Airthmetic Progressions

1. In an A.P.; if a = 8 and a₁0 =-19, then value of d is: (2024)

Answer. (d) – 3

2. Two alarm clocks ring their alarms at regular intervals of 20 minutes and
25 minutes respectively. If they first beep together at 12 noon, at what time
will they beep again together next time? (2024)

Answer. LCM (20, 25) = 100

 After 100 minutes from 12:00 noon
 They will beep again together at 1:40 pm

3. In an A.P. if S,, = 4n² - n, then

(i) find the first term and common difference. (2024)

Answer. (i) Sn = 4n2 – n

S1 = 4 – 1 = 3 = a 1
S2 = 2a + d = 14  d = 14 – 6 = 8

(ii) write the A.P. (2024)

Answer. A.P. is 3, 11, 19, 27, .....

(iii) which term of the A.P. is 107? (2024)

Answer. 107 = 3 + (n – 1)8  n = 14

4. In an A.P., if the first term a = 7, nth term an = 84 and the sum of first
(2024)

(a) 22
(b) 24
(c) 23
(d) 26

Answer. (c) 23

5. (A) The sum of first and eighth terms of an A.P. is 32 and their product is
60. Find the first term and common difference of the A.P. Hence, also find the
sum of its first 20 terms. (2024)

Answer. a + a8 = 32 ⟹ 2a + 7d = 32 ----- (i)

a × a8 = 60 ⟹ a(a + 7d) = 60 ----- (ii)
Solving (i) & (ii), we get
a = 2 or a = 30
and d = 4 or d = – 4
First term and common difference of A.P. are 2 and 4 or 30 and – 4
respectively.
Now, for a = 2 & d = 4
S20 = 10 (4 + 76) = 800
and for a = 30 & d = – 4
S20 = 10 (60 – 76) = – 160

6. In an A.P. of 40 terms, the sum of first 9 terms is 153 and the sum of last 6
terms is 687. Determine the first term and common difference of A.P. Also,
find the sum of all the terms of the A.P. (2024)

Answer. Here n = 40,

and S40 – S34 = 687 or a35 + a36 + a37 + a38 + a39 + a40 = 687
⟹ 6a + 219d = 687 or 2a + 73d = 229 ---- (ii)
solving (i) and (ii) to get a = 5, d = 3

7. Directions:
Assertion (A) is followed by a statement
of Reason (R). Select the correct option from the following options: (2024)
(a) Both, Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true. Reason (R) explains
Assertion (A) completely.
(b) Both, Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true. Reason (R) does not explain
Assertion (A).
(c) Assertion (A) is true but Reason (R) is false.
(d) Assertion (A) is false but Reason (R) is true.

Q. Assertion (A): The tangents drawn at the end points of a diameter of a

circle, are parallel.
Reason (R): Diameter of a circle is the longest chord. (2024)

Answer. (b) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true but Reason (R) is not
the correct explanation for Assertion (A).
5.2 Arithmetic Progressions
MCQ
1. If a, b, c form an A.P. with common difference d, then the value of a 2b - cis
equal to
(a) 2a + 4d
(b) O
(c) -2a-4d
(d) -2a-3d (2023)
2. The next term of the A.P.: √7, √28, √63 is
(a) √70
(b) √80
(c) √97
(d) √112 (2023)
3. If k + 2, 4k - 6 and 3k - 2 are three consecutive terms of an A.P., then the
value of k is
(a) 3
(b) -3
(c) 4
(d) -4 (2023)
4.

5. Which of the following is not an A.P.?

(a) -1.2, 0.8, 2.8,...
(b) 3,3+√2,3+2√2,3+3√2,...

6. The value of x for which 2x, (x + 10) and (3x + 2) are the three consecutive
terms of an A.P., is
(a) 6
(b) -6
(c) 18
(d) -18 (2020)
7. The first three terms of an A.P. respectively are 3y-1, 3y+5 and 5y + 1. Then
y equals
(a) -3
(b) 4
(c) 5
(d) 2 (Delhi 2014)
8. If k, 2k - 1 and 2k + 1 are three consecutive terms of an A.P., the value of k is
(a) 2
(b) 3
(c) -3
(d) 5 (Al 2014) VSA (1 mark)
9. Find the common difference of the Arithmetic

10. Write the common difference of A.P.

√3, √12, √27, √48,... (A/ 2019)
11. For what value of k will k+9, 2k - 1 and 2k + 7 are the consecutive terms of
an A.P.? (AI 2016)
12. For what value of k will the consecutive terms 2k + 1, 3k+ 3 and 5k - 1
form an A.P.? (Foreign 2016) SAI (2 marks)
13. Find a and b so that the numbers a, 7, b, 23 are in A.P. (Term II, 2021-22)
14. Show that (a - b)², (a² + b²) and (a + b)² are in A.P. (2020) U

5.3 nth Term of an A.P.

MCQ
15. The first term of an A.P. is p and the common difference is q, then its 10th
term is
(a) q+9p
(b) p-9q
(c) p+9q
(d) 2p+9q (2020)
16. The next term of the A.P. √7,√28, √63,... is
(a) √70
(b) √84
(c) √97
(d) √112 (Foreign 2014)
VSA (1 mark)
17. If the nth term of an A.P. is pn + q, find its common difference. (2019C)
18. Which term of the A.P. 10, 7, 4, ... is - 41? (2019C)
19. If in an A.P., a = 15, d = - 3 and a, 0, then find the value of n. (2019)
20. How many two digit numbers are divisible by 3? (NCERT, Delhi 2019)
21. In an A.P., if the common difference (d) = -4, and the seventh term (a7) is
4, then find the first term. (2018)
22. What is the common difference of an A.P. in which
921-a7 = 84? (AI 2017)
23. Find the 9th term from the end (towards the first
term) of the A.P. 5, 9, 13, ..., 185. (Delhi 2016)
24.
SAI (2 marks)

26. Find the number of terms of the A.P. :

293, 285, 277,..., 53 (Term II, 2021-22C)
27. For what value of 'n', are the nth terms of the A.P's:
9,7,5,.... and 15, 12, 9,.... the same? (Term II, 2021-22)
28.

29. Determine the A.P. whose third term is 5 and seventh term is 9. (Term II,
2021-22)
30. If the 9th term of an A.P. is zero, then show that its 29th term is double of
its 19th term. (2019C)
31. Which term of the A.P. 3, 15, 27, 39, .... will be 120 more than its 21st term?
(Delhi 2019)
32. If the 17th term of an A.P. exceeds its 10th term by 7, find the common
difference. (AI 2019)
33. Find how many integers between 200 and 500 are
divisible by 8. (Delhi 2017)
34.

35. The 4th term of an A.P. is zero. Prove that the 25th term of the A.P. is three
times its 11th term. (AI 2016)
36. Find the middle term of the A.P. 6, 13, 20, ..., 216. (Delhi 2015)
37. Find the middle term of the A.P.
213, 205, 197,....., 37. (Delhi 2015)
38. The fourth term of an A.P. is 11. The sum of the fifth and seventh terms of
the A.P. is 34. Find its common difference. (Foreign 2015)
39. The fifth term of an A.P. is 20 and the sum of its seventh and eleventh
terms is 64. Find the common difference of the A.P. (Foreign 2015)
40. The ninth term of an A.P. is -32 and the sum of its eleventh and thirteenth
terms is -94. Find the common difference of the A.P. (Foreign 2015)
41. Find the number of natural numbers between 101 and 999 which are
divisible by both 2 and 5. (Al 2014)
SA II (3 marks)
42. How many terms are there in A.P. whose first and fifth term are -14 and 2,
respectively and the last term is 62. (2023)
43. Which term of the A.P.: 65, 61, 57, 53, _______ is the first negative term?
(2023)
44.

45. The pth, qth and rth terms of an A.P. are a, b and c
respectively. Show that a(q − r) + b(r− p) + c(p − q) = 0. (Foreign 2016) Ev
46. Divide 56 in four parts in A.P. such that the ratio of the product of their
extremes (1st and 4th) to the product of means (2nd and 3rd) is 5:6. (Foreign
2016)
47.

48. The sum of the 5th and the 9th terms of an A.P. is 30. If its 25th term is
three times its 8th term, find the A.P. (AI 2014)
49. The sum of the 2nd and the 7th term of an A.P. is 30. If its 15th term is 1
less than twice its 8th term, find the A.P. (Al 2014)
LA (4/5/6 marks)
50. In Mathematics, relations can be expressed in various ways. The
matchstick patterns are based on linear relations. Different strategies can be
used to calculate the number of matchsticks used in different figures. One such
pattern is shown below. Observe the pattern and answer the following
questions using Arithmetic Progression:

(a) Write the AP for the number of triangles used in the figures. Also, write the
nth term of this AP.
(b) Which figure has 61 matchsticks?
(Term II, 2021-22)
51. The sum of four consecutive numbers in A.P. is 32 and the ratio of the
product of the first and lastterms to the product of two middle terms is 7: 15.
Find the numbers. (2020, 2018)
52. Which term of the Arithmetic Progression -7, -12, -17,-22, ... will be -82 ? Is
-100 any term of the A.P.? Give reason for your answer. (2019)
53. The sum of three numbers in A.P. is 12 and sum of their cubes is 288. Find
the numbers. (Delhi 2016)
5.4 Sum of First n Terms of an A.P.
MCQ
54. Assertion (A): a, b, c are in A.P. if and only if 2b = a + c.
Reason (R): The sum of first n odd natural numbers is n².
(a) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct
explanation of Assertion (A).
(b) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is not the
correct explanation of Assertion (A).
(c) Assertion (A) is true but Reason (R) is false.
(d) Assertion (A) is false but Reason (R) is true. (2023)
VSA (1 mark)
55. Find the sum of the first 100 natural numbers. (2020)
SAI (2 marks)
56. In an AP if Sn = n (4n+ 1), then find the AP. (Term II, 2021-22)
57. Find the common difference 'd' of an A.P. whose first term is 10 and sum of
the first 14 terms is 1505. (Term II, 2021-22)
58. Find the sum of first a20 terms of an AP in which d = 5 and a20 = 135.
(Term II, 2021-22)
59. Find the sum of first 20 terms of an A.P. whose nth term is given as
a₁ = 5 - 2n. (Term II, 2021-22)
60. If S, the sum of first n terms of an A.P. is given by S₁ = 3n² - 4n, find the nth
term. (Delhi 2019)
61. If S, the sum of the first n terms of an A.P. is given by Sn = 2n²+n, then find
its nth term. (A/ 2019)
62. Find the sum of first 8 multiples of 3. (2018)
63. How many terms of the A.P. 18, 16, 14, ... be taken so that their sum is zero?
(Delhi 2016)
64. How many terms of the A.P. 27, 24, 21, ... should be taken so that their sum
is zero? (Delhi 2016)
65. In an A.P., if S5 + S7 = 167 and S10 = 235, then find the A.P., where Sn
denotes the sum of its first n terms. (AI 2015)
66. The first and the last terms of an A.P. are 7 and 49 respectively. If the sum
of all its terms is 420, find its common difference. (Delhi 2014)
67. The first and the last terms of an A.P. are 8 and 65 respectively. If the sum
of all its terms is 730, find its common difference. (Delhi 2014)
68. The sum of the first n terms of an A.P. is 3n² + 6n. Find the nth term of this
A.P. (Foreign 2014)
69. The sum of the first n terms of an A.P. is 5n - n². Find the nth term of this
A.P. (Foreign 2014)
70. The sum of the first n terms of an A.P. is 4n2 + 2n. Find the nth term of this
A.P. (Foreign 2014) SA II (3 marks)
71. The sum of first 15 terms of an A.P. is 750 and its first term is 15. Find its
20th term. (2023)
72. Rohan repays his total loan of 1,18,000 by paying every month starting
with the first instalment of 1,000. If he increase the instalment by 100 every
month, what amount will be paid by him in the 30th instalment? What amount
of loan has he paid after 30th instalment? (2023)
73. Find the sum of first 16 terms of an Arithmetic Progression whose 4th and
9th terms are – 15 and - 30 respectively. (2020C)
74. In an A.P. given that the first term (a) = 54, the common difference (d) = -
3 and the nth term
(a) = 0, find n and the sum of first n terms (S₁) of the A.P. (2020)
75. Find the sum : (-5)+(-8) + (-11) +...+ (-230) (2020) (Ap
76. For an A.P., it is given that the first term (a) = 5, common difference (d) =
3, and the nth term (an) = 50. Find n and sum of first n terms (Sn) of the A.P.
(2020)
77.

78. Find the sum of n terms of the series

79. The first term of an A.P. is 5, the last term is 45 and the sum of all its terms
is 400. Find the number of terms and the common difference of the A.P. (AI
2017, Delhi 2014)
80. If the sum of first 7 terms of an A.P. is 49 and that of its first 17 terms is
289, find the sum of first n terms of the A.P. (NCERT, Delhi 2016)
81. How many terms of the A.P. 65, 60, 55, ... be taken so that their sum is zero?
(Delhi 2016)
82. If the ratio of the sum of first n terms of two A.P's is (7n + 1): (4n+27),
find the ratio of their mth terms. (AI 2016)
83. The digits of a positive number of three digits are in A.P. and their sum is
15. The number obtained by reversing the digits is 594 less than the original
number. Find the number. (AI 2016)
84. The sums of first n terms of three arithmetic progressions are S1, S2 and
S3 respectively. The first term of each A.P. is 1 and their common differences
are 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Prove that S₁ + S3 = 252. (Al 2016)
85. The sum of the first n terms of three A.P's are S1, S2 and S3. The first term of
each is 5 and their common difference are 2, 4 and 6 respectively. Prove that
S₁+S3=2S2. (Foreign 2016)
86. If S, denotes the sum of first n terms of an A.P., prove that S12 = 3(S8 – S4).
(Delhi 2015)
87.

88. If S, denotes the sum of first n terms of an A.P., prove that S303[S20-S10]
(Delhi 2015, Foreign 2014)
89. The 14th term of an A.P. is twice its 8th term. If its 6th term is -8, then find
the sum of its first 20 terms. (Al 2015)
90. The 16th term of an A.P. is five times its third term. If its 10th term is 41,
then find the sum of its first fifteen terms. (AI 2015)
91. The 13th term of an A.P. is four times its 3rd term. If its fifth term is 16, then
find the sum of its first ten terms. (AI 2015)
92. In an A.P., if the 12th term is -13 and the sum of its first four terms is 24,
find the sum of its first ten terms. (Foreign 2015)
93. The tenth term of an A.P. is -37 and the sum of its first six terms is - 27.
Find the sum of its first eight terms. (Foreign 2015)
94. The sum of the first seven terms of an A.P. is 182. If its 4th and the 17th
terms are in the ratio 1 : 5, find the A.P. (AI 2014)
95. The sum of the first 7 terms of an A.P. is 63 and the sum of its next 7 terms
is 161. Find the 28th term of this A.P. (Foreign 2014)
LA (4/5/6 marks)
96. The ratio of the 11th term to 17th term of an A.P. is 3 4. Find the ratio of
5th term to 21st term of the same A.P. Also, find the ratio of the sum of first 5
terms to that of first 21 terms. (2023)
97. 250 logs are stacked in the following manner:
22 logs in the bottom row, 21 in the next row, 20 in the row next to it and so on
(as shown by an example). In how many rows, are the 250 logs placed and
how many logs are there in the top row? (2023)

98. Solve: 1+4 +7 + 10 + ... + x = 287 (2020)

99. Find the sum of all odd numbers between 0 and 50. (2019C)
100. How many terms of the Arithmetic Progression 45, 39, 33, ... must be
taken so that their sum is 180 ? Explain the double answer. (2019C)
101. The first term of an A.P. is 3, the last term is 83 and the sum of all its
terms is 903. Find the number of terms and the common difference of the A.P.
(Delhi 2019)
102. Find the sum of all the two digit numbers which leave the remainder 2
when divided by 5. (Al 2019)
103. The ratio of the sums of first m and first n terms of an A. P. is m²: n². Show
that the ratio of its mth and nth terms is (2m - 1): (2n-1). (Delhi 2017, Foreign
2016)
104.If the sum of first m terms of an A.P. is the same as the sum of its first n
terms, show that the sum of its first (m + n) terms is zero. (Delhi 2017)
105. If the ratio of the sum of the first n terms of two A.P's is (7n + 1):
(4n+27), then find the ratio of their 9th terms. (AI 2017)
106. A thief runs with a uniform speed of 100 m/minute. After one minute a
policeman runs after the thief to catch him. He goes with a speed of 100
m/minute in the first minute and increases his speed by 10 m/minute every
succeeding minute. After how many minutes the policeman will catch the
thief? (Delhi 2016)
107.A thief, after committing a theft, runs at a uniform speed of 50 m/minute.
After 2 minutes, a policeman runs to catch him. He goes 60 m in first minute
and increases his speed by 5 m/minute every succeeding minute. After how
many minutes, the policeman will catch the thief? (Delhi 2016)
108. The houses in row are numbered consecutively from 1 to 49. Show that
there exists a value of X such that sum of numbers of houses proceeding the
house numbered X is equal to sum of the numbers of houses following X. (AI
2016)
109. Reshma wanted to save at least 6500 for sending her daughter to school
next year (after 12 months). She saved 450 in the first month and raised her
savings by 20 every next month. How much will she be able to save in next 12
months? Will she be able to send her daughter to the school next year? What
value is reflected in this question? (Foreign 2016)
110. Ramkali required ₹2500 after 12 weeks to send her daughter to school.
She saved 100 in the first week and increased her weekly saving by *20 every
week. Find whether she will be able to send her daughter to school after 12
weeks. What value is generated in the above situation? (Delhi 2015)
111. Find the 60th term of the A.P., 8, 10, 12, ..., if it has a total of 60 terms and
hence find the sum of its last 10 terms. (AI 2015)
112. An arithmetic progression 5, 12, 19, ... has 50 terms. Find its last term.
Hence find the sum of its last 15 terms. (Al 2015)
113. Find the middle term of the sequence formed by all three-digit numbers
which leave a remainder 3, when divided by 4. Also find the sum of all
numbers on both sides of the middle term separately. (Foreign 2015)
114. Find the middle term of the sequence formed by all numbers between 9
and 95, which leave a remainder 1 when divided by 3. Also find the sum of the
numbers on both sides of the middle term separately. (Foreign 2015)
115. Find the middle term of the sequence formed by all three-digit numbers
which leave a remainder 5 when divided by 7. Also find the sum of all numbers
on both sides of the middle term separately. (Foreign 2015)
116. In an A.P. of 50 terms, the sum of first 10 terms is 210 and the sum of its
last 15 terms is 2565. Find the A.P. (Delhi 2014)
117.In a school, students decided to plant trees in and around the school to
reduce air pollution. It was decided that the number of trees, that each section
of each class will plant, will be double of the class in which they are studying.
If there are 1 to 12 classes in the school and each class has two sections, find
how many trees were planted by the students. Which value is shown in this
question? (Al 2014)
CBSE Sample Questions
5.3 nth Term of an A.P.
VSA (1 mark)
1. Which term of the A.P. 27, 24, 21,.. is zero? (2020-21)
2. In an Arithmetic Progression, if d = 4, n = 7, a₁ = 4, then find a. (2020-21)
SA I (2 marks)
3. Find the value of a25-a15 for the AP: 6, 9, 12, 15., ............ (Term II, 2021-22)
4. If 7 times the seventh term of the AP is equal to 5 times the fifth term, then
find the value of its 12th term. (Term II, 2021-22)
5.4 Sum of first n terms of an A.P.
LA (4/5/6 marks)
5. The school auditorium was to be constructed to accommodate at least 1500
people. The chairs are to be placed in concentric circular arrangement in such
a way that each succeeding circular row has 10 seats more than the previous
one.

(i) If the first circular row has 30 seats, how many seats will be there in the
10th row?
(ii) For 1500 seats in the auditorium, how many rows need to be there?
OR
If 1500 seats are to be arranged in the auditorium, how many seats are still
left to be put after 10th row?
(iii) If there were 17 rows in the auditorium, how many seats will be there in
the middle row? (2022-23)
6. Push-ups are a fast and effective exercise for building strength. These are
helpful in almost all sports including athletics. While the push-up primarily
targets the muscles of the chest, arms, and shoulders, support required from
other muscles helps in toning up the whole body.

Nitesh wants to participate in the push-up challenge. He can currently make

3000 push-ups in one hour. But he wants to achieve a target of 3900 push-ups
in 1 hour for which he practices regularly. With each day of practice, he is able
to make 5 more push- ups in one hour as compared to the previous day. If on
first day of practice he makes 3000 push-ups and continues to practice
regularly till his target is achieved. Keeping the above situation in mind
answer the following questions:
(i) Form an A.P. representing the number of push- ups per day and hence find
the minimum number of days he needs to practice before the day his goal is
accomplished.
(ii) Find the total number of push-ups performed by Nitesh up to the day his
goal is achieved. (Term II, 2021-22)

SOLUTIONS
Previous Years' CBSE Board Questions
1. (c): We have, a, b, c, are in A.P.
:- b=a+d, and c = a + 2d
Now, a -2b - c = a -2(a + d) - (a + 2d)
= a -2a - 2d-a-2d2a-4d
2. (d): We have, √7, √28, √63,... i.e., √7,2√7,3√7,...
Here, first term, a=√7 and common difference, d=√7
( :- d= a₂-a₁)
:- Next term, a₁ =a3 +d=3√7+√7=4√7=√112
3. (a): Since, k + 2, 4k - 6 and 3k - 2 are three
consecutive terms of A.P.
:- a2-a1=A3-A2
= (4k - 6) - (k + 2) = (3k - 2) - (4k -6)
= 4k-6-k-2=3k-2-4k+6
= 3k-8=-k+4⇒ 4k = 12⇒k=3
4.