suresh and Ramesh are younger than Ajay.

Ans: The correct answer is E.

5. The first term of the sequence is 8. What will be the tenth term?

Statement I: The 11th term is 256.

Statement II: The third term of the sequence is 512.

Ans: The correct answer is E.

Arithmetic Aptitude Practice Questions

Arithmetic Aptitude Practice Questions section is below. The section contains questions on all
the important concepts of this chapter. We saw the concepts of Approximations and
Simplifications, HCF and LCM and so on, now it is your turn to put your understanding of these
concepts to a test. Here in the section of Arithmetic Aptitude Practice Questions, we have
collected many previously asked questions with their answers listed at the end. After solving this
section, you will be able to better access your understanding and also get an idea of your
preparation. Best of luck!

Arithmetic Aptitude Practice Questions

Part A

Q1: Which one of the following can’t be the square of a natural number?

A) 32761 B) 81225 C) 42437 D) 20164 E) None of

these

Q2: What smallest number should be added to 4456 so that the sum is completely divisible by 6?

A) 4 B) 3 C) 2 D) 1 E) None of
these

Q3: Which natural number is nearest to 9217, which is completely divisible by 88?

A) 9152 B) 9240 C) 9064 D) 9184 E) None of these

Q4: What natural number is nearest to 8485, which is completely divisible by 75?

A) 8475 B) 8500 C) 8550 D) 8525 E) None of these

Q5: The largest four digit number exactly divisible by 88 is?

A) 9944 B) 9768 C) 9988 D) 8888 E) None of these

Q6: The largest 5-digit number exactly divisible by 91 is:

A) 99921 B) 99918 C) 99981 D) 99971 E) None of these

Q7: What least number must be subtracted from 13601 so that the remainder is divisible by 87?

A) 23 B) 31 C) 29 D) 37 E) 49

Q8: What least number must be added to 1056 so that the sum is completely divisible by 23?

A) 2 B) 3 C) 18 D) 21 E) None of these

Q9: The smallest 5-digit number exactly divisible by 41 is:

A) 10041 B) 10004 C) 10045 D) 10025 E) None of these

Q10: The smallest 6-digit number exactly divisible by 111 is:

A) 111111 B) 110011 C) 100011 D) 110101 E) None of

these

Q11: In a division sum, the divisor is 10 times the quotient and 5 times the remainder. If the
remainder is 46, what is the dividend?

A) 4236 B) 4306 C) 4336 D) 5336 E) None of these

Q12: On dividing a number by 68, we get 269 as quotient and 0 as remainder. On dividing the
same number by 67, what will be the remainder? [SSC 2005]

A) 0 B) 1 C) 2 D) 3 E) None of these

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: C), Q2: C), Q3: B), Q4: A), Q5: A), Q6: B), Q7: C), Q8: A), Q9: B), Q10: C), Q11: D), Q12:
B)

Part B

Q1: It is being given that (232 + 1) is completely divisible by a whole number. Which of the
following numbers is completely divisible by this number? [SSC 2007]

A) (216 + 1) B) (216 – 1) C) 7 × 233 D) (296 + 1)

Q2: A number when divided successively by 4 and 5 leaves remainders 1 and 4 respectively.
When it is successively divided by 5 and 4, then the respective remainders will
be: [SSC 2003]

A) 1, 2 B) 2, 3 C) 3, 2 D) 4, 1

Q3: In dividing a number by 585, a student employed the method of short division. He divided
the number successively by 5, 9 and 13 (factors of 585) and got the remainders 4, 8, 12
respectively. If he had divided the number by 585, the remainder would have been:

A) 24 B) 144 C) 292 D) 584

Q4: A boy multiplied 987 by a certain number and obtained 559981 as his answer. If in the
answer both 98 are wrong and the other digits are correct, then the correct answer would be:

A) 553681 B) 555181 C) 555681 D) 556581

Q5: When a number is divided by 13 the remainder is 11. When the same number is divided by
17, the remainder is 9. What is the number?

A) 339 B) 349 C) 369 D) Data inadequate

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: A), Q2: B), Q3: D), Q4: B), Q5: B)

Part C

Q1: The H. C. F and L. C. M. of two numbers are 84 and 21 respectively. If the ratio of the two
numbers is 1 : 4, then the larger of the two numbers is: [M A T 1997]

A) 12 B) 48 C) 84 D) 108

Q2: The L C M of two numbers is 495 and their H C F is 5. If the sum of the numbers is 10, then
their difference is: [S S C 1999]

A) 10 B) 46 C) 70 D) 90

Q3: The product of the LCM and HCF of two numbers is 24. The difference of two numbers is 2.
Find the numbers.

A) 2 and 4 B) 6 and 4 C) 8 and 6 D) 8 and 10

Q4: If the sum of the two numbers is 55 and the H.C.F and L.C.M. of these numbers are 5 and
120 respectively, then the sum of the reciprocals of the numbers is equal to: [C.D.S.
2003]

A) 55/601 B) 601/55 C) 11/120 D) 120/11

Q5: The L.C.M. of two numbers is 45 times their H.C.F. If one of the numbers is 125 and the
sum of H.C.F. and L.C.M. is 1150, the other number is:

A) 215 B) 220 C) 225 D) 235

Q6: The H.C.F of two numbers is 23 and the other two factors of their L.C.M. are 13 and 14. The
larger of the two numbers is: [S.S.C. 2004]

A) 276 B) 299 C) 322 D) 345

Q7: About the number of pairs which have 16 as their H.C.F. and 136 as their L.C.M., we can
definitely say that:

A) no such pair exists B) only one such pair exists

C) only two such pairs exist D) many such pairs exist

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: C), Q2: A), Q3: B), Q4: C), Q5: C), Q6: C), Q7: A)

Approximations and Simplifications

Simplifications and Approximations forms one of the most common topics in the section on
quantitative aptitude. In the section on simplification, we will learn tips and tricks that have been
asked in various banking exams and other graduate level courses. We will try and form memory
maps, state and develop formulas, and see how to apply them. Let us begin!

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Approximations and Simplifications

Let us start by stating important rules and formulae that we shall be using in the below space to
solve problems. Let us start with the infamous “BODMAS” or the “PEMDAS” rule.

BODMAS Rule

BODMAS rule: This rule depicts the correct sequence in which the operations are to be
executed, so as to find out the value of a given expression. Here ‘B’ stands for ‘Brackets’, ‘O’
for ‘of’, ‘D’ for ‘Division’, ‘M’ for ‘Multiplication’, ‘A’ for ‘Addition’ and ‘S’ for Subtraction.
These steps have to be followed in that order to get a correct answer from all arithmetic question.

Thus, in simplification, an expression, first of all, the brackets must be removed (by solving the
expressions inside), strictly in the order (), {} and [].

After removing the brackets, we must use the following operations strictly in the order: (i) of –
also as Order (Power/ Exponents) (ii) Division (iii) Multiplication (iv) Addition (v)
Subtraction.
“PEMDAS” is the same rule. Here ‘P’ stands for Parenthesis, ‘E’ for exponents i.e. Powers, ‘M’
for Multiplication, ‘D’ for Division, ‘A’ for addition, and ‘S’ for subtraction. So basically both
are the same.

Modulus Of A Real Number

The modulus or the magnitude of a real number ‘a’, written as |a|, is defined as:

|a| = a, if a > 0 and |a| = -a, if a < 0. For example the |5| = 5 and |-5| = -(-5) = 5. The modulus is
defined in a way such that it always returns a positive value.

Let us solve some examples to get more aware of the concept and also some practice.

Solved Examples For You

Part I

Example 1: What value will replace the question mark in the following equation?

4(1/2) + 3(1/6) + ? + 2(1/3) = 13(2/5).

A) 3(2/5) B) 3(3/5) C) 2(1/2) D) Data not sufficient

Answer: Let ‘x’ be the missing fraction. We will have: 9/2 + 19/6 + x + 7/3 = 67/5.

Then, x = 67 – [(9/2) + (19/6) + (7/3)]. Using the BODMAS or the PEMDAS rule, we can write
that: x = 67/5 – [(27+ 19 = 14)/6] = [(67/5) – (60/6)].
In other words we can write: x = [67/5 – 10] = 17/5 = 3(2/5). Hence the missing fraction is =
3(2/5) and the correct option is A) 3(2/5).

Example 2: Simplify the following: b – [b – (a + b) – {b – (b – (a -b))} + 2a]?

A) 4a B) 6a C) 8a D) 10a

Answer: Let us rewrite the expression as b -[b – (a+b) – {b – (b – a + b)} + 2a].

Which gives = b – [b – a – b – {b – 2b + a} + 2a]

We can write it as: b – [- a a{b – 2b + a + 2a}] or b – [ -a -{-b + 3a}] = b – [-a + b – 3a]

In other words we have: b – [-4a + b] = b + 4a – b = 4a. Thus the correct answer is A) 4a.

Example 3: 4/15 of 5/7 of a number is greater than 4/9 of 2/5 of the same number by 8. What is
half of that number? [SBI – PO 2009]

A) 112 B) 216 C) 315 D) 412

Answer: Let the number be x. Then, 4/15 of 5/7 of x – 4/9 of 2/5 of x = 8. This implies that
(4/21)x – (8/45)x = 8. In other words, we have [4/21 – 8/45]x = 8.

Thus we have [(60 – 56)/315]x = 8 or 4x/315 = 8. This gives the value of ‘x’ as = [(8×315)/4] =
630 or (1/2)x = 315. Hence the required number is 315 and the correct option is C) 315.

Part II

Example 4: If 2x + 3y + z = 55, x + z – y = 4 and y – x + z = 12, then what are the values of x, y

and z? [Bank P.O. 2003]

A) 7, 11, 8 respectively B) 12, 4, 2 respectively C) 11, 19, 15

respectively D) 13, 14, 15 respectively

Answer: The given equations are:

2x + 3y + z = 55 ……….(i); x + z – y = 4 ………(ii); y – x + z = 12 …….(iii)

Subtracting (ii) from (i), we get: x + 4y = 51 ……(iv)

Subtracting (iii) from (i), we get: 3x = 2y = 43 …..(v)

Multiplying (v) by 2 and subtracting (iv) from it, we get: 5x = 35 or x = 7. Putting x = 7 in (iv),
we get: 4y = 44 or y = 11. Putting x = 7, y = 11 in (i), we get z = 8. Hence the correct option
is A) 7, 11, 8 respectively.

Example 5: A man divides Rs. 8600 among 5 sons, 4 daughters and 2 nephews. If each daughter
receives four times as much ass each nephew, and each son receives five times as much as each
nephew, how much does each daughter receive? [SSC 2000]

A) Rs. 800 B) Rs. 600 C) Rs. 1600 D) Rs. 1800

Answer: Let the share of each nephew be Rs. x. Then, share of each daughter = Rs. (4x); share of
each son = Rs. (5x). So, 5(5x) + 4(4x) + 2x = 8600. This implies that 25x + 16x + 2x = 8600.
In other words, we have 43x = 8600 and thus x = 200.

Therefore the share of each daughter = Rs. (4×200) = Rs. 800. Thus the correct option is A) Rs.
800

Practice Questions
Q 1: A man spends 2/5 of his salary on his salary on house rent, 3/10 of his salary on food and
1/8 of his salary on conveyance. if he has Rs. 1400 left with him, find his expenditure on food
and conveyance.

A) Rs 200 B) Rs 1400 C) Rs 1000 D) Rs 2100

Ans: C) Rs 1000

Q 2: In a certain office, 1/3 of the workers are women, 1/2 of the women are married and 1/3 of
the married women have children. if 3/4 of the men are married and 2/3 of the married men have
children, what part of workers are without children?

A) 1/2 of all workers B) 11/12 of all workers C) 11/16 of all

workers D) 11/18 of all workers

Ans: D) 11/18 of all workers

Additive Inverse Property | Calculator and

Graphical Representation
Additive Inverse
It states that additive inverse of a number is basically what we add to number for creating the
sum of a zero. In other words, we can say that the additive inverse of a variable X is any other
number, y until the sum of X+Y is equal to zero.

The additive inverse of the variable X is equal and also opposite in sign to it therefore, Y = -X or
vice versa. Example: the additive inverse of negative number 5 is -5. That’s because when we
add 5 and -5 then, as a result, we get the answer = 0.

Additive Inverse Calculator

What about this inverse when it comes to a negative number? Using the same approach as
earlier, if the variable X is a negative number.

Then the additive inverse of X will be equal and opposite in sign to it. This means that this
inverse of a negative number will be positive.

For instance, if the variable X is equal to -12, then the additive inverse of the variable X will be
Y = 12. We can check that the sum of X+Y is equal to zero. When X = -12 and Y = 12, than it
results in -12 + 12 = 0.

We should note that the additive inverse of 0 is 0. Because zero is the only real number, that is
equal to its own additive inverse. It is also the one and only number for which the equation X = -
X becomes true.
Graphical Representation of Additive Inverse

We might also think of the additive inverse visually. Let us consider the real number line. The
real number line that we have to draw horizontally, with 0 near the middle.

It has negative numbers to its left and the positive ones on the right side. Two number having
opposite signs fall on either side of 0 at equal distance on the number line.

Once we locate the point corresponding to a number X on the number line. Then we are aware
that the additive inverse, or the variable -X, will with respect to 0 on the opposite side of the
number line.

In fact, point 0 is the middle point between the variable X and its additive inverse -X. For
example, when X = 5, then the additive inverse of X will be -5. It is very clear to see that point 0
is the middle point of the segment between -5 and 5.

Common Example

For any number we can calculate it by multiplying it with -1: that results in –n = -1 X n. example
of rings of the numbers are integers, real numbers, rational numbers, and complex numbers.

Relation to Subtraction

It is related closely to the subtraction. This can be seen as an addition to the opposite:

a – b = a + (-b).

Conversely, it is also said to be a subtraction from zero.

-a = 0 – a.

Hence, unary minus sign notation is seen as a shorthand for subtraction with (0) symbol omitted.
In correct typography, there should be no space present after unary (-).

Some Other Properties

In addition to the identities mentioned above, negation has algebraic properties that are as
follows:

−(−a) = a, it is an operation of evolution

−(a + b) = (−a) + (−b)

a − (−b) = a + b
(−a) × b = a × (−b) = −(a × b)

(−a) × (−b) = a × b

Notably, (−a)2 = a2

Solved Question For You

Ques. If ‘a’ is a real number, then a−1 is said to be:

(A). Inverse of a.
(B). Identity of a.
(C). Transpose of a.
(D). Determinant of a.

Ans. (A). Inverse of a.

Simple Interest and Compound Interest

Want to turn yourself into a compound interest calculator? Here in this section, we will see what
we mean by the simple interest and the compound interest. You will learn how to calculate the
compound and the simple interest, and see many solved examples that will help you solve any
question in less than a minute. Let us begin!

• Simple Interest
• Compound Interest with a Fractional Rate
• Data Sufficiency
• Difference Between Compound Interest and Simple Interest
• SI and CI Practice Questions

Simple Interest
Simple Interest is the rate at which we lend or borrow money. In the following section, we will
define the important terms and formulae that will help us solve and understand the questions on
the simple interest. We will define the concept of Simple interest and use these formulae and
definitions to solve questions that we expect will come from this section. Let us begin with the
definitions!

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Simple Interest
When a person lends money to a borrower, the borrower usually has to pay an extra amount of
money to the lender. This extra money is what we call the interest. We can express this interest
in terms of the amount that the borrower takes initially. If the interest on a sum borrowed for a
certain period is reckoned uniformly, then it is called simple interest or the flat rate. Before
starting the formula for the simple interest, let us first state some terms that we will use in the
formula.

Principal: The money borrowed or lent out for a certain period is called the principal or the sum.

Interest: Interest is the extra money that the borrower pays for using the lender’s money.

Browse more Topics under Si And Ci

• Compound Interest with a Fractional Rate

• Data Sufficiency
• Difference Between Compound Interest and Simple Interest
• SI and CI Practice Questions

But What is the Difference Between Simple Interest and Compound Interest?

Formula For The Simple Interest

Let the principal amount be equal to P. Let the rate at which the interest is levied is equal to R%
per annum (per year). let the time for which the amount is lent = T years. Then we can write:

Simple Interest = [{P×R×T}/100]

We can also calculate the Principal amount as P = [{100×(Simple Interest)}/(R×T)].

Similarly, we can write the time T as equal to T = [{100×(Simple Interest)}/P×R].

Now let us solve some examples to get acquainted with these formulae.

Example 1: Find the simple interest on Rs. 68,000 at 16(2/3)% per annum for a period of 9
months?

A) Rs. 8500 B) Rs. 3200 C) Rs. 2100 D) Rs. 4300

Answer: Here, P = Rs. 68000, R = 50/3% per annum and T = 9/12 years = 3/4 years. Note that
the time has been converted into years as the rate is per annum. The units of rate R and the time
T have to be consistent. Now using the formula for the simple interest, we have:
S.I. = [{P×R×T}/100]; therefore we may write: S.I. = Rs. [68000×(50/3)×(3/4)×(1/100)] = Rs.
8500.

In some cases the days of the start and the days when we calculate the interest are present. We
don’t count the day on which we deposit the money. However, we do count the day on which we
withdraw the money.

Practice Questions for Simple Interest here.

Solved Examples For You

Example 3: Khan borrows some money at the rate of 6% p.a. for the first two years. He borrows
the money at the rate of 9% p.a. for the next three years, and at the rate of 14% per annum for the
period beyond five years. If he pays a total interest of Rs. 11400 at the end of nine years, how
much money did he borrow?

A) Rs. 12000 B) Rs. 21000 C) Rs. 37000 D) Rs. 63000

Answer: Let ‘x’ be the sum that Khan borrows. Then the total simple interest that Khan pays is
the sum of the interests. We can write from the formula of the simple interest, [x×6×2]/100 +
[x×9×3]/100 + [x×14×4]/100 = Rs. 11400.

Therefore we can write, 95x/100 = 11400 or x = Rs. 12000 and hence the correct option is A) Rs.
12000.

Example 4: The simple interest on a certain sum of money for 2(1/2) years at 12% per annum is
Rs. 40 less than the simple interest on the same sum for 3(1/2) years at 10% per annum. Find the
sum.

A) Rs. 600 B) Rs. 666 C) Rs. 780 D) Rs. 800

Answer: Let the sum be Rs. a. Then we can write: [{x×10×7}/{100×2}] – [{x×12×5}/{100×2}]
= 40.. This can be written as: 7x/20 – 3x/10 = 4o. Therefore we have x = Rs. 800

Hence the sum is Rs. 800 and the correct option is D) Rs. 800.

Example 5: A man took a loan from a bank at the rate of 12 % p.a. simple interest. After three
years he had to pay Rs. 5400 interest only for the period. The principal amount borrowed by him
was:

A) Rs. 12000 B) Rs. 11000 C) Rs. 14000 D) Rs. 15000

Answer: Here we have, the principal = Rs. [{100×5400}/{12×3}] = Rs. 15000. Thus the correct
option is D) Rs. 15000.

Example 6: Khan invests a certain amount in three different schemes A, B and C with the rate of
interest 10% p.a., 12% p.a. and 15% p.a. respectively. If the total interest that accumulates in one
year was Rs. 3200 and the amount he invests in scheme C was 150% of the amount he invests in
Scheme A and 240% of the amount he invests in Scheme B, what was the amount he invests in
scheme B?

A) Rs. 4000 B) Rs. 5000 C) Rs. 6000 D) Rs. 7000

Answer: Let x, y and z be the amounts that Khan invests in schemes A, B and C respectively.
Then, we can write using the formula for S.I., : [{x×10×1}/100] + [{y×12×1}/100] +
[{z×15×1}/100] = Rs. 3200. Also, we have the conditions that 10x + 12y + 15z = Rs. 320000.

Now, we have z = 240% of y = (12/5)y. And, z = 150% of x = (3/2)x or in other words we can
write:

x = (2/3)z = [(2/3)×(12/5)]y = (8/5)y.

Combining the above equations, we have:

16y + 12y + 36y = Rs. 320000 or in other words, we can write 64y = Rs. 320000 and y = Rs.
5000.

Therefore the sum that Khan invests in scheme B = Rs. 5000 and the correct option is B) Rs.
5000.

Practice Questions
Q 1: Divide Rs. 2379 into 3 parts so that their amounts after 2,3 and 4 years respectively may be
equal, the rate of interest is 5% per annum at simple interest. The first part is:

A) Rs. 969 B) Rs. 828 C) Rs. 890 D) Rs. 234

Answer: B) 828

Q 2: An amount of Rs. 100000 is invested in two types of shares. the first yields an interest of
9% p.a. and the second, 11% p.a. If the total interest at the end of one year is 9(3/4)%, then the
amount invested in each share was:

A) Rs. 62500; Rs. 37500 B) Rs. 5733; Rs. 7865 C) Rs. 7297; Rs.
9865 D) Rs. 5242; Rs. 8906

Ans: A) Rs. 62500; Rs. 37500

CI with a Fractional Rate

The interest rates are charged each and every time you borrow the money. Some people use
simple interest while some people levy charges based on the compound interest. And today we
will be discussing on compound interest. We will explain what compound interest is and solve
some of the examples to help you understand the concept. There are also questions for you at the
end.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Compound Interest
In simpler terms compound interest is explained as interest on interest. In compound interest, the
interest of one year is added back into the amount and after that new interest is calculated. The
following formula given below will help you calculate the amount. In the given formula, the
principal amount is also given with compound interest included in it.

Source: quora.com

A = P(1 + R/100)^N

Here, P is the principal amount, R stands for rate of interest, N is for a number of years, A is the
amount inclusive of principal and interest. There are other formulas used for compound interest
as well for calculating interest half yearly as well as quarterly.

Compound interest for half-yearly : A = P(1 + R/100 x 2)^2N

Compound interest for quarterly: A = P(1 + R/100 x 4)^4N

If the total amount and the principal amount is given to you and you want to calculate compound
interest than the formula is,
CI = A – P

Browse more Topics under Si And Ci

• Simple Interest
• Data Sufficiency
• Difference Between Compound Interest and Simple Interest
• SI and CI Practice Questions

The Difference of Interest

In exams, there are questions asked where you need to find the difference between compound
interest and simple interest for ‘x’ amount of years. If the difference asked is for two and three
years then we have formulas with which you can calculate the difference very easily.

If the difference between compound and simple interest is asked for two years than the
difference is:
P(R)²/100², where P is the principal amount and R is the rate of the interest given to us.
When the difference between compound and simple interest is asked for three years than the
formula will be:
3 x P (R/100)³ + P (R/100)², here also P is the principal amount and R is the rate of interest.

Example Based on Calculating Simple Compound Interest

1. Abhay invested Rs.1500 for a period of three years. The interest charge on the amount is 20%
per annum. What will be the interest compounded annually?

A. Rs. 1060 B. Rs. 1080 C. Rs. 1092 D. Rs. 1000

Here we need to calculate the amount of 20 % compound interest charged annually. We will use
the above formula to calculate this compound interest. To calculate the compound interest, the
formula is,

A = P ( 1 + R/100)^N. Here, P is Rs. 1500, R is 20 % and N is 3 years. So after putting the

values in the above formula, the equation will be,

A = 1500(1 + 20/100)³ => 1500(120/100)³ => 1500(1.2)³ => 1500 x 1.728

Therefore, A = 2592

Thus, the total amount compounded at the end of three years is Rs. 2592. But we need to find a
compound interest that Abhay earned in these three years. So, the interest will be,

CI = A – P

Where A is the total amount and P will be the principal amount. Here A is Rs. 2592 and P are Rs.
1500. Putting these values in the above formula the result will be,

A = 2592 – 1500
A = 1092. So, the correct answer is C.

Example Based on Calculating Amount from the Compound Interest

1. Shyam borrowed a certain sum of money and pays it back in 2 years in two equal yearly
installments. The compound interest is charged at 5 % per annum and he pays back Rs. 441
every year, what was the amount that Shyam borrowed?

A. Rs. 810 B. Rs. 820 C. Rs. 840 D. Rs. 850

Here we are given the amount of interest for two years that Shyam pays. And we are required to
find the total amount he borrowed. So, we need to solve this question inversely. As given in the
question, the loan principal that Shyam borrowed = Present value of Rs. 441 that is payable after
1 years + present value of Rs. 441 payable after 2 years.

Thus the total amount that Shyam borrowed or the loan principal = 441/(1.05) + 441/(1.05)² =
420 + 400 = Rs. 820. So, the total amount that Shyam borrowed was Rs. 820. Thus, the correct
answer is B.

Practice Questions
1. Ajay invested half of his savings in a mutual fund that paid simple interest for 2 years and
received Rs. 550 as interest. He invested the remaining in a fund that paid compound interest,
interest being compounded annually, for the same 2 years at the same rate of interest received
Rs. 605 as interest. What was the value of his total savings before investing in these two bonds?
A. Rs. 2750 B. Rs. 2850 C. Rs. 2900 D. Rs. 2950

The correct answer is A.

2. If the simple interest is 10.5 % annual and compound interest is 10 % annual, find the
difference between the interests after 3 years on a sum of Rs. 2000.

A. Rs. 30 B. Rs. 24 C. Rs. 32 D. Rs. 22

The correct answer is C.

3. What will be the compound interest at the rate of interest of 10 % for 3 years on that principle
which in 3 years at the rate of 10 % per annum gives Rs? 300 as simple interest?

A. Rs. 310 B. Rs. 331 C. Rs. 333 D. Rs. 330

The correct answer is B.

4. The compound interest on Rs. 16,000 for 3 years is Rs. 2522. What will be the rate of interest?

A. 8 % B. 6 % C. 4 % D. 5 %

The correct answer is D.

5. If interest on a certain sum for 3 years at 20 % per year is Rs. 728. What would be the simple
interest for the same period on the same amount?

A. Rs. 660 B. Rs. 720 C. Rs. 600 D. Rs. 690

The correct answer is C.

Difference Between the Compound and Simple Interest

Sometimes you are given a situation and you have the option of repaying more it through
compound interest or through simple interest. Obviously, you will choose simple interest because
it is a cheaper option. Also, in compound interest, you are asked to pay the principal amount by
levying interest on interest. But you would still need to determine the difference between the
compound and simple interest. If the difference asked is for either two or three years than you
can easily solve it through the formulas. Here are the formulas to the calculated difference in
interests.

SI and CI Practice Questions

SI and CI Practice Questions form a bulk of many competitive examination papers. The papers
for banking and SSC exams may focus on the one or the other concept related to banking and
commerce. SI and CI Practice Questions is one such topic. After finishing reading the topics on
SI and CI, we will go through this section of SI and CI Practice Questions. The following section
is prepared with an intention that it allows the candidate to flex their muscles and gain the
necessary confidence an practice before actually appearing in an exam. Let us see more in the
below section.

SI and CI Practice Questions

Simple Interest

Part A

Q1: How much time will it take for an amount of Rs 450 to yield Rs 81 as interest at 4.5% per
annum of simple interest? [IGNOU 2003]

A) 3% B) 4% C) 5% D) 6% E) None of these

Q2: A sum of Rs 12,500 amounts to Rs 15,500 in 4 years at the rate of simple interest. What is
the rate of interest? [Bank PO 2003]

Q3: A sum of Rs 1600 gives a simple interest of Rs 252 in 2 years and 4 months. The rate of
interest per annum is:

A) 6% B) 6(1/4) % C) 6(1/2)% D) 6(3/4)%

Q4: Reena took a loan of Rs 1200 with simple interest for as many years as the rate of the
interest. If she paid rs 432 as interest at the end of the loan period, what was the rate of the
interest? [RBI 2003]

A) 3.6 B) 6 C) 18 D) Cannot be determined E)

None of these

Part B

Q5: A man took a loan from a bank at the rate of 12% p.a. simple interest. After 3 years he has to
pay Rs 5400 interest only for the period. The principal amount borrowed by him
was: Rs [SSC 2004]

A) 2000 B) 10000 C) 15000 D) 20000

Q6: What is the present worth of Rs 132 due in 2 years at 5% simple interest per
annum? [CBI 1997]

A) 112 Rs B) 118.80 Rs C) 120 Rs D) 122 Rs

Q7: A sum fetched a total simple interest of Rs 4016.25 at the rate of 9 p. c. p. a. (percent per
annum) in 5 years. What is the sum? [NABARD 2002]

A) 4462.50 rupees B) 8032.50 rupees C) 8900 rupees D)

8925 rupees E) None of these.

Q8: The simple interest at x% for x years will be Rs x on a sum of:

A) x rupees B) [100/x] C) Rs 100x D) Rs [100/x2]

 Source: quora.com

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: B), Q2: D), Q3: D), Q4: B), Q5: C), Q6: C), Q7: D), Q8: B)

Some More Questions On Simple Interest

Q1: The price of a tv set worth Rs 20000 is to be paid in 20 instalments of Rs 1000 each. If the
rate of interest be 6% per annum, and the first instalment be paid at the time of purchase, then the
value of the last instalment covering the interest as well will be: [Hotel Management]

A) 1050 rupees B) 2050 rupees C) 3000 rupees D) None of these.

Q2: If the rate increases by 2%, the simple interest received on a sum of money increases by Rs
108. If the time period is increased by 2 years, the simple interest on the same sum increases by
Rs. 180. The sum is:

A) 1800 rupees B) 3600 rupees C) 5400 rupees D) Data

inadequate

Q3: Mr Thomas invested an amount of Rs 13900 divided into two different schemes A and B at
the simple interest rate of 14% p.a. and 11% p.a. respectively. If the total amount of simple
interest earned in two years be Rs 3508, what was the amount invested in Scheme
B? [RBI 2003]

A) 6400 rupees B) 6500 rupees C) 7200 rupees D)

7500 rupees E) None of these

Q4: A sum of Rs 2600 is lent out in two parts in such a way that the interest on one part at 10%
for 5 years is equal to that on another at 9% for 6 years. The sum lent out at 10% is:

A) 1150 rupees B) 1250 rupees C) 1350 rupees D) 1450 rupees

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: D), Q2: D), Q3: A), Q4: C)

Compound Interest
Q1: If the compound interest on a certain sum for 2 years at 10% per annum is Rs 525. The
simple interest on the same sum for double the time at half the rate percent per annum
is: [CBI 1997]

A) 400 rupees. B) 500 rupees. C) 600 rupees. D) 800 rupees.

Q2: The simple interest on a certain sum of money for three years at 8% per annum is half the
compound interest on Rs 4000 for 2 years at 10% per annum. The sum placed on simple interest
is: [SSC 2003]

A) 1550 rupees. B) 1650 rupees. C) 1750 rupees. D) 2000 rupees.

Q3: There is 60% increase in an amount in 6 years at simple interest. What will be the compound
interest of Rs 12000 after 3 years at the same rate? [SIDBI 2000]
A) 2160 rupees B) 3120 rupees C) 3972 rupees D)
6240 rupees E) None of these

Q4: The difference between compound interest and simple interest on an amount of Rs 15000 for
2 years is Rs 96. What is the rate of interest per annum? [RBI 2003]

A) 8 B) 10 C) 12 D) Cannot be determined E) None of these

Q5: The difference between simple and compound interests compounded annually on a certain
sum of money for 2 years at 4% per annum is Rs 1. The sum is: [SSC 2003]

A) Rs 625 B) Rs 630 C) 640 D) 650

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: B), Q2: C), Q3: C), Q4: A), Q5: A)

Work And Time

Work And Time problems will focus on checking your aptitude through the concepts and
questions that are on the concepts of the rate of work and efficiency of an individual, a group or
any other entity that does the work. In this section, we will learn about the wonderful and twisted
concepts of time and work and see how we can solve these questions within a minute. Let us see
below!

• Work from Days

• Days from Work
• Efficiency And Ratios
• Data Sufficiency
• Work And Time Practice Questions

Work From Days

Work from Days section will ask you questions in which you will have to calculate the amount
of work that we can perform in some time. In a similar manner to the concept of days from work,
the work from days section is easily solved by the application of some basic concepts and the
formulae that we will develop. Here we have solved examples and all the important concepts that
you may have to answer while solving this section. Let us see.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Work from Days
Let us start by developing the formula for this section.

First, we have the formula of the work. Where work is the numerical value of the task. Work
= Number of days (Time) (T or D) × Number of men (M). In other words, W = D × M.

Suppose w1 is the work done in the first case and w2 in the second case. Also, let us suppose that
T1 is the number of days that the first person takes and T2 is the number of days that the second
term takes. Also, let N1 and N2 represent the number of people that undertake each task
respectively. Then the ratio of the work done in the first task to the work done in the second task
is equal to w1/w2 = (T1 × N1)/(T2 × N2). Let us see some examples of getting work from days.

Solved Example

Example 1: Ten people can cut 20 trees in 2 days. If twenty people work for two months, then
how many trees will be cut during this time?

A) 1330 trees B) 1223 trees C) 1220 trees D) 1222 trees

Answer: We will use the formula w1/w2 = (T1 × N1)/(T2 × N2) that we have developed just above.
Here w1 = 20, T1 = 2 and N1 = 10.

Similarly, we have w2 = ? , T2 = 61 days, and N2 = 20. Substituting these values in the equation
above, we have:

w1/w2 = (T1 × N1)/(T2 × N2). In other words we can say: 20/w2 = (2×10)/(61×20).

Solving this we can say that w2 = 1220 trees.

We can use the same formula to solve similar questions. Let us now see an important concept
that will simplify a lot of our problems. The concept of efficiency in work. Hence the correct
option is C) 1220 trees.

Efficiency Of Work

The efficiency is the amount of work that a person can do in some certain time. For example,
consider the following example:

Example 2: What is the efficiency of a person who finishes his job in 5 days?
Answer: As per the question, the number of days this person takes to complete the work = 5
Therefore we can say that he does 1/5th of the work per day. This when we convert it into
percentage = 100/5 = 20%. Therefore, his efficiency is 20%.

We can use the efficiency to solve many problems in a very short time. Let us see how.

Example 3: A person ‘A’ can do a job in 10 days. Another person ‘B’ can do the same job in 5
days. In how many days will they complete this job if they work together?

Answer: As per the question, we have A’s efficiency = 10% and B’s efficiency = 20%.
Therefore when they work together, their efficiency is = A+ B = 10 + 20 = 30%
This means, in one day A and B together can do 30% of work. Therefore, the number of days it
will take A and B together to do 100% of the work = 100/30 = 3.33 days.

Some Solved Examples

Example 4: A and B can do a job in 8 days. B and C can do the same job in 12 days. When A, B,
and C work together, they can do the same job in 6 days. In how many days can A and C
complete this job?

Answer: As per the question we have:

The combined efficiency of A and B is = (A+B’s) efficiency = 12.5%
Also, we have: B+C’s efficiency = 8.33%
And A+B+C’s efficiency = 16.66%
Now we need to find A + C. Let us see how to solve this:

Consider, the expression 2(A+B+C), we can write it as = (A+B) + (B+C) + (C+A)

Therefore we have 2(16.66) = 12.5+ 8.33 + (C+A)
And hence we have: C+A = 12.49 = 12.5%
Therefore, the time that A and C take = 100/12.5 = 8 days.

Example 5: A person A is twice as efficient as another person B. The person A can complete a
job 30 days before B. If they work together, how long will it take them to finish the job?

Answer: Let the efficiency of B = x and thus the efficiency of A = 2x.

Since the person A takes 30 days to complete a job, the person B will take 60 days to complete
the same job.

A’s efficiency = 1/30 = 3.33%

B’s efficiency = 1/60 = 1.66%
Therefore there combined efficiency for this job = 3.33% + 1.66% = 5% of the job in 1 day.
So they can complete the whole job in 20 days (= 100/5 days).

Practice Questions
Q 1: A and B together can complete a task in 20 days. B and C together can complete the same
task in 30 days. A and C together can complete the same task in 30 days. What is the respective
ratio of the number of days taken by A when completing the same task alone to the number of
days taken by C when completing the same task alone?

A) 3:1 B) 3:2 C) 1:3 D) 2:3

Ans: C) 1:3
Q 2: A does 80% of a work in 20 days. He then calls in B and they together finish the remaining
work in 3 days. How long B alone would take to do the whole work?

A) 37 (1/2) B) 36 C) 39 (1/2) D) 40

Ans: 37 (1/2)

Efficiency And Ratios

A convenient way to solve problems on the efficiency and ratios is to use the concept of
efficiency and ratios. In the following section, we will see efficiency ratio and how we can solve
all the problems on the concepts of time and work by the use of this technique. Let us see!

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Efficiency Ratio – Work and Time

Ratio

If A is thrice as good a workman as B, then:

The ratio of work done by A and B = 3: 1.

The ratio of times taken by A and B to finish a work = 1 : 3. This means that if someone says A
is ‘x’ times as good a workman as B, then he will take the time to B to do the same work.

Browse more Topics under Work And Time

• Work from Days

• Days from Work
• Data Sufficiency
• Work And Time Practice Questions

Efficiency

The efficiency of work means, “How much work one person can do in one day (expressed in
percentage)”. For example, a person can do a job in 2 days. In other words, we can say that he
can do 50% of the work in one day. Therefore, his efficiency will be 50%.

The following two steps can be followed to better utilise the concept of efficiency. This concept
involves two steps to calculate efficiency:

Step 1: Convert the work into fraction i.e. per day work.

Step 2: Express the fraction in the form of percentage by multiplying with 100. Let us see this
with the help of an example.
Example 1: If a person can complete his work in 5 days. What will be his efficiency?

Answer: Number of days a person takes to complete his work = 5 days.

This means that he is doing 1/5 th of the work per day (Step one – convert into fraction).

Now let us do the second step and convert it into a percentage:

We have: 100/5 = 20%. Therefore, the person’s efficiency is 20%. Summarizing this, we can say
that if a person can do his job in n days, his efficiency will be given as below:

Efficiency =(100/n) %.

Let us understand more about Work from Days here in detail

Negative And Positive Efficiency

Now the efficiency can be negative as well as positive. For example, if we have a man who
builds a wall in 10 days, his efficiency will be equal to (100/10)% = 10%. Suppose we also have
another man who is demolishing the same wall. he can demolish the entire wall in two days.
Therefore his efficiency will be – (100/2)% = – 50%.

Negative efficiency cancels the positive efficiency.

Another Example: Positive efficiency = 5%, Negative efficiency = 1.5%. Therefore the Net
efficiency = (5 – 1.5)% = 3.5%.

The efficiency cancels out only when the work is of the same nature.

Solved Examples For You

Example 2: A can do a job in 10 days. B can do a job in 5 days. In how many days they can
complete the job if they work together?

Answer: Since A can do the job in 10 days, we can write the efficiency of A is equal to
(100/10)% = 10%. Thus, A’s efficiency = 10%. Similarly, we can say that B’s efficiency is equal
to 20%. Now we nee to find their combined efficiency as follows:

(A+ B) efficiency = (10 + 20)% = 30%. This means in one day A and B together can do 30% of
the work. Therefore, Number of days A and B together take to do 100% of work = (100/3) days
= 3.33 days.

Example 3: A can do a certain work in 12 days. B is 60% more efficient than A. How many days
does B alone take to do the same job?
Answer: Ratio of time taken by A & B = 160:100 = 8:5. Suppose B alone takes x days to do the
job. Then, 8:5::12:x. In other words, we may write: 8x = 5×12 and thus we have x = 15/2 days.

Example 4: If eight men and 12 boys can complete a piece of work in twelve days, in what time
will 40 men and 45 boys complete another piece of work three times as great, supposing sixteen
men can do as much work in 8 hours as 12 boys can do in 24 hours? [SSC Mains, 2003]

A) 4 days B) 16 days C) 8 days D) 32 days

Answer: We are given that sixteen men can do a certain work in 8 hours. The same amount of
work can be done by 12 boys in 24 hours.

We can write 16 = 1/8 and 12 = 1/24.

Therefore we can write the two equations as (16 men)×(8 hours) = 1 [ 1 means the complete
100% of work].

Similarly, we can say that (12 boys)×(24 hours) = 1. Comparing the two equations, we can
write (16 men)×(8 hours) = (12 boys)×(24 hours).

On the left-hand side, we have the men and on the right-hand side, we have the boys. So we can
write (16 × 8 hours) men = (12 × 24) boys. In other words, we may write, 4 men = 9 boys which
means that the amount of work that 4 men can do could be done by 9 boys.

Therefore, moving on to the question, we have: 8 men + 12 boys can do some work in 12 days.
Converting the equation to boys only, we have:

8 men + 12 boys = 9 × 2 boys + 12 boys = 30 boys.

Similalry, from the second condition in the question, we have: 40 men + 45 boys = 10 × 9 boys +
45 boys = 135 boys.

Now, 30 boys can complete the work in 12 days. This means that one boy can complete the work
in 30×12 days. Therefore, 135 boys will complete the work in (30×12)/135 days.

Also, the number of boys that will complete the work three times bigger = (30×12×3)/135 = 8
days. Therefore the answer is C) 8 days.

Practice Work and Time Questions here

Practice Questions:
Q 1: A and B together can do a job in 4 days. If A can do a job in 12 days if he works alone, then
how many days B alone take to complete the job?

A) 6 days B) 8 days C) 10 days D) 10 days

Ans: 6 days.

Q 2: Twenty women can do a work in sixteen days. Sixteen men can complete the same work in
fifteen days. What is the ratio between the capacity of a man and a woman?

A) 4: 7 B) 7: 3 C) 4: 3 D) 3: 7

Ans: C) 4: 3
This concludes our discussion on the topic efficiency ratio.

Work And Time Practice Questions

Work And Time Practice Questions section has all the topics that we dealt with in the chapter on
work and time. Here we have collected a diverse type of questions that will help you prepare
better for any exam. Fill yourself with confidence by solving the section on Work And Time
Practice Questions. Let us see more.

Work And Time Practice Questions

Part A

Q1: A does a work in 10 days and B does the same work in 15 days. In how many days they
together will do the same work? [RRB 2003]

A) 5 days B) 6 days C) 8 days D) 9 days

Q2: A an finish a work in 18 days and B can do the same work in half the time taken by A. Then,
working together, what part of the same work they can finish in a day? [SSC 2003]

A) 1/6 B) 1/9 C) 2/5 D) 2/7

Q3: A tyre has two punctures. The first puncture alone would have made the tyre flat in 9
minutes and the second alone would have done it in 6 minutes. If air leaks out at a constant rate,
how long does it take both the punctures together to make it flat? [DMRC 2003]

Q4: A, B and C can complete a piece of work in 24, 6 and 12 days respectively. Working
together, they will complete the same work in: [CBI 2003]

A) 1/24 day B) 7/24 day C) 3(3/7) days D) 4 days

Q5: A man can do a job in 15 days. His father takes 20 days and his son finishes it in 25 days.
How long will they take to complete the job if they all work together? [Hotel Management,
2003]

A) Less than 6 days B) Exactly 6 days

C) Approximately 6.4 days D) More than 10 days.

Q6: A man can do a piece o work in 5 days, but with the help of his son, he can do it in 3 days.
In what time can the son do it alone? [SSC 2004]

A) 6(1/2) days B) 7 days C) 7(1/2) days D) 8 days

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: B), Q2: A), Q3: C), Q4: C), Q5: C), Q6: C).

Browse more Topics under Work And Time

• Work from Days

• Days from Work
• Efficiency And Ratios
• Data Sufficiency

Part B

Q1: Seven men can complete a work in 12 days. They started the work and after 5 days, two men
left. In how many days will the work be completed by the remaining men?

A) 5 B) 6 C) 7 D) 8 E) None of these

Q2: 12 men complete a work in 9 days. After they have worked for 6 days, 6 more men join
them. How many days will they take to complete the remaining work? [RRB 2002]

A) 2 days B) 3 days C) 4 days D) 5 days E) None of these.

Q3: Three men, four women and six children can complete a work in seven days. A woman does
double the work a man does and a child does half the work a man does. How many women alone
can complete this work in 7 days? [SBI PO 2003]

A) 7 B) 8 C) 12 D) Cannot be determined E) None of these

Q4: A man, a woman and a boy can complete a job in 3, 4 and 12 days respectively. How many
boys must assist 1 man and 1 woman to complete the job in 1/4 of a day? [SSC 2000]

A) 1 B) 4 C) 19 D) 41

Q5: Ten men and fifteen women together can complete a work in 6 days. It takes 100 days for
one man alone to complete the same work. How many days will be required for one woman
alone to complete the same work? [Bank PO 1999]
A) 90 B) 125 C) 145 D) 150 E) None of these.

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: E), Q2: A), Q3: A), Q4: D), Q5: E).

Part C

Q1: If 12 men and 16 boys can do a piece of work in 5 days; 13 men and 24 boys can do it in 4
days, then the ratio of the daily work done by a man to that of a boy is: [SSC 1999]

A) 2: 1 B) 3: 1 C) 3: 2 D) 5:4

Q2: Four men and six women can complete a work in eight days, while 3 men and 7 women can
complete it in 10 days. In how many days will 10 women complete it? [SSC 2004]

A) 35 B) 40 C) 45 D) 50

Q3: One man, 3 women and 4 boys can do a piece of work in 96 hours, 2 men and 8 boys can do
it in 80 hours, 2 men and 3 women can do it in 120 hours. 5 men and 12 boys can do it in:

A) 39 (1/11) hours B) 42(7/11) hours C) 43(7/11) hours D) 44 hours

Q4: If 6 men and 8 boys can do a piece of work in 10 days while 26 men and 48 boys can do the
same in 2 days, the time taken by 15 men and 20 boys in doing the same type of work will
be: [SSC 1999]

A) 4 days B) 5 days C) 6 days D) 7 days

Q5: Sixteen men can complete a work in twelve days. Twenty-four children can complete the
same work in eighteen days. Twelve men and eight children started working and after eight days
three more children joined them. How many days will they now take to complete the remaining
work?

A) 2 days B) 4 days C) 6 days D) 8 days E) None of these.

Find your Answers Here

Q1: A), Q2: B), Q3: C), Q4: A), Q5: B)

Days From Work

Days of work is a very interesting and exciting concept of quantitative aptitude. You must have
come across such questions. In this section, however, we will deal with a subsection that we
know as the problem of getting “days from work “. We will see how these questions are framed
in our exams. We will also state the formulae that we will use to solve these questions. Let us
begin by stating the principle of these problems.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Days From Work
The questions in this section are very intriguing. Suppose there is some task, some physical work
that a certain number of people are set to do. Suppose three people are digging a well. They
finish this task in four days. If we increase the number of workers, the time taken to complete the
task will decrease. The whole task here is to find the rate at which work is done per day. For
example, let us see the following solved example.

We will have to develop a formula first. First, we have that Work = Number of days (Time
taken) (T or D) × Number of men (M). In other words, W = D × M.

Suppose w1 is the work done in the first case and w2 in the second case. Then the ratio is equal
to w1/w2 = (T1 × N1)/(T2 × N2)

Example

Two people, A and B complete a certain work in six days. Another person C, if working alone
can do the same work in ten days. If both the people work together, then they can do this work in
how many days?

A) 15 days B) 5 days C) 4.55 days D) 3.75 days

Answer: There may be many methods that you will use to solve this. We will discuss the best
and the easiest one here. The first step is to find the rate at which the work is done. If ‘n’ is the
number of days in which some work is done, then work done per day = 1/n. Let us see the given
question now.

As per the first condition, when A and B work together then they complete the work in 6 days.
Therefore, the rate is equal to 1/6. Similarly, when C does the work alone, the same task takes
ten days. So the rate is equal to 1/10 for the case when C is alone.

The rate determines the fraction of work that happens. Therefore when all the people work
together then the total rate is equal to = 1/6 + 1/10. Thus, we can write it as 4/15. You might be
tempted to take the reciprocal and take the answer as 15 but the numerator should be one for that.
Therefore taking the reciprocal and making the denominator equal to 1, we have:

The number of days in which all three complete the task is equal to 15/4 or 3.75 days. Hence the
correct option is D) 3.75 days.

Solved Examples For You

Example

Q. Ten men can cut eight trees in 16 days. If we have to cut ten trees and we have six men, then
how long will it take these men to cut the trees?

A) 23 days B) 29 days C) 17 days D) 33.3 days

Answer: To solve this question, we will have to develop a formula first. First, we have that Work
= Number of days (Time taken) (T or D) × Number of men (M). In other words, W = D × M.

Suppose w1 is the work done in the first case and w2 in the second case. Then the ratio is equal
to w1/w2 = (T1 × N1)/(T2 × N2)

Here we will find the rate at which one man does the work in one day for both the cases.
Substituting the values in the above equation, we have:

8/10 = (16 × 10)/(T2 × 6). Therefore we have T2 = 33.3 days.

Therefore the correct option is D) 33.3 days.

Example

Q. A can do a job in 10 days. B can do a job in 5 days. In how many days they can complete the
job if they work together?
Answer: The rate at which A can do the work is = 1/10. The rate at which B can do the work is
equal to 1/5. This means, in one day A and B together can do 1/10 + 1/5 of work.
Therefore, Number of days A and B together take to do 100% of work =50/15 or 3.33 days.

Practice Problems
Q 1: Khan and Samip can do a certain task in 8 days. Samip and Yawer can do the same job in
12 days. Khan, Samip, and Yawer if working together can do the job in 6 days. In how many
days can Khan and Yawer complete the job?

A) 8 days B) 16 days C) 32 days D) 6 days

Ans: A) 8 days

Q 2: Two persons A and B together can do a piece of work in 8 days. A alone does the same
work in 12 days. Then if B alone works, he can do the same work in?
A) 100 days B) 33.33 days C) 24 days D) 80 days

Ans: C) 24 days.

Q 3: Three people A, B, and C can do a piece of work in 20, 30 and 60 days respectively. In how
many days can A do the work if he is assisted by B and C on every third day?
A) 10 days B) 15 days C) 20 days D) 25 days

Ans: B) 15 days

Probability
Probability is a fundamental concept in math and statistics. In this section of quantitative
aptitude, we will learn about the concept of probability keeping in mind the type and level, of
questions that are asked in all the crucial competitive exams. Let us also see probability
problems.

• Probability of Random Event

• Mutually Exclusive Events
• Equally Likely Events
• Independent Events
• Compound Events
• Total Probability
• Probability Practice Questions

Probability of Random Event

In every paper of IBPS PO, SO and SBI PO, there will be a few questions on the Probability of
Random Event. These questions form the subset of quantitative aptitude section. For both IBPS
and SBI the quantitative Aptitude section forms a very important section. Here we shall define
the concept of probability. We will also see what do we mean when we call an event a random
event. Moreover, we will develop techniques that will help you understand and calculate the
probability of such events. Let us begin by understanding the concept of probability.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

The Probability of Random Event

Let us first try and understand the concept of probability. In general sense of the word, the
probability of something means the chance of its occurrence or the chances that we will observe
an event at a certain time. For example, when someone says that the probability it raining today
is high, you understand that they mean that there is a high chance that it will rain.

But what if someone says that the probability of something happening is very low? You
understand that the person means that the event may not occur at all. In mathematics, we define
probability in a similar sense. Before we write the rules and the formula that defines the
probability of an event, let us see what we mean by an event in mathematics.

Browse more Topics under Probability

• Mutually Exclusive Events

 • Equally Likely Events
• Independent Events
• Compound Events
• Total Probability
• Probability Practice Questions

Event

Consider a simple example. Let us say that we toss a coin up in the air. What can happen when it
gets back? It will either give a head or a tail. These two are known as outcomes and the
occurrence of an outcome is an event. Thus the event is the outcome of some phenomenon.

Source: Quora

Now that we know what an event is, let us see the following terms. these terms will be used
throughout the article and are crucial to the understanding and solving of the concepts of
probability.

Terms related to Probability

• Random Experiment: A random experiment is one in which all the possible results are
known in advance but none of them can be predicted with certainty.
• Outcome: The result of a random experiment is called an outcome.
• Sample Space: The set of all the possible outcomes of a random experiment is called
Sample Space, and it is denoted by ‘S’.
• Event: A subset of the sample space is called an Event.

For example, consider the coin toss again. If we represent the occurrence of the Head by H and
the tail by a T, then we can write {H, T} as the sample space. Since there is no other physical
possibility, this is the set that contains all the possible outcomes of the event i.e. coin toss.

Definition Of Probability
Now let us introduce the formal definition of the probability of an event. Let us say that for some
event E, ‘N’ is the total number of possible outcomes. For example, if E is a coin toss, then N = 2
i.e. H and T. Out of these ‘N’ possible outcomes, let us say we want to find the probability of
some event X, that can happen in ‘n’ ways. Then we can write the probability of occurrence of
the event X as:

P (X) = (Number Of Ways In Which X Can Happen)/(Total Number Of Ways In Which The
Event Can Happen)
Here, P (X) represents the probability of the event X. Thus we can write:

P (X) = n/N; where ‘n’ is the number of the favourable outcomes and ‘N’ is the number of total
possible outcomes.

Solved Examples On Probability

Example 1: Find the probability for a randomly chosen month to be January?

Answer: If we choose something out of say ‘n’ things, then the number of favourable outcomes
is 1 (since we are choosing only one thing) and the number of unfavourable outcomes is equal to
the number of the things that we are choosing from. Here we are choosing one month (January)
out of a total of twelve months. So the probability of choosing any month from the given 12
months is = 1/12.

Example 2: Find the probability that a given day chosen in a week is Sunday?

Answer: There are 7 possible days (Monday to Sunday) in a week. So the probability that it will
be a Sunday = 1/7.

Example 3: One integer is chosen from 1, 2, 3, … 100. What is the probability that it is neither
divisible by 4 nor divisible by 6?

Answer: From numbers 1-100, Numbers divisible by 4 = 25. Numbers divisible by 6 =

16. Numbers divisible by 12 (LCM of 4 and 6) = 8.

Also, Numbers divisible by 4 or 6 = 25 + 16 – 8 = 33. Hence, numbers which are not divisible by
4 or 6 = 100-33 = 67

Therefore the probability that the number chosen, is neither divisible by 4 nor divisible by 6 =
67/100 = 0.67

Notice that the value of the Probability of a random event always lies between 0 and 1. If you get
an answer that is not between 0 and 1, it is wrong.

Practice Questions:
Q 1: From a well-shuffled deck of cards, find the probability of drawing a King.

A) 0.0769 units B) 0.0679 units C) 0.0769 D) 0.0679

Ans: C) 0.0769

Q 2: An unbiased die is rolled. What is the probability of getting a six?

A) 0.167 B) 1.67 C) 16.7 D) 6

Ans: A) 0.167

Equally Likely Events

Equally Likely Events are the most common type of events that you will encounter in the IBPS
PO, SO, SBI PO, Clerk and other similar exams. These are those events which are random and
have thus an equal likelihood of occurrence. When the outcomes of an experiment are equally
likely to happen, they are called equally likely events. Like during a coin toss you are equally
likely to get heads or tails. In the following space, we will discuss such events and try to get
comfortable with solving problems that are from this section. We will use the formula for the
probability to solve all such examples. Let us begin!

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Equally Likely Events

Let us start with the example of your exam paper. In the IBPS PO, SBI PO and SO exams, the
preliminary and the mains exams, you will see a lot of objective questions. For each correct
answer, you will get some marks, let us say 4 marks. For each incorrect answer, one-fourth of the
marks will be deducted. Consider the following example:

Example 1: Ravi is preparing for the IBPS exam. He tells his friend Shoaib that there are a 100
questions, each carrying 4 marks and 4 options. He tells him that if he chooses A) for every
objective randomly, he still has high chances of qualifying. Shoaib rejects this theory. Explain if
this will work or not?

Browse more Topics under Probability

• Probability of Random Event

• Mutually Exclusive Events
• Independent Events
• Compound Events
• Total Probability
• Probability Practice Questions

Answer: This will not work. If a person has no idea of the questions that he encounters, then any
option he chooses is equally likely because he chooses them at random. So for each question,
there are a total possible number of 4 choices available. Out of these 4 choices, only one is
correct and the probability that the option that Ravi chooses is correct = 1/4.

This will give us the probability of success. There is a one-fourth probability that Ravi will score
a 100 % in the paper but let us see the probability of his failure.

Of the four possible choices, 3 are wrong. So the probability that the option that Ravi has chosen
is wrong will be = 3/4. Hence there is a three-fourth chance that Ravi will score exactly 0 marks.
Since the probability of failure is three times the probability of success, in the exam Ravi is more
likely to fail if he uses the methods that he discusses with Shoaib.
Solved Examples

Example 2: In the roll of a die, what is the probability of getting a prime number?

A) 60% B) 43% C) 50% D) 38%

Answer: Let us make the sample space first. In the sample space, we will have the following
events:

S = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}. Out of all the event points, 2, 3, 5 are prime numbers. Thus we can get one
of these three numbers. So we will write, P (getting a prime) = (number of events in favour) /
(total number of events)

Therefore, P (getting a prime) = 3/6 = 1/2. But the answer is in percentage. We can easily
convert the fraction into the percentage by multiplying it by 100.

Therefore, we have P (getting a prime) = 1/2×100 = 50%. Hence the correct option here is C)
50%.

In most of the examples, you will have to use the principle of combinations or the counting
principle to determine the sample set. For example, what is the sample set when we toss two fair
coins simultaneously? Each coin has two possible outcomes i.e. either a head or a tail. So in
total, we have four outcomes for the two coins, we are to arrange these 4 outcomes, taking two at
a time. That is we have to stick each of these 4 outcomes to the 2 coins. This is equivalent to
taking the combination of 4 objects taken two at a time. That is 6 ways. So the sample set has 6
elements. Notice that you don’t even need to know the actual elements of the sample set to
describe the probability of any event.

Example 3: An event can happen in 999 ways. For a trial in this event to have a probability of
99%, what is the number of favourable events?

A) 990 B) 978 C) 998 D) 989

Answer: This is a very easy question if you recall the formula of the probability of an equally
likely event. If E is an event and P(E) represents the probability of this event then we can write:

P (E) = (number of events in favour of E)/(Total number of possible events)

Here the total number of possible events = 999 and the probability is 99% or .99. We have to
find the number of events in favour of E. Therefore we can write:

P (E) = (number of events in favour of E) / 999 or .99 = (number of events in favour of E) / 999
Therefore, we can write the number of events in favour of E = 999×.99 = 989.01 ≈ 989. Hence
the correct option is D) 989.

Practice Questions:
Q 1: Form a group of 20 players, a keeper is chosen. If 5 of the players are keepers, what is the
probability that the player chosen will be a keeper?

A) 25% B) 65% C) 99% D) 14%

Ans: A) 25%

Q 2: One multiple choice question carries 10 marks in some exam. There are a total of 3 such
questions. What is the probability that a candidate who is choosing the options at random will get
all the answers right?

A) 2 % B) 4% C) 6% D) 33%

Ans: B) 4%

Compound Events
A compound event is an event that has more than one possible outcomes. We have already seen
the simple events and other types of events. In a compound event, an experiment gives more than
one possible outcomes. These outcomes may have different probabilities but they are all equally
possible. Here we will see what we mean by this and many examples that are relevant to the
banking exams and similar exams. Let us begin with defining the compound events.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Compound Events
An event is an occurrence that can be determined by a given level of certainty. For example,
when we say that the probability of an event happening is high or low, we are stating the fact that
the event may or may not happen in a given way. The ways in which an event can happen are
what we call the outcomes of an event. Many of the events that you see around you can have
different outcomes. Such events are known as the compound events.

Here many people land up in confusion. All the events that happen around you will have a
unique outcome in a given time. For example, it will either rain or not rain but it can only be one
of the two. It can’t be both. So isn’t no event a compound event? The answer is in the fact that
when we define the compound event, we count the number of possible outcomes. The possible
outcomes may be many. In fact, in most of the experiments, they are many. For example, it may
rain is one possible outcome, it may not is another, it might snow and so on. So we may have
many possible outcomes and those events will form a compound event.
You may similarly try and find many examples around you of compound events. Now the
question is how do we find the probability of a compound event? We don’t, rather we find the
probability of the various outcomes of the compound event. The total probability of all the
outcomes of a compound event is always = 1. If a compound event has N possible outcomes,
then the probability of m-th outcome, where m < N is =

P (m) = m/N. As we can see this ratio will always be less than 1. Let us see some examples that
will allow us to understand the concept in detail.

Browse more Topics under Probability

• Probability of Random Event

• Mutually Exclusive Events
• Equally Likely Events
• Independent Events
• Total Probability
• Probability Practice Questions

Some Solved Examples

Example 1: First, let us see if we can identify what a compound event is or not. Consider two
dice one of which has 1 written on all of its 6 faces and other that has either 1 or 2 on its faces. In
the second one, half of the faces are marked with odd numbers and half with even. If A is the
probability of getting 1 upon rolling the first dice and B is the probability of getting 2 upon
rolling the second dice, then:

A) A is greater than B.

B) B is a simple event while as A is a compound event.

C) A is a compound event while B is a simple event.

D) A is less than B.

Answer: As we saw, the possible outcomes of an event determine if it is a compound event or

not. In the first case or case A, one might argue that either of the six faces can turn up so it is a
compound event. But because all of the six faces of the dice are same, it is a simple event and its
probability will be maximum.

Now B has two possible outcomes. Either the dice can turn up a 1 or a 2. Thus the probability of
getting a 2 will be 1/2 which is less than the probability of getting a 1 in the first dice. So A will
always be greater than B. Therefore, the correct option here is A) A is greater than B.
Example 2: There is a basket on a basketball court. A basketball player, who never misses takes
a random shot at the basket. What is the probability that the ball will go into the basket?

A) 1 B) 0.9 C) 0.7 D) 0.5

Answer: One might be tempted by a callous look to select the option A) but that would be
incorrect. For calculating the correct value of the probability, one must realise that history of any
event doesn’t determine the present probability. Moreover, since the question clearly says that
the basketball player takes a random shot, the event can happen in two ways. he can either score
or he can miss. So the probability of scoring or the probability that the ball will go into the basket
is = (odds in favour)/(Total odds) = 1/2.

Hence the answer is D) 0.5

Practice Questions
Q 1: What is the probability that a dice with 12 faces returns a value = 9 if each face has a
number starting from 0.

A) 0 B) 1/9 C) 1/11 D) 1/12

Ans: D) 1/12

Q 2: A couple decides to start a family and adopt a kid. After a year, they adopt another kid.
What is the probability that the first kid is a girl?

A) 1/5 B) 1/4 C) 1/2 D) 1/4

Ans: A) 1/2

Probability Practice Questions

Probability Practice Questions section is here and we have collected all the different question
types for you. The Probability Practice Questions has questions that will check your grasp on the
concepts of probability and also provide you with the crucial practice opportunity. Let us see
more.

Browse more Topics Under Probability

• Probability of Random Event

• Mutually Exclusive Events
• Equally Likely Events
• Independent Events
• Compound Events
• Total Probability
• Probability Practice Questions

Probability Practice Questions

Part A

Q1: In a throw of a coin, the probability of getting a head is?

A) 1 B) 1/2 C) 1/4 D) 2

Q2: Two unbiased coins are tossed. What is the probability of getting at most one head?

A) 2/3 B) 1/2 C) 3/4 D) 4/3

Q3: An unbiased die is tossed. Find the probability of getting a multiple of 3.

A) 1/4 B) 1/3 C) 1/2 D) 1

Q4: In a simultaneous throw of a pair of dice, find the probability of getting a total more than 7.

A) 3/2 B) 4/7 C) 5/12 D) 6/13

Q5: A bag contains 6 white and 4 black balls. two balls are drawn at random. Find the
probability that they are of the same color.

A) 3/4 B) 5/3 C) 7/15 D) 8/17

Q6: Two dice are thrown together. What is the probability that the sum of the numbers on the
two faces is divisible by 4 or 6?

A) 13/14 B) 5/3 C) 7/16 D) 7/18

Q7: Two cards are drawn at random from a pack of 52 cards. What is the probability that either
both are black or both are queens?

A) 5/21 B) 55/221 C) 555/2221 D) 5555/22221

Q8: A box contains 5 green, 4 yellow and 3 white marbles. Three marbles are drawn at random.
What is the probability that they are not of the same color? [Bank P.O. 2000]

A) 3/44 B) 3/55 C) 52/55 D) 41/44

Q9: A bag contains 4 white, 5 red, and 6 blue balls. Three balls are drawn at random from the
bag. The probability that all of them are red is: [M.B.A. 2002]

A) 1/22 B) 3/22 C) 2/91 D) 2/77

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: B), Q2: C), Q3: B), Q4: C), Q5: C), Q6: D), Q7: B), Q8: D), Q9: C)

Part B

Q1: A bag contains 2 red, 3 green, and 2 blue balls. two balls are drawn at random. What is the
probability that none of the balls drawn is blue? [Bank PO 2003]

A) 10/21 B) 11/21 C) 2/7 D) 5/7

Q2: A bag contains 6 white and 4 red balls. Three balls are drawn at random. What is the
probability that one ball is red and the other two are white?

A) 1/2 B) 1/12 C) 3/10 D) 7/12

Q3: In a box, there are 8 red, 7 blue, and 6 green balls. One ball is picked up randomly. What is
the probability that it is neither red nor green? [Bank P.O. 2002]

A) 2/3 B) 3/4 C) 7/19 D) 8/21 E) 9/21

Q4: A box contains 10 black and 10 white balls. The probability of drawing two balls of the
same color is:

A) 9/19 B) 9/38 C) 10/19 D) 5/19

Q5: A box contains 4 red balls, 5 green balls, and 6 white balls. A ball is drawn at random from
the box. What is the probability that the ball is drawn is either red or green?

A) 2/5 B0 3/5 C) 1/5 D) 7/15

Q6: In a class, there are 15 boys and 10 girls. Three students are selected at random. The
probability that 1 girl and 2 boys are selected, is:

A) 21/46 B) 25/117 C) 1/50 D) 3/25

Q7: Four persons are chosen at random from a group of 3 men, 2 women, and 4 children. The
chance that exactly 2 of them are children, is:

A) 1/9 B) 1/5 C) 1/12 D) 10/21

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: A), Q2: A), Q3: D), Q4: A), Q5: B), Q6: A), Q7: D)

Part C

Q1: A box contains 20 electric bulbs, out of which 4 are defective. Two bulbs are chosen at
random from this box. the probability that at least one of these is defective is:

A) 4/19 B) 7/19 C) 12/19 D) 21/95

Q2: In a class, 30% of the students offered English, 20% offered Hindi and 10% offered both. If
a student is selected at random, what is the probability that he has offered English or Hindi?

A) 2/5 B) 3/4 C) 3/5 D) 3/10

Q3: Two dice are tossed. the probability that a total score is a prime number is:

A) 1/6 B) 5/12 C) 1/2 D) 7/9

Q4: A speaks the truth in 75% of cases and B in 80% of the cases. In what percentage of cases
are they likely to contradict each other, narrating the same incident? [Bank PO 2000]

A) 5% B) 15% C) 35% D) 45%

Q5: A man and his wife appear in an interview for two vacancies in the same post. The
probability of husband’s selection is (1/7) and the probability of wife’s selection is (1/5). What is
the probability that only one of them is selected?

A) 4/5 B) 2/7 C) 8/15 D) 4/7

Q6: From a pack of 52 cards, one card is drawn at random. What is the probability that the card
drawn is a ten or a spade?

A) 4/13 B) 1/4 C) 1/13 D) 1/26

Q7: The probability that a card drawn from a pack of 52 cards will be a diamond or a king is:

A) 2/13 B) 4/13 C) 1/13 D) 1/52

Q8: From a pack of 52 cards, two cards are drawn together at random. What is the probability of
both the cards being kings? [M.B.A. 2002, Railways, 2002]

A) 1/15 B) 25/57 C) 35/256 D) 1/221

Q9: Two cards are drawn together from a pack of 52 cards. The probability that one is spade and
one is a heart is: [MBA 2000]

A) 3/20 B) 29/34 C) 47/100 D) 13/102

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: B), Q2: A), Q3: B), Q4: C), Q5: B), Q6: A), Q7: B), Q8: D), Q9: D)

Mutually Exclusive Events

Two events are said to be mutually exclusive events when both cannot occur at the same time. In
probability, the outcomes of an experiment are what we call the events. Some of these events
have relations with other events. In other words, we say that some events affect the occurrence of
other events. Here we will study one type such of events what we call the mutually exclusive
events. We will study how to calculate the total probability of two or more events that are
mutually exclusive. We will learn about the formula and solve examples that are similar to the
ones that have appeared in IBPS PO, IBPS SO, SBI PO and other such exams. Let us begin!

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Mutually Exclusive Events
Two events are said to be mutually exclusive events when both cannot occur at the same time.
Mutually exclusive events always have a different outcome. Such events are so that when one
happens it prevents the second from happening. For example, if the coin toss gives you a “Head”
it won’t give you a “Tail”. These are mutually exclusive events.

Now you might say that any two events are mutually exclusive then! Not exactly. Consider two
coins that we toss at the same time. The occurrence of either a Head or a Tail on one of these
doesn’t affect the probability of the occurrence of H or T of the other coin.

Browse more Topics under Probability

• Probability of Random Event

• Equally Likely Events
• Independent Events
• Compound Events
• Total Probability
• Probability Practice Questions

Terms That You Need To Know

There are other kinds of events also. For example, consider a coin that has a Head on both sides
or a Tail on both sides. No matter how many times you flip it, it will always be Head (for the
first coin) and Tail (for the second coin). So how will the sample space of such an experiment
look? It will be either { H } for the first coin and { T } for the second one. Such events have only
one point in the sample space and are known as the “Simple Events”. Two simple events are
always mutually exclusive.

Die or Dice

A die or dice is essentially a cube of six faces. In the theory of probability, the concept of a die is
used to study events and their interrelations. The die has six faces that are different from each
other. The probability of getting one of the faces in an event (say a 6 or a 2) is equal to 1/6.

Note: The number of favourable events is 1 because the desirable face is just one. On the other
hand, the total number of events is 6 as there are 6 faces of the die. We can say the following
about the mutually exclusive events:

If A and B are two sample spaces of their respective events, such that ( A ∩ B ) = Ø [phi or the
empty set represented by ‘Ø’ contains no element]

Then, P ( A ∩ B ) = 0 or the probability of A and B happening together is = 0. In other words,

the events are mutually exclusive. The symbol ∩ represents intersection or the word ‘and’.
Hence, P ( A ∩ B ) means the probability of the occurrence of A and B. It will be zero only if the
events are mutually exclusive.

We can also see the probability that either A or B will happen. For example, what is the
probability that in a coin toss either a head or a tail will turn up? Well, it is going to happen with
absolute certainty. In the words of probability, we can say that this probability = 1. How did we
calculate it? Let us see.

If A and B are two sample spaces of their respective events, such that ( A ∩ B ) = Ø [phi or the
empty set represented by ‘Ø’ contains no element]. Then the probability of either A or B
happening will be written as follows:

P ( A ∪ B) = P (A) + P ( B ) ; where the symbol ‘∪’ represents union or the word ‘or’. So the
probability of occurrence of either A or B when A and B are mutually exclusive events is equal
to the probability of occurrence of A plus the probability of occurrence of B. Let us see an
example of this.

Solved Example
Example 1: Three coins are tossed simultaneously. We represent P as the event of getting at least
2 heads. Similarly, Q represents the event of getting no heads and R is the event of getting heads
on the second coin. Which of these is mutually exclusive?

Answer: To make it an easy problem, let us build the sample space of each event. For the event
‘P’ we want to get at least two head. That means we will include all the events that have two or
more heads.

In other words, we can write P = {HHT, HTH, THH, HHH}. This set has 4 elements or events in
it i.e. n(P) = 4.

Similarly for the event Q, we can write the sample as Q = { TTT } and n(Q) = 1.

Therefore using similar logic, we can write R = { THT, HHH, HHT, THH } and n(R) = 4

So Q & R and P & R are mutually exclusive as they have nothing in their intersection.

Note that neither P nor Q or R is the sample space here. They are subsets of the sample space.
The sample space will have 20 elements in it.

Example 2: In the above example, what is the probability of getting exactly two heads?

Answer: The set of getting exactly two heads can be written as { HHT, HTH, THH }. This
means that there are three favourable outcomes out of a possible 20 outcomes. So the probability
will be 3/20.

Practice Problem
Q 1: A die is cast once. What is the probability of getting either a 6 or a 3?

A) 2/5 B) 3/2 C) 1/3 D) 2/3

Ans: C) 1/3

Q 2: Three faces of a die are painted white such that only the odd number faces remain visible.
The die is cast. What is the probability of getting a 1 or a 3 or a 5?
A) 1 B) 9 C) 2/5 D) 3/2

Ans: A) 1

Independent Events
We can calculate the probability of an event from a sample space easily by using the probability
formula for equally likely events. What if there are events in the sample space that are totally
unrelated? What if there are two coins? The result of one experiment is totally independent of the
result of another experiment. Such is the case of the independent events. In the following section,
we will see how we can find the probability of these events. Let us see!

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Independent Events
In the language of mathematics, we can say that all those events whose probability doesn’t
depend on the occurrence or non-occurrence of another event are Independent events. For
example, say we have two coins instead of one. If we flip these two coins together, then each one
of them can either turn up a head or a tail and the probability of one coin turning either a head or
a tail is totally independent of the probability of the other coin turning up a head or a tail. Such
events are known as independent events.

The probability of an independent event in the future is not dependent on its past. For example, if
you toss a coin three times and the head comes up all the three times, then what is the probability
of getting a tail on the fourth try? The answer is simply 1/2. Whatever

Example 1: Out of the following examples, which represents an independent event?

A) The probability of drawing an Ace from a well-shuffled pack of 52 cards, twice.

B) Probability of drawing a King from a pack of 52 cards and an Ace from another well-shuffled
pack of 52 cards.

C) Two queens which we draw out of a well-shuffled pack of 52 cards.

D) All of the above events are examples of independent events.

Answer: Let us see each of the options one by one. In option A), the two of events are drawing
an ace and then drawing another ace. When we draw the first ace, we have one event in our
favour and 52 in total. So the probability is 1/52. For the second draw, there is 1 less card in the
deck, so these events in which we have only one pack of cards can’t be independent events.

Hence only the option B) Probability of drawing a King from a pack of 52 cards and an Ace
from another well-shuffled pack of 52 cards, is correct.

Rule Of The Product

The total probability of events that are independent is found out by multiplying the probability of
these events. Let us see with the help of examples:

Example 2: Two coins are flipped simultaneously. What is the probability of getting heads on
either of these coins?

Answer: First thing that you realise is that these are independent events. Once you do that, move
on to find the probability of each individual event. Let us call the first coin toss as E and the
second coin toss as F. Therefore we can write: P (E) = 1/2 i.e. probability of getting a head on the
first coin toss = 1/2.

Similarly, the probability of getting a head on the second coin’s toss = 1/2. In other words, we
can write that P (F) = 1/2.

Now we have to calculate the probability of both these events happening together. hence we use
the rule of the product. If P is the probability of some event and Q is the probability of another
event, then the probability of both P and Q happening together is P×Q.

Hence the probability that either of the two coins will turn up a head = 1/2 × 1/2 = 1/4

More Examples

Example 3: A die is cast twice and a coin is tossed twice. What is the probability that the die will
turn a 6 each time and the coin will turn a tail every time?

Answer: Each time the die is cast, it is an independent event. The probability of a getting a 6 is =
1/6. So the probability of getting a 6 when the die is cast twice = 1/6 × 1/6 = 1/36

Similarly the probability of getting a tail in two flips that follow each other (are independent) =
(1/2)×(1/2) = 1/4

Therefore as the two events i.e. casting the die and tossing the coin are independent, and the
probability of both the events = (1/36)×(1/4) = 1/144.
The Rule of products is only applicable to the events that are independent of each other. The
product gives the total probability of such events. In other words, the probability of all such
events occurring is what we get from the product of probabilities.

On the other hand, the sum of probabilities gives the total probability of mutually exclusive
events. If one event P occurs and thus prevents the occurrence of another event Q, then the
probability of both these events occurring is = Probability of P + Probability of Q.

Practice Problems:
Q 1: A die is cast 6 times. What is the probability that each throw will return a prime number?

A) 1/ 32 B) 1/1296 C) 1/64 D) 1/1666

Ans: C) 1/64

Q 2: A coin is flipped six times. What is the probability of getting a head each time?

A) 1/64 B) 1/1296 C) 1/ 32 D) 1/1666

Ans: A) 1/64

Total Probability
Total Probability of an experiment means the likelihood of its occurrence. This likelihood is
contributed towards by the various smaller events that the event may be composed of. The total
probability gives us an idea of the likelihood that an event is supposed to occur or not. There is a
trick to it though. The total probability of any can never be negative. Moreover, it can never be
greater than 1! Let us see why it is so and what we can do with this information in our hand.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Total Probability
Suppose an event can happen in m different ways; where m is a non-zero positive counting
number. All of these m ways will have some value for the probability. Let us take an event R,
such that P (R) = (Number of ways in which the event gives an outcome of R) / (Total number of
ways in which the event can happen).
As you may see from the definition of this probability itself, P(R) can never be greater than 1. If
P(R) is greater than 1, that means the event can give an outcome R in more ways than it can
happen or occur which is absurd and logically incorrect. Hence the value of P(R) or for any event
will be less than 1.

What about the total probability of such events. Can that be greater than 1? Let us say that we
have many events that can happen in a, b, c, d, …. ways. These events are of an experiment that
can happen in a total of N ways. Then the total probability is the probability of the event that
happens in ‘a’ ways + the probability of the event that happens in ‘b’ ways + so on, divided by
the total number of ways in which the event can happen i.e. N. We can write:

P (Total) = (a + b + c + ….)/N.

The term in the numerator defines the total number of ways in which this event can happen so it
is equal to N. hence we can write that P (Total) = N/N = 1.

Now let us say that an event has two possible outcomes only. If the probability of one of these
events is 66% then what is the probability of the other event?

Answer: This may seem impossible to answer if you don’t take into account the fact that the total
probability of an event is 1. Since the given event can happen in only two ways, out of which one
has a probability of 66% or .66. The other has to contribute in a way that the total probability of
the event becomes = 1. thus we see that the probability of the other event should be = 0.44 or
44% such that the probabilities sum up = 1.

Browse more Topics under Probability

• Probability of Random Event

• Mutually Exclusive Events
• Equally Likely Events
• Independent Events
• Compound Events
• Probability Practice Questions

Some Solved Examples

Example 1: A compound event can occur in 3 ways, each of which is equally likely. The
probability in the first and the second event is observed to be 1/2 and 1/3 respectively. Then the
following will be true for the probability of the third event:

A) The probability of the third event is greater than the second event.

B) P (the third event) is greater than the first event.

C) The probability of the third event is 1/6.

D) Both the options A) and C) are exactly correct.

Answer: We know that the probabilities of all the outcomes of an event sum up to 1. Since we
are given that the event can happen in only three ways, we can say that if A, B and C are those
ways then:

P (A) + P (B) + P (C) = 1. Let us say that A is the first, B is the second and C is the third event.
Then as per question, we may write:

1/2 + 1/3 + P(C) = 1 or P(C) = 1/6. Hence the option C) is correct or the probability of the third
event is 1/6.

Example 2: An event can occur in two ways only. If the difference of the probabilities of the two
events is 20 %, what are the individual probabilities of the events?

A) 60 % and 80% B) 70% and 50% C) 90% and 70% D) It could be

anything!

Answer: Let us see if the principal of the sum of all probabilities can help us here. The sum of
the two probabilities is 1 or 100%. Their difference is 0.2 or 20%. Let us say that A represents
the probability of the first event and B the probability of the second event, then A + B = 1. As the
event can happen in two ways only. Also, A – B = 0.2 so that we have two equations. Adding the
two equations together, we get 2 A = 1.2 or A = 0.6. Thus A = 60% and B should be 80 % then.
Hence the option A) 60% and 80% is correct.

Note that in a simple event we can use the same reasoning and prove that the total probability of
a simple event is = 1.

Learn the Probability of Random Event here.

Practice Questions:
Q 1: An event can happen in three different ways. The difference of the probability of the first
two is .4. While the sum of the probabilities of the second and the third terms = 0.4. What are the
probabilities of each event in order?

A) 0.6, 0.2, 0.2 B) 0.2, 0.4, 0.6

C) 0.8, 0.1, 0.1 D) 0.6, 0.1, 0.2

Ans: A) 0.6, 0.2, 0.2

Permutation and Combination

Permutation and Combination is a very important topic of mathematics as well as the
quantitative aptitude section. Through permutations and combinations, we count the various
arrangements that can be made from a certain group. Here we have all these concepts with a
diverse set of solved examples and practice questions that will not only give you a perfect
coverage of the syllabus but also help you solve any question in less than a minute.

• Factorial Notation
• Permutations
 • Number of Permutations
• Combination
• Number of Combination
• Permutation and Combination Practice Questions

Factorial Notation
We are all familiar with multiplication. The factorial notation is a symbol that we use to
represent a multiplication operation. But it is more than just a symbol. In the space below we will
see what the factorial notation is and how we can use it to make our calculations easier. Let us
begin with the introduction of the factorial and then we will see some solved examples of the
same.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Factorial Notation
The factorial notation comes in handy when you are arranging objects. Consider the following
scenario that we shall use to use to define and introduce this notation. For example, you have ten
balls. Each ball has a number marked on it. You also have ten slots that you have to fill with the
balls. How many different ways can you fill these slots in?

The first slot can be filled in 10 ways because you have 10 different balls to fill it with. You can
fill the second slot in 9 ways. Since one of the slots already has a ball in it. Similarly, we can fill
the next slot in 8 ways and so on. What is the total number of ways we can arrange these 10 balls
in ten slots? This will be got from the fundamental principle of counting. The total number of
ways is 10×9×8×7×6×5×4×3×2×1.
For all such arrangements, we will see a similar pattern of multiplication. For example, for any
number ‘n’, we can make n×(n-1)×(n-2)×(n-3)×(n-4)×(n-5)×…×3×2×1. This is where we use the
factorial notation. We define the factorial of a positive integer as the product of the integer with
all the numbers lesser than it all the way up to 1.

We define the factorial of a number as the product of consecutive descending natural numbers
and represent it by !. For example, the factorial of 4 or 4! = 4×3×2×1. Similarly the factorial of 7
or 7! = 7×6×5×4×3×2×1. Similarly, we can find the factorials of all the positive integers. In the
factorial notation, we define the factorial of 0 to be = 1. So 0! = 1. By convention, 0! = 1. Also 1!
= 1. Then 2! = 2 ! 1 = 2 and 3! = 3 ! 2 ! 1 = 6. Likewise, 4! = 4 ! 3 ! 2 ! 1 = 24 and 5! = 5 ! 4 ! 3 !
2 ! 1 = 120.

Browse more Topics under Permutation And Combination

• Permutations
• Number of Permutations
• Combination
• Number of Combination
• Permutation and Combination Practice Questions

Solved Examples For You

Example 1: Aman has 12 balls that have different numbers on it. He makes all the possible
arrangements for the 12 different balls. Shoaib also has 6 balls that he arranges in all the possible
orders. What is the ratio of the arrangements that Aman makes to the number of arrangements
that Shoaib makes?

Answer: We know that the number of arrangements that we can make for any ‘n’ number of
objects is given by n factorial or n!. Since Aman is arranging 10 objects, he will be able to do it
in 10! ways. Similarly, Shoaib has 6 different objects that he will arrange in 6! ways. The ratio
will simply be = 10!/6!

We can write this as (10×9×8×7×6×5×4×3×2×1)/6!

In other words, we can say that the ratio is = (10×9×8×7×6!)/6! = (10×9×8×7) /1 = 5040:1

Example 2: Evaluate the following: (i) 14!/8! (ii) 12!/(3!)(5!)

Answer: (i) The calculations with factorials can be difficult. We should try to reduce the
numerator or the denominator such that a factorial term cancels itself. For example, in the first
example we can write:

(14×13×12×11×10×9×8!)/8! = 14×13×12×11×10×9 = 2162160.

(ii) We shall use the same method to simplify the second part. Here we have, 12!/(3!)(5!) which
can be written as:

(12×11×10×9×8×7×6×5!)/(3×2×1)(5!) = 665280

Examples of Arrangements

Example 3: A compact disc has 10 songs. The random play feature will play all of these songs in
an unknown permutation (i.e., in order, without repeats).
(a) How many possible permutations are there of these 10 songs?
(b) If you select only your 8 favourite tracks and then use the random play, then how many
possible arrangements will there be of these 8 songs?
(c) If you only have time to hear 4 songs on random play, then how many possibilities are there
for a playing of 4 different songs from the entire CD?
Solution. (a) Since all 10 songs are to be arranged in order without repeats (i.e., permuted), there
are 10! = 3,628,800 possibilities.
(b) Now only 8 songs are to be permuted, so there are 8! = 40,320 possibilities.
(c) Now 4 songs chosen from a set of 10 are to be listed in order without repeats. So now there
are 10×9×8×7 = 5,040 possibilities. Note that the value in (c) also is given by
(10×9×8×7×6×5×4×3×2×1)/(6×5×4×3×2×1) = 10!/6!

The 10! in the numerator comes from the total number of 10 songs. The 6! in the denominator
comes from the number of unused songs in the list.

Example 4: In a psychological word association test, a computer will randomly pick a letter from
the alphabet (A – Z) without repeating letters. The subject will have to say the first word coming
to mind that starts with that letter. If the test goes on for 16 letters, then how many possibilities
are there for the list of letters?
Answer: Because letters are not being repeated, we compute the number of choices by
26×25×24×. . .× until we have multiplied 16 terms together. It would be much easier to use
26!/10! ≈ 1.111363×1020 (which is a lot of possibilities). The 26! comes from the total set of 26
letters, and 10! comes from the number of 10 unused letters in the list.

Practice Question
Q 1: How many ways can you arrange the alphabet of the English language, if you were to form
all the words that have three alphabets in them?

A) 15 B) 156 C) 1560 D) 15600

Ans: D) 15600

Number of Permutations
Permutations are a very important topic of most exams. In every exam that is based on reasoning
ability, you shall find a few questions about Permutations. In mathematics, permutations are a
way of counting the number of arrangements. Here we will see what we mean by counting
arrangements and the formula for getting the number of Permutations. Let us see!

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Permutations
To understand the formula for permutations we will first see how we count the arrangements. Let
us state what we call the fundamental principle of counting. Suppose an event E, can occur in
‘m’ different ways. Let us say something like we are arranging a ball in 12 empty slots. So ‘m’
here will be 12. Next, suppose corresponding to each instance of the event E, another event F can
occur in ‘n’ different ways. Then the total number of ways in which the two events can occur is
m×n.

For example, in the case of the ball that is to be arranged in 12 empty slots, let us say we have
another ball. For this ball, we will have only 11 empty slots left. So the number of different ways
that we can arrange this ball in is 11. One empty slot corresponding to each arrangement. What is
the number of ways in which two balls can be arranged into 12 empty slots? The answer is
12×11 in accordance with the fundamental principle of counting.

Browse more Topics under Permutation And Combination

• Factorial Notation
• Permutations
• Combination
• Number of Combination
• Permutation and Combination Practice Questions

Some Examples On The Counting Principle

Example 1: Salman has 5 shirts, 6 shoes and 4 pants from which he has to choose an outfit. In
how many ways can he select one top, one skirt and one cap?

Answer: The fundamental principle of counting states that if Salman can wear his shoes in 6
ways, and his shirts in 5 ways, and his pants in 4 ways, then the total number of ways in which
he can select a different outfit will be given by the product 6×5×4 = 120. Therefore the total
number of different selections or dresses that can be chosen are 120. These choices are what we
call the Permutations.

Example 2: How many multiples of 5 are there from 10 to 95?

Answer: The multiples of 5 are integers having 0 or 5 in the digit in the unit’s place. The first
digit from the right can be chosen in 2 ways. The second digit can be any one of 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
digits. Thus there are a total of 9 ways to choose the second digit. Thus, there are 2×9 =18
multiples of 5 from 10 to 95.

Permutations Of ‘n’ Objects

We have seen what a factorial notation is. Let us say we have ‘n’ objects that we need to arrange
in n ways. For example, you have 10 balls and 10 empty spaces to put them into. Something like
this. So in how many ways can we do this? Well if you use the fundamental principle of
counting, you will say that we can fill the first space in 10 different ways. The second space can
be filled in 9 different ways and so on. In other words, the number of permutations we have here
will be equal to 10×9×8×7×6×5×4×3×2×1 = 10! We can generalise this result and say that if we
have ‘n’ different objects that are to be arranged in n different ways, then we have a total number
of n! permutations.

The Case Of Allowing Repetition

What if repetition of the event is allowed? In other words, let us consider this example: You cast
a die twice. How many permutations of the possible outcomes will you get? Let us see for one
throw. We can get any of the six outcomes for one throw. In the second throw, we have the same
number of outcomes. Therefore from the fundamental principle of counting the number of ways
in which we can have the outcomes in two throws of a die = 6×6 = 36.
In general, we say that if we have an event that can happen in ‘n’ ways and is repeated ‘r’ times,
then the possible number of outcomes of such an event = nr.

Solved Examples For You

Example 3: How many different car number plates are possible with 3 letters followed by 3
digits?

Answer: The first letters can be chosen from 26 alphabets of the English language and so can the
other two. Therefore the arrangements for the first three alphabets or letters are 26×26×26 =
(26)3. Similarly, the number of arrangements for the three numbers is = 103. The total number of
arrangements or combinations will thus be = (26)3 × 103

Example 4: In a city, the bus route numbers consist of a natural number less than 100, followed
by one of the letters A, B, C, D, E and F. How many different bus routes are possible?
Answer: The number can be any one of the natural numbers from 1 to 99. There are 99 choices
for the number.
The letter can be chosen in 6 ways. ∴ Number of possible bus routes are 99×6 = 594.

Practice Questions
Q 1: In how many ways can 6 people be arranged in a row?

A) 66 B) 72 C) 660 D) 720

Ans: D) 720

Q 2: Suppose you can travel from a place A to a place B by 3 buses, from place B to place C by
4 buses, from place C to place D by 2 buses and from place D to place E by 3 buses. In how
many ways can you travel from A to E?

A) 68 B) 70 C) 72 D) 1024

Ans: C) 72

Number of Combination
Number of Combination is the number of selections that can be made for a given number of
objects. it is interesting to note that the number of combinations is always lesser than the number
of permutations. The number of combinations is the total number of ways in which you can
select a given set from a larger set. In combinations, the order of selection doesn’t matter.
Otherwise, they would become the number of permutations. Here we will see examples for
counting the combinations of a set or a collection of objects. Let us see!
Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Number of Combination
Let us say that we have a group of four students. We label one of the students as ‘a’, the others as
‘b’, ‘c’ and ‘d’ respectively. How many ways can you select a group of two out of these four
people? Let us see how to utilise the concept of combinations to make the process of counting
selections easier. Here say we may have the following selections of sets: {a, b} , {b, c}, { c, d}
… But writing or counting the number of selections of combinations like this will be impossible
as the number of parent group gets larger and larger. There must be an easier way!

We have already seen what permutations are. The number of different ways in which we can
arrange the elements of a set can be found out by counting the number of permutations. We also
know that the number of permutations, when divided by the number of arrangements, got by
neglecting order gives the number of combinations. Mathematically we can write that if a
selection has to be made out of a set of ‘n’ objects taking ‘r’ objects at a time, then the number of
combinations will be given by nCr = (n!)/r!(n-r)!

Some Examples Of The Number Of Combinations

Let us see some solved examples that will make us familiar with the formula and the concept of
counting the number of selections.

Example 1: The value of nC0 and nCn have a ratio of:

A) 1: 1 B) n:1 C) 1:n D) 1:2

Answer: Let us first calculate the value of nC0 = (n!)/0!(n-0)!. Since we know that 0! = 1, we can
write:
n
C0 = n!/n! = 1. Now let us find the value of nCn = n!/n!(n-n)! = n!/n!(0)! = 1.

Thus the correct option is A) 1:1 or that nC0 = nCn

What this means is that the number of selections that are possible for a group of ‘n’ elements
taken none at a time is equal to the number of possible selections that we can make taking all at a
time = 1. In the first case, we don’t select anything and that counts as one selection!

Solved Examples
Example 2: In how many ways can you select a four-letter word in the English alphabet?

Answer: The group that we have to make our selection from gives us the value of ‘n’. Here the
group is the English alphabet and hence n = 26. The number of elements or objects that we group
together at a time gives us the value of ‘r’. So the number of selections that can be done for this
four-letter word is found by 26C4.

Let us add to the example a bit. What is the total number of four-letter words that can be formed
from the English alphabet? Will it be equal to 26C4? The answer is no. This is obvious once you
notice that when we are performing selections, the order doesn’t matter. For example, if you
select A and then B, it is equivalent to selecting B and then A. So we say that for “selections”
order of the selection is immaterial. But when you are forming words the order becomes
important. This is the number of arrangements or the number of permutations. They are always
greater than the number of combinations. Let us see more examples!

Type II

Example 3: A committee of 5 people is to be chosen from a group of 6 men and 4 women. How
many committees are possible if there are to be 3 men and 2 women in each committee?

Answer: Split the problem into smaller sections. here we have two groups of people to choose
from. One is the group of males and the other the group of females. Therefore, for the first group,
we have to choose 3 men out of 6 men. This can be done in 6C3 ways. Similarly, from the
females, we have to choose 2 women from a group of 4 women. That means we have to make
4
C2 selections.

Therefore the total number of selections that we can make will be the multiplication of the two.
In other words, we can say the total selections are = 6C3 × 4C2 = 120. So there are 120 ways to
select the committee. How many committees will be there? Since in a committee, the order
doesn’t matter. As long as a person is on the committee, it doesn’t matter if he or she was
selected first or second. So here the number of combinations will give the number of committees
as order doesn’t matter.

Practice Problems:
Q 1: If 4 Maths books are selected from 6 different Maths books and 3 English books are chosen
from 5 different English books, how many ways can the seven books be arranged on a shelf if
there are no restrictions?

A) 756000 B) 124 C) 1488 D) 9087456

Ans: A) 756000

Q 2: In a hand of poker, 5 cards are dealt from a regular pack of 52 cards. In how many of these
hands are there exactly 4 Kings?

A) 58 B) 48 C) 68 D) 986
Ans: B) 48

Permutations
Permutations follow directly from the fundamental principle of counting. The permutations are
all the different number of ways in which we can arrange a number of objects. Since the objects
can only be counted from the natural numbers or the counting numbers, we can say that in
permutations we will only encounter the positive integers. Here we will introduce the formulae
for permutations and see how we can use them to solve the questions of various exams.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Permutations
Given a set of N distinct objects, a permutation is an arrangement of the entire set in order
without repetitions. There are N! ways to permute the entire set. The value N! is called “N
factorial” and is computed by:
N! = N × (N – 1) × (N – 2) × . . . × 1.

This gives the number of permutations for N objects taken all at a time. Suppose a set has N
distinct objects and we wish to make a list of ‘k’ of these objects (in order without repeats). For
example, from a group of 32 balls, we
need 3 balls for a slot number 1, a slot number 2 and a slot number 3. How many choices are
possible?
Answer: We are listing 3 without repeats from a group of 32, so there are 32 × 31 × 30 = 29,760
possible choices. Notice that the number of choices also can be computed by 32!/29! ; but in this
case, it is easier to use 32 × 31×30. However, if we were arranging a larger portion of the set,
then it would be more convenient to use the factorial notation.

Browse more Topics under Permutation And Combination

• Factorial Notation
• Number of Permutations
• Combination
• Number of Combination
• Permutation and Combination Practice Questions

The General Formula Of Permutations

In the above example, we saw that if we are permuting or arranging 32 objects into 3 slots or in
other words 32 objects in three ways, then the number of arrangements can be written as 32!/29!.
We can write this as:

32!/(32 – 3)!. If we generalise this, we can see that if we have ‘n’ objects taken say ‘r’ at a time,
the total number of permutations is equal to n!/(n-r)!. this is the general formula for
permutations. The expression P(n, r), also written nPr, is calculated by:
P(n, r ) = n!/(n-r)!
You must use the difference in the denominator. For example, P(14, 6) = 14!/(14-6)! = 14!/8! =
2,162,160.
The formula for P(n, r ) gives the number of ways to permute a group of r objects selected from
the larger group of n objects.

Remember that in permutations, the order does matter. This means that if we have two letters say
A and A, then AA and AA where the order of the two A’s has changed will count as two
permutations. Let us see some more examples:

For example, we have two identical balls that we have marked as ‘a’ and ‘a’. Then instead of one
arrangement, we count them as two because in permutations the order matters.

Example 1: Suppose you want to arrange your English, Hindi, Mathematics, History, Geography
and Science books on a shelf. In how many ways can you do it?

Source: indiamart

Answer: Here we have to arrange 6 books. As we know that the number of permutations of n
objects is n! = n (n – 1)(n – 2) … 2.1
Here n = 6 and therefore, number of permutations is 6! = 6.5.4.3.2.1 = 720. Therefore the
number of ways we can arrange the six books on the shelf = 720.

Solved Examples For You

Example 2: Suppose you have 6 happy birthday cards for your friends and you want to send
them to 4 of your
friends. In how many ways can you send these cards to 4 of your friends?
Answer: Here we have to find the number of permutations of 4 objects out of 6 objects. In other
words, we have to count the number of permutations of six objects take 4 at a time. This can be
done as follows:
This number is 6(6-1)(6-2)(6-3) = 6.5.4.3 = 360. We can also do this in an easy way as below:
6
P4 = 6!/(6-4)! = 6!/2! = 6.5.4.3 = 360. Therefore, cards can be sent in 360 ways.

Example 3: In a library, there are 4 books on fairy tales, 5 books are novels and 3 books are on
plays. In how many ways can you arrange these so that books on the fairy tales are together in
one place. The novels are together and plays are also together. The requirement is that these
books should be in a specific order i.e., books on fairy tales, before novels, before plays.
Answer: There are 4 books on fairy tales and they have to be put together. They can be arranged
in 4! ways.
Similarly, there are 5 novels. They can be arranged in 5! ways. And there are 3 books on plays.
They can be arranged in 3! ways. So, by the counting principle all of them together can be
arranged in 4! × 5! × 3! ways = 17280 ways.

Type II

Example 4: In the above example what is the number of permutations if the books are not to be
kept in order?

Answer: Whenever you are asked to keep a particular class of objects together, a convenient trick
is to sort of glue them together in your head and treat them as one object. First, we consider the
books on fairy tales, novels and plays as single objects.

These three objects i.e the one group of fairy tale books, the one group of novels and the one
group of plays can be arranged in 3! ways = 6 ways.

Let us fix one of these 6 arrangements. This may give us a specific order, say, novels → fairy
tales → plays. Given this order, the books on the same subject can be arranged as follows. In
other words, now we have to count the internal permutations. The 4 books on fairy tales can be
arranged among themselves in 4! = 24 ways.
The 5 novels can be arranged in 5! = 120 ways. The 3 plays can be arranged in 3! = 6 ways.

For a given order, the books can be arranged in 24×120×6 = 17280 ways.
Therefore, for all the 6 possible orders the books can be arranged in 6×17280 = 103680 ways.

Practice Problems
Q 1: In how many ways can 4 girls and 5 boys be arranged in a row so that all the four girls are
together?

A) 568 B) 16850 C) 17280 D) 19874

Ans: C) 17280

Q 2: There are 6 boys who enter a boat with 8 seats, 4 on each side. In how many ways can they
sit anywhere on the boat?

A) 20160 B) 30160 C) 40160 D) 50160

Ans: A) 20160

Combination
In permutations, we saw the number of arrangements. But what if we only want to know the
number of ways in which we can choose a given number of objects from a bigger set? In that
case, we use combinations. Combinations represent the selection of some or all of different
objects in which order of selection doesn’t matter. So, how can we find the number of
combinations? Also, what is the combination formula? Let us see in the below space!

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Combination
The number of combinations is the number of ways in which we can select a group of objects
from a set. For example, if you have ‘n’ objects, in how many ways can you select or choose
these ‘n’ objects? Moreover, if the order is taken into consideration then it is the same as the
number of permutations. But since the order doesn’t matter, there is only one way to do it!
Which means that if you have to select ‘n’ objects taking ‘n’ at a time, there is only one way to
do it.

How about something smaller than ‘n’? Let us see this with the help of an example. Consider
that there are 4 objects and you have to select 2 objects from them. Then how many selections
can you do? You can pick the first two, the second two, the middle two, the first and the last and
so on. If you count, you will find that there are exactly 6 ways to do it.

Thus, combinations are just permutations where the order is not taken into account. So the
number of permutations will always be greater than the number of combinations. Using the
definition of permutations, we can get the combination formula. Let us see how!

Browse more Topics under Permutation And Combination

• Factorial Notation
• Permutations
• Number of Permutations
• Number of Combinations
• Permutation and Combination Practice Questions

Combination Formula

Let us say that we have 10 items out of which we will have to select 2 items. How many
arrangements can we make? The number of arrangements will be given by = 10P2 = 90. So there
are 90 arrangements that we can make from 10 objects if we take 2 at a time. What if the order of
the arrangement was not taken into account? For example, we mark one object A and the other
B. Then if AB and BA are considered as one arrangement, we say that order doesn’t matter.
What will be the number of arrangements in such a case? In that case, it will be the number of
ways we can select two items out of a group of 10 items.
To get that, we need to cancel the number of arrangements that are generated because of order.
For example, if we take 2 objects then they can be arranged in 2 factorial(2!) ways and so on. So
we need to cancel these 2 factorial ways. Thus the number of ways in which we can “select” 2
items from a group of 10 items = 10P2 /2!. This is the combination formula.

In general, we say that if we have a group of ‘n’ objects out of which we make a selection taking
‘r’ objects at a time, then the number of such selections or arrangements is given by nPr/r!

This is known as the combination formula. We represent combination formula as nCr = n!/r!(n-r)!

Other names for it are ‘n choose r’ or ‘binomial coefficient’.

Let us see real-world applications of combination formula.

Solved Examples For You

Example 1: Find the number of subsets of the set {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11} having 4
elements.

A) 340 B) 430 C) 330 D) 430

Answer: C. The set has 11 elements. Any subset that we form has to have 4 elements from the
set. Here the order of choosing the elements doesn’t matter. The set { 1, 2, 3, 4} is the same as
{4, 3, 2, 1}. Therefore, this is a problem in combinations.
We can do this by using the combination formula as:
11
C 4 = 11!/4!(11-4)! = 11!/7! = (11.10.9.8)/4.3.2.1 = 330 ways.

Example 2: The Indian Cricket team consists of 16 players. It includes 2 wicketkeepers and 5
bowlers. In how many ways can you select a cricket team of eleven players if you have to select
1 wicketkeeper and at least 4 bowlers?

A) 1024 B) 1028 C) 1092 D) 1084

Answer: C. If we have to select a team of 11 players from a roster of 16 players then the total
number of ways would be 16C11. But here we have to select 11 players including 1 wicketkeeper
and 4 bowlers or 1 wicketkeeper and 5 bowlers.

Note that there are a total of 2 wicketkeepers and 5 bowlers to choose from. So the number of
ways of selecting 1 wicket keeper, 4 bowlers and 6 other players =
2
C1×5C4×9C6 = 840.

Furthermore, the number of ways of selecting 1 wicket keeper, 5 bowlers and 5 other players.
2
C1×5C5×9C5 = 252

Therefore, the total number of ways of selecting the team = 840 + 252 = 1092.

Practice Questions
Q 1: From a group of 6 men and 4 women we have to choose a committee of 5 people. How
many committees are possible if there are no restrictions?

A) 262 B) 252 C) 785 D) 9800

Ans: B) 252

Q 2: From a group of 6 men and 4 women we have to form a committee of 5 people. How many
committees are possible if there are to be 3 men and 2 women?

A) 130 B) 120 C) 140 D) 180

Ans: B) 120

Permutation and Combination Practice

Questions
Permutation and combination is a very important topic in any competitive exams. We have
covered this topic and all its sections in our earlier articles. Today we are going to discuss the
permutation and combination practice questions. There are different types of practice questions
for you to practice and get ready for the competitive exams.

Browse more Topics under Permutation And Combination

• Factorial Notation
• Permutations
• Number of Permutations
• Combination
• Number of Combination

Permutation and Combination Practice Questions

Part 1
Permutation of ‘x’ things using all of them

Directions: For the questions in the section you need to find the distinctive ways to find the
answer.

1. Using all the letters of the word GIFT how many distinct words can be formed?

A. 22 words B. 24 words C. 256 words D. 200 words

2. Find out how many distinct three-digit numbers can be formed using all the digits of 1, 2, and
3.

A. 4 B. 5 C. 6 D. 7

3. In how many different ways can five friends sit for a photograph of five chairs in a row?

A. 120 ways B. 24 ways C. 240 ways D. 720 ways

4. In how many different ways can the letters of the word MAGIC can be formed?

A. 24 ways B. 120 ways C. 240 ways D. 720 ways

5. For the above word how many different types of arrangement are possible so that the vowels
are always together?

A. 44 words B. 24 words C. 48 words D. 60 words

6. In how many ways can the letters of the word BEAUTY be arranged?

A. 360 B. 5! C. 6! D. 7!

7. For the above word, if the vowels are always together than how many types of arrangement
can be possible?

A. 4! * 3! B. 6! C. 4! D. 4! * 3

8. A person has 4 coins if different denominations. What is the number of different sums of
money the person can form?

A. 12 B. 15 C. 11 D. 16

Answer:

1. B 24

2. C 6

3. A 120 ways

4. B 120 ways

5. C 48 words

6. C 6!

7. A 4! * 3!

8. B 15

Part 2

Permutations of n things taking some of them at one time and when some things
are alike

Directions: Answer the questions based on the data given to you

1. If repetition is not allowed then how many distinct three-digit numbers can be formed using
the digits (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)?
A. 60 ways B. 50 ways C. 40 ways D. 30 ways

2. Find out the distinct four-letter words that can be formed using the word SINGAPORE.

A. 256 B. 1024 C. 3024 D. 2048

3. Find out how many distinct three-digit numbers can be formed using the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9 such that the digits are in ascending order.

A. 80 B. 81 C. 83 D. 84

4. How many can 3 digits be formed using the digits from 1 to 5 if the digit 2 is never there in the
number?

A. 24 B. 36 C. 40 D. 52

5. If no repetition is not allowed then how many numbers between 2000 and 3000 can be formed
using the digits from 0 to 7?

A. 42 B. 336 C. 210 D. 440

6. In how many ways can Kamal choose a consonant and a vowel from the letters of the word
ALLAHABAD?

A. 4 B. 5 C. 6 D. 9

7. Find out the number of distinctive words that can be formed using the word GOOD.

A. 16 B. 24 C. 28 D. 48

8. How many different words can be formed from the alphabets of the word SCISSORS?

A. 1440 B. 1680 C. 1800 D. 2100

9. How many distinct words can be formed using the word MINIMUM?

A. 420 B. 450 C. 1024 D. 1048

Answer:

1. A 60 ways

2. C 3024

3. D 84

4. A 24

5. C 210

6. A 4

7. B 24

8. B 1680
9. A 420

Part 3

Permutation when the repetition of the words are allowed

Directions: The questions in this section consists of the repetition of the words or letters or
numbers or alphabets.

1. If repetition is allowed then how many different three digits numbers can be formed using the
digits from 1 to 5?

A. 125 B. 27 C. 120 D. None of the above

2. In how many ways can two letters be selected from the English alphabet if repetition is
allowed?

A. 650 B. 325 C. 52 D. 51

3. Priya has five friends in how many ways can she invited five or more friends for dinner?

A. 6 B. 7 C. 15 D. 21

4. When repetition is allowed, how many numbers between 2000 and 4000 can be selected from
the digits 1 to 5?

A. 248 B. 249 C. 250 D. 128

5. How many can four digits be formed using the digits 0, 1, 2, and 3 (repetition is allowed)?

A. 12 B. 24 C. 256 D. 192

6. In a word jumble, there are 8 consonants and 5 vowels given. Find out in how many ways can
we form a 5-letter word having three consonants and 2 vowels?

A. 67200 B. 8540 C. 720 D. None of these

7. There are 45 games in total in a competition. Many teams took part in the competition and
each of them must play one with the other teams. In total how many teams took part in the
competition?

A. 5 B. 10 C. 15 D. 20

Answer:

1. A 125

2. B 325

3. B 7

4. B 249

5. D 192
6. A 67200

7. B 10

Part 4

Different Types of Arrangement

Directions: In this section, you need to find out how many different types of arrangements are
possible.

1. In how many ways can you select a diamond or a king from a pack of cards?

A. 16 B. 20 C. 24 D. 8

2. A circular table has 6 chairs, out of this 6, five are identical. In how many ways can the six
people be arranged on these chairs?

A. 120 B. 720 C. 360 D. 60

3. Jay invited 10 of his friends on his birthday. If all of them greeted each other with a handshake
then how many handshakes will take place?

A. 90 B. 110 C. 45 D. 55

4. In how many can the 4 couples sit around a circular table so that no two men are sitting
together?

A. 7! B. 6! C. 3! * 4! D. 3! * 3!

5. There are three dice each of them having faces with a number from 1 to 6. These dices are
rolled. Find the number of possible outcomes such that at least one of the dice shows the number
2.

A. 36 B. 91 C. 81 D. 116

Answer:

1. A 16

2. B 720

3. A 90

4. C 3! * 4!

5. B 91

Ratios and Proportions

The ratio or the proportion of two quantities is an effective way to measure the relative
magnitude of two quantities. The entire concept of ratio and proportion has been put in the form
of simple words and solved examples in the below topics. Let us see!
 • Propotion Of Quantities
• Proportionals (Third, Fourth and Mean)
• Comparison of Ratios
• Invertendo, and Alternendo
• Componendo, and Dividendo
• Componendo-Dividendo
• Duplicate Ratios
• Variations
• Ratios and Proportion Practice Questions

Ratios and Proportion Practice Questions

Ratio and proportion hold a special place in competitive exams. The questions from this topic is
a very common occurrence. It is important to have enough practice for this questions to answer
them in the exam. Here below are the ratios and proportion practice questions.

Browse more Topics under Ratios And Proportions

• Propotion Of Quantities
• Proportionals (Third, Fourth and Mean)
• Comparison of Ratios
• Invertendo, and Alternendo
• Componendo, and Dividendo
• Componendo-Dividendo
• Duplicate Ratios
• Variations

Ratio and Proportion Practice Questions

Part 1: Basic ratio and proportion questions.

Directions: In this section, the questions asked are the basic ratio and proportion questions that
can be asked in the exam.

1. Divide Rs. 1870 in three parts such that half of the first part, one-third of the second part and
one-sixth of the third part are equal.

A. 270, 840, 1160 B. 341, 243, 245 C. 400, 800, 670 D. None of the above

2. A and B are the two alloys of copper and brass prepared by mixing metals in the proportion of
7:2 and 7:11 respectively. If the equal quantities of two alloys are melted to form a third alloy
called C, then the proportion of copper and brass in C will be,

A. 5:9 B. 5:7 C. 7:5 D. 9:5

3. The incomes of X and Y are in the ratio of 3:2 and their expenditures are in the ratio of 5:3. If
each of them saves Rs. 1000, then, A’s income can be,

A. Rs. 3000 B. Rs. 4000 C. Rs. 9000 D. Rs. 6000

4. The students in three batches in school is in the ratio of 2:3:5. If 20 students in each batch are
increased than the ratio changes to 4:5:7. The total number of students in the three before the
increase was,

A. 100 B. 10 C. 90 D. 150

5. Divide the amount of Rs. 500 between P, Q, R, and S such that P and Q together get the thrice
as much as R and S together. Q gets four times of what R geta and R gets 1.5 times as much as S.
Now the value that Q gets will be

A. 75 B. 125 C. 150 D. 300

6. Rs. 2250 is divided among three friends Ajay, Vijay, and Raj in such a way that 1/6th of
Ajay’s share, 1/4th of Vijay’s share and 2/5th of Raj’s share is equal. Find Ajay’s share.

A. Rs. 1080 B. Rs. 720 C. Rs. 450 D. Rs. 1240

7. After an increase of 7 in both numerator as well as the denominator, the fraction changes to
3/4. What was the original fraction?

A. 5/12 B. 7/9 C. 2/5 D. 3/8

8. Divide Rs. 680 among P, Q, and R such that P gets 2/3 of what Q gets and Q gets 1/4 of what
R gets. Find the share of R.

A. Rs. 480 B. Rs. 360 C. Rs. 420 D. Rs. 300

Answers:

1. D. None of the above

2. C. 7:5

3. D. Rs. 6000

4. A. 100

5. D. 300

6. A. Rs. 1080

7. C. 2/5

8. A. Rs. 480
Part 2: Proportion Practice Questions

Directions: For this section, the questions related to proportions are asked

1. If a/(b + c) = b/(c + a) = c/(a + b), then each fraction will be equal to,

A. (a + b + c)^2 B. ½ C. ¼ D. 0

2. If a:b = c:d, then the value of a2 + b2/c2 + d2 is,

A. ½ B. (a + b)/(c + d) C. (a – b)/(c – d) D. ab/cd

3. If 6×2 + 6y2 = 13xy, what is the ratio of x to y?

A. 1:4 B. 4:5 C. 3:2 D. 1:2

4. If a, b, c, d are in continued proportion then a – d/b – c>/x. What is the value of x?

A. 2 B. 1 C. 0 D. 3

5. If P varies as R, and Q varies as R, then which of the following is false?

A. (P + Q) varies R B. (P – Q) varies 1/R C. √PQ varies R D. PQ varies R2

6. If a and b are positive integers than √2 always lies between:

A. (a + b)/(a – b) and ab B. a/b and (a + 2b)/(a + b) C. a and b D. ab/(a + b)

and (a – b)/ab

Answers:

1. B. ½

2. D. ab/cd

3. C. 3:2

4. D. 3

5. B. (P – Q) varies 1/R

6. B. a/b and (a + 2b)/(a + b)

Part 3: Miscellaneous ratio and proportion questions

Directions: In this section, various types of ratio and proportion questions are given.

1. If 4 examiners can examine a certain number of answer books in 8 days by working 5 hours a
day, for how many hours a would 2 examiners have to work in order to examine twice the
number of answer books in 20 days?

A. 8 B. 6 C. 7½ D. 9
2. Three friends decided to rent a farm for Rs 7000 per year. A outs 110 cows in the farm for 3
months, B puts 110 cows for 6 months and C puts 440 cows for 3 months. Find the total
percentage of expenditure that A should pay.

A. 20% B. 16.66% C. 14.28% D. 11.01%

3. At constant temperature, the pressure of a definite mass of a gas is inversely proportional to

the volume. If the pressure given is reduced by 20%, find the respective change in the volume.

A. +25% B. -25% C. +16.66% D. -16.66%

4. A group of people row a certain course up the river in 84 minutes; they can row the same
course downstream in 9 minutes less than they can row it in the still river. How long would they
take to row down with the river?

A. 45 or 23 minutes B. 60 minutes C. 19 minutes D. 63 or 12 minutes

5. If 30 men working 7 hours a day can do a piece of work in 18 days, in how many days will 21
men working 8 hours a day do the same work?

A. 30 days B. 22.5 days C. 24 days D. 45 days

6. If the ratio of the sine of the angles of triangles is given as 1:1:√2, then the ratio of the square
of the greatest side to the sum of the squares of the other two sides is

A. 3:4 B. 2:1 C. 1:1 D. 1:2

7. A mixture of milk and water are in the ratio of 5:1. By adding 5 liters of water, the ratio of the
milk to water becomes 5:2. The quantity of milk in the mixture is:

A. 16 litres B. 25 litres C. 24 litres D. 22.75 litres

Answers:

1. A. 8

2. C. 14.28%

3. A. +25%

4. D. 63 or 12 minutes

5. B. 22.5 days

6. C. 1:1

7. B. 25 litres

Proportion of Quantities
The comparison of two numbers or quantities by division is known as the ratio. The symbol ‘:’ is
used to denote the ratio. Proportion is the quality of to ratios. In this topic, we will see the
concepts of the proportion of two quantities. We will also solve many examples that may be
asked from the concept of the proportion of quantities.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Proportion of Quantities
The equality of two or more ratios is what we call the proportion. For example, let us say that
any two quantities, a and b are in a ratio as a:b. Suppose two more quantities, c and d are also in
some ratio c:d. In a ratio, the first term is what we call the antecedent (here a and c) and the
second term is what we call the consequent (here b and d respectively).

Now the proportion of these quantities will come into the picture if we have a:b = c:d. Thus the
proportion of these quantities in terms of the fractions is equal to:

a/b = c/d. In terms of the ratio, we write that a:b :: c:d.

The quantities ‘a’ and ‘d’ are what we call the extremes, while we call the quantities ‘b’ and ‘c’
as the mean terms. Remember that the mean terms are not the average or any measure of central
tendency. There is an important property that you may want to keep in mind here, the product of
the means is always equal to the product of the extremes. In the language of mathematics, we can
write that if a:b :: c:d then, b×c = a×d.

Browse more Topics under Ratios And Proportions

• Proportionals (Third, Fourth and Mean)

• Comparison of Ratios
• Invertendo, and Alternendo
• Componendo, and Dividendo
• Componendo-Dividendo
• Duplicate Ratios
• Variations
• Ratios and Proportion Practice Questions

Comparison Of Ratios In Proportion

Let us consider the same four quantities that are in proportion. Suppose we have a:b and b:c as
two different ratios. Then we say that (a:b) > (c:d) if and only if a/b > c/d or ad>bc.

Similarly if we have (a:b) < (c:d), then we must have a/b < c/d or ad < bc. Let us see a simple
example of the proportion of quantities.

Example 1: If a:b = 5:9 and b:c = 4 : 7, then the value of a:b:c will be:

A) 10: 18:32 B) 2:3:7 C) 3:13:17 D) 20:36:63

Answer: Here only three quantities are present. In the first ratio, b is proportional to 9 (both are
in the denominator) while as in the second ratio b is proportional to 4 (both are in the numerator).
Let us make b proportional to one of the two terms i.e. either 9 or 4 in both the ratios. In this
way, we will be able to find the ratio a:b:c.

We will try to make the quantity ‘b’ proportional to 9 in both the ratios. Therefore we may write:

b:c = 4:7 = {4×9/4} : {7×9/4} = {9 : 63/4}

Therefore we can write a:b:c = 5:9: 63/4 = 20:36:63 and hence the correct option is D) 20:36:63.

Solved Examples
Example 2: The ratio of alcohol: water in a mixture is 4:3. If we add 5 liters of water to the
mixture, this ratio becomes 4: 5. Then the quantity or concentration of alcohol in the mixture is:

A) 0.2 litres B) 2 litres C) 8 litres D) 10 litres

Answer: Suppose the quantity of the alcohol and water is 5x and 3x respectively. ‘x’ is an
unknown variable. Then as per the question, we have:

4x/[3x + 5] = 4/5 or 20x = 4(3x + 5)

In other words, we can write 8x = 20 or x = 2.5. Hence the quantity of alcohol in the given
mixture is equal to 4×2.5 = 10 liters. Thus the correct option is D) 10 liters.

Example 3: Four people A, B, C and D work together in an office such that salary od A is less
than the salary of D. Their salaries are in a proportion such that the salaries of B and C are the
mean terms of the proportion. If the salary of C increases by a factor of 1/5, then what should be
the change in the salary of the other people, individually, such that we maintain the proportion
and the minimum money is spent?

A) Salary remains same for A and B but for D increases by a factor of 1/5.

B) Salary of each individual changes by 1/5.

C) Salary remains same for B and D, but increases by a factor of 1/5 for A.

D) Everybody’s salary decreases by a factor of 4/5 except C’s.

Answer: Let a, b, c, and d represent the individual salaries of A, B, C, and D respectively. Then
as per the question, these quantities form a proportional such that:

a/b = c/d . Now when the salary of C increases by a factor of 1/5. Therefore the new salary of C
= c + (1/5) c = 6c/5 or 6/5 (c).
Now in order to maintain the proportion, we can either increase the salary of d by a factor of 1/5
or of a by the same factor. We will not increase the salary of every person by a factor of 1/5
because the question asks us to select the condition in which we will have to spend the minimum
amount. therefore to maintain the proportional and to spend the minimum amount, we increase
the salary of A by a factor of 1/5 keeping the salaries of the other two same as before.

Learn the Simple Concept of Variation here.

Practice Problems
Q 1: A boy carries 50 p, 25 p, and 10 p coions in the ratio of 5:9:4 respectively. the total money
the boy carries is Rs. 206. Then the number of coins of each kind as per the order is:

A) 129, 673, 836 B) 200, 360, 160 C) 364, 385, 368 D) 654, 633, 532

Ans: B) B) 200, 360, 160.

Q 2: If A:B:C = 2:3:4, then A/B:B/C:C/A will be equal to:

A) 8: 9: 24 B) 12: 33: 23 C) 12: 23: 8 D) 8: 34: 7

Ans: A) 8: 9: 24

Comparison of Ratios
The concept of ratio, variation, and proportion is a very important concept in the competitive
exams. The questions from this topics are regularly asked in the exams. Along with the
quantitative aptitude, this topic is also important for data interpretation questions. In data
interpretation, the Ratio comparison and the change in ratio is a very common topic.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Ratio Comparison
Whenever you are comparing two numbers, it becomes necessary to find out how many times is
the one number greater than the other number. You can say that in other words, we need to
express one number as a fraction of the other number. Usually, the ratio of a number x to a
number y is defined as the quotient of the numbers x and y. The numbers used in the formation
of the ratio are called terms of the ratio. The ratio is very often used to express as the
percentages. To convert the ratio into a percentage we often multiply it by 100.
Comparing Percentage Values

Ratio comparison is used to compare which numbers are higher and to calculate the percentage
of the number. You need to compare the two fractions than the ratio comparison is used. For
example, you need to compare 163202 and 171231

Now, in such cases just by estimating 10% ranges for the ratios you can clearly see that the first
ratio given will be greater 80% and the second ratio given will be less than 80%. Because 10% of
163/202 will be 16.3/20 which is greater than 80 and 10% of 171/231 is 17.1/23.1 which is
clearly less than 80%. Thus you can compare both the numbers easily and say that 163/202 will
be greater.

So, you can see that if the given numbers to you are in the different 10% range of each other than
both of them can be easily comparable. But there can problems in comparison when both the
given ratio are in the same 10% range. For example, 163/201 and 171/211 are the given ratios
and the range for both the numbers fall in the same range i.e 80% and 90%. Then you need to
compare them using 1% range. The first ratio is in the range of 81 and 82 while the second ratio
is in the range of 80 and 81. The best way to go about this method is to master the rules of
percentage.

Browse more Topics under Ratios And Proportions

• Propotion Of Quantities
• Proportionals (Third, Fourth and Mean)
• Invertendo, and Alternendo
• Componendo, and Dividendo
• Componendo-Dividendo
• Duplicate Ratios
• Variations
• Ratios and Proportion Practice Questions

Finding the Gap Between 3 or more Quantities

Ratio comparison is very useful when you are required to compare 3 or more quantities. Let’s
assume that you are given a ratio relationship between the salaries of two individuals P and Q. In
addition to this, there is another relationship between Q and R. Then by combining the two ratios
given to you, you can easily come up with a single ratio between P, Q, and R. This ratio will also
provide you with the relationship between P and R. Also, the questions about the comparison of
salaries of two or more people is a very common question in competitive exams. Let’s look into
one.
Example

The ratio of P’s salary to Q’s salary is 2:3. The ratio of Q’s salary to R’s salary is 4:5. What will
be the ratio of P’s salary to R’s salary?

The above question is a classic example of the type of question asked in a competitive exam. It
can be solved by two methods.

Method 1: The conventional method to solve the question.

Let’s start with the two values of Q, as they are common values given in the ratio. Thus 3 and 4
are those two values and take LCM of the values. The LCM will be 12. Now, convert Q’s value
in each ratio to 12.

So, ratio 1 = 8/12 and the ratio 2 = 12/15

Thus, P : Q : R = 8 : 12 : 15. So, if it was given that P’s salary was 400 then we can find that R’s
salary was Rs. 750.

Method 2: Shortcut method

In method 1 the LCM given to you can become tiresome if the values are very high and thus it
can become difficult to create a bridge between the three quantities.

The ratios given in the question are:

P:Q=2:3
Q:R=4:5

Then to find the ratio of P and R multiply the first digits with one another and second digits with
one another. So, P : R = 2 x 4 : 3 x 5 => 8 : 15.

Practice Questions
1. Raju and Sanjay had 35% and 45% rupees more than Ajay respectively. What is the ratio of
Raju and Sanjay’s money?

A. 7:9 B. 27:29 C. 37:39 D. 27:39

The correct answer is C.

2. Two men earn a yearly salary in the ratio 10:13. If there spending is in the ratio of 4:5 and the
man spending lesser of the two saves Rs. 6000 while the other one saves Rs. 8000, then find the
salary of the person who is higher paid.

A. Rs. 12000 B. Rs. 14000 C. Rs. 13000 D. Rs. 11000

The correct answer is C.

3. If the ratio of the ages of Priya and Sunanda is 6:5 at present, and after fifteen years from now,
the ratio will be changed to 9:8, then find the Priya’s current age.

A. 22 years B. 30 years C. 34 years D. 38 years

The correct answer is B.

4. P, Q, and R played cricket. P’s runs are to Q’s runs and Q’s runs are to R’s runs at 3:2. All of
them scored a total of 342 runs. How many runs did P make?

A. 140 B. 154 C. 168 D. 162

The correct answer is D.

Componendo, and Dividendo

We have discussed the laws of proportion in our earlier articles and today we are going to
discuss the other two laws of proportion, Componendo, and Dividendo. Questions based on these
laws are very common in competitive exams and they are very easy to learn as well. Let us
begin.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Componendo and Dividendo

We all know that ratio of two numbers is done to compare the numbers. These ratios become
proportional. And to solve questions from proportion we require laws. We have discussed two
laws Invertendo and Alternendo in our previous articles, and today the discussion is on
Componendo and Dividendo.

Browse more Topics under Ratios And Proportions

• Propotion Of Quantities
• Proportionals (Third, Fourth and Mean)
• Comparison of Ratios
• Invertendo, and Alternendo
• Componendo-Dividendo
• Duplicate Ratios
• Variations
• Ratios and Proportion Practice Questions

Componendo

In Componendo the basic rule that you need to remember is if a : b : : c : d than (a + b) : b : : (c +

d) : d. Thus, in Componendo as you can see that you need to add the denominator to numerator
given in the ratios and then equate them. If you are using the rule on the left-hand side then you
also need to use the rule on the right-hand side.
Example

Q. Suppose the weekly salaries of two women are in the ratio of 4: 7. If each of the ladies
receives an increment of Rs. 25 in their respective salary, the ratio of their salaries will be
changed to 3: 5. What is their respective salary?

A. 200 & 350 B. 210 & 320

C. 220 & 350 D. 210 & 350

Ans: Here we are given the ratio of the salaries of two women. After the increment in their
salary, the ratio is changed. As the salary is increased in the given question, Componendo law
will be applied on both the sides.

Let’s start by assuming that the initial salary of both the women is Rs. x. So, the ratio of their
salaries will be 4x and 7x. Now, after an increase in their salaries, their final salary will be 4x +
25 and 7x + 25. This ratio will be equal to 3/5. Thus, the given equation will be written as,

4x + 25/7x + 25 = 3/5
=> 5(4x + 25) = 3(7x + 25)
=> 20x + 125 = 21x + 75 => x = 50

Thus, the initial salary was Rs. 50. Now, based on the ratio their salary will be 4(50) : 7(50) =>
200 : 350. So, the correct answer is A.

Dividendo

In the law of Dividendo, if a : b : : c : d then (a – b) : b : : (c – d) : d. In dividendo instead of

addition, you are required to subtract the denominator from numerator in both the ratios. Rest
everything in this law is similar to the componendo.

Example

Q. The present ages of P and Q are represented in the ratio as 6: 4. Five years ago their ages were
in the ratio 5 : 3. What are their present ages?

A. 25 and 15 years B. 26 and 16 years

C. 28 and 18 years D. 30 and 20 years
Suppose that P’s present age is 6x, so the current age of Q will be 4x years. Now, we are given
the ratio of their age five years back. Thus, their age during that time would have been 6x – 5 and
4x – 5 respectively. It is given that ratio of their ages is 5 : 3. Thus, the equation will be, 6x–54x–5
= 53
=> 3(6x – 5) = 5(4x – 5)
=> 18x – 15 = 20x – 25 => 2x = 10 => x = 5 years. Thus, the present ages of P and Q will be 30
and 20 respectively. So, the correct answer is D.

Componendo and Dividendo

There is one more law where you can use both componendo and dividendo together. In this law
if a : b : : c : d than (a + b) : (a – b) : : (c + d) : (c – d). Thus, when using together you have to
apply components in the numerator and dividend in the numerator.

Practice Questions

1. The total of Rs. 431 are to be divided among three workers P, Q, and R such that 8 times P’s
share is equal to 12 times Q’s share which is equal to 6 times R’s share. How much did A make?

A. Rs. 122 B. Rs. 144 C. Rs. 150 D. Rs. 156

The correct answer is B.

2. The monthly income of Ajay and Arbaaz is in the ratio of 4: 5. Their expenses are in the ratio
of 5: 6. If Ajay saves Rs. 25 per month while Arbaaz saves Rs. 50/month, what was their Ajay’s
income?

A. Rs. 400 B. Rs. 450 C. Rs. 420 D. Rs. 470

The correct answer is B.

3. The income of A and B are in the ratio of 8: 11 and their expenditure are in the ratio of 7: 10.
If each of them saved Rs. 500, what was their total expenditure?

A. Rs. 7500 B. Rs. 8000 C. Rs. 8500 D. Rs. 9000

The correct answer is C.

Variation
The quantitative aptitude section in any competitive exam has a variety of questions. One of
them is Ratio and proportion. Along with ratio and proportion, there is one more important topic
that you need to prepare and it is variation. The question on this topic comes in terms of variation
in ratios. Variation is a very simple concept.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Direct Variation

Variation is a very simple concept. If two quantities are dependent on each other, one will vary
according to the other. There are many different types of variation in ratios and proportion and
they are:

In this, a quantity ‘x’ is said to vary directly with ‘y’ or directly proportional to ‘y’, if ‘x’
increases or decreases respectively by as many times as ‘y’ increases or decreases. The ratio here
which is x:y is constant.

Expression:

p α q, i.e. p = k × b, where k is constant.

It follows that p/q = k. If two sets of data are given in the question then we can write that p1/q1 =
p2/q2.

Inverse Variation

This is another type of variation in ratio and proportion. A quantity ‘x’ is inversely or be
inversely proportional to ‘y’ if ‘x’ respectively increases or decreases by as many times as ‘y’
decreases or increases. Here, the important thing to note is that if x increases then y decreases
and if x decreases then y increases. This is known as inversely proportional to each other. The
p×q is constant here. This is expressed as below:

p α1/q, i.e. p = k/q, where k = constant.

It follows that px q = k. And if there are two sets of data given to you then, p1 x q1 = p2 x q2

Joint Variation

This is the third and final type of variation. A quantity is said to vary jointly with two or more
other quantities if it varies with each quantity, while the remaining quantities being constant. p
varies jointly with q and r if it varies with q when r is constant and varies with r when q is
constant.

For example, p α qr => p = kqr, where k is constant.

Example of Variation in Ratios

Q. The ratio of yellow balls to green in a bag P is the same as that of red to black in bag Q. This
ratio is 9:5. The red and green balls are exchanged between the bags i.e bag P now was yellow
and red balls while bag Q has red and green balls. Find the ratio of total balls in bad P and bag Q.
A. 1 B. 14:5 C. 9:5 D. Data Not Sufficient

Ans: In the given question the ratio of yellow/green and red/black is 9/5. And the red and green
balls are exchanged and we are required to find the total number of balls in each bag. Assume
that the total balls in each bag are 14, with bag P containing 9 yellow and 5 green balls and
similarly bag Q containing 9 red and 5 black balls.

Now, that we exchange the red and green balls, bag P will 9 yellow balls and 9 red balls.
Similarly the other bag, bag Q will 5 green balls and 5 black balls. So, the required ratio of the
total balls in both the bags is 18:10 or 9:5. So, the correct answer is C.

Practice Questions
1. a is the mean proportional of (a + 2) and (a – 6). Find A.

A. 3 B. -3 C. -6 D. Data Not Sufficient

Ans. The correct answer is B.

2. A room contains boys and girls. If there are twice as many boys as girls, find the ratio of the
girls to the total people in the room.

A. 1:3 B. 1:6 C. 1:2 D. 1:1

Ans. The correct answer is A.

3. The number of male teachers in a school is 20% more than a number of female teachers in the
school. What is the ratio of male and female teachers?

A. 5:4 B. 6:5 C. 5:6 D. Data Not Sufficient

Ans. The correct answer is C.

Problems on Trains
Some of the important section in a competition is time and distance. And similar to this part is
the problems on the train. Many of the train problems also follow the same procedure. The only
difference between the two is the length of the train. Because the train is the moving object and
thus we need to consider the length of the moving object instead of a still object. In this article,
we will see some train problem.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Important points to remember on Train Problem

 • While solving the problems on trains there are some points that you need to
remember.here are those points:
• While converting km/hr into m/s you need to use 5/18 x a. Here, ‘a’ is the required
answer.
• The time taken by a train to pass a pole of length ‘l’ meters or a standing man or anything
stationary is same as the time taken by the train to cover that ‘l’ distance.
• When two trains or any objects are moving in the same direction at ‘x’ m/s and ‘y’ m/s,
wherein x > y, then their relative speed should be (x – y) m/s.
• When the two trains are passing in a different direction than their actual speed should be
added to the relative speed.
• If the train is going through a platform, the length it travels should be equal to the sum of
both the platforms and the length of the trains.
• When the trains are moving in a similar direction the difference of their speed is the
relative speed of these trains.

Problems on Trains

Trains going in a different direction.

Q. There are two trains of 89 m and 111 m in length running in different directions. One of
this train is running at a rate of 30 km/hr and the other is 42 km/hr. Find the time these
trains will clear each other.

Here it is given that the two trains are going in a different direction. So, their relative speeds will
be added. Thus, the total speed is 42 + 30 = 72 km/hr or 20 m/s in metres. So, the total time
required here is, the total length of the trains/relative speed = 89 +111/20 = 10 seconds.

Solve Problems related to Race here

Train crossing a platform

Q. A 120 m train is running at a rate of 54 km/hr. This train takes 102 seconds to cross the
platform. Find the time it takes to cross the platform.

Here, while crossing a platform, the train will have to travel its own length in addition to the
length of the bridge. First, we will convert km/hr into m/s. So, 54 km/hr = 54 x 5/18 = 15 m/s.
So, the time required is 222/15 = 14.8 seconds. This is our required answer.

Trains going through a standing pole

Q. Suppose a train which is 220 meters in length is going at 60 km/hr rate. Find the time it
will take to pass a man who is walking in the opposite direction at 6 km/hr.
In this question, the length of the man will be considered as 0. So, it will be solved in the same
way as above. Thus, the speed of both will be added. Thus, the relative speed is 60 + 6 = 66
km/hr = 55/3 m/s.

So, the required time by the train will be, 220/55 x 3 = 12 seconds.

Practice Questions on Problems on Trains

Q. There are two trains that are running in the opposite direction. Each train has a length
of 120 meters. They cross each other in 12 seconds, find the speed of the train.

A. 42 km/hr B. 48 km/hr C. 36 km/hr D. 54 km/hr

Answer: C. 36 km/hr

Q. There is a which a train running at 60 km/hr crosses in 9 seconds. What is the length of
this running train?

A. 130 meters B. 140 meters C. 150 meters D. 160 meters

Answer: 150 meters

Stocks and Shares

Another topic that is very important in Games of Skill is stocks and shares. We have already
studied different types of races. So, in this article, we will study the stocks and shares that are
also asked in the aptitude section. There are some definitions in Stocks and shares that you need
to know before going to the sums.

Concepts in Stocks and Shares

Shares: The total capital in the company is divided into very small units. These units form the
worth of a company. Each of this unit is called stock or a share.

Stock capital: To run a company, you require capital. And this total capital in a company is
called as the stock capital.

Dividend: When the company makes a profit it distributes it among its shareholders. This
distribution of profit is known as the dividend. It is usually paid annually in the form of a
percentage of a share.

Also, this dividend is only paid on the face value of any bond.
Shareholder: Perhaps the most important body in the organization are the shareholders. The
shareholder of a company is the one who owns more than one share of the company.

As a part of authentication, the company issues a certificate to every shareholder describing the
total number of shares given and it’s value.

Face value: The value that is printed on the certificate given to a stockholder or a shareholder it
known as face value or a nominal value. Whatever happens, the face value of a share will always
remain the same.

Browse more Topics under Important Problems

1. Problems on Trains
2. Races and Games of Skill

Learn more about the Stock Exchange here in detail

Other Important Definitions

Brokerage: Different companies have different stocks and it can be traded by anyone in the
market. This is done through brokers at the share market. The fee that these brokers charge is
called the brokerage.

When a stock or a share is purchased, then the cost price is also added with a brokerage.

Also, when the stock is sold, this brokerage is deducted from the selling price.

Market value: Through brokers, you can trade and sell the stocks of the different companies in
the market. This value of shares changes depending upon the market.

This change is called the market value of a stock or a share. There are conditions in a share:

• It is called at a below par or discount when the face value of a share is more than the
market value
• The market value is at par when the face value is the same as the market value.
• It is above par or at a premium when the face value is less than the market value.

Examples of Stocks and Shares

Q. Aakash wants to invest a part of Rs. 12000 at Rs. 120 in 12% stock. He wants to invest
the remaining amount at Rs. 125 in 15% stock. The total dividend he receives per year is
Rs. 1360. Find the amount that Aakash should invest in 12% stock at Rs. 120.

Suppose the investment that Aakash should do is Rs. X. So, the second investment by him will
be 12000 – X.

Income on 1st share will be, 12/120 x X = X/10

Income for 2nd share, 15/125 x (12000 – X) = 3(12000 – X)/25

=> 3(12000 – X)/25 + X/10 = 1360

So, 72000 + 5X – 6X = 1360 x 50

=> X = 40000
So, the required answer is Rs. 40000.

Practice questions on Stocks and Shares

Q. Find the investment made when someone earns Rs. 20,000 by investing in 15% shares at
Rs. 50.

A. Rs. 5000 B. Rs. 6000 C. Rs. 7000 D. Rs. 8000

Answer: A. Rs. 5000

Q. Find the number of stocks that are purchasable at Rs. 8200 with brokerage 2.5% at a
market value of Rs. 20.

A. 420 B. 410 C. 400 D. 390

Answer: C. 400

Profit and Loss

The concepts in Profit and Loss play a fundamental role in the realm of economics and
accounting. The chapter will discuss the important aspects of profit and loss like cost price, and
fixed, variable and semi-variable cost, selling price, marked price, list price, margin etc. Here we
will see all these and many more sections, providing you with the most complete and the most
concise collection of these concepts. Let us see!

• Cost Price
• Fixed, Variable and Semi-variable Cost
• Selling Price
• Marked Price
• List Price
• Margin
• Dishonest Dealers and Faulty Weights
• Percentage Loss
• Percentage Gain
• Discounts and Marked Price
• Equivalent Discount
• Equation-Based Questions
• Goods Passing Through Successive Hands
• True Discount
• Bankers Discount
• Profit and Loss Practice Questions

Profit and Loss Practice Questions

Profit and Loss Practice Questions section contain questions based on the concepts that will
appear in the examinations. This section is specially written keeping in view the mindset of the
candidate and the level of various competitive exams. The difference between a successful
candidate and an unsuccessful candidate is the strategy. Extensive practice is the most important
facet of any successful strategy. So here we have the Profit and Loss Practice Questions section
that will help you strategize and test your concepts. After you have finished reading the concepts
of this chapter, solve the following section on Profit and Loss Practice Questions within a given
time limit. Remember, one minute per question is what you will get. So let us begin!

Profit and Loss Practice Questions

Part A

Q1: By selling 45 lemons for Rs 40, a man loses 20%. How many should he sell for Rs 24 to
gain 20% in the transaction?

A) 16 B) 18 C) 20 D) 22

Q2: A trader mixes 26 kg of rice at Rs 20 per kg with 30 kg of rice of other variety at Rs 36 per
kg and sells the mixture at Rs 30 per kg. His profit percent is: [Bank PO 2003]

A) No profit no loss B) 5% C) 8% D) 10% E) None of these

Q3: Arun purchased 30 kg of wheat at the rate of Rs 11.50 per kg and 20 kg of wheat at the rate
of Rs 14.25 per kg. he mixed the two and sold the mixture. Approximately what price per kg
should he sell the mixture to make 30% profit? [Bank PO 1999]

A) Rs 14.80 B) Rs 15.40 C) Rs 15.60 D) Rs 16.30 E) Rs

18.20

Q4: Padam purchased 30 kg of rice at the rate of Rs 17.50 per kg and another 30 kg rice at a
certain rate. He mixed the two and sold the entire quantity at the rate of Rs 18.60 per kg and
made 20% overall profit. At what price per kg did he purchase the lot of another 30 kg
rice? [Bank PO 2000]

A) Rs 12.50 B) Rs 13.50 D) Rs 15.50 E) None of these

Q5: A trader mixes three varieties of groundnuts costing Rs 50, Rs 20 and Rs 30 per kg in the
ratio 2: 4 : 3 in terms of weight, and sells the mixture at Rs 33 per kg. What percentage of profit
does he make? [Hotel Management. 1998]

A) 8% B) 9% C) 10% D) None of these.

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: B), Q2: B), Q3: D), Q4: B), Q5: C)

Part B

Q1: Two shopkeepers announce the same price of Rs 700 for a sewing machine. The first offers
successive discounts of 30% and 6% while the second offers successive discounts of 20% and
16%. The shopkeeper that offers a better discount, charges ……… less than the other
shopkeeper.

A) Rs 9.80 B) Rs. 16.80 C) Rs. 22.40 D) Rs. 36.40

Q2: The marked price of a watch was Rs 720. A man bought the same for Rs. 550.80 after
getting two successive discounts, the first being 10%. What was the second discount
rate? [SSC 2000]

A) 12% B) 14% C) 15% D) 18%

Q3: A shopkeeper purchased 150 identical pieces of calculators at the rate of Rs 250 each. He
spent an amount of Rs. 2500 on transport and packaging. He fixed the labeled price of each
calculator at Rs 320. However, he decided to give a discount of 5% on the labeled price. What is
the percentage profit earned by him? [Bank PO 1999]

A) 14% B) 15% C) 16% D) 25%

Q4: A trader marked the price of his commodity so as to include a profit of 25%. He allowed a
discount of 16% on the marked price. His actual profit was: [SSC 2004]

A) 5% B) 9% C) 16% D) 25%

Q5: A tradesman marks his goods 30% above the C.P. If he allows a discount of 6(1/4) %, then
his gain percent is:

A) 21(7/8)% B) 22% C) 23(3/4)% D) None of these.

Q6: The price of an article is raised by 30% and then two successive discounts of 10% each are
allowed. Ultimately, the price of the article is: [SSC 2003]

A) decreased by 5.3% B) increased by 3%

C) increased by 5.3% D) increased by 10%

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: A), Q2: B), Q3: A), Q4: A), Q5: A), Q6: C)

Part C

Q1: Even after reducing the marked price of a transistor by Rs 32, a shopkeeper makes a profit of
15%. If the cost price be Rs 320, what percentage of profit would he have made if he had sold
the transistor at the marked price?

A) 10% B) 20% C) 25% D) None of these

Q2: A shopkeeper sold an article offering a discount of 5% and earned a profit of 23.5%. What
would have been the percentage of profit earned if no discount was offered? [Bank PO
2002]
A) 24.5 B) 28.5 C) 30 D) Data inadequate E) None of
these

Q3: Komal buys an article at a discount of 25%. At what percentage above the cost price should
he sell it to make a profit of 25% over the original list price?

A) 25 B) 30 C) 40 D) 66.67

Q4: Peter bought an item at 20% discount on its original price. he sold it with 40% increase on
the price he bought it. The new sale price is by what percent more than the original price? [Bank
PO 2003]

A) 7.5 B) 8 C) 10 D) 12 E) None of these

Q5: Tarun got 30% concession on the labeled price of an article and sold it for Rs. 8750 with
25% profit on the price he bought. What was the labeled price?

A) Rs 10,000 B) Rs 12,000 C) Rs 16,000 D) Data inadequate E)

None of these.

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: C), Q2: C), Q3: C), Q4: D), Q5: A)

Cost Price
Cost Price is the price at which an article is purchased by the buyer. It is abbreviated as C. P. In
the calculation of Profit and loss, the value of cost price is very crucial. Here in the section we
will try and understand what we mean by cost price and we will see several types of questions
that can be formed on the concept. Let us begin.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Cost Price
The money paid by the shopkeeper to the manufacturer or wholesaler to buy the goods is called
the cost price (C. P.) of the goods purchased by the shopkeeper. If an article is purchased for
some amount and these are to be added to the cost price. Such expenses are called overhead
expenses or overheads. Profit and loss are always calculated on the basis of the cost price unless
otherwise mentioned.
 Source: Youtube.com

Browse more Topics under Profit And Loss

• Fixed, Variable and Semi-variable Cost

• Selling Price
• Marked Price
• List Price
• Margin
• Dishonest Dealers and Faulty Weights
• Percentage Loss
• Percentage Gain
• Discounts and Marked Price
• Equivalent Discount
• Equation-Based Questions
• Goods Passing Through Successive Hands
• True Discount
• Bankers Discount
• Profit and Loss Practice Questions

Some of the important formulae that we shall use throughout the chapter are below:

1. Profit = S P – C P
2. Loss = C P – S P
3. Profit percentage = [Profit/cost price] × 100
4. Loss percentage = [loss/cost price] × 100
5. S P = [(100 + gain%)/100]×C P = [(100 + loss%)/100]×C P
6. C P = [100/ (100 + gain%)]×S P = [100/ (100 + loss%)]×S P
7. S P = (100 +k) % of C P; where profit = k% of C P.
8. S P = (100 – k)% of C P; where loss = k% of the C P.

Solved Examples
Q1: Find the cost price of an article which is sold for Rs. 220 at a loss of 12%.

A. 250 rupees
B. 333 rupees
C. 125 rupees
D. 210 rupees
E. none of the above

Answer: Here the S P = Rs. 220, also we have loss =12%. Let the C P = Rs x. Then the S P =
88% of the C P. Thus we have:
220 = (88/100)× x. Simplifying this, we can see that x = 250. Therefore the cost price is = Rs.
250. Thus the correct option is A. rupees 250.

Questions on the cost price may also be asked by combining them with concepts like the marked
price. To avoid loss due to bargaining by the customer and to get the profit over the cost price, a
trader increases the cost price by a certain value. This increase in value over cost price is known
as the markup and the increased price (i.e. C P + markup) is the marked price or the printed price
or what we call the list price of the goods. The following formulae can be used to obtain C P
from the marked price and vice versa:

Marked Price = C P + Markup

M P (Marked Price) = C P + (%markup on C P)

Q2: If the cost price of an article is Rs 300 and the percent markup is 20%. What is the marked
price?

Answer: Here M P = C P + percentage markup on C P = 300 + 300 × [20/100]

Thus, M P = Rupees 360.

Alternate Questions

Sometimes you will encounter questions that don’t ask you what the C P is but rather ask you to
derive another quantity from the C P. Let us see how to derive other quantities from C. P. We
will also see some Cost price based questions below. Let us proceed.

Q1: A dealer gets the cost price of 15 oranges by selling 12 oranges. What is the percentage
profit?

A. 35%
B. 12%
C. 5%
D. 25%
E. None of the above

Answer: Profit percentage = [(goods left)/(goods sold)]×100 = [(15 – 12)/12]×100 = 25%.

Therefore the profit is equal to 25% and the correct option is D. 25%

Q2: A trader sells all his articles at the cost price, but gives 10% less amount as he should give.
What is his percentage profit?

A. 11(11/12)%
B. 12(1/11)%
C. 11(1/9)%
D. 9(1/11)%
E. None of the above

Answer: Profit percentage = [(goods left)/(goods sold)]×100 = [(10/90)×100 = 11(1/9)%. Hence

the correct option is D. 11(1/9)%.

We can see it like another way as discussed here. If we assume that the C P of 1 article is Rs 1.
The trader gives only 90% of the articles instead of 100% and thus saves 10% articles. So his
profit will be equal to the remaining articles (over the sold articles).
It means when he sells the articles (actually) worth Rs. 90 then he gains by articles worth Rs. 10.
Hence profit percentage = [(10/90)×100] = 11(1/9) %

Also, the selling price = (100/90) = 10/9 = Rs. 1.11

Miscellaneous Questions

Q1: A person incurs 5% loss by selling a watch for Rs 1140. At what price should the watch be
sold to earn 5% profit? [R R B, 2001]

A. 1000 rupees
B. 1280 rupees
C. 1240 rupees
D. 1255 rupees
E. none of the above

Answer: Let the new S. P. be Rs x, then: (100 – loss percentage) : (Ist S P) = (100 + Gain
percentage) : (Second S P)

Thus we can write: [(100 -5)/1140] = [ (100 + 5)/x ]. Hence, simplification gives: x = [(105 ×
1140)/95] = Rs. 1260. Therefore we can say that the new S P = Rs. 1260 and the correct option is
E. None of the above.

Practice Questions
Q1: An article is sold at a certain price. By selling it at 2/3 of that price one loses 10%. Find the
gain percent at the original price.

A. 15%
B. 20%
C. 25%
D. 30%
E. 35%

Answer: E. 35%.

Q2: A tradesman sold an article at a loss of 20%. If the selling price had been increased by Rs.
100, there would have been a gain of 5%. What was the cost price of the article? {S S C,
2004}

A. 380 rupees
B. 400 rupees
C. 480 rupees
D. 630 rupees
E. none of the above

Answer: B. 400 rupees.

Selling Price
In the following section, we will define what we mean by the concept of Selling Price and see
some solved examples that shall help us to solve the questions of Selling Price. Profit and loss is
the branch of basic mathematics which deals with the study of profit and loss made in a business
transaction. The profit and loss account is fundamentally a summary of the trading transactions
of a business and shows whether it has made a profit or loss during a particular period of
account. Indeed, by deducting the total expenditure from total income the profit or loss of a
business can be calculated.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Selling Price
Price can be a sensitive issue. If priced too high, a dish may not sell or customers may complain
or not return to the
business as they may feel they have not received value for money. Alternately, if a dish is
underpriced and does not
make a profit, the business will be damaged financially and will face problems in the future if it
does not rectify the
situation. A method to ensure that a profit margin is achieved is to build a target percentage of
gross profit into the selling price.

For example, if the food costs for a dish total £3.00 and a gross profit target is set at 70%, the
food costs as a percentage of the selling price can only represent 30%. It is important to note that
the selling price is the total amount of money that will be received so this has to represent 100%
for the purpose of this calculation. In basic terms, food costs + gross profit = selling price.

Learn more about Marked Price here in detail.

Illustration

To calculate the selling price on this basis, the food costs have to be expressed as a percentage of
the selling price using the following calculation. Food cost ÷ Food cost as a % of the selling
price × 100
For example, if food costs for a dish come to £4.50 and the gross profit target is 75%, the food
cost as a percentage of
the targeted sale is 25%.

To calculate the selling price based on this information:

£4.50/25× 100 = £18.00.
By dividing £4.50 by 25, this brings the figure down to 1% of the selling price (£0.18). By then
multiplying by 100, it brings the figure up to 100%, the selling price (£18.00). As long as you
have the food cost and the target gross profit percentage, this is sufficient information to
calculate the selling price.

Browse more Topics under Profit And Loss

• Cost Price
• Fixed, Variable and Semi-variable Cost
• Marked Price
• List Price
• Margin
• Dishonest Dealers and Faulty Weights
• Percentage Loss
• Percentage Gain
• Discounts and Marked Price
• Equivalent Discount
• Equation-Based Questions
• Goods Passing Through Successive Hands
• True Discount
• Bankers Discount
• Profit and Loss Practice Questions

Determination of The Selling Price

Pricing the product is the most crucial steps. Methods to price your product include:

Cost-based pricing:

• include a profit percentage with product cost.

• add a percentage to an unknown product cost.
• blend of total profit and product cost.

Competition based pricing:

• price is the same as the competition.

• set price to increase customer base.
• seek larger market share through price.

Customer-based pricing

• use price to support product image.

• set price to increase product sales.
• design a price range to attract many consumer groups.
• set price to increase volume sales.
• price a bundle of products to reduce inventory or to excite customers.

Learn more about List Price here in detail.

Important Formulae
Following are the main and important concepts that we shall recall over and over.

Cost Price: The price at which an article is purchased, is called its cost price (C.P.).
Selling Price: Price at which an article is purchased is known as its selling price (S.P.).

Profit or Gain: If SP is greater than CP then the seller is said to have profit or gain.

Loss: If SP is less than CP the seller is said to have incurred Loss.

On the basis of these concepts, we have the following concepts:

A) Gain = SP – CP

B) Loss = CP –SP

C) Loss or gain is always calculated over CP.

D) %Gain = {(Gain*100)/CP}

E) %Loss = {(Loss*100)/CP}

F) SP = {(100 %Gain)/100}*CP

G) SP = {(100-%Loss)/100}*CP

H) CP = {100/(100 %Gain)}*SP

I) CP ={100/(100-%Loss)}*SP

J) If an article is sold at a gain of say, 20%, then SP = 120% of CP.

K) If an article is sold at a loss of say, 20%, then SP = 80% of CP.

Solved Examples For You

Example 1: A person earns 15% on investment but loses 10% on another investment. If the ratio
of the two investments be 3:5, what is the gain or loss on the two investments taken together?

A) 0.63% B) 0.65% C) 0.7% D) 0.71%

Answer: Suppose he invests 300 & 500 respectively. Then profit can be written as: 15% of 300 =
45. Simlarly, the loss is equal to 500 × 10% = 50. Therefore, the net loss = – 5. Or in terms of
percentage, we can write: 5/(500+300)×100 = 0.63 %. Hence the correct option is A) 0.63%.

Example 2: An uneducated retailer marks all his goods at 50% above the cost price and thinking
that he will still make 25% profit, offers a discount of 25% on the marked price. What is his
actual profit on the sales?

A) 2% B) 12% C) 6.3% D) 12.5%

Answer: Let C.P. = Rs. 100. Then, marked price = Rs. 150. Therefore, S.P. = 75% of Rs. 150 =
Rs. 112.50. And hence we can say that Gain% = 12.50%. Hence the correct option is D) 12.5%.

Practice Questions:
Q 1: Even after reducing the marked price of a transistor by Rs. 32, a shopkeeper makes a profit
of 15%. If the cost price is Rs.320, what percentage of profit would he have made if he had sold
the transistor at the marked price?

A) 12% B) 16% C) 22% D) 25%

Ans: D) 25%.

Q 2: A shopkeeper sells a badminton racket, whose marked price is Rs. 30, at a discount of 15%
and gives a shuttlecock costing Rs. 1.50 free with each racket. Even then he makes a profit of
20%. His cost price per racket is:

A) Rs. 20 B) Rs. 24 C) Rs. 28 D) Rs. 34

Ans: A) Rs. 20.

Percentage Gain
Percentage gain means to express the profit or the gain in the form of percentages. This way
makes it easier and faster for a person to understand the variables or the vitals of a business
transaction. Sometimes it is useful to find the increase or decrease of an amount. It can also be
useful to find the percentage increase or decrease, which is called profit and loss. In the
following section, we will see what we mean by the Percentage Gain, we will state the formula
for this and then proceed on to the application of this formula. Let us begin with a formal
introduction to the topic.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Percentage Gain
Calculating the profit or loss is all about calculating the change. In the profit and loss section, we
have to understand that all of our calculations are based on the concepts of Selling Price, and
Cost Price. The difference between the two determines if we have a situation of making a profit
out of the transaction or will we just incur a loss. Other terms like the Marked Price, MRP and
Discount are also very crucial and have been discussed in detail at other places. Let us recall
these terms.

Cost Price: The price (amount) paid to purchase a product or the cost incurred in manufacturing a
product is known as the cost price (CP) of that product.

Selling Price: The price at which a product sold is called selling price (SP) of the product.

Marked Price: The marked price or the mark-up price (MP) is the price that the
shopkeeper/retailer fixes in the anticipation of some discount that they may be asked by a
customer.
Browse more Topics under Profit And Loss

• Cost Price
• Fixed, Variable and Semi-variable Cost
• Selling Price
• Marked Price
• List Price
• Margin
• Dishonest Dealers and Faulty Weights
• Percentage Loss
• Discounts and Marked Price
• Equivalent Discount
• Equation-Based Questions
• Goods Passing Through Successive Hands
• True Discount
• Bankers Discount
• Profit and Loss Practice Questions

Profit And Loss and Percentage

We can put the concept of profit and loss in the most simple words as follows: When SP < CP →
Loss = CP – SP.

Similalry, when SP > CP → Profit = SP – CP.

Percentage Loss and Percentage Gain Formula

Now, let us see how we calculate the percentage loss and the percentage gain. Percentage Loss
and Percentage Gain or Profit percentage both are calculated upon CP as follows:

Profit% = [Profit/CP] × 100

Loss% = [Loss/CP] × 100

Example 1: Suppose Company A produces 1000 T.V in the Year 2000 And 1200 T.V in the Year
2001. On the other hand Company, B produces 5000 T.V in the year 2000 and 5500 T.V in the
year 2001. Which company has the better growth rate?

Answer: Look at company A. The increase is of 200 T.V and Company B the increase if of 500
T.V So in Numerical Sense Company B has Produced more than A. But we are not talking here
about Numerical Growth. We are talking about the relative Growth. i.e Growth with respect to its
previous year production. [Note: Like things are compared with like thing Only, Just Like you
can’t compare Apple and Oranges]

Taking That Point Into Consideration, the Growth of Company A with respect to its Previous
year
production will be (200/1000)×100 = 20%. And that for company B it will be (500/5000)×100 =
10%. So clearly Company A has a better growth rate than company B.

Solved Examples For You

Example 2: Raman Purchased A watch for 1000rs and then Sold it to Nimesh for 1250 Rs.
Calculate the Profit and Profit %?
A) 2% B) 12% C) 20% D) 25%

Answer: Most Simple Question which you will never get in Any Exam. But Basics are Basics we
gotta revise it at least. So what happens here Raman purchases a Watch (You see word Purchase
And You know it’s CP) at Rs. 1000. Hence, C.P = Rs. 1000.

And then he sells it at Rs. 1250 (You See the Word SELL Ok that’s our SP). So SP = Rs. 1250.

Now Profit, as I told, is nothing but SP – CP. So profit = Rs. 1250 – Rs. 1000 = Rs. 250. Now
Profit % = [(Profit)/CP×100]. So profit % = [(250/1000)×100] = 25%. Therefore the correct
option is D) 25%.

Example 3: Steve Sells an article for 1200Rs And he makes a profit of 20% in the Transaction.
So What is the Cost price?

A) Rs. 500 B) Rs. 1000 C) Rs. 1500 D) Rs. 2000

Answer: If you don’t know about something then assume it as x. So we take CP = x. Now If I
sell an article at 20% profit then what will be our SP in terms of x?

x + 20%(x) = 1.2x [Because of percentage to decimal conversion. So 20% here is nothing but
0.2x and total SP will be x+ 0.2x = 1.2x. Remember add in case of the profit and subtract in
the case of loss].

And according to the Question he sold the article at Rs. 1200. So 1.2x = Rs. 1200 and we have x
= Rs. 1000 which is our C.P. Therefore the correct option is B) Rs. 1000

Example 4: A man purchases 11 oranges for 10rs and Sells 10 oranges for 11rs.Find profit or
loss%?

A) 12% B) 13% C) 31% D) 21%

Answer: First – Basic method.

Find the C.P of 1 orange that will be Rs. (10/11). Then find the S. P. of 1 orange that will be Rs.
(11/10).

As it is clear that S.P. > C. P., hence the Profit will be SP – CP = 11/10 – 10/11 = (121 –
100)/110 = 21/110
Therefore the Profit % = [(profit)/CP]×100 = [(21/110)/(10/11)×100] = [(21×11)/(110×10)×100
= 21%. Hence the correct option is D) 21%.

Second – LCM method.

Take The LCM The two numbers present in the Question i.e LCM of 10 and 11 = 110. Now, this
Is the number of oranges you will buy and sell and calculate the profit % on that. So CP of 110
Oranges = Rs. 100.

S.P of 110 Oranges = Rs. 121. Profit = Rs. 21. Profit% = 21% [calculated on the CP of 110
Oranges].

Practice Problem:
Q 1: A man buys 8 pens for Rs 9 each. He sells 9 pens for Rs 8 each. Find the profit or loss
percentage of the person?

A) 21% profit B) 12% loss C) 13% profit D) 21% loss

Ans: D) 21% loss

Geometric Series
Geometric Series form a very important section of the IBPS PO, SO, SBI Clerk and SO exams.
A geometric series is also known as the geometric progression. It is a series formed by
multiplying the first term by a number to get the second term, this process is continued until we
get a number series in which each number is some multiple of the previous term. Such a
progression increases swiftly and thus has the name geometric progression.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Number Series

Number Series is a sequence formed out of numbers. In the number series questions, we will
have to detect the rules that result in the formation of a number series. These series are of many
kinds and so are the questions that may appear from these topics. Below we have a complete
exhaustive collection of all the concepts and types of questions that may appear from this
chapter. Let us see below!

• Perfect Square Series

• Perfect Cube Series
• Geometric Series
• Two Stage Type Series
• Mixed Series
• Missing Number Series
• Wrong Number Series
• Order and Ranking
• Decimal Fractions
• Square Roots and Cube Roots
• Simplification on BODMAS Rule
• Chain Rule
• Heights & Distances
• Odd Man Out Series
• Number Series Practice Questions

Geometric Series or Geometric Progression

Geometric Progression or a G.P. is formed by multiplying each number or member of a series by
the same number. This number is called the constant ratio. In a G.P. the ratio of any two
consecutive numbers is the same number that we call the constant ratio. It is usually denoted by
the letter ‘r’. Thus if we have a G.P. say a1, a2, a3, …, an, the ratio of any two consecutive
numbers within the series will be same. Therefore for the series present above, we shall have:
a3/a2 = r; where ‘r’ is the common ratio. In other words, if you know ‘r’ and the first term, you
can generate the entire Geometric Progression.

Browse more Topics Under Number Series

• Perfect Square Series

• Perfect Cube Series
• Geometric Series
• Two Stage Type Series
• Mixed Series
• Missing Number Series
• Wrong Number Series
• Order and Ranking
• Decimal Fractions
• Square Roots and Cube Roots
• Simplification on BODMAS Rule
• Chain Rule
• Heights & Distances
• Odd Man Out Series
• Number Series Practice Questions

Example 1: In a G.P., r = 2 and a = 1. Then the tenth term of the G.P. will be?

A) 16 B) 19 C) 26 D) 512

Answer: In a G.P. as we saw, each term is multiplied by the common ration ‘r’. To get the
second term, the first term is multiplied by ‘r’. We get the third term by multiplying the first term
by ‘r2‘. Similarly, we will get the fourth term by multiplying the first term by r3 and so on.
Knowing this the above example becomes very easy. Since the first term is 1, we have to
multiply it by 29 to get the tenth term = 512. So the tenth term of the G.P. = 512. The correct
option thus is D) 512.

Sum of the Geometric Progression

Sometimes you will be given the series and asked to find the sum of the first few terms or the
entire series. The sum is denoted by Sn; where ‘n’ is the number of the term up to which the sum
is being found out. For example, the sum of the first ten terms will be denoted by S10. Here we
will list important formulae to find out the sum of the first few terms. Let ‘a’ be the first term of
a G.P. and ‘r’ be the common ratio, then the sum of the G.P. can be found out by the following
formulae:

Sn = a (rn -1)/ r-1, if r ≠1 and

Sn = an , if r = 1

Sum of infinite terms of a G.P. in case of -1 < r <1 is given by the following formula:

Sn= a/(1-r).

So there are three formulae depending on the value of ‘r’. We will see examples of each below.

Formula One Sn = a (rn -1)/ (r-1)

 Source: Youtube.com

This formula is only valid when r ≠1. For example, consider the following series.

Example 2: Find the sum of the first 5 terms of the following series. Given that the series is
finite: 3, 6, 12, …

A) 92 B) 24 C) 93/4 D) 27

Answer: The first step is to confirm that the series is actually a G.P. You can verify it by dividing
the consecutive terms. Remember divide two sets of consecutive terms. For example, in the
above example, 6/3 = 2 and 12/6 = 2. Hence the series is a G.P. with a common ratio or r = 2.
Also, we see that a = 3, thus we can use the first formula and find the sum of any number of
terms of such series.

To find the sum of the first 5 terms, we note that n = 5, a = 3, and r = 2. Thus we have:

S5 = 3(25 – 1)/(5 -1) = 93/4

Thus the option is C) 93/4.

Second And Third Formulae For The Sum

The second formula works only when r = 1. this is pretty straightforward. In this case, each term
of the G.P. will be same. The following trick question may be asked from this concept.

Q 1: What type of series is the following sequence of ‘n’ numbers:

1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, ….., 1

A) Arithmetic Progression

B) Simple Series

C) Mixed Series

D) Geometric Progression
Answer: The above series is clearly a Geometric Progression with the first term = 1 and the
common ratio or r = 1 also. The sum of ‘n’ terms will be n(1) = n. Therefore, the correct option
is D) Geometric Series.

The third formula is only applicable when the number of terms in the G.P. is infinite or in other
words, the series doesn’t end anywhere. Also, the value of r should be between -1 and 1 but not
equal to any of the two. -1 < r <1.

Practice Questions
Q 1: In a Geometric Progression, the first term a = 10. The ratio of two consecutive terms is 2.
What will be the sixth term of the series?

A) 320 B) 640 C) 300 D) 298

Ans: A) 320.

Q 2: Find the sum of the first five terms of the G.P.: 5, 25, 125, 625,… The G.P. has a thousand
terms in it.

A) 395 B) 3905 C) 935 D) 9305

Ans: B) 3905

Simplification on BODMAS Rule

The number series in the aptitude section is a very important topic for competitive exams. This
topic is divided into several small topics and one such topic is a simplification. In this, a topic the
questions asked is related to the BODMAS rule. This rule is very common in mathematics. It
stands for Bracket Of Division Multiplication Addition and Subtraction. Thus, today we are
going to cover simplification on BODMAS rule.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Simplification on BODMAS rule

 Simplification on BODMAS Rule

The simplification on BODMAS rule is the topic which is related to the questions asked with
brackets. You have solved the question according to the numbers and mathematical signs given
in the bracket. There are some simple rules which will help you solve these questions easily.

Browse more Topics under Number Series

• Perfect Square Series

• Perfect Cube Series
• Geometric Series
• Two Stage Type Series
• Mixed Series
• Missing Number Series
• Wrong Number Series
• Order and Ranking
• Decimal Fractions
• Square Roots and Cube Roots
• Chain Rule
• Heights & Distances
• Odd Man Out Series
• Number Series Practice Questions

Steps to solve BODMAS Question

Step 1: Always remember to solve the expressions that are in the bracket first. Also, while
solving these brackets you need to apply the BODMAS rule first.

Step 2: After solving the brackets, you need to solve the mathematical operators ‘order’ and ‘of’
next. Here, ‘of’ means a part of and it is solved by replacing it with a multiplication sign. While
‘order’ is similar to an exponent. After the brackets are solved, powers are solved. This also
includes the roots.

Step 3: In the next step, the equations that have multiplication and division sign in it is solved.
You need to calculate this after completing the above 2 steps.

Step 4: At the end, you need to solve the equations that contain ‘subtraction’ and ‘addition’.
Here you can notice that these steps also followed the BODMAS rule.
 Learn more about Geometric Series here in detail.

Simplifying the Brackets

The expansion of brackets is known as the simplification of the brackets. To remove the brackets
from an expression, you need to expand them by multiplying them. Also, for this step, you can
use the distributive law. It is written as

a(b + c) = ab + bc

For brackets also there is a rule that you need to follow while simplifying them. You need to
follow the order of (), {}, [ ] for solving the brackets. This means that you solve the equations in
the () bracket first and then the other two.

Example:

320 ÷ 8 x 412 ÷ 4 + 1/2 x {1800 ÷ (8 x 24 ÷ 6 x 4 – 98)^2}

Solution:

As mentioned in the above steps, you need to start solving the equation by solving the brackets
first. We will also follow the rules of the bracket in this question where we will solve the round
bracket and then solve the curly bracket. Also, there is no ‘ off’ and ‘order’ in the brackets. So,
we will directly start by applying the BODMAS rule. Thus, we will start with multiplication and
division. Here both the mathematical signs are of the same rank so we will go from left to right
to solve this question. So, we will do the multiplication first and then we will do the division.

Here are the steps that we will follow to solve the question:

Thus, 320 ÷ 8 x 412 ÷ 4 + 1/2 x {1800 ÷ (8 x 24 ÷ 6 x 4 – 98)^2}

= 320 ÷ 8 x 412 ÷ 4 + 1/2 x {1800 ÷ (8 x 4 x 4 – 98)^2}

=> 320 ÷ 8 x 412 ÷ 4 + 1/2 x {1800 ÷ (128 – 98)^2}

=> 320 ÷ 8 x 412 ÷ 4 + 1/2 x {1800 ÷ 30^2}

Now we have solved the round bracket. This will be followed by solving the curly bracket.

So, 320 ÷ 8 x 412 ÷ 4 + 1/2 x {1800 ÷ 900}

= 320 ÷ 8 x 412 ÷ 4 + 1/2 x 2

= 320 ÷ 8 x 412 ÷ 4 + 1

Thus, we have solved our brackets entirely. Now we simply have to solve the equation using
BODMAS rule. We will start with division and multiplication and this will be followed by
addition and subtraction.

320 ÷ 8 x 412 ÷ 4 + 1

= 40 x 103 + 1

=> 4120 + 1
=> 4121

So, the answer required was 4121.

Practice Questions
Q. Find the number that will come in place of ‘ ?’.

48 + 26 – 10 x 1/2 of 20 – {96 ÷ (34 – 2)} = ?

A. 22 B. -29 C. 44 D. 36

Answer: B. -29

Q. 20 + 12 ÷ 6 + 4 x 16

A. 94 B. 96 C. 98 D. 91

Answer: B. 96

Heights and Distances

In mathematics, trigonometry is one of the most important branches. Thus, the application of
trigonometry includes, measuring the heights of towers, determining the distance of the object in
the sea from the shore, finding the distance between celestial bodies, etc. Mainly, we use
trigonometry to measure heights and distances. Therefore, we use trigonometric ratios to
measure heights and distances of different objects.

Heights and Distances

Before we study height and distances we need to understand some terms.

1. Angle

An angle is a measure of rotation of a ray about its initial point. The original ray is called the
initial side and the final position of the ray after rotation is called the terminal side of the angle.
Vertex is the point of rotation.

If the ray rotates in an anticlockwise direction, the angle is said to be a positive angle and if the
ray rotates in the clockwise direction, the angle is a negative angle.
 Source: clipart-library.com

Degree Measure

If a rotation from the initial side to terminal side is 360th of a revolution, the angle is said to have
a measure of one degree, written as 1°.

Radian Measure

The angle subtended at the centre by an arc of length 1 unit in a unit circle whose radius is 1 unit
is said to have a measure of 1 radian. It is another way of measuring any angle.

In a circle of radius r, subtends an angle θ radian at the centre and an arc of length l,

we have l= θr

Relation Between Degrees and Radians : 2π radian = 360° or π radians = 180°

Degree 30o 45o 60o 90o 180o 270o 36

Radian π6 π4 π3 π2 π 3π2 2π

Trigonometric Ratios

In a right-angled ΔBAO, where BOA = Θ,

Source: clipart-library.com

i. sin Θ = PerpendicularHypotenuse = ABOB

ii. cos Θ = BaseHypotenuse = OAOB

iii. tan Θ = PerpendicularBase = ABOA

iv. cosec Θ = 1sinθ = OBAB

v. sec Θ = 1cosθ = OBOA

vi. cot Θ = 1tanθ = OAAB

Trigonometrical Identities

1. sin2Θ + cos2Θ = 1
2. 1+ tan2Θ = sec2Θ
3. 1+ cot2Θ = cosec2Θ

Values of Trigonometric-Ratios

π3 π2

Θ 0° π6 30° π4 45°

60° 90°
sinΘ 0 12 12 32 1
cosΘ 1 32 12 12 0
tanΘ 0 13 1 3 not defined

Line of Sight

The line which is drawn from the eyes of the observer to the point being viewed on the object is
called the line of sight.

The angle of Elevation

It is the angle which is formed by the line of sight with the horizontal level and the point on the
object (above horizontal level) viewed by the observer.

The angle of elevation of point P from O = ∠AOP.

The angle of Depression

It is the angle which is formed by the line of sight with the horizontal level and the point on the
object (below horizontal level) viewed by the observer.

The angle of Depression = ∠AOP

Points to remember :

• The angle of elevation is numerically equal to the angle of depression. They are always
acute angles.
• Both the angles are measured with the horizontal level.
 • To determine the unknown side of the right angled triangle where one side is known and
the acute angle is known. So we combine both the sides with trigonometric ratios of the
triangle. i.e.

knownsideunknownside = givensiderequiredside = suitable t – ratio of Δ

Solved on Heights and Distances

Q 1. A person standing on the bank of a river observes that the angle of elevation of the top of a
tree standing on the opposite bank is 600. When he moves 40 m away from the bank, the angle of
elevation measured is 300. Find the width of the river and the height of the tree.

Solution:- Let the height of the tree be y and width of the river be x and CD = 40 m

In ΔABD, tan 300 = ABBD

Undefined control sequence \( = yx+40 ⇒ x+40 = y3–√………..(i)

In ΔABC,

tan 600 = ABBC

3–√ = yx ⇒ y = x3–√……………(ii)

Putting the value of y from (ii) to (i)

x+40= [x3–√] 3–√ = 3x

40 = 2x

⇒ x= 20

y = x3–√ = 203–√

Height of the tree = 203–√ m

Width of the river = 20 m.

Missing Number Series

We have seen that a number series is a grouping of numbers, that follows a particular formula or
a given rule. There are several types of number series questions that occur in the IBPS and other
banking exams and the Missing Number series is one of it. In the Missing Number series, a
series is present with a Missing Number or asking you to predict the last term in it. The candidate
has to detect and most of the times calculate the value of this Missing Number. The following
article will give you many opportunities to read the concepts, get to know about the various tips
and tricks and also see many examples. Let us begin.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Missing Number Series
In the Missing Number series, we see a few examples first. Sometimes, the missing number
could be present in the beginning and at other times at the end of the series. As you will see this
creates different difficulty levels. The strategy in the missing number series is the same as that of
the wrong number series, you have to detect the rule and then use this rule to predict the next
number. Following are the tips that can reduce the time consumption to some deal while trying to
detect the rule that forms a number sequence:

• Pick 2/3 terms to test the rule. That means if you have, say 5 given terms, at least pick
three of them to test the rule that you want to predict.
• While choosing the terms to test, select the terms that are the easiest to work with. These
include terms that a factor of 2, 3, 5 or 10. Test for common rules like sum of the terms,
squares, cubes and other formulae.

Let us see some examples that we shall solve. Remember the more you practice, the more you
save on time.

Source: Tiphero

Browse more Topics under Number Series

• Perfect Square Series

• Perfect Cube Series
• Geometric Series
• Two Stage Type Series
• Mixed Series
• Wrong Number Series
• Order and Ranking
• Decimal Fractions
• Square Roots and Cube Roots
• Simplification on BODMAS Rule
• Chain Rule
• Heights & Distances
• Odd Man Out Series
• Number Series Practice Questions

Solved Examples on Missing Number in Array of Numbers

In the following questions, a number series is given. In each series, a number is missing. The
same number is present in the options below. Select the correct option:
Q 1: 32, 40, 24, 16, 24, __

A) 60 B) 12 C) 18 D) 8

Answer: Let us first detect the rule. We will check the rule on at least 2/3rd of our terms. Now let
us see the first term is 32 and the third term is 24. Since the third term is smaller than the first
one we can speculate that it has been obtained by a rule that has either subtraction or division
involved. Similarly, the second term is got from a rule that has either addition or multiplication
in it.

We see that 32 + 8 = 40 and 32 – 8 = 24. Now let us check this rule for one more term. We see
that 16 + 8 = 24. Therefore this works for more than half of the given numbers. Hence the rule is
correct. Therefore the missing number in the series is 16 – 8 = 8. The answer is D) 8.

Q 2: 1, 2, 6, 24, ___

A) 32 B) 64 C) 144 D) 120

Answer: The given sequence has four terms. So the rule must be correct for at least three of
them. The first term is 1. The second term is 2 which can either mean 1 is added or 2 has been
multiplied. the third term is 6 which can be got from 2 by multiplying it by 3. So thus far we
have 1×1, 1×2, 2×3, 6×4, which works perfectly for the series. Thus the rule has been found and
the last term will be 24×5 = 120. The answer is thus D) 120.

More Examples Of The Missing Term

In the following examples, a term is missing. Select the missing term from the options that have
been provided below:

Q 1: ___, 12, 18, 10, 6, 14, 5, 0, 10.

A) 14 B) 15 C) 16 D) 88

Answer: This might seem intimidating at first but if you see the series carefully, you will notice
that it is just like the above series if you take it in reverse. The last three numbers are all
multiples of 5. Let us see what we can figure out there. From 5, the next term is 0 which can
either be obtained by subtracting 5 from 5 or multiplying it by 0. The last term is 10 which can
be obtained from 5 by adding it with 5. Thus we see that the last three follow the rule that [5, 5 –
5, 5 + 5]. The same rule is shown by 10. The triplet containing 10 can be written as [10, 10 -4, 10
+ 4]. 10 and 5 have a difference of 5. So the first number has to be 15. Let us check if it satisfies
the rule.

The first triplet can be written as 15, 15 -3, 15 + 3. Thus the rule is satisfied and the answer is B)
15.

What many people do in series questions is that they start by using the options directly in the
series. This should be used as a last resort. Remember when solving a series, shorten it by
selecting 2/3rd of it. In this way, you will be able to simplify a series and solve it easily, saving
precious time.

Practice Questions
In the following questions, a number series is given. All the numbers in the series are connected
by a rule. one of the numbers is missing. Select the missing number of the series from the
numbers given in the options below:
Q 1: 7, 16, 27, 40, ___

A) 45 B) 55 C) 50 D) 77

Ans: B) 55

Q 2: 80, 119, 166, 221, __

A) 284 B) 380 C) 264 D) 324

Ans: A) 284.

Chain Rule
When two or more elements are given in a scenario than chain rule can be applied. There are two
figures in each of these two elements. While one figure is missing in one of the elements. To find
out this missing part of the figure we use the chain rule. Suppose in the question, ‘days’ part is
missing. Thus, you will compare ‘days’ with other elements independently to find out the
element and ignore the other elements. Let us see chain rule examples.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Principles of the Chain Rule

When you do the comparison there are mainly two principles that have to be followed:

1. If the missing part is not greater than the given part than the numerator should also be
small than the denominator. That is, it should be a/b < 1. Here a and b are the part given
in the other elements.
 2. If the given part is smaller than the missing part, then the denominator should also be
kept smaller than the numerator. Thus, it should be a/b > 1. Here also a and b are the
given parts of the other element.

Chain Rule Examples

Some of the types of chain rule problems that are asked in the exam.

Question 1

In school, there are some chocolates for 240 adults and 400 children. If the chocolates are taken
away by 300 children, then how many adults will be provided with the remaining chocolates?

Here it is clearly given that there are chocolates for 400 children and 300 of them has already
taken the chocolates. So, the total remaining children that need to be provided with chocolates is
400 – 300, which is 100.

It is also given in the question that 400 children are equal to 240 adults. So, 1 child = 240/400
adults. Therefore, 100 children will be the same as 240/400 x 100 adults. This equals up to 60
adults. So, the required answer over here is 60 adults.

Learn more about Geometric Series here in detail.

Question 2

It takes 48 laborers to construct a house in 24 days. Find out the number of days that 36 laborers
will take to build a house.

This is a case of indirect proportion. This means that less the number of people more will be the
days taken by them. Suppose, the required number of days is ‘x’. So, the laborers and days here
will be in ratio.

This will be 36: 48:: 24: x. Also, note that because of indirect proportion, 48/36 will be written as
36/48. So, x = 48 x 24/36 => 32. So the required number of days is 32.

Question 3

Suppose that a bike travels ‘a’ km in ‘b’ liters. Find the amount of petrol the bike requires for 7/2
of ‘a’ km.

Suppose the required amount of petrol to be found out is ‘X’ liters. The bike, in this case, uses
‘b’ liters to travel ‘a’ km. More the amount of traveling (km), more will be the petrol required
(liters).

So, the ratio of petrol: the ratio of km. Thus, a : 7a/2 :: b : X. Therefore, 7ab/2a = 7b/2. So, the
answer required is 7/2 liters of petrol.

Practice Questions
Q. A bus travels 11.25 km of the journey with 750 ml of fuel. Find the cost to travel 63.75
km of 1 liter of petrol is priced at Rs. 61.

A. 260 B. 259.25 C. 275.25 D. 260.25

Answer: B. 259.25
Q. It takes 6 days to complete 2/5th of the work. How many more days will it take to
complete the work at this rate?

A. 6 days B. 9 days C. 12 days D. 15 days

Answer: B. 9 days

Perfect Square Series

Perfect Square Series is a series of numbers that are the perfect squares of some other number.
This series of numbers from which we get the Perfect square series is the parent sequence to the
series. Sometimes the rule with which we assemble a sequence together is in the parent series
and sometimes it is in the square series itself. Let us begin our understanding of the Perfect
Square Series and the concepts that are most expected in the IBPS PO, SO, SBI Cleric and other
similar exams.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Perfect Square Series

Let us define the perfect square first. A number is a perfect square if we get it by taking the
square of an integer number. In other words, we can say that if we square an Integer, the
resulting number will always be a perfect square. By Integers, we mean all the whole numbers
and their negative numbers.

Following the logic, a series such that each term of it is a perfect square will form the perfect
square series. Unlike the perfect cube series, all the terms in a perfect square series are positive.
To save time and increase and improve the accuracy of solving all the questions on square series,
we will have to commit to memory at least the squares of the first 30 numbers. Here we will list
them and use most of them in the examples that will follow.

First Thirty Squares

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 4 9 16 25 36 49 64 81 100
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
121 144 169 196 225 256 289 324 361 400
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
441 484 529 576 625 676 729 784 841 900

Not only will memorising this save time but you will be able to guess the squares of a few more
numbers too. For example, from the above table we see that if a number ends in 5, it is the square
of 5, 15, 25, 35,… Similarly, if the number ends in 4, it is either the square of 2, 12, 22, 32…. or
8, 18, 28, 38,… Similarly, you can see that if a number ends with 0, it is the square of 10, 20, 30
and so on. A number ending in 6 will be the square of 4, 6, 14, 16, 24, 26 and so on.

This table will save you a lot of time and make your square series questions a fun experience
rather than a tedious task. In the exams, you will see a lot of the questions that you encounter
will have numbers from this table. Even if the numbers are not from this table, we can use it to
deduce the squares. For example, 810000 = (900)2 = (30)4. So not only will this table help you
with squares, it will also help you with simplifying many of the large numbers that you may
encounter. Treat it as the vocabulary of mathematical numbers. Let us solve some examples.

Solved Examples

As is the case with other number series, we will have a few types of questions here. A series may
be a plain square series that has a missing number or asks you to pick out the wrong term. It may
be a wrong series from a set of number series. Let us see with the help of some examples.

Example 1: In the following options, a few number series are present. One of them has an error,
pick the wrong one out:

A) 3, 9, 15, 21

B) 9, 81, 225, 441

C) 441, 529, 676, 841

D) 900, 841, 784, 729

Answer: Try solving this without looking at the table present above. It takes a lot of time. The
first series is just an A.P. with a common difference of 6. Now using the table, we can see that
the second sequence is the perfect square sequence. This series can be formed from the series
given in option A. The third sequence is a two-tier square series but in place of 841, we must
have 900. This is a wrong series. The last series is also a square series. So the correct option or
the wrong series of the four options presented above is C) 441, 529, 676, 841.

Example 2: In the sequence given below, a term is missing. The missing term is written in the
options that are present below. Find the missing term and choose it from the options below: 8,
12, 21, 37, __

A) 52 B) 62 C) 72 D) 80

Answer: The first term is 8, which is not a square. Although 8 is a perfect cube, the other terms
are not. Hence we conclude that this series is neither a perfect square nor a perfect cube series.
That means it may be a tier-two series. First, we check the difference between the two beginning
terms that is 8 and 12 = 4 or 22. Next the difference between 21 and 12 = 9 = 32. So there is some
sort of a pattern. If we could see the same pattern in the next term, we will generalise this rule as
the rule of the series.

The difference between 37 and 21 = 16 = 42. Thus this is the rule that you have been looking for.
Such series are two-tier square series. The last term will be thus obtained by adding 52 = 25 to
the last but one term or 37. Hence, the missing term is 37 + 25 = 62 and the correct option is B).

Practice Questions
Q 1: In the following sequences, one of the sequences has an incorrect entry. Find that series
from the options present below:

A) 2, 4, 16, 256 B) 1, 1, 1, 1 C) 3, 12, 156, 244922 D) 2, 2, 2, 2

Ans: C) 3, 12, 156, 244922

Q 2: Out of the following sequences, which of the sequence is not a perfect square series or a
derivative of a perfect square series?

A) 1, 1, 1, 1 B) 2, 2, 2, 2 C) 3, 6, 30, 870 D) 3, 3, 3, 3

Ans: D) 3, 3, 3, 3

Perfect Cube Series

In the perfect cube series, each term of the series is the perfect cube of some number. These
numbers whose cubes form the series are also arranged in the form of a sequence. In this way,
you can get a two-stage type perfect cube series. In the following article, we will see different
methods to identify the perfect cube series and try and develop various shortcuts and tricks that
will help us not only save time but also develop our accuracy. Let us begin the study of the
perfect cube series.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Perfect Cube Series

First of all, let us begin by writing the cubes of the first 20 numbers. These you will have to
commit to the memory. After this, we will try to construct a few perfect cube series and see what
else can we do with the concept. The cubes of the first twenty numbers are:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 8 27 64 125 216 343 512 729 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
1331 1728 2197 2744 3375 4096 4913 5832 6859 80
In the number series normally the series numbers till 30 will occur. Once you detect the fact that
the numbers form a cube series, you can easily predict the missing number or find the wrong
number in the series. The numbers will not be in the natural sequence but will be mixed around.
The first step is to detect that all the members of the series form a cube of some number. The
second step is to determine the difference between the cubes or the numbers of which the terms
form a cube for. Let us understand this with the help of a few examples.

Solved Examples With Cube Series

Example 1: In the following series, a number is such that it does not belong to the arrangement.
Select the option that has this number:

8000, 27000, 64000, 105000

A) 8000 B) 27000 C) 64000 D) 105000

Answer: Focus on the first digit of the numbers. The first digit in each term is a cube of some
number except the last option. 105 isn’t the cube of any number, thus the option to select here is
D) 105000. The correct entry should be 125000.

Example 2: In the sequence that is present below, one of the terms is missing. Estimate which
term is missing and complete the series by selecting it from the options that are present below:

1, 512, 2197, 6859

A) 1, 64, 512, 2197, 6859 B) 1, 512, 1331, 2197, 6859 C) 1, 512, 2197, 4913,
6859 D) 1, 216, 512, 2197, 6859

Answer: Here the series has been given but we are not told where the missing number has to go.
This makes it a bit more difficult than the other series. But since this is a cube series, we can still
predict the number easily. if you take a look at the table of cubes that we wrote above, you will
see that the series can be written as follows:

13, 83, 133, 193. Thus the pattern is clear. The first term is the cube of 1 and then the rest of the
terms are cubes of 8, 13, and 19. The difference between 13 and 8 is 5 and that between 19 and
13 is 6. Thus there should be a term between 1 and 8 whose difference from 8 is 4 and from 1 is
3. This term is 4 and the cube of 4 is 64. Thus the correct series is A) 1, 64, 512, 2197, 6859.

Browse more Topics under Number Series

 • Perfect Square Series
• Geometric Series
• Two Stage Type Series
• Mixed Series
• Missing Number Series
• Wrong Number Series
• Order and Ranking
• Decimal Fractions
• Square Roots and Cube Roots
• Simplification on BODMAS Rule
• Chain Rule
• Heights & Distances
• Odd Man Out Series
• Number Series Practice Questions

Mixed Series and Cubes

Sometimes the concept of pure cube series is mixed with the other concepts about series like the
Two-tier series. We will see some examples of such series here.

Example 3: An A.P. has 3 as its first term and d = 3. A pure cube series that can be represented
by this A.P. is:

A) 27, 216, 729, 1628

B) 3, 216, 729, 1728

C) 27, 216, 729, 1728

D) 3, 6, 9, 12

Answer: First let us try to generate the A.P. Since only four terms are given in the options, we
will only generate four terms to optimise time. The A.P. has its first term as 3 and the common
difference or ‘d’ = 3 also. We can write the A.P. as 3, 6, 9, 12. Thus taking the cube of each term
will give us a series C) 27, 216, 729, 1728, which is the right answer.

Example 4: A two-tier cubic series beginning with 1, that has an A.P. with a = 10 and d = 9 as its
base series is which of the following:

A) 1, 1331, 27000, 195112

B) 1000, 19000, 28000, 37000

C) 1000, 7869, 20804, 50653

D) 1000, 6859, 21952, 50653

Answer: the first step again is to determine the A.P. The A.P. has 10 as the first term and the
common difference is = 9. Therefore, the series is 10, 19, 28, 37. Now you might want to find the
cube of this series in which case you will see that D) is the answer, but that would be wrong.
This is so because the question says that the series we ought to find is a two-tier series that
begins with 1. So the series is 1, 1 + 10, 11 + 19, 30 + 28 [ we will only take four terms]. The
answer to the questions is thus the cube of this series which is A) 1, 1331, 27000, 195112.

Practice Questions
Q 1: In the following series, all the terms have been arranged as per the rules of the number
series formation. Pick the one with the incorrect entry:

A) 2744, 4096, 5832, 6859

B) 1, 64, 1728, 13824

C) 3375, 4096, 4913, 5832

D) 1, 8, 27, 64

Ans: A) 2744, 4096, 5832, 6859

Q 2: In a geometric Progression series, the first term is 3 and r = 4. Which of the following can
be obtained from this series:

A) 27, 91, 2354, 6785

B) 27, 5832, 6859, 8746

C) 27, 1728, 110592, 7077888

D) 27, 88765, 988786, 10992379, 9013745

Ans: C) 27, 1728, 110592, 7077888

Number Series Practice Questions

Number Series Practice Questions we will see various questions on concepts like Perfect Square
Series, Perfect Cube Series,Geometric Series etc. The following section of Number Series
Practice Questions will let you ascertain and check your level of understanding of the concepts
of this chapter. In the Number Series Practice Questions, you will see many questions that are
based on the concepts that we already learned. So let us begin and remember to set a time limit
for yourself before you attempt this section.

Browse more Topics under Number Series

• Perfect Square Series

• Perfect Cube Series
• Geometric Series
• Two Stage Type Series
• Mixed Series
• Missing Number Series
• Wrong Number Series
• Order and Ranking
• Decimal Fractions
• Square Roots and Cube Roots
• Simplification on BODMAS Rule
• Chain Rule
• Heights & Distances
• Odd Man Out Series

Number Series Practice Questions

Here we deal with the questions in which series of numbers, which are generally called the terms
of the series is given. These terms follow a certain pattern throughout the series. Candidates are
asked either to find a missing number or to find the one that does not follow the pattern of the
series. A number series can be formed by using various characteristics of numbers and by using
various types of calculations.

Here we will see how to find a missing term when we are given a sequence of numbers including
one or more missing numbers. Such a series follows a pattern, keeping this pattern in mind, we
will have to find the missing term.

We shall also encounter questions on how to find the number that does not follow the pattern. In
this type of questions, we are given a sequence of numbers. The whole sequence except one
number follows a certain rule. You have to find that number which does not follow the rule.

Part A

Directions: (Q no. 1 – ): In each of the following questions, a number series is given with one of
the terms missing. Choose the correct alternative that will continue the same pattern and replace
the question mark (?) in the given series.

Q1: 21, 23, 27, 33, ?

A) 37 B) 41 C) 43 D) 49 E) 54

Q2: 68, 67, 64, 59, ?

A) 52 B) 53 C) 54 D) 56 E) 58

Q3: 0, 2, 6, 8, 16, 30, 54, ? [M. A. T. 2011]

A) 74 B) 88 C) 100 D) 110 E) 122

Q4: 4, ?, 144, 400, 900, 1764 [S. S. C. (Steno) 2012]

A) 25 B) 36 C) 49 D) 100 E) 102

Q5: 2, 10, 30, 68, ? [S. S. C. (Steno) 2012]

A) 125 B) 130 C) 128 D) 135 E) 104

Q6: 6, 11, 21, 36, 56, ?

A) 42 B) 51 C) 81 D) 91 E) 98

Q7: 8, 14, 26, 44, 68, ?

A) 71 B) 78 C) 84 D) 98 E) 102

Q8: 3, 9, 6, 36, 30, ? [S. S. C. (Steno) 2012]

A) 900 B) 800 C) 950 D) 400 E) 646

Q9: 36, 34, 30, 28, 24, ? [S. S. C. (Steno) 2013]

A) 23 B) 26 C) 20 D) 22 E) 28

Q10: 97, 90, 76, 55, ?

A) 28 B) 27 C) 26 D) 25 E) 32

Q11: 1, 6, 15, ?, 45, 66, 91 [S. S. C. (Steno) 2011]

A) 25 B) 26 C) 27 D) 28 E) 13

Q12: 5, 11, 23, 47, 95, ?

A) 190 B) 191 C) 161 D) 169 E) 199

Q13: 7, 12, 19, 28, 39, ?

A) 52 B) 50 C) 51 D) 48 E) 66

Q14: 2, 6, 12, ?, 30 [S. S. C. (Steno) 2011]

A) 18 B) 24 C) 20 D) 26 E) 37

Q15: 24, 6, 18, 9, 36, 9, 24, ? [United Bank (Clerks Exam) 2011]

A) 24 B) 12 C) 8 D) 6 E) 26

Q16: 2, 1, 4, 3, 6, 5, 8, ?

A) 9 B) 10 C) 7 D) 8 E) 12

Q17: 1, 4, 27, 256, ?

A) 625 B) 3125 C) 3025 D) 1225 E) 1339

Q18: 285, 253, 221, 189, ?

A) 122 B) 153 C) 157 D) 151 E) 159

Q19: 8, 3, 11, 14, 25, ?

A) 50 B) 39 C) 29 D) 11 E) 42
Q20: 3, 8, 27, 112, ?, 3396

A) 565 B) 452 C) 560 D) 1530 E) 1449

Q21: 2, 9, 28, 65, ? [C. D. S. 2012]

A) 121 B) 195 C) 126 D) 103 E) 97

Q22: 31, 13, 45, 54, ?, 63

A) 36 B) 54 C) 61 D) 58 E) 49

Q23: 8, 27, 64, ?

A) 216 B) 224 C) 64 D) 125 E) 123

Q24: 6, 9, 12, 15, 15, 18, ? [S. S. C. (Multitasking) 2013]

A) 21 B) 20 C) 19 D) 22 E) 24

Q25: 107, 97, 82, 62, ?

A) 52, B) 42 C) 47 D) 37 E) 23

Q26: 30, 68, 130, 222, ?, 520, 738 [S. S. C. (F C I) 2012]

A) 420 B) 350 C) 250 D) 280 E) 128

Q27: 2, 2, 29, 38, 47, ? [ S. S. C. (C G L) 2014]

A) 59 B) 56 C) 52 D) 58 E) 60

Q28: 17, 43, 81, 131, ?

A) 375 B) 468 C) 300 D) 193 E) 234

Q29: 3.5, 7, 10.5, 14, ? [S. S. C. (Multitasking Exam) 2013]

A) 15.5 B) 16.5 C) 18.5 D) 17.5 E) 18.5

Q30: 3, 128, 6, 64, 9, ?, 12, 16, 15, 8 [I B (A C I O ) 2012]

A) 32 B) 12 C) 108 D) 72 E) 64

Q31: 8, 16, 28, 44, ? [S. S. C. (Multitasking Exam) 2014]

A) 62 B) 64 C) 66 D) 60 E) 68

Q32: 2, 8, 18, 32, 50, ? [S. S. C. (10 + 2 exam) 2013]

A) 64 B) 72 C) 70 D) 68 E) 88

Q33: 1, 3, 7, 15, 31, ? [S. S. C. (10 + 2 exam) 2014]

A) 37 B) 36 C) 73 D) 63 E) 56
Q34: 0, 3, 8, 15, 24, ?, 48 [S. S. C. (Multitasking Exam) 2014]

A) 41 B) 29 C) 37 D) 35 E) 39

Q35: 4, 11, 30, 67, 128, ? [S. S. C. (10 + 2) 2013]

A) 219 B) 228 C) 231 D) 237 E) 260

Q36: 5, 6, 9, 14, 21, ? [S. S. C. (10+2 exams) 2013]

A) 28 B) 30 C) 31 D) 29 E) 32

Q37: 5, 16, 51, 158, ? [S. S. C. (C G L) 2013]

A) 1452 B) 483 C) 481 D) 1454 E) 987

Q38: 11, 29, 55, ?, 131 [S. S. C. (C P O) 2013]

A) 110 B) 81 C) 89 D) 78 E) 96

Q39: 198, 194, 185, 169, ? [S. S. C. ( C P O) 2013]

A) 92 B) 136 C) 144 D) 112 E) 110

Q40: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, ? [C L A T 2013]

A) 34 B) 35 C) 33 D) 36 E) 38

Q41: 17, 36, 74, 150, ?, 606 [C L A T 2013]

A) 250 B) 303 C) 300 D) 302 E) 303

Q42: Find the missing number in the series 4, 18, ……, 100, 180, 294. [I B ( A C I O) 2013]

A) 32 B) 36 C) 48 D) 40 E) 52

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: B), Q2: A), Q3: C), Q4: B), Q5: B), Q6: C), Q7: D), Q8: A), Q9: D), Q10: B), Q11: D),
Q12: B), Q13: A), Q14: C), Q15: B), Q16: C), Q17: B), Q18: C), Q19: B), Q20: A), Q21: C),
Q22: A), Q23: D), Q24: A), Q25: D), Q26: B), Q27: B), Q28: D), Q29: D), Q30: A), Q31: B),
Q32: B), Q33: D), Q34: D), Q35: A), Q36: B), Q37: C), Q38: C), Q39: C), Q40: A), Q41: D),
Q42: C).

Part B

Directions: (Q Nos. 1 – ) In each of the following questions, one of the terms in the number
series is wrong. Find out the wrong term.

Q1: 10, 14, 28, 32, 64, 68, 132 [C D S 2011]

A) 28 B) 32 C) 64 D) 132 E) 96

Q2: 1788, 892, 444, 220, 112, 52, 24 [ R B I (Grade B) 2011]

A) 52 B) 112 C) 220 D) 444 E) None of these

Q3: 17, 36, 53, 83, 92 [S S C (C G L) 2012]

A) 92 B) 53 C) 68 D) 83 E) None of these

Q4: 20, 40, 200, 400, 2000, 4000, 8000 [Andhra Bank (Clerk) 2011]

A) 200 B) 2000 C) 8000 D) 4000 E) None of these

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: B), Q2: D), Q3: A), Q4: C)

Averages
Averages are a means of finding the central or the typical value of a set of data. Through the
average, we can avoid taking each data point into consideration and instead focus on the average
value that represents the typical magnitude of the data points. Let us learn more about averages
and average formula.

• Average
• Average Speed
• Data Sufficiency
• Average of Number Series
• Average Practice Questions

Average
The average is one of the most common ways to determine the measure of a central tendency.
What do we mean by the measure of central tendency? Is there a way to calculate the average?
When is the average a good tool to use and when does the concept of average not work? We will
see these and many similar questions here in the below space. Let us begin!

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Average Of Data
Let us understand the concept of averages first. Let us say that you want to buy shoes for your
friend but you don’t know their fit. What will you do? You can guess the size and see if your
guess was accurate or not. What is the chance that you will be right? It is very small considering
that there are a lot of sizes and only one range is true.

Now let us say that you want to buy shoes for every kid in your state. You can only select one
size though. There will be thousands of such kids with a range of sizes. If you buy say size 8
shoes, what is the chance that those shoes will fit some kid? The chances are very high. How will
you know which size will fit the most number of students?

The answer is the concept of averages. Out of a large set of data, the average is the number that
represents most of the data values. Thus it is a measure of the “central” tendency. If you know
the average of a data set, you will be able to know the behaviour or the approximate value of
most of the data points.

Browse more Topics under Averages

• Average Speed
• Data Sufficiency
• Average of Number Series
• Average Practice Questions

Formula For Average

For a given set of data, each data point corresponds to an observation. In any number of ‘n’
observations, the average value is found out by finding the sum of the observations and dividing
it by the number of observations i.e. n. For example, let a, b, c, … represent ‘n’ number of
observations. Then the average of these observations will be given by:

Average value = (a + b + c + … )/n ;where n is the total number of observations. Let us see an
example and then move on to the application of this concept.

Example 1: The shoe sizes of 12 students of a class are 7, 8, 6, 8, 9, 6, 7, 8, 6, 9, 7, 8. Out of the

following, which shoe will fit the most number of people?

A) 7 B) 6 C) 8 D) 9

Answer: To find the shoe size that represents the most number of students, we can use the
concept of averages. For that, we will have to sum the observations or the data points and divide
them by the number of data points. Let us see: (7 + 8 + 6 + 8 + 9 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 6 + 9 + 7 + 8)/12
= 7.41

This size is closer to 7 than 8, so the answer should be A) 7.

Notice that the average is a measure of central tendency. It doesn’t guarantee that the average
will always represent the maximum number of data points. We will see that in the following
examples.

Rules of Average
We can find the average of various sets of data. Out of these, some data collections may form an
A.P. sequence or an arithmetic progression sequence. For such data collections, we can use the
following rules. Let us see these rules with the help of an example.

Example 2: 4, 7, 10, 13, 16.

Answer: The series is an A.P. with the common difference being = 3. The rue to find the average
of an A.P. is that if the A.P. has even number of terms then the average = (sum of the two middle
terms)/2 = (sum of the first and the last term)/2

For example, if the for the series 4, 7, 10, 13, the average is = (7 + 10)/2 = (4 + 13)/2

For the sequence, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16 which is an A.P. with an odd number of terms, the average is
simply the middle term, i.e. the average = 10. You can verify it by finding the actual average =
(4+7+10+13+16)/5 = 50/5 = 10.

These are the rules for an A.P. Sometimes, you will be given the average and asked to find the
number of data points. For example, consider the following example:

Example 3: In a village, the average height of the males is found out to be 5.8 feet. If the males
of the village were to be put one on top of the other such that there is no overlapping, they would
reach a height of 11600 feet. How many men are there in the village?

Answer: This is an example where the average is already present and we have to find the number
of observations. Since from the formula of the averages, we know that:

Average = (sum of the observations)/(number of observations)

Or in other words we can write, 5.8 = (11600) /n; where ‘n’ is the number of males in the village.
Simplifying the equation, we get n = 11600/5.8 = 2000. Therefore the number of males in the
village = 2000.

Practice Questions
Q 1: The average of a number of terms is 8. If each term is added by 2, what is the new average
of the data set?

A) 8.5 B) 9.5 C) 10 D) Insufficient data

Ans: C) 10

Q 2: The average of a series is 25. If the series is split into two series, such that the average of
one of the series is 15, then the average of the other series is:
A) 12.5 B) 5 C) 10 D) Data Insufficient

Ans: C) 10

Average Practice Questions

Questions on average are very common in the competitive exams. We have covered the basics
related to the average in our previous articles. We have gone through each and every type of topic
that can be asked under the average section in detail. Today we are going to discuss the average
practice questions. In average practice questions, we will give you a variety of questions for
practice and there will be answers at the end. It is important that you solve all types of questions.

Browse more Topics under Averages

• Average
• Average Speed
• Data Sufficiency
• Average of Number Series

Average Practice Questions

Part 1: Finding The Missing Data

Directions: For the questions in this section, the data of one person is missing. You need to find
that based on the total average of the data given to you.

1. The average weight of 3 person P, Q, R is 84 kg. Another person who is S joins the group and
now the present average of the group becomes 80 kg. If another person T, whose weight is 3 kg
more than that of S, replaces P then the average weight of Q, R, S, and T becomes 78 kg. Find the
weight of P.

A. 70 kg B. 72 kg C. 79 kg D. 78 kg

2. Three years ago, the average of A, B, and C was 27 years and that of B and C 5 years ago was
20 years. A’s present age is

A. 35 years B. 30 years C. 40 years D. 48 years

3. The average age of a family of 6 members is 22 years. If the age of the youngest member be 7
years, what was the average age of the family at the birth of the youngest member?

A. 15 B. 12 C. 18 D. 21

4. The average of ten numbers is 7. If each number is multiplied by 12, then the average of the
remaining numbers will be

A. 7 B. 84 C. 9 D. 87

5. Average marks obtained by Raju in 3 papers is 52 and in the fourth paper, he scored 60 marks.
Find the new average of marks scored by Raju.

A. 55 B. 54 C. 52 D. 53.5
6. The average of 50 members is 38. If the two numbers, 45 and 55 are discarded the average of
the remaining numbers will become

A. 36 B. 36.5 C. 37 D. 37.5

7. If we choose four numbers, the average of the first three will be 16 and that of last three is 15.
If the last number is 18, the first number will be

A. 20 B. 21 C. 23 D. 25

Answers:

1. C. 79 kg

2. C. 40 years

3. C. 18

4. B. 84

5. B. 54

6. D. 37.5

7. B. 21

What is Average?

Part 2: Questions Based on Expenditure

Directions: The average practice questions in this part are based on the expenditure and answer the
question based on the data given.

1. The average expenditure of a family was Rs. 2750 for the first 3 months, then Rs. 3150 for the
next 3 months and Rs. 6750 for the other three months. Find the average income of the family for
the 9 months if the family saves Rs. 650 per month.

A. Rs. 4866.66 B. Rs. 4666.66 C. Rs. 5123.33 D. Rs. 4216.66

2. The average earning of Rohan for the first three months of the calendar year 2006 is Rs. 1200.
If his average earnings for the second and third month is Rs. 1300 then find his earning in the first
month.
A. Rs. 1100 B. Rs. 900 C. Rs. 1200 D. Rs. 1000

3. Sanjay earns an average of 4200 euros for the first eleven months of the year. If he wants to
maintain the monthly average for the year to be 5000 euros, then what is the amount he needs to
earn in the last month to achieve the required average for the whole year?

A. 14,600 B. 12,800 C. 5,800 D. 13,800

4. In a hotel room are numbered from 201 to 230. Each room gives an earning of Rs. 3000 for the
first fifteen days of the month and for the latter half, Rs. 2000 per room. Find the average earning
per room per day over the month.

A. Rs. 2250 B. Rs. 2750 C. Rs. 2500 D. Rs. 2466.66

5. The average income of Suraj and Gopal is Rs. 3000 and that of Alay and Vinit is Rs. 500. What
is the average income of all the four people?

A. Rs. 1750 B. Rs. 1000 C. Rs. 1850 D. Rs. 2500

6. Samay’s average daily expenditure is Rs. 10 during May, Rs 14 during June and Rs. 15 during
July. His approximate daily expenditure for the 3 months is

A. Rs. 13 B. Rs. 10 C. Rs. 12 D. Rs. 11

7. 30 apples and 75 oranges were purchased for Rs. 510. If the price per apple is Rs. 2 than the
average price of the oranges was

A. Rs. 12 B. Rs. 14 C. Rs. 10 D. Rs. 15

Answers:

1. A. Rs. 4866.66

2. D. Rs. 1000

3. D. 13,800

4. C. Rs. 2500

5. A. Rs. 1750

6. A. Rs. 13

7. A. Rs. 12

Part 3: Miscellaneous Average Questions

Directions: In this section, questions from temperature to age to speed are covered. Answer the
question based on the data given to you

1. The average temperature on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday was 41° C and on Tuesday and
Wednesday and Thursday it was 40° C. If on Thursday it was exactly 39° C, then on Monday, the
temperature was

A. 42° C B. 46° C C. 23° C D. 26° C

2. A ship sails out into the sea at the rate of 15 km/hr and sails back at the rate of 20 km/hr. What
will be the average rate of sailing?

A. 17.14 km B. 16.85 km C. 18 km D. 17.85 km

3. The average temperature of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd November was 24.4° C. The average temperature
for the first two days was 24° C. The temperature on the 3rd of November will be

A. 20° C B. 25° C C. 25.2° C D. None of these

4. The average age of the 6 students is 11 years. If 2 more students of age 14 and 16 years join
than their average will become

A. 12 years B. 19 years C. 21 years D. 13 years

5. The bus goes to Mumbai from Delhi at the rate of 60 km per hour. Another bus leaves from
Mumbai to Delhi at the same time as the first bus at the rate of 70 km/hr. Find the average speed
of the journeys of the two buses combined if it is known that the distance from Mumbai to Delhi
is 420 kilometers.

A. 64.615 kmph B. 64.5 kmph C. 63.823 kmph D. 64.82 kmph

Answers:

1. A. 42° C

2. A. 17.14 km

3. C. 25.2° C

4. A. 12 years

5. A. 64.615 kmph

Average Speed
Average Speed is important to understand the rate at which a journey takes place. Throughout a
journey, the speed may vary from time to time. In that case, finding the average speed becomes
important to have an estimate of the rate at which the journey is completed. Here we will see
some special cases and shortcuts that we can use to find the average speed in less than a minute.
Let us begin by calculating the formula for the average speed and then solve some examples with
the help of this formula.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Average Speed
The speed of an object is found out by dividing the distance that the object covers by the time in
which the object takes to cover this distance. If ‘D’ is the distance traveled in some time ‘T’ then
the speed of the object for this journey or ‘s’ is equal to s = D/T.

This is the simplest case. But what if there is an object that covers part of its journey with one
speed and the other part with another speed? Let us say a train goes from station A to B in 2
minutes and from B to C in 3 minutes. If the distance between any two stations is 6km, what is
the speed of the train?

Answer: Here you can’t use the formula directly because as you may have observed the train has
a different speed from A to B than from B to C. In this case when a body has different speed
during different parts of the journey, we define the average speed as:

Average Speed = (Total distance covered throughout the journey)/(Total time taken for the
journey)

Let the body cover a distance ‘a’ in time t1, then a distance b in time t2, c in time t3 and so
on, then the average speed of the body is found out by the following ratio:

Average speed = (a + b + c + …)/ (t1 + t2 + t3 + …). Let us see some examples now.

Browse more Topics Under Averages

• Average
• Average Speed
• Data Sufficiency
• Average of Number Series
• Average Practice Questions

Some Solved Examples

Example 1: A truck goes from Haryana to Bangalore with an average speed of 60 km/hr. The
journey takes 30 hours. It returns from Bangalore to Haryana on the same road with an average
speed of 40 km/hr. What was the average speed of the truck during the roundtrip?

A) 50 km/hr B) 55 km/hr C) 48 km/hr D) 52 km/hr

Answer: You may be tempted to find the average speed by summing up the speed and dividing
by 2. That is wrong because the average speed is the total distance divided by the total time. Let
us find the distance first from Haryana to Bangalore. This can be done as follows:
Distance = (Speed)×(Time). Thus we can say that Distance = 60×30 = 1800 kilometers. Now we
have to find the time taken to travel from Bangalore to Haryana. We can write:

Time = Distance / speed = 1800/40 = 45 hours. Thus we can find the average speed as:

Average Speed = (Total distance)/(Total Time) = (1800 + 1800)/(30 + 45) = 3600/75 = 48 km/hr.
Hence the correct option here is C) 48 km/hr.

So to find the average speed never use the formula of the averages but try to find the total
distance covered and the total time taken. Let us see a few more examples where the journey is
completed in three stages.

Practice Average Practice Questions here

Three Stage Journey

Example 2: A person travels from Mumbai to Goa in exactly 8 hours with a speed of 120 km/hr.
From Goa, the person travels to Delhi in 34 hours. If the distance from Goa to Delhi was 2000
km, how long will it take to get from Delhi to Bombay if the person maintains the speed equal to
the average speed? The distance from Delhi to Bombay is 1400 km.

Answer: This is a three-stage journey. We will form a distance-speed-time table for every stage
of the journey. It should make it easier for us.

Distance ? 2000 km 1400 km

Speed 120 km/hr ? ?
Time 8 hours 34 hours ?

We don’t have to find the individual speeds for the two stages of the journey. We just want the
average speed. To find that we have to find the total distance and the total time. We do have the
distance and the time for the second stage so let us get it for the first stage too.

For the first stage, the time can be found by Distance = Speed × Time = 120×8 = 960 km. So the
total distance is = (960 + 2000) = 2960 km.

Now the total time taken for the journey = 8 + 34 hours = 42 hours. Always make sure that you
check the units. The units throughout the question should be uniform.

Thus the average speed = 2960/42 = 70.48 km/hr. Thus this is the speed that the person has to
maintain from Delhi to Bombay. The time taken for this journey is = Distance / Speed. In other
words, we can write:

Time taken = 2960/70.48 = 41.99 hours ≈ 42 hours.

Practice Questions:

Q 1: A speeding car traveling at 40 km/hr decides to slow down to 30 km/hr after covering half
the distance. What is the average speed?

A) 34.29 km/h B) 35.36 km/hr C) 36.32 km/hr D) 33.21 km/hr

Ans: A) 34.29 km/h

Q 2: A car travels with the following speed and distance:

100 km/hr 110 km/hr 120 km/hr 130 km/hr
120 km 130 km 140 km 150 km

A) 115 km/hr B) 112 km/hr C) 1.17 km/hr D) 2.71 km/hr

Ans: C) 1.17 km/hr

Average of Number Series

Average of Number Series is an important concept in Quantitative Aptitude. A series is a
sequence of certain consecutive numbers or terms. A sequence may consist of evenly spaced
numbers. As is the case in arithmetic progressions. In other cases, the number may have
progressively increasing spaces as is the case with the geometrical progressions. Here in the
following space, we will see how to conveniently find the Average of Number Series. Let us
begin!

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Average of Number Series

Ley us see these with the help of a few examples. A number series with a few terms may be
written down and the average will be found using the usual formula. The formula of average =
(Sum of observations)/(Number of observations).

What about the series that have hundreds of terms? There are many methods that we can use to
find the average of such series, here we shall see most of them. Let us start with the first one.

Method I – Averaging Any Short Series of Consecutive Numbers

The first step is that we count the number of terms in the series. This is the number of terms or
numbers in the sequence. Determine whether the series has an odd or even number of terms. For
example, the sequence 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 has seven terms, an odd amount. The sequence 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8 has six terms, an even amount.

The second step is to identify the middle number of a series with an odd number of terms. This is
the number that has the same amount of terms on either side of it. This middle number will be
the average of the series. For example, in the sequence 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, the middle number is 6.
It has three numbers to the left of it, and three numbers to the right of it. So, in this series of
numbers, 6 is both the mean and the median.

Browse more Topics under Averages

• Average
• Average Speed
• Data Sufficiency
• Average Practice Questions

Average the middle numbers of a series with an even number of terms

To do this, find the pair of numbers that have the same amount of terms on either side of it. To
find the average, add these two numbers together and divide by two. Their average will be the
average of the series. For example, in the sequence 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, the middle pair is 5 and 6. It
has two numbers to the left of it, and two numbers to the right of it. So, to calculate the average
of the series, calculate the average of these two numbers:
(5+6)/2 = 11/2 = 5.5
So, in this series of numbers, 5.5 is both the mean and the median.

Method II – Averaging Any Long Series of Consecutive Numbers

The evenly spaced set of numbers. Let us say that we have an A. P. which has several evenly
spaced numbers. Let the first term of the sequence be x1 and the last term be xn. Then the
average of the series can be found out by the following formula:

Average = (x1 + xn)/2.

For example, if you were finding the average of sequential numbers beginning with 15 and
ending with 45, your formula will look like this: Average = (15 + 45)/2 = 30. So, the average of
the series of consecutive numbers beginning with 15 and ending with 45 is 30.

Method III – Averaging Any Consecutive Series Beginning with 1

Let S represent the sum of all the numbers in such a series, and n equal the number of terms in
the series. Then, since the series begins with one, then the number of the terms will be equal to
the last term in the series. We can find the sum of such a series by the following formula:

S = n(n + 1)/2; Thus we can find the sum of such a series. The average is still given by the
formula, S/n; where n is the number of terms. Here the important step is to find the number of
terms n. Once you have found the number of terms, you can easily find the sum of the numbers.

For example, let us see a few number series and try and find their average.

Example 1: Find the average of the first hundred numbers?

A) 50 B) 49 C) 49.5 D) 50.5

Answer: You may think that the answer is A) 50 but that is not correct. Let us write the series
below:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, …, 49, 50, 51, …, 98, 99, 100. There is a total of hundred terms in the series which
begins with 1. Therefore the third method shall be applicable here. First of all, we will find the
sum of the series and then divide this sum by the number of terms to get the average.
We know that sum, S = n(n+1)/2. In other words, we may write, S = 100(100 + 1)/2 = 50(101) =
5050. Therefoe the average will be = 5050/100 = 50.5 and hence the correct answer is D) 50.5.

Here we can cut a step and write the formula for the average of such a series i.e. one that begins
with 1 and has consecutive numbers, as Average = n(n+1)/2n or Average = (n+1)/2. Now let us
solve the following questions to get a better grip on the topic.

Average Speed And Confusions

There are a few average speed formulae that you need to know before we move ahead. They are
very important from an exam point of view.

1. Average Speed = (a + b)/2

Applicable when one travels at speed a for half the time and speed b for another half of the time.
In this case, the average speed is the arithmetic mean of the two speeds.

2. Average Speed = 2ab/(a + b)

Applicable when one travels at speed a for half the distance and speed b for another half of the
distance. In this case, the average speed is the harmonic mean of the two speeds. On similar
lines, you can modify this formula for one-third distance.

3. Average Speed = 3abc/(ab + bc + ca)

Applicable when one travels at speed a for one-third of the distance, at speed b for another one-
third of the distance and speed c for rest of the one-third of the distance. Note that the generic
Harmonic mean formula for n numbers is

Harmonic Mean = n/(1/a + 1/b + 1/c + …)

4. You can also use weighted averages. Note that in case of average speed, the weight is always
‘time’. So in case you are given the average speed, you can find the ratio of time as:

t1/t2 = (a – Avg)/(Avg – b). As you already know, this is just our weighted average formula.
Now, let’s look at some simple questions where you can use these formulas.

Practice Question:
Q 1: A car is travelling at a constant velocity of 5 m/s. At a certain point in its journey, the car
starts to accelerate at regular intervals such that its speed gets to 10 m/s. If the distance travelled
is equal in both the cases, then the average velocity of the car after ten seconds is:

A) 6.67 m/s B) 8.67 m/s C) 12.77 m/s D) 14 m/s

Ans: A) 6.67 m/s

Ratio Based Age Problems

Problems in calculating the age of an individual are very common in the quantitative aptitude
section. In the present article, we will discuss the Ratio Based Age Problems. In such problems,
the ages of two or more people will either be such that they bear a ratio or they will have some
relation by which we can get a ratio. Here we will see how to solve these problems. We will also
develop formulae and shortcuts that will save us a lot of precious time. Let us start by defining
what we mean by a ratio.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Ratio-Based Age Problems

We may define the ratio of two quantities as the quantitative relation between their two amounts
that tells us the number of times one of these quantities contains the other. We can get the ratio
of any two quantities by dividing them with each other until we get prime numbers on both the
numerator and the denominator or at least on one of them. For example, if ‘m’ is any quantity
and ‘n’ is another quantity then the ratio of m and n, which we pronounce as m” is to” n is = m/n
and we write it as m:n. This ratio gives the comparison in terms of the magnitude of the two
quantities.

Let us now focus on the problems of age, in particular, the ratio-based word problems. Let us
start with a simple example.

Example 1: A brother and a sister decide to find the ratio of their ages. The ratio comes out to be
4:5 respectively. Which of the two is the elder one?

Answer: This is a straightforward question to make you better understand the concept of ratios.
Let x denote the age of the brother and y denote the age of the sister. The as per the question, the
ratio is x/y = 4/5. upon cross-multiplication, we have: 5x = 4y or in other words y > x. Thus the
sister is the elder one.

Solved Examples On Age

Part I

Example 2: The ratio of the age of a person A and another person B is 1:3. If the person A is 5
years younger than the person B, then what are their ages?
A) 2 and 7 years respectively

B) 7 and 2 years respectively

C) Two and a half and seven and a half years respectively

D) Seven and a half and two years respectively

Answer: Let A denote the age of the person A and B denote the age of the person B. As per the
questions, the age of person A/B = 1/3.

Also as per the second condition, we have A = B – 5, using this in the above ratio, we have:

(B – 5)/B = 1/3 or 3B – 15 = B

Hence we have 2B = 15 or B = 7.5. Therefore the age of the second person B is 7 and a half
years. Thus from the second condition i.e. A = B – 5 or A = 7.5 – 5 = 2.5, we can say that the age
of the first person or A is two and a half years. Therefore the correct option is C) Two and a half
and seven and a half years respectively

In this question you have to realize that only the ratio is not sufficient to predict the exact ages of
the two people, rather we need to know some other condition too. Let us see another example.

Browse more Topics under Age Problems

• Equation Problems of Age

• Proportion Based Age Problems
• Age Problems Practice Questions

Part II

Example 2: Some six years ago, the ratio of the ages of Khan and Suhail was 6:5. Four years
from today, the ratio of their ages will be 11:10. Then Suhail must be _______ years old.
A) 18 years B) 12 years C) 19 years D) 16 years

Answer: For simplicity, we shall assume that six years ago the age of Khan was 6x and the age
of Suhail was 5x, where ‘x’ is an unknown variable. Let us see the first condition of the question.
The ratio of their ages was 6:5 or 6x:5x respectively. For the second condition of the question,
we will have to find the present age first.

The present age of Khan is 6x + 6 and that of Suhail is 5x + 6 respectively. Four years into the
future, their ages will be 6x + 10 and 5x + 10 years respectively. Hence as per the second
condition, we have:

(6x + 10)/(5x + 10) = 11/10 or 60x + 100 = 55x + 110.

We can write this as 5x = 10 or x = 2. Therefore the age of Suhail at the present must be = 5(2) +
6 = 16 years. Hence the correct option here is D) 16 years.

Practice Problems
Q 1: Khan and Shoaib decide to take a ratio of their ages. It comes out to be 5:4 respectively.
Three years from now, the ratio of their ages will be 11 : 9 respectively. What is Shoaib’s present
age in years?
A) 37 years B) 27 years C) 46 years D) Cannot be
determined E) None of these

Ans: A) 37 years

Q 2: Today the ratio of the ages of Desai and Shinde is 4:3. Six years hence, Desai’s age will be
26 years. How old is Shinde today?

A) 10 years B) 15 years C) 20 years D) 25 years

Ans: B) 15 years

Proportion Based Age Problems

In Proportion Based Age Problems, the problems on the age of a number of individuals will be
present in the form of a proportion. Using these proportions you will have to make or formulate
an equation or a couple of these. These equations will let you know what the age of these
individuals is. Here we will see many such examples of these questions. We will see several
examples of these solved examples and formulate methods to solve this section with higher
accuracy and in lesser time.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Proportion Based Age Problems

Let us first see what a proportion is. Suppose the age of your father is 60 years. And let us
suppose that the age of your brother is one third the age of your father. What is the age of your
brother then? The answer is simple. First, you need to see what the proportion here is. The age of
your brother is proportionate to the age of your father. Therefore we can say that the age of your
brother is = 1/3[60] = 20 years.

Example 1: There are two people A and B. The difference between their ages is 16 years. If 6
year ago, the elder one was 3 times as old the younger one, find their present ages:
A)

Answer: Let the age of the younger person be = x years. Therefore the age of the older person
will be x + 16 years. Notice that we have not used a different variable for the second person.
Now let us move on to the second part of the question.

Six years ago the younger one would be x – 6 years old and the elder one would be (x + 16 – 6)
years old. As per the question we have:

x + 16 – 6 = 3[x – 6] or x + 10 = 3x – 18.

Therefore we can write, 2x = 28 or x = 14 years old. Thus the age of the elder person will be 14
+ 16 = 30 years.

Now let us practice this a bit. If your brother’s age is also proportional to your age, can we find
your age? Let us say that your brother is half the age that you are. Then what is your age? Your
age is twice the age of your brother which makes you forty years old. Now that we have an idea
about how proportions work, let us see some solved examples from this section.

Learn Ratio Based Age Problems here.

Solved Examples
Example 2: Khan’s age fifteen years from now will be five times his age 5 years ago. What is the
present age of Khan?
A) 10 years B) 14 years C) 13 years D) 8 years

Answer: Let the present age of Khan be equal to x years. Then Khan’s age fifteen years from
now is x + 15 years. Five years ago Khan’s age would have been equal to x – 5 years. Now that
we have represented all the conditions let us formulate the equations.

From the question, we have (x + 15) = 5×(x – 5). In other words, we can write 5x – x = 15 + 25.
Thus we have, 4x = 40 or x = 10 years. Therefore the present age of Khan is 10 years and the
correct option here is A) 10 years.

We can solve the above question in another way too. We could have said that the age of Khan
fifteen years from now be x. That will mean that the present age of Khan will be x – 15 years.
This is essentially the same equation but will be a bit lengthier. To get a consistency with your
methods, you should always select the present age as = x years and work your way up from
there.

Example 3: Khan’s father says to Khan, “Son! I was as old as you are at the present at the time of
your birth”. If Khan’s father’s age is 38 years now, then the son’s age five years back was:

A) 19 years B) 14 years C) 13 years D) 38 years

Answer: Let the present age of Khan’s father be equal to x years. The present age of Khan’s
father is 38 years. So at the time of the birth of Khan, his father would be (38 – x) years old. As
per the question, we have:

x = (38 – x) or in other words we can write, 2x = 38 or x = 19 years. So the present age of Khan
is 19 years and thus his age five years ago would have been 19 – 5 years = 14 years. Thus the
correct option is B) 14 years.

Learn Equation Problems of Age here.

Practice Questions
Q 1: A person A is two years older than another person B. The person B is twice as old as a third
person C. The sum of the total ages of the three people is 27 years, then how old is B?

A) 10 years B) 11 years C) 12 years D) 13 years

Ans: A) 10 years.

Q 2: The present age of a person is two-fifths of the age of his mother. Eight years hence, his age
will be half the age of his mother. What is the present age of the mother?

A) 30 years B) 40 years C) 50 years D) 60 years

Ans: B) 40 years

Q 3: Ten years ago, some person P was half the age of another person Q. If the ratio of the
present ages of the two people is 3:4, then the sum of the ages will be:

A) 25 years B) 30 years C) 35 years D) 40 years

Ans: C) 35 years

Equation Problems of Age

Equation Problems of Age are part of the quantitative aptitude section. In the equation problems
of age, the questions are such that they result in equations. These equations could become either
linear or non-linear and they will have solutions that will represent the age of the people in the
question. In the following sections, we will some of the examples of these problems and also
learn about the various shortcuts that we can use to solve them. Let us start with some easier
examples and concepts below.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Equation Problems of Age

Equations are a convenient way to represent conditions or relations between two or more
quantities. An equation could have one, two or more unknowns. The basic rule is that if the
number of unknowns is equal to the number of conditions, then these equations are solvable,
otherwise not. We will see some important examples here but first, let us see the following
tricks.
If the age of a person is ‘x’, then ‘n’ years after today, the age = x + n. Similarly, n years in the
past, the age of this would have been x – n years.

Example 1: A father and his son decide to sum their age. The sum is equal to sixty years. Six
years ago the age of the father was five times the age of the son. Six years from now the son’s
age will be:

A) 23 years B) 19 years C) 20 years D) 22 years

Answer: Suppose that the present age of the son is = x years. Then the father’s age is (60 -x)
years. Notice that we are trying to reduce the problem into as few variables as possible. As per
the second condition of the question, we have:

The age of the father six years ago = (60 – x) – 6 years = 54 – x years.

Similarly the age of the son six years ago will be x – 6 years. Therefore as per the second
condition, we have;

54 – x = 5(x – 6) or 54 – x = 5x – 30 and we can write 6x = 84

Hence, we have x = 14 years. Thus the son’s age after 6 years = (x+ 6) = (14 + 6) = 20 years.
Hence the correct option is C) 20 years.

More Solved Examples

Example 2: The difference in the age of two people is 20 years. If 5 years ago, the elder one of
the two was 5 times as old as the younger one, then their present ages are equal to:

A) 20 and 30 years respectively

B) 30 and 10 years respectively

C) 15 and 35 years respectively

D) 32 and 22 years respectively

Answer: The first step is to find the equation. Let the age of the younger person be x. Then the
age of the second person will be (x + 20) years. Five years ago their ages would have been x – 5
years and x + 20 years. Therefore as per the question, we have: 5 (x – 5) = (x + 20 – 5) or 4x =
40 or x = 10.
Therefore the ages are 10 years for the younger one and (10 + 20) years = 30 years for the elder
one.
Example 3: Yasir is fifteen years elder than Mujtaba. Five years ago, Yasir was three times as
old as Mujtaba. Then Yasir’s present age will be:

A) 29 years B) 30 years C) 31 years D) 32 years

Answer: Let the age of Yasir be = x years. Then the age of Mujtaba will be equal to x – 15 years.
Now let us move on to the second condition. Five years ago the age of Yasir will be equal to x –
5 years. Also, the age of Mujtaba five years ago will be x – 15 – 6 years = x – 21 years. As per
the question, we have:

3(x – 21) = x – 5 or 3x – 63 = x – 5. Therefore we have: 2x = 58 and hence x = 29 years.

Therefore Yasir’s present age is 29 years and the correct option is A) 29 years.

Example 4: Ten years ago, the age of a person’s mother was three times the age of her son. Ten
years hence, the mother’s age will be two times the age of her son. The ratio of their present ages
will be:

A) 10:19 B) 9: 5 C) 7: 4 D) 7: 3

Answer: Let the age of the son ten years ago be equal to x years. Therefore the age of the mother
ten years ago will be equal to 3x. Following this logic, we see that the present age of the son will
be equal to x + 10 years and that of the mother will be equal to 3x + 10 years.

The second condition says that ten years from the present, the mother’s age will be twice that of
her son. After ten year’s the mother’s age will be 3x + 10 + 10 years and that of the son will be x
+ 10 + 10 years. As per the question we have:

(3x + 10) +10 = 2 [(x + 10) + 10] or (3x + 20) = 2[x + 20]. In other words, we can write:

x = 20 years. Thus the present age of the mother = 3(20) + 10 = 70 years. Also the present age of
the son = 20 + 10 = 30 years. Thus the ratio is 7:3 and the correct option is D) 7:3.

Practice Questions
Q 1: The age of a man is 24 years more than his son. In two years, the father’s age will be twice
that of his son. Then the present age of his son is:
A) 18 years B) 21 years C) 22 years D) 24 years

Ans: C) 22 years.

Q 2: After 15 years Ramesh’s age will be 5 times his age 5 years ago. What is the present age of
Ramesh?
A) 5 years B) 10 years C) 15 years D) 20 years

Ans: B) 10 years

Age Problems Practice Questions

Age Problems Practice Questions are very frequent when it comes to competitive exams. After
you have gone through the section on Age-related problems, you should move to this section on
the Age Problems Practice Questions. This will provide you with the necessary practice and also
serve as a self-evaluation section. Solving as many practice problems as you can is very
important. Let us see in the following section!
Age Problems Practice Questions
Part A

Q1: Tanya’s grandfather was 8 times older to her 16 years ago. He would be 3 times her age 8
years from now. Eight years ago, what was the ratio of Tanya’s age to that of her grandfather?
[SSC 2003]

A) 1:2 B) 1: 5 C) 3: 8 D) None of these

Q2: The age of father 10 years ago was thrice the age of his son. Ten years hence, father’s age
will be twice that of his son. the ratio of their present ages is: [LIC, 2003]

A) 5: 2 B) 7 : 3 C) 9: 2 D) 13: 4

Q3: Four years ago, the father’s age was three times the age of his son. The total of the ages of
the father and the son after four years will be 64 years. What is the father’s age at present?

A) 32 years B) 36 years C) 44 years D) Data

inadequate E) None of these

Q4: One year ago, Promila was four times as old as her daughter Sakshi. Six years hence,
Promila’s age will exceed her daughter’s age by 9 years. The ratio of the present ages of Promila
and her daughter is:

A) 9: 2 B) 11: 3 C) 12: 5 D) 13: 4

Q5: The sum of the present ages of a father and his son is 60 years. Six years ago, father’s age
was five times the age of the son. After 6 years, son’s age will be: [RRB 2000]

A) 12 years B) 14 years C) 18 years D) 20 years

Q6: Q is as much younger than R as he is older than T. If the sum of the ages of R and T is 50
years, what is definitely the difference between R and Q’s age? [Bank PO 1999]

A) 1 year B) 2 years C) 25 years D) Data inadequate E)

None of these.

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: D), Q2: B), Q3: E), Q4: D), Q5: D), Q6: D)

Part B

Q1: The age of a man is three times the sum of the ages of his two sons. Five years hence, his
age will be double the sum of the ages of his sons. the father’s present age is:
A) 40 years B) 45 years C) 50 years D) 55 years

Q2: The sum of the ages of a father and his son is 45 years. Five years ago, the product of their
ages was 34. The ages of the son and the father are respectively:

A) 6 and 39 B) 7 and 38 C) 9 and 36 D) 11 and 34

Q3: Rajan got married 8 years ago. His present age is 6/5 times his age at the time of his
marriage. Rajan’s sister was 10 years younger to him at the time of his marriage. The age of
Rajan’s sister is: [UPSC 2003]

A) 32 years B) 36 years C) 38 years D) 40 years

Q4: The sum of the ages of 5 children born at the intervals of 3 years each is 50 years. What is
the age of the youngest child? [SSC 2000]

A) 4 years B) 8 years C) 10 years None of these.

Q5: Father is aged three times more than his son Rohit. After 8 years, he would be two and a half
times of Ronit’s age. After further 8 years, how many times would he be of Ronit’s age? [CBI
1998]

A) 2 times B) 2(1/2) times C) 2(3/4) times D) 3 times.

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: B), Q2: A), Q3: C), Q4: A), Q5: A)

Part C

Q1: If 6 years are subtracted from the present age of Gagan and the remainder is divided by 18,
then the present age of his grandson Anup is obtained. If Anup is 2 years younger to Madan
whose age is 5 years, then what is Gagan’s present age?

A) 48 years B) 60 years C) 84 years D) 96 years

Q2: Ayesha’s father was 38 years of age when she was born while her mother was 36 years old
when her brother four years younger to her was born. What is the difference between the ages of
her parents?

A) 2 years B) 4 years C) 6 years D) 8 years

Q3: My brother is 3 years elder to me. My father was 28 years of age when my sister was born
while my mother was 26 years of age when I was born. if my sister was 4 years of age when my
brother was born, then what was the age of my father and mother respectively when my brother
was born?

A) 32 years, 23 years B) 32 years, 29 years C) 35 years, 29 years D)

35 years, 33 years

Q4: A person was asked to state his age in years. His reply was, “Take my age three years hence,
multiply it by 3 and then subtract three times my age three years ago and you will know how old
I am.” What was the age of the person? [SSC 2004]

A) 18 years B) 20 years C) 24 years D) 32 years.

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: B), Q2: C), Q3: A), Q4: A)

Distance/Speed Relation
In distance-speed relations, we will learn about the Distance formula. We will also see velocity
formula. The problems that are from this section base themselves on the concepts and definitions
of terms that measure distance, speed and time. Here we will see many examples from this
section, we will introduce the important concepts like the Distance formula, the velocity formula
etc. We will also solve questions based on the Distance formula and the other relevant formulae.
Let us start!

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Distance Formula – Distance/Speed Relation

First, we will collect all the formulae that we shall use to solve the examples ahead. Let us define
the terms that will appear in the formulae. Let us say that an object starts moving from point A.
The motion means that it changes its position with respect to some fixed point in its
surroundings.

Browse more Topics Under Time And Speed

• Distance/Speed Relation
• Train Problems
• Data Sufficiency
• Relative Speed and Conversions
• Time & Speed Practice Questions

Distance

The distance is the actual length of the path that the object travels.

Displacement

The displacement is the shortest distance between the initial position and the final position of the
journey. For example, if an object goes in a circle and returns to its initial position, then its
displacement is zero while its distance is not. In general, we say that distance is either greater
than or equal to the displacement of an object. The displacement can never be smaller than the
distance.

Velocity Formula
The velocity is the time rate of change of displacement. If ‘S’ is the displacement of an object in
some time ‘T’, then the velocity is equal to, v = S/T. The units of velocity are m/s or km/hr.
Speed:

The speed is the time rate of change of the distance. If ‘D’ is the distance of an object in some
time ‘T’, the speed is equal to, s = D/T. It has the same units as velocity. let us solve some
examples, we will introduce the formulae as we go along.

Examples

Example 1: The speed of a bus is 54 km/h if we don’t let it stop at any point. If the bus stops at
the bus-stops, the speed of the bus is 45 km/h. What is the time that the bus stops for per hour?

A) 7 min B) 10 min C) 21 min D) 22 min

Answer: The relation between distance-speed and time is, speed = Distance/Time. Therefore, we
have

Distance = Speed × Time. As the speed of the bus is 54 km/h, it will cover 54 km in one hour.
Similarly, when we let the bus stop, it will cover 45 km/h. Therefore, due to stoppages, it covers
9 km lesser.
Time taken to cover 9 km = [(Distance/Speed)] = [(9/54)] h = (9/54)×60 min = 10 min.
Therefore the correct option is B) 10 min.

Example 2: Khan can cover a certain distance in 1hr 24min. He covers 2/3 of the distance at 4
km/h and the rest at 5 km/h. What is the total distance that Khan covers?

A) 3 km B) 4 km C) 5 km D) 6 km

Answer: Let the total distance be = D. Also the total time = 1hr and 24min = 1 (24/60) h or 84/60
h. Since we have that Khan covers 2/3 of the distance at 4 k/.h, we can write, for this part of the
journey, speed = 4km/h and distance = [2/3]D.

For the rest of the journey, we have speed = 5 km/h and the distance Khan covers = D – [2/3]D =
(1/3)D

Hence, from the formula for speed, we have: 84/60 hr = [{(2/3) D}/4] + [(1/3)D/5].

We will have to simplify this to find the value of D from it. We have:
(21/15) h = (14/3)D×3
or D = 6 km. Therefore the total distance that Khan covers = 6 km and option D) 6km is the
correct choice.

Some More Examples

Example 3: A certain motor car starts at the speed of 70 km/hr. It accelerates, increasing its
speed every two hours by an amount of 10 km/h. What is the time it will take to cover a distance
of 345 km?

A) 2 (1/4) hrs B) 4 hrs 5 min C) 4 (1/2) hrs D) Can not be determined

Answer: The distance that the car covers in the first 2 hours = (70 x 2) km = 140 km
Also, the distance that the car covers in the next 2 hours = (80 x 2) km = 160 km
Thus, remaining distance = 345 – (140 + 160) = 45 km.
Therefore the speed in the fifth hour = 90 km/hr. Also the time the car takes to cover 45 km =
(45/90) hr = (1/2) hr

Therefore the total time taken = 2 + 2 + (1/2) = 4 (1/2) hrs. Hence the correct option is C) 4 (1/2)
hours.

Example 4: A person ‘A’ can complete a journey in 19 hours. If he travels the first half of this
journey at the rate of 21 km/hr and second half of the journey at the rate of 24 km/hr, then find
the total length of the journey in km.

A) 214 km B) 224 km C) 234 km D) 244 km

Answer: Let the total distance of the journey be = x km. Then, from the distance formula, we
have:

Time of the first half + Time of the second half = 19 h

[x/2]/21 + [x/2]/24 = 19. Here we have to find the value of the ‘x’ from the equation. Therefore,
we have x = 224 km.

Practice Questions
Q 1: A person travels from P to Q at a speed of 40 km/h and returns by increasing his speed by
50%. What is his average speed for both the trips?

A) 34 km/h B) 44 km/hr C) 48 km/hr D) 52 km/hr

Answer: C) 48 km/hr

Q 2: A man on a scooter moves at a certain speed. If he increases his speed by 3 km/h he would
take 40 min lesser. If he moves 2km/h slower he would take 40 min more. The distance he
travels is:

A) 20 km B) 30 km C) 40 km D) 50 km

Answer: C) 40 km

Train Problems
Train Problems form an interesting portion of the time-distance problems. The Train Problems
are a bit different than the regular problems on the motion of the objects. This is due to the finite
size of the trains. As a result of the length of the trains, many interesting train problems originate.
Here we will learn certain tricks and see the various forms of the train problems.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Train Problems
Due to the small size of the cars and other objects, we take them as point objects. Since the size
of the trains is comparable to the distances that they may travel, then we will have to take the
size or the length of the trains into account too. The same formulae that we saw already are
applicable here too. Here we shall see some examples of this concept and then learn some tricks
from other examples.

Example 1: A train running at the speed of 60 km/hr. It crosses a certain pole that is in the way in
9 seconds. What is the length of the train?
A) 200 meters B) 180 meters C) 376 meters D) 150 meters

Answer: The train crosses the pole in 9 seconds. This means that from the point when the engine
or the front of the train crosses the pole to the point when the back of the train reaches the pole,
we have 9 seconds. Thus we can get the length of the train by calculating the distance that the
train travels in 9 seconds.

We have the speed of the train = 60 km/hr. We have to convert it into m/s. Let us see the trick to
convert km/hr to m/s:

1km/1h = 1×(1000/60×60) = 1×(5/18) m/s.

Therefore if the speed is ‘x’ km/hr then we can change it to m/s by multiplying x with 5/18. Let
us do it for the current example.

We have the speed of the train = 60 km/hr or 60×(5/18) = 50/3 m/s.

Therefore in 9 seconds, the train will cover a distance = speed×time

In other words, we have the Distance = (50/3 m/s)×9 = 150 m. Therefore the correct option is D)
150 meters. Let us see some more examples that can be formulated on the basis of this concept.

Browse more Topics under Time And Speed

• Distance/Speed Relation
 • Data Sufficiency
• Relative Speed and Conversions
• Time & Speed Practice Questions

Solved Examples
Example 2: A certain train is 125 m long. It passes a man, running at 5 km/hr in the same
direction in which the train is going. It takes the train 10 seconds to cross the man completely.
Then the speed of the train is:

A) 60 km/h B) 66 km/h C) 50 km/h D) 55 km/h

Answer: Here we will have to use the concept of the relative speed. The relative speed of two
objects is the sum of their individual speeds if they are moving opposite to each other. If the two
objects are moving in the same direction, then their relative speed is equal to the difference
between the two speeds. Hence if the man was at rest or we can with respect to the man = (
125/10 )m/sec
Therefore, this speed of the train = ( 25/2 )m/sec.
In other words we can write, this speed = ( (25/2) × (18/5) ) km/hr = 45 km/hr.

Now, let the speed of the train be = x km/hr. Then, the relative speed of the train with respect to
the man = (x – 5) km/hr.
Therefore, we must have, (x – 5) = 45 or x = 50 km/hr. Therefore, the correct option is C) 50
km/h.

Example 3: Two trains running in opposite directions cross a man standing on the platform in 27
seconds and 17 seconds respectively and they cross each other in 23 seconds. The ratio of their
speeds is:

A) 2: 3 B) 3:2 C) 1:3 D) 3:1

Answer: Let the speeds of the two trains be = x m/s and y m/s respectively. Then, the length of
the first train = 27x meters, and length of the second train = 17y meters.

We can write:
( 27x + 17y ) / (x+ y )= 23
Or 27x + 17y = 23x + 23y, therefore we have: 4x = 6y
and ( x/y ) = ( 3/2 ). Hence the correct option here is B) 3:2

Example 4: A train 360 m long is running at a speed of 45 km/hr. In what time will it pass a
bridge 140 m long?

A) 20 s B) 30 s C) 40 s D) 50 s

Answer: We have already seen the formula for converting from km/hr to m/s: x km/hr =[ x × (
5/18) ]m/s.

Therefore, Speed =[45 x (5/18) m/sec = (25/2)m/sec.

Thus the total distance to be covered = (360 + 140) m = 500 m. Also, we know that the formula
for finding Time = ( Distance/Speed )
Hence, the required time = [ (500 x 2)/25 ] sec = 40 sec.

Practice Questions
Q 1: A jogger running at 9 km/h alongside a railway track in 240 meters ahead of the engine of a
120 meters long train running at 45 km/h in the same direction. In how much time will the train
pass the jogger?

A) 66 s B) 72 s C) 63 s D) 36 s

Ans: D) 36 s

Q 2: Two trains are moving in opposite directions at a speed of 60 km/hr and 90 km/hr
respectively. Their lengths are 1.10 km and 0.9 km respectively. The time taken by the slower
train to cross the faster train in seconds is:

A) 44 s B) 48 s C) 52 s D) 200 s

Ans: B) 48 s

Q 3: Two trains of equal length are running on parallel lines in the same direction at 46 km/hr
and 36 km/hr. The faster train passes the slower train in 36 seconds. The length of each train is:

A) 25 m B) 50 m C) 75 m D) 100 m

Ans: B) 50 m

Relative Speed And Conversions

The concept of Relative Speed is central to most physics. When do we say that a body is in
motion? If you are lying perfectly still on the ground, are you in motion or are you at rest? The
answer is that if you change your relative position with respect to something, you are in motion.
Otherwise, you are in a state of rest.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Relative Speed
Imagine that you have a dart gun with a muzzle velocity of 45 mph. Further imagine that you are
on a bus travelling along a straight highway at 55 mph and that you point the gun so that the
barrel is level and pointing directly forward, toward the front of the bus. Assuming no recoil, as
it leaves the muzzle of the gun, how fast is the dart travelling relative to the road? That’s right!
100 mph. The dart is already travelling forward at 55 mph relative to the road just because it is
on a bus that is moving at 55 mph relative to the road. Add to that the velocity of 45 mph that it
acquires as a result of the firing of the gun and you get the total velocity of the dart relative to the
road.

In other words, we say that the velocity of one object as measured from another object is its
Relative Speed with respect to it. There are broadly two cases in the relative speed as shown
below.

Browse more Topics under Time And Speed

• Distance/Speed Relation
• Train Problems
• Data Sufficiency
• Time & Speed Practice Questions

When the Objects are moving in the same Direction

Let us say two objects with a velocity equal to a and b with respect to the ground are moving in
the same direction. Suppose you and your friend are both travelling in a train or you are on a
train and she is in a car but both are travelling towards the same destination. Let your velocity be
a and that of your friend be b. Then the Relative Speed of your friend as seen by you will be
equal to:

a – b. This is known as the Relative Speed of a with respect to b.

When the Objects are moving in the Opposite Direction

Let us say you are going from Bombay to Pune and your friend is travelling from Pune to
Bombay in opposite directions. Then we can say that the Relative Speed is as: (a + b) or the sum
of the two velocities.

Example 1: A bus is travelling along a straight highway at a constant 55 mph. A person sitting at
rest on the bus fires a dart gun that has a muzzle velocity of 45 mph straight backwards, (toward
the back of the bus). Find the velocity of the dart, relative to the road, as it leaves the gun.

Answer: Defining: vBR to be the velocity of the bus relative to the road, vDB to be the velocity of
the dart relative to the bus, and vDR to be the velocity of the dart relative to the road, and defining
the forward direction to be the positive direction; we have:

vDR = vBR − vDB or in other words we have: vDR = 55 mph − 45 mph. Therefore we may write that
vDR = 10 mph in the direction in which the bus is travelling.
Conversions
While solving any problem on the concept of speed, the relative units have to be uniform. In
other words, the units throughout any calculation shall be the same. The most common units are
the meter and the Kilometer. The following is the conversion between the units of distance.

Distance Conversions

1 m is equivalent to 1.0936 yards, or 39.370 inches. Also, we have 1/100 m = one centimetre
1/1,000 m = one millimetre.

We can easily make the conversions from one system of units, for example, a man covers 30 ft in
ten seconds. What is his speed in meter per second?

A) 0.9146 m/s. B) 9.146 m/s C) 13.32 m/s D) 1.332 m/s

Answer: We know that 1m is equal to 3.28 ft. So we can write that 30 ft = (1/3.28)×30 = 9.146
m. So the speed of the man is 9.146/10 m/s or 0.9146 m/s. Therefore the correct option is
D) 1.332 m/s.

Time Conversions

The time conversions are simple. We know that each minute has 60 seconds and each hour has
60 minutes. Therefore the number of seconds in an hour = 60×60 = 3600 s.

Trick For The Speed Conversion

Now let us use both the tricks to do the most common conversion that you will encounter in the
section. The most common conversion is from km/hr to m/s. Let us see what we can do here.
Convert one kilometre per hour to meter per second?

Answer: We know that 1 km = 1000 m. Also as we just saw 1 hr = 3600 s.

So we can write 1km/1hr = 1000/3600 m/s = 5/18 m/s.

For example, a body is moving at a velocity of 60 km/hr. Its speed in m/s is?

Answer: If you want to change any speed from km/hr to m/s, you need to multiply the km/hr by
the factor 5/18 as we just saw. So, in this case, we can write:

60 km = 60×(5/18) m/s = 50/3 m/s = 16.67 m/s.

Practice Question:
Q 1: A train is travelling from a station A to another station B at a speed of 60 km/hr. Another
train is travelling at a speed of 30 km/hr from station B to A. The relative speed of train A with
respect to B is?

A) 90 m/s B) 30 m/s C) 25 m/s D) 12 m/s

Ans: C) 25 m/s

Time & Speed Practice Questions

Time & Speed Practice Questions section has all the different types of questions that are
expected from this section. Here in the Time & Speed Practice Questions section, we have
questions that will test and check your clarity of the concepts related to this section. Before
attempting the following section on Time & Speed Practice Questions, you should read carefully
the other related topics of this chapter. Now let us see what different types of questions can be
asked in this section.

Time & Speed Practice Questions

Part A

Q1: An aeroplane covers a certain distance at a speed of 240 kmph in 5 hours. To cover the same
distance in 1(2/3) hours, it must travel at a speed of: [S. S. C. 2000]

A) 300 kmph B) 360 kmph C) 600 kmph D) 720 kmph

Q2: A salesman travels a distance of 50 km in 2 hours and 30 minutes. How much faster, in
kilometres per hour, on an average, must he travel to make such a trip in 5/6 hour less
time? [Hotel Management]

A) 10 B) 20 C) 30 D) None of these

Q3: A person has to cover a distance of 6 km in 45 minutes. If he covers one-half of the distance
in two-thirds of the total time; to cover the remaining distance in the remaining time, his speed
(in km/hr) must be: [S.S.C. 1999]

A) 6 B) 8 C) 12 D) 15

Q4: A man performs 3/5 of the total journey by rail, 17/20 by bus and the remaining 6.5 km on
foot. His total journey is:

A) 65 km B) 100 km C) 120 km D) 130 km

Q5: A can complete a journey in 10 hours. He travels first half of the journey at the rate of 21
km/hr and second half at the rate of 24 km/hr. Find the total journey in km. [Assistant Grade,
1997]

A) 220 km B) 224 km C) 230 km D) 234 km

Q6: A person travels equal distances with speeds of 3 km/hr, 4 km/hr and 5 km/hr and takes a
total time of 47 minutes. The total distance (in km) is: [R. R. B. 2001]

A) 2 B) 3 C) 4 D) 5

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: D), Q2: A), Q3: C), Q4: D), Q5: B), Q6: B)

Part B

Q1: The distance between two cities A and B is 330 km. A train starts from A at 8 am and travels
towards B at 60 km/hr. Another train starts from B at 9 am and travels towards A at 75 km/hr. At
what time do they meet? [LIC, 2003]

A) 10 am B) 10:30 am C) 11 am D) 11: 30 am

Q2: The jogging track in a sports complex is 726 metres in circumference. Deepak and his wife
start from the same point and walk in opposite directions at 4.5 km/hr and 3.75 km/hr
respectively. They will meet for the first time in: [M.A.T. 2003]

A) 4.9 min B) 5.28 min C) 5.5 min D) 6 min

Q3: A and B walk around a circular track. They start at 8 am from the same point in the opposite
directions. A and B walk at a speed of 2 rounds per hour and 3 rounds per hour respectively.
How many times shall they cross each before 9:30 am? [UPSC 2002]

A) 5 B) 6 C) 7 D) 8

Q4: Two cars P and Q start at the same time from A and B which are 120 km apart. If the two
cars travel in opposite directions, they meet after one hour and if they travel in the same direction
(from A towards B), then P meets Q after 6 hours. What is the speed of car P? [SBI PO
2000]

A) 60 kmph B) 70 kmph C) 120 kmph D) Data

inadequate E) None of these.

Q5: Two trains starting at the same time from two stations 200 km apart and going in opposite
directions cross each other at a distance of 110 km from one of the stations. What is the ratio of
their speeds?

A) 9: 20 B) 11: 9 C) 11: 20 D) None of these.

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: C), Q2: B), Q3: C), Q4: B), Q5: B)

Part C

Q1: Two trains start from P and Q respectively and travel towards each other at a speed of 50
km/hr and 40 km/hr respectively. By the time they meet, the first train has travelled 100 km more
than the second. The distance between P and Q is: [S.S.C. 2000]

A) 500 km B) 630 km C) 660 km D) 900 km

Q2: Bombay Express left Delhi for Bombay at 14.30 hrs, travelling at a speed of 60 kmph and
Rajdhani Express left Delhi for Bombay on the same day at 16.30 hrs, travelling at a speed of 80
kmph. How far away from Delhi will the two trains meet?

A) 120 km B) 360 km C) 480 km D) 500 km

Q3: A train M leaves Meerut at 5 am and reaches Delhi at 9 am. Another train leaves Delhi at 7
am and reaches Meerut at 10:30 am. At what time do the two trains cross each other?

A) 7:36 am B) 7:56 am C) 8 am D) 8:26 am

Q4: A man takes 5 hours 45 minutes in walking to a certain place and riding back. He would
have gained 2 hours by riding both ways. The time he would take to walk both ways, is:

A) 3 hrs 45 min B) 7 hrs 30 min C) 7 hrs 45 min D) D) 11 hrs 45

min

Find Your Answer Here

Q1: D), Q2: C), Q3: E), Q4: D)

Partnerships
In Partnerships, we study the business partners and their deals. The business started by two or
more parties is often governed by an agreement or a contract. We call these business contracts
the partnerships. Partnerships govern the division of profit and loss of a business. In the
following sections, we have the different concepts that we require to study partnerships and
deduce the scales of profit and loss.

• Simple and Compound Partnerships

• Ratio of Divisions of Gains
• Working and Sleeping Partners
• Data Sufficiency
• Partnership Practice Questions

Simple and Compound Partnerships

Simple and Compound Partnerships result when people start a business together or invest in a
business. The money or the capital that each partner invests will grow as the company or the
business make more and more profit. Consequently, the profit that each partner makes will also
change. In this section, you will learn how to calculate the profit or the investment of one or
more partners. Let us learn more in the following section!

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Simple Partnerships
A simple partnership is one in which each of the partners invests a capital sum for the same time.
During the tenure of the partnership, all the partners stay. The profits and the losses of each
partner can be calculated by noting the initial investments of each of the partners. Let us suppose
that a partner A makes a contribution ‘x’ and a partner B makes a contribution ‘y’ in terms of
capital investment. Then the formula for the Simple partnerships is:

(Profit of A)/(Profit of B) = x/y

In this way, if we know the profit made by one of the partners, we can calculate the profit of the
other partner. Let us see this with the help of an example:

Example 1: Khan and Yawer start a business investing Rs. 169000 and Rs. 130000 respectively.
In what ratio should we divide the profit that each of the partners can have?

A) 12 : 13 B) 13 : 10 C) 13 : 31 D) None of these

Answer: This is a simple partnership. The formula for this is (Profit of A)/(Profit of B) = x/y;
Following this, we can see that the ratio we are looking for is 169000/130000 = 13/10. Hence the
correct option here is B) 13:10.

Three Partners

Example 2: Three partners start a company and decide to invest a starting amount. Partner A
invests Rs. 100000, partner B invests Rs. 200000 and Partner C invests 400000. After one year,
the company is worth Rs. 10000000. The shares of the profit of A, B and C are:

A) Rs. 1428571.43, Rs. 2857142, Rs. 4285714.29.

B) Rs. 4285714.29, Rs. 2857142, Rs. 4285714.29,

C) Rs. 67993.21, Rs. 789475.23, Rs. 891838

D) Rs. 982647.32, Rs. 233425, Rs. 672987

Answer: The total profit is Rs. 10000000. Out of this profit, we have to choose each partner’s
share. The share will be proportional to the initial investments. The ratio os the initial
investments of A, B and C are 1:2:4. Thus the total shares to be distributed are = 1 + 2 + 4 = 7.
The profit has to be shared into 7 portions. Thus the value of each portion of the profit =
10000000/7 = Rs. 1428571.43.

Thus the share in the profit for A = Rs. 1428571.43. Similarly the share in the profit of B =
2×Rs. 1428571.43 = Rs. 2857142. Following the same logic, we can see that the profit for C will
be = 3×Rs. 1428571.43 = Rs. 4285714.29. Hence the correct option is A) Rs. 1428571.43, Rs.
2857142, Rs. 4285714.29.
Compound Partnerships
When partners invest money for different time periods, the partnerships are what we call the
compound partnerships. Suppose we have two partners A and B who invest an amount of ‘x’ and
‘y’ respectively. Let the partner A be in the partnership for a time of a and let ‘b’ be the time for
which the partner B stays in the partnership. The formula for the share of profit = (A’s share of
profit)/(B’s share of profit) = x(a)/y(b)

Example 2: Khan and Yawer start another partnership together investing Rs. 100000 and Rs.
50000 respectively. But this time Khan stays in the partnership for three months while Yawer
stays in it for an entire year. If the partnership was initially for a year, what is the ratio of their
profits?

A) 2 : 1 B) 3 : 2 C) 2 : 3 D) 1 : 2

Answer: As per the question the initial investments of Khan and Yawer are in the ratio 2:1.
Using the formula for the compound partnerships, we can write:

(Khan’s share of Profit)/(Yawer’s share of Profit) = (100000×3)/(50000×12); where 12 is the

number of months in a year. Thus the ratio of the profits is (Khan’s share of Profit)/(Yawer’s
share of Profit) = 1/2 or 1:2. Therefore the ratio is D) 1 : 2.

Some More Examples

Example 3: Yawer and Khan start a business investing Rs. 84,000 and Rs. 28,000 respectively.
The company goes on for 2 years. The ratio in which the profits these partners have earned after
two years:

A) 2 : 3 B) 3 : 1 C) 13 : 3 D) None of these

Answer: Let us recall the formula for simple partnerships, (Profit of A)/(Profit of B) = x/y.

Yawer’s share of profit = x where x and y are investments. Khan’s share of profit = y. Therefore,
we can write:

x:y = Yawer’s share of profit: Khan’s share of profit

Therefore, (Yawer’s share of profit)/(Khan’s share of profit) = Rs. 84000/Rs. 28000 = 3 : 1
The profit earned after 2 years will be divided between Yawer and Khan in the ratio of 3: 1.

Example 4: In the above example, if the profit of the company after two years is 200000, then
what is the profit of each partner?

Answer: Since the profit has to be divided in the ratio 3:1, we divide the profit into 4 shares i.e. 3
+ 1. Therefore, we can write 200000/4 = 50000. Thus the profit of Yawer = 50000×3 = Rs.
150000.

Similarly, the profit earned by Khan = 50000×1 = Rs. 50000.

Practice Questions
Q 1: Raju and Vicki decide to invest in a business. They decide to share the profit in the ratio of
2 : 3. If Raju has invested Rs. 40,000, then what is the investment of Vicki?

A) Rs. 30,000 B) Rs. 45,000 C) Rs. 60,000 D) Rs. 75,000

Ans: C) Rs. 60,000

Q 2: Khan starts a cinema business by investing Rs. 50,000. After six months of doing business,
Karim joins Khan’s business with an investment of Rs. 70,000. After 3 years, they both earn a
profit of Rs. 25,000. Find Khan’s share of profit.

A) Rs. 13000.00
B) Rs. 13224.65
C) Rs. 12500.50
D) Rs. 11538.46

Ans: D) Rs. 11538.46

Working and Sleeping Partners

Sleeping partners are defined in the partnership agreement itself. The general definition of
partnership is as follows, ‘When two or more people come together with a purpose of business to
make a profit it is called partnership.’ The partnership is a very key topic in the competitive
exam. The questions in this section cover a variety of topics from ratio and proportion, profit and
loss, etc. One of the types of question asked in this topic is based on working and sleeping
partners.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Working and Sleeping Partners

In many businesses, you will see that the partner that is working is called working partner. While
the other partner is sleeping or he is silent so he is called sleeping partner. The sleeping partner
only invests the money, he does not do any managerial work or administrative work. He is not
involved in the day to day works of the company. The working partner manages the business and
hence get paid in the form of salary or remuneration for it. While the profit is being distributed,
the salary part has to be met first, any profit remaining after this can be divided on the basis of
the ratio of the partner’s investment.
Source: PxHere

A look into few of the solved examples based on the topic asked in the exams will help you with
the better understanding.

Browse more Topics under Partnerships

• Simple and Compound Partnerships

• Ratio of Divisions of Gains
• Data Sufficiency
• Partnership Practice Questions

Solved Examples:
Q. Raghav, Rahul, and Roma started a business with an investment of Rs. 12 lakhs, 8 lakhs, and
5 lakhs respectively. Raghav and Rahul are also working as CEO and Director. They get a fixed
monthly salary of Rs. 37,000 and Rs. 28,000 respectively out of the profit that the company
makes. Find out the earnings of Roma. The company makes the profit the of 21 lacs at the end of
the year.

A. Rs. 2,64,000 B. Rs. 2,55,000

C. Rs. 2,66,000 D. Rs. 2,70,000

From the question, you can derive that Raghav and Rahul are the working partners. Thus they
will also be compensated with the fixed salary every month besides their shares in the profit.
While Roma is the silent partner. She will only get her part of profit based on the ratio of her
investment.

The share of investment of Raghav, Rahul, and Roma is 12: 8: 5. So, the share of Roma’s profit
will be 5/25. But before calculating her share we need to deduct the yearly salaries of Raghav
and Rahul.
Raghav’s yearly salary: (37000 x 12) = Rs. 4,44,000
Rahul’s yearly salary: (28000 x 12)
= Rs. 3,36,000

Thus, remaining profit after the deduction of their salaries will be, 21 – (4.44 + 3.36) = Rs. 13.2
lakhs.
So, Roma’s share will be, (5/25 x 13.2) = Rs. 2,64,000. Thus, the correct answer is A.

Example Of The Percentage Of Salary

Q. Raj and Sanjay are partners in a business firm. Raj puts in Rs. 5000 and Sanjay put in Rs.
6000. Raj receives 12 1/2 % of the profit for managing the business and the balance is divided in
the ratio of their capitals. If the total profit is Rs. 880, find Raj’s total share.

A. Rs. 470 B. Rs. 465 C. Rs. 460 D. Rs. 455

As Raj is managing the business he is the working partner, while Sanjay is the sleeping partner.
Raj gets his share of profit and 12.5 % for managing the business. 12.5 % of 880 is 110. So, Raj
gets Rs. 110 and the other profit as well. This profit will be based on the ratio of their
investment. Their investment is in the ratio of 5: 6. Thus, the share of Raj in profit is (5/11 x 770)
= 350. So, the total gain for Raj will be 110 + 350 = Rs. 460. Thus, the correct answer is C.

Learn Simple and Compound Partnerships here.

Practice Questions:

Based on commission

Q. A business has four working partners and twelve sleeping partners. After paying equal
commitment to the working partners, 80 % of the profit remains and it is shared among all the
partners. If each working partner gets a total of Rs. 12000, find his commission.

A. Rs. 4000 B. Rs. 5500

C. Rs. 6000 D. Cannot be determined

The correct answer is C.

Q. The profit after a year of starting the business was Rs. 2,30,000. If there were three working
partners and each of them received a commission of 5 % and two sleeping partners, and all the
partners have invested equally, find the share of the profit earned by a silent partner.

A. Rs. 28000 B. Rs. 38000

C. Rs. 38500 D. Rs. 39100

The correct answer is D.

Based on salary paid

Q. Aman and Shardul decided to start a business. They both invested Rs. 50000 and Rs. 60000
respectively. As Aman was managing the business, he was paid Rs. 5000 per month as the
salary. After a year, both profited Rs. 93000. What was the total amount Shardul received?

A. Rs. 1800 B. Rs. 1600 C. Rs. 6000 D. Rs. 5000

The correct answer is A.

Q. The commission paid to the working partner in a business is 5 % of the profit. Two working
partners are paid Rs. 20000 each. The remaining profit is shared equally among the four partners.
Find the amount paid to each sleeping partner in the business.
A. Rs. 10000 B. Rs. 15000
C. Rs. 55000 D. Rs. 90000

The correct answer is D.

Q. The three partners A, B, and C decided to run a business together. All of them invested Rs.
20000, Rs. 30000 and Rs. 60000 respectively. B is the CEO and he manages all the work. The
other two are sleeping partner. If B receives 3000 per month as a fixed salary and the total profit
made by all of them was Rs. 1,35,000 in one year, then what was B’s total share of the profit?

A. Rs. 63,000 B. Rs. 59,000

C. Rs. 65,000 D. Rs. 72,000

The correct answer is A.

Ratio of the Division of Gains

Profits are what govern a partnership. A contract or a deal by which two or more investors or
parties come together is known as a partnership agreement. The agreement tells us how to split
Profits and loses. The partners usually agree to some set rules and proceed with the business or
the proposal. There are many different types of questions from partnership asked in the exam.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Division of Profits
A business or a company is successful when it is making profits. There are many businesses
which are run by the multiple people called partners. And each and every partner have invested
different amounts. Based on this the profits are divided. Usually, there are two types of scenarios
in which profits of the company are divided. They are:

1. When the investments are done for a different time period then the equivalent amount is
calculated for that unit of time by having (capital x number of units of time). Thus, the profit or
loss made is divided in the ratio of these capitals. Suppose, X invests Rs. a for ‘m’ months and Y
invests Rs. b for ‘n’ months, then it will be calculated as,
(X’s share of profit/loss) : (Y’s share of profit/loss) = am : bn
Source: Pixabay

2. When the investments done by all the partners for the equal amount of time, the profit or loss
will be distributed between the partners in the ratio of their investments. Suppose X and Y invest
Rs. a and Rs. b respectively for a period of 1 year in a startup then at the end of that year the
profit/loss will be calculated as:
(X’s share of profit/loss) : (Y’s share of profit/loss) = a : b.

Using the above formulas we will solve different types of questions. Based on these questions,
there are also practice questions for you at the end.

Browse more Topics under Partnerships

• imple and Compound Partnerships

• Working and Sleeping Partners
• Data Sufficiency
• Partnership Practice Questions

Examples of three partners

Q. Ram started a business by investing Rs. 90,000. After 3 months, Shyam joined Ram and
invested the amount of Rs. 120,000. After another 6 months, Mahesh joined both of them by
investing Rs. 180,000. It was found that the profit made by all of them at the end of the year was
Rs. 33,000. What was the share of each person?

The given question is based on the 1st type that can be asked in the exam. In this question, the
three people mentioned have invested in three different time periods. So, from the question you
can see that Ram has invested his amount for 12 months, Shyam has done it for 9 months, and
Mahesh has invested his amount for 3 months.

So, based on the time period and the amount invested by each of the members, the ratio will be,

(90000 x 12) : (120000 x 9) : (180000 x 3)

=> 1080000 : 1080000 : 540000
=> 108 : 108 : 54 = 18 : 18 : 3 = 2 : 2 : 1
So, we can see that Ram will 2 parts as his share, Shyam will have 2 parts as his share, and
Mahesh will have 1 part as his share.

Thus, the share of each person will be as follows:

Ram’s share: (33000 x 2/5) = Rs. 13,200

Shyam’s share: (33000 x 2/5) = Rs. 13,200

Mahesh’s share: (33000 x 1/5) = Rs. 6600

Examples of two partners

Q. Ramesh started his television business with an initial investment of Rs. 35 crores. He was
joined by Suresh after 5 months with an investment of Rs. 27 crores. Together they made a profit
of Rs. 145 crores. Find out Suresh’s share.

As the time period of investment of Ramesh and Suresh is different, their share in the profit will
also be different. First, we need to find out the ratio of their investment. The ratio for the profit
sharing between Ramesh and Suresh will be (35 x 12) : (27 x 7) = 20: 9.
Based on the above ratio we need to divide profit into 20: 9.

So, Suresh’s profit will be: (145 x 9/29) = Rs. 45 crores.

Practice questions:

Q. Amit, Sumit, and Chand entered into a partnership by investing 1500, 2500, and 3000 rupees
respectively. Amit was a manager and gets one-tenth of the profit, while the remaining profit is
divided among the three in the ratio of their investment. If Amit’s total share is Rs. 369. What
will be the share of Sumit?

A. Rs. 420, Rs. 490 B. Rs. 500, Rs. 480

C. Rs. 410, Rs. 486 D. Rs. 405, Rs. 486

The correct answer is D.

Q. In a partnership between A, B, and C, A invests Rs. 2000. If in a profit of Rs. 1600, A’s share
is Rs. 400 and C’s share is Rs. 200, then what was the amount that B invests?

A. Rs. 6000 B. Rs. 5000 C. Rs. 6500 D. Rs. 3000

The correct answer is B.

Q. Three partners X, Y, and Z invested Rs. 1600, Rs. 1800, and Rs. 2300 respectively in a
business. How should they divide the profit of Rs? 399?

A. Rs. 112, Rs. 128, Rs. 159

B. Rs. 112, Rs. 126, Rs. 161
C. Rs. 110, Rs. 126, Rs. 163
D. Rs. 112, Rs. 128, Rs. 159

The correct answer is B.

Q. In a business Mohit, Azhar, and Sachin invested their capital in the ratio of 3 : 3: 6. If the total
profit was Rs. 10,000 then was the share of profit between Mohit and Sachin?
A. Rs. 2500 B. Rs. 2000 C. Rs. 2700 D. Rs. 2600

The correct answer is A.

Partnership Practice Questions

We have covered the partnership topic in our earlier articles. But in any competitive exam, you
are asked questions and one needs to have enough practice to solve the questions. And that is
why we are giving you enough questions for practice. Today our topic will be on partnership
practice question.

Partnership Practice Question

Part 1
Directions: In this section, you are given the amount of investment and along with this the total
profits are given. You are required to find the share of each investor.

1. Sonu, Monu, and Harish decided to start a new business by investing Rs. 1,20,000, Rs.
1,35,000, and Rs 1,50,000 respectively. If the total yearly profit of the business is Rs. 56,700
than what will be the share of each person?

2. Abhay and Ajay started a business by investing Rs. 85000 and Rs 15000 each. What be will
the ratio of profit earned after 2 years between Abhay and Ajay respectively?

A. 3:4 B. 15:23 C. 17:23 D. None of the above

3. If X, Y, and Z enter into a business partnership by investing an amount of Rs. 35,000, Rs.
45,000, and Rs. 55,000 each. If the annual profit of the business is Rs. 40,500 each, they will be
the share of each person?

4. Sanjay and Vijay invested Rs. 22,500 and Rs. 35,000 in a new car company. The total profit
made by them was Rs. 13,800, then what was Vijay’s share in the profit?

A. Rs. 9600 B. Rs. 7200 C. Rs. 5400 D. Rs. 8400

5. In a particular business, X and Z invested the amounts in the ratio of 2:1, while the amount
invested X and Y is 3:2. If the total profit was Rs. 1,57,300, then find the amount that Y
received.

A. Rs. 36,300 B. Rs. 24,200 C. Rs. 48,400 D. Rs. 72,600

Answers:

1. Rs. 16,800, Rs. 18,900, Rs. 21,000

2. D. None of the above

3. Rs. 10,500, Rs. 13,500, Rs. 16,500

4. D. Rs. 8400

5. C. Rs. 48,400

Part 2: Different Investment Period

Directions: In this section, the amount of investment is done for different time periods. Based on
the information given to you, find the answer.

1. A started a business by investing Rs. 45,000. After a period of 3 months, B joined with an
investment of Rs. 60,000 and after another 6 months C joined the venture with a capital of Rs.
90,000. At the end of the year, the total profit made was Rs. 16,500. Find out the share of each
person.

2. Ajay, Vijay, and Sujoy started a venture capital by investing Rs 20,000. After a period of 5
months, Ajay withdrew Rs 5000, Vijay withdrew Rs. 4000 and Sujoy further invested Rs. 6000.
The profit made by the company at the end of the year was Rs. 69,900. What was the share of
each and every member?

3. Aman invested Rs. 76,000 in a firm. After initial few months, Shravan joined him further with
Rs. 57,000. Now the profit at the end of the year between them was in the ratio 2:1. After how
many months did Shravan join the business?

A. 2 months B. 3 months C. 4 months D. 5 months

4. X, Y, and Z started a business by investing in the ratio 3:2:4. After 1 year, Y invested another
Rs. 2,70,000 and Z at the end of 2 years also invested another Rs. 2,70,000. At the end of 3 years
period, profits were shared in the ratio of 3:4:5. What was the initial investment of each member?

5. Sameer started a business by investing Rs. 9000. After 5 months Kamal joins him with an
investment of Rs. 8000. Is at the end of the year, both of them earn a profit of Rs. 6970, then
what will be the share of Kamal in the profit?

A. Rs. 3690 B. Rs. 1883 C. Rs. 3864 D. Rs. 2380

6. Ram started a software firm by investing Rs. 50,000 and after a period of five months Mohan
joined him with an investment of Rs. 80,000. The profit at the end of three years was Rs. 24,500.
Find Ram’s share in the profit.

A. Rs. 9423 B. Rs. 10,500 C. Rs. 12,500 D. Rs. 14,000

7. Arav, Kunal, and Sumit invested Rs. 8000, Rs. 4000, and Rs. 8000 respectively for a business.
Arav left the business after six months, and if after eight months there was a gain of Rs. 4005,
then what was the Kunal’s share in the profit?

A. Rs. 890 B. Rs. 1335 C. Rs. 1603 D. Rs. 1780

Answers:

1. Rs. 6600, Rs. 6600, Rs. 3300

2. Rs. 20,500, Rs. 21,200, Rs. 28,200

3. C. 4 months

4. Rs. 2,70,000, Rs, 1,80,000, Rs. 3,60,000

5. D. Rs. 2380

6. B. Rs. 10,500

7. A. Rs. 890

Part 3: Investing x Times more than the other

Directions: For this section, the questions will depend on the number of times ‘x’ person
investing more than the ‘y’person.

1. Three friends decided to start a new business together. Twice of X’s capital is equal to thrice
of Y’s capital and Y’s capital is four times that of Z’s capital. If the total profit was Rs. 16,500
made at the end of the year then Y’s share will be

A. Rs. 6500 B. Rs. 7500 C. Rs. 4000 D. Rs. 6000

2. A, B, and C subscribes Rs. 50,000 for a business. A invests Rs. 4000 more than B and B
invests Rs. 5000 more than C. Find out the share of A out of the total profit of Rs. 35,000.

A. Rs. 8400 B. Rs. 11,900 C. Rs. 13,600 D. Rs. 14,700

3. Rohan, Mohan, and Sohan enter into a business partnership. Rohan invests 3 times as much as
Mohan and Mohan invest ⅔rd of what Sohan invests. The total annual profit was Rs. 6600. Find
the share of Mohan.

A. Rs. 1100 B. Rs. 1200 C. Rs. 1300 D. None of the above

4. If 4 times of A’s capital is equal to 6 times of B’s capital which is equal to 10 times of C’s
capital then find out the share of C out of the total profit of Rs. 4650.

A. Rs. 900 B. Rs. 465 C. Rs. 2250 D. Rs. 1550

5. Ram, Shyam, and Rohan enter into a partnership wherein Ram invest some capital at the
initial stage. Shyam invests double the amount after a period of 6 months and Rohan invests
thrice the amount after 8 months. Annually the profit made is Rs. 27,000. What will be the
Rohan’s share in it?

A. Rs. 9000 B. Rs. 8625 C. Rs. 10,800 D. Rs. 11,250

Answers:

1. D. Rs. 6000

2. D. Rs. 14,700

3. B. Rs. 1200

4. A. Rs. 900
5. A. Rs. 9000

Mixture and Alligation

Mixture and Alligation questions form a very important part of the quantitative aptitude section.
In the following topics, you will find all the concepts of Mixtures and alligations that are asked
as part of the quantitative aptitude section. Let us see below!

• Alligation & Rule of Alligation

• Mean Price
• Mixture and Alligation Practice Questions

Mixture and Alligation Practice Questions

The Mixture and Alligation Practice Questions section have questions on alligation, Mean Price,
and the Rule of Alligation. All of these topics are very important and many questions have been
already asked from the section on Mixture and Alligation. In the following section of Mixture
and Alligation Practice Questions, we will see many similar questions and some questions that
have been asked. Best of luck with the section and let us begin!

Browse more Topics under Mixture And Alligation

• Alligation & Rule of Alligation

• Mean Price

Mixture and Alligation Practice Questions

Part A

From the following questions, select the correct option.

Q1: In what ratio must a grocer mix two varieties of pulses costing Rs. 15 and Rs. 20 per kg
respectively so as to get a mixture worth Rs. 16.50 per kg? [RRB 2003]

A) 3: 7 B) 5: 7 C) 7: 3 D) 7: 5 E) None of
These

Q2: Find the ratio in which rice sold at Rs. 7.20 a kg must be mixed with rice at Rs. 5.70 a kg to
produce a mixture worth Rs. 6.30 a kg. [IGNOU, 2008]

A) 1: 3 B) 2: 3 C) 3: 4 D) 4: 5 E) None Of
These

Q3: In what ratio must tea at Rs. 62 per kg be mixed with tea at Rs. 72 per kg so that the mixture
must be worth Rs. 64.50 per kg?
A) 3: 1 B) 3: 2 C) 4: 3 D) 5: 3 E) None Of These

Q4: In what ratio must water be mixed with milk costing Rs. 12 per litre to obtain a mixture
worth of Rs. 8 per litre?

A) 1: 2 B) 2: 1 C) 2: 3 D) 3: 2 E) None of
These

Q5: The cost of Type I rice is Rs. 15 per kg and Type 2 rice is Rs 20 per kg. If both Type 1 and
Type 2 are mixed in the ratio 2: 3, then the price per kg of the mixed variety of rice is:
Rs [MBA 2002]

A) 18 B) 18.50 C) 19 D) 19.50 E) None Of

These

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: C), Q2: B), Q3: A), Q4: A), Q5: A)

Part B

Q1: In what ratio must a grocer mix two varieties of tea worth Rs. 60 a kg and Rs. 65 a kg so that
by selling the mixture at Rs. 68.20 a kg he may gain 10%? [SSC 2004]

A) 3: 2 B) 3: 4 C) 3: 5 D) 4: 5 E) None Of
These

Q2: How many kilograms of sugar costing Rs. 9 per kg must be mixed with 27 kg of sugar
costing Rs 7 per kg so that there may be a gain of 10% by selling the mixture at Rs. 9.24 per kg?

A) 36 kg B) 42 kg C) 54 kg D) 63 kg E) None
Of These

Q3: In what ratio must water be mixed with milk to gain 16(2/3)% on selling the mixture at cost
price? [LICAAO 2003]

A) 1: 6 B) 6: 1 C) 2: 3 D) 4: 3 E) None Of
These

Q4: A dishonest milkman professes to sell his milk at some cost price but he mixes it with water
and thereby gains 25%. The percentage of water in the mixture is:

A) 4% B) 6(1/4)% C) 20% D) 25% E) None Of

These

Q5: Two vessels A and B contain spirit and water mixed in the ratio 5: 2 and 7: 6 respectively.
Find the ratio in which this mixture be mixed to obtain a new mixture in vessel C containing
spirit and water in the ration 8: 5?

A) 4: 3 B) 3: 4 C) 5: 6 D) 7: 9 E) None Of
These
Find Your Answers Here

Q1: A), Q2: D), Q3: A), Q4: C), Q5: D)

Part C

Q1: A merchant has 1000 kg of sugar, part of which he sells at 8% profit and the rest at 18%
profit. He gains 14% on the whole. The quality sold at 18% profit is:

A) 400 kg B) 560 kg C) 600 kg D) 640

kg E) None Of These

Q2: A jar full of whisky contains 40% alcohol. A part of this whisky is replaced by another
containing 19% alcohol and now the percentage of alcohol was found to be 26%. The quantity of
whisky replaced is:

A) 1/3 B) 2/3 C) 2/5 D) 3/5 E) None

Of These

Q3: A container contains 40 litres of milk. From this container, 4 litres of milk was taken out and
replaced by water. this process was repeated further two times. How much milk is now contained
by the container?

A) 26.34 litres B) 27.36 litres C) 28 litres D) 29.16

litres E) None Of These

Q4: A can contains a mixture of two liquids A and B in the ratio 7: 5. When 9 litres of mixtures
are drawn off and the can is filled with B, the ratio of A and B becomes 7: 9. How many litres of
liquid A was contained by the can initially?

A) 10 B) 20 C) 21 D)
25 E) None Of These

Q5: A vessel is filled with liquid, three parts of which are water and 5 parts syrup. How much of
the mixture must be drawn off and replaced with water so that the mixture may be half water and
half syrup?

A) 1/3 B) 1/4 C) 1/5 D) 1/7 E) None

Of These

Q6: A milk vendor has two cans of milk. The first contains 25% water and the rest milk. The
second contains 50% water. How much milk should he mix from each of the containers so ass to
get 12 litres of milk such that the ratio of water to milk 3: 5?
A) 4 litres, 8 litres B) 6 litres, 6 litres

C) 5 litres, 7 litres D) 7 litres, 5 litres E) None Of These

Find Your Answers Here

Q1: C), Q2: B), Q3: D), Q4: C), Q5: C), Q6: B)

Alligation And Rule of Alligation

In Alligation & Rule of Alligation, we study mixtures of two or more than two quantities that
have different selling process or cost prices. Imagine that you mix a cheap substance with an
expensive substance. What should be the value of the resulting mixture? That is what we will
study in the Alligation & Rule of Alligation. In the section below, we will see what Alligation is,
we will also what mean price and the rule of alligation is. After studying the following section
you will be able to answer all the questions based on alligation and the rule of alligation in less
than a minute.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Alligation And Rule of Alligation

To understand the formula of the Alligation and the rule of alligation, we have to understand the
concept of weighted average. For example, let us say that we buy 50 packs of chips at the cost of
10 rupees each and 30 packets at the cost of 20 rupees each. What is the average cost? Will the
average will be determined by the 20 rupees packs or the 10 rupees packs? This is when we
come across the concept of weighted average.

The weighted average here will be: [50×10]+[30×20]/80

In alligation, we will use the same concept. Let us first define the few following terms:

Alligation: It is the rule that enables us to find the ratio in which two or more ingredients at the
given price must be mixed to produce a mixture of the desired price.

Mean Price: The cost price of a unit quantity of the mixture is called the mean price. Now let us
define the rule of alligation.

Browse more Topics under Mixture And Alligation

• Mean Price
• Mixture and Alligation Practice Questions

Rule Of Alligation
Let us suppose that two ingredients of concentrations ‘a’ and ‘b’ respectively have been mixed in
some proportion. Let ‘a’ be the cheaper component and ‘b’ be the dearer or the most costlier
component. Then the rule of alligation states that:

[{Quantity of Cheaper substance}/{Quantity of dearer substance}] = [(C.P. of dearer substance)

– (Mean price)/(Mean price) – (C.P. of cheaper substance)]

Let ‘c’ be the cost price or C.P. of a unit quantity of a cheaper substance, ‘m’ be the mean price,
‘d’ be the cost price of a unit quantity of the dearer substance, then we can write:

(Quantity of the Cheaper Substance) : (Quantity of the Dearer Substance) = (d – m) : (m – c). Let
us get a clearer picture with some an example.

Example 1: In what ratio must rice at Rs 9.30 per kg be mixed with rice sold at Rs. 10.80 per kg,
so that the mixture be worth Rs. 10 per kg?

A) 2:1 B) 4:3 C) 6:5 D) 8:7

Answer: Using the rule of alligation, we have:

C.P. of 1 kg of rice (in paise) = 1080 paise = d

Also the C.P. of 1 kg rice of 2nd kind (in paise) = 930 paise = c

Also, mean price of the mixture (per kg in paise) or m = 1000 paise. So from the rule of
alligation, we have:

(Quantity of Cheaper rice) : (Quantity of dearer rice) = (1080 – 1000)/(1000 – 930)

Therefore the required ratio = 80 : 70 or 8:7 and hence the correct option is D) 8: 7

The Method Of the Repeated Dilutions

There is another way of achieving the results that are given by the rule of alligation. It is known
as the method of the repeated dilutions. Suppose a container contains ‘x’ units of liquid from
which ‘y’ units are taken out and replaced by water. After n operations, the quantity of pure
liquid = [x{1 – (y/n)}n] units. Let us explain this formula with the help of an example:

Example 2: A container contains 40 litres of milk. From this container, 4 litres of milk was taken
out and replaced by water. This process was repeated further two times. How much milk is now
contained by the container?

A) 33.3 litres B) 12.19 litres C) 29.16 litres D) 30 litres

Answer: The container contains x = 40 litres of milk. The quantity of milk that is taken out and
replaced by water = y = 4 litres.

Also, we have been given that number of times the process is repeated or n = 3 (=1 +2 times).
Therefore from the method of repeated dilution, substituting the relevant values, we have:

Amount of milk left after three operations = [40{ 1 – (4/40)}3] litres. Therefore we may write:

[40×(9/10)×(9/10)×(9/10)] = 29.16 litres. Therefore the correct option is C) 29.16 litres.

Example 3: A can contains a mixture of two liquids A and B in the ratio 7: 5. When 9 litres of
the mixture is drawn off and the can is filled with B, the ratio of A and B becomes 7: 9. How
many litres of liquid A was contained by the can initially?

A) 3 B) 7 C) 21 D) 29

Answer: Suppose the can initially contain 7x and 5x litres of mixtures A and B respectively. The
quantity of A in the mixture left = [7x – (7/12)×9] litres = [7x – 21/4] litres.

The quantity of B in mixture left = [5x – (5/12)×9] litres = [5x – 15/4] litres.

Therefore we can write: the ratio of the two quantities as [7x – 21/4]/ [5x – 15/4] = 7/9

In other words, we may say that 252x – 189 = 140x + 147

Hence, x = 3. Therefore the can had 7(3) = 21 litres of the quantity A. Thus the correct option is
C) 21.

Practice Questions
Q 1: A milk vendor has 2 cans of milk. the first contains 25% water and the rest milk. the second
contains 50% water. How much milk should he mix from each of the containers so as to get 12
litres of milk such that the ratio of water to milk is 3: 5?

A) 6 litres, 7 litres B) 7 litres, 8 litres C) 6 litres, 6

litres D) 7 litres, 5 litres.

Ans: C) 6 litres, 6 litres

Q 2: A dishonest milkman professes to sell his milk at cost price but he mixes it with water an
thereby gains 25%. The percentage of water in the mixture is:

A) 10% B) 15% C) 20% D) 25%

Ans: C) 20%

Mean Price
Allegation and mixture is a very common topic asked in the competitive exams. The topic
contains the sums related to ratio and proportion and profit and loss. Today we will be discussing
on mean price. The mean price questions are common on this topic.

Suggested Videos
Area of Triangles

Coin Toss

VST Permutations and Combinations Problem 1 and its Solution

Alligation Concept
When different quantities of different costs are mixed together to produce a mixture of a mean
cost also known as average cost, then the ratio of the quantities is inversely proportional to the
difference in their cost from the mean cost.

The Rule of Alligation

The quantity of cheaper/ Quantity of dearer = Price of dearer – Mean price/ Mean price – Price
of cheaper
Some of the points you need to remember while solving mean price in alligation and mixture:

1. The cost prices are considered in alligation and mixture.

2. Usually, the cost price of water is considered to be zero.
3. If it is given that the vessel contains ‘x’ liters of milk and if ‘y’ liters is to be withdrawn and
replaced by water, and if ‘y’ liters of the mixture is withdrawn and replaced by water, and the
operation is repeated for ‘n’ number of times, then

Milk left in vessel after nth operation / initial quantity of milk in vessel = (x – y)n / xn

Browse more Topics under Mixture And Alligation

• Alligation & Rule of Alligation

• Mixture and Alligation Practice Questions

Solved Example

1. A shopkeeper has 50 kg of rice, out of that he sells some at 8 % gain and the rest at 18 % gain.
He gains 14 % in all. Find the amount of rice sold at 8 % profit.
A. 16 kg
B. 18 kg
C. 20 kg
D. 22 kg

Ans: Here before solving the question, we will divide the data given to us and based on it we will
put the values into the equation.

Lower gain = 8% (cheaper)

Higher gain = 18% (dearer)
Overall gain = 14% (mean)

Now, the given question can be solved by two methods. We will get the answer by both these
methods. One is formula based and the other is figure based. Both the methods are simple to
remember.

Method 1:

Formula based
(Quantity of cheaper)/(Quantity of dearer) = (18 – 14)/(14 – 8) = 4/6 = 2/3.
In this method, you have just put the values into the above equation given to you. If not then you
will be requiring the second method to solve the question.

Method 2:
In this method, you will be using find the ratio of the two values and use the cross-multiplication
method. Further, in this method, the overall gain should be written in the middle of the figure.
And the two values 18 and 8 on the upper side. The 14 in the middle is deducted from the two
upper values. And the values obtained should be on the downward side. The figure will be as
follows:

Thus, we have found 6: 4 as the required ratio. But 6 : 4 = 3 : 2. So, the rice was sold at 8 %
profit was 20 kg. Thus, the correct answer is C.

Examples of Gain and Loss

1. A shopkeeper has 50 kg of sugar, part of which he sells at 8% gain and the rest at 18%. He
gains 14% on the whole process. Find the quantity of sugar sold at 18% profit.

A. 25 kg
B. 30 kg
C. 35 kg
D. 40 kg
As we have mentioned above in the important points always calculate the profit on cost price.
Thus, in this question, we will start by assuming that the cost price of sugar per kg is Rs. x.
Therefore, the price of the sugar sold at 8 % gain is 1.08x per kg. And the price of sugar sold at
18% gain is 1.18x per kg. Also, the mean price at which the sugar is sold is Rs. 1.14x per kg.

Therefore, putting values in the given equation the ratio of quantities will be,
(1.18x – 1.14x)/(1.14x – 1.08x) = 0.04x/0.06x = 2/3.
So, the quantity sold at 18% gain = 3/5(50) = 30 kg. Thus, the correct answer is B.

Practice Questions
1. A businessman has 50 kg of rice, a part of which he sells at 10% profit and the rest at 5% loss.
He gains 7% on the whole. Find the quantity of rice sold at 5% loss.

A. 10 kg
B. 15 kg
C. 22 kg
D. 25 kg

The correct answer is A.

2. 2 kg of sugar has the cost price of Rs. 4 should be mixed with how many kgs of sugar worth
Rs. 5 kg to be sold at 5 Rs/kg gaining 100/9% profit?

A. 2 kg
B. 2.5 kg
C. 3 kg
D. 4 kg

The correct answer is A.

3. 30 kgs of rice costing Rs. 12/kg is mixed with some kgs of rice costing Rs. 18 to get the
mixture costing Rs. 13.5. Find the quantity of rice costing Rs. 18.

A. 20 kg
B. 10 kg
C. 12 kg
D. 15 kg

The correct answer is B.

4. 100 kgs of wheat are sold in two parts. One at 5% profit and other at 15% profit. If there is an
overall profit of 12%, find the quantity sold at 15% profit.

A. 30 kg
B. 40 kg
C. 70 kg
D. 80 kg

The correct answer is C.

5. A shopkeeper mixes 50 kg of salt worth of Rs. 60 per kg with 40 kg of another variety of slat
to get a mixture costing Rs. 70 per kg. What is the price of the costlier variety?
A. Rs. 80/kg
B. Rs. 82.5/kg
C. Rs. 85/kg
D. Rs. 90/kg

The correct answer is B.